Review: Drew Carey on The Price is Right

Now that I finally have some time off work for the holidays, the first order of business was to watch TPIR with the new host - Drew Carey.

I sat down today and watched the "Christmas Eve" show. I actually like Drew Carey for the most part. I liked watching "The Drew Carey Show" when it used to be on tv. However, after one episode I can definitively proclaim - he's just not Bob. He seemed rather dry and didn't show much emotion either way when the contestant won or lost. He seemed rather awkward much of the time. He did show some life when 2 of the 3 contestants in the first wheel spin got $1,000. That was about it. He's just missing the Barker charisma.

Given that I'm off of work all week though, I will give him another couple of viewings and will let you know if my opinion changes.

I still can get rather excited about the showcase showdown - with or without Bob. Today was sad - both contestants overbid. One of the guys had a fairly specific dollar amount. When it was all said and done he was over by only $74. Sadly that and $1.25 will buy him a cup of coffee.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!

2 Hours, 20 Minutes

That is how long it took me to drive 28 miles in a snow storm home from work today. Thankfully I was patient and didn't get too aggravated. Just glad I got home in one piece with no scratches or dings to the Jeep. We have gotten about 10 inches of snow since Saturday. More snow is forecasted on Thursday and over the weekend. Last year we didn't have our first inch of snow until December 31st. Oh well. That's life in the winter wonderland of the north.

Almost 9 Months To the Day - Another Big Snow

We are in the middle of a big snow storm today - almost exactly 9 months since our last big snow. Might I remind you of what happened on that day - snap, crackle, pop! I can say that I am safely tucked in the house tonight.

We did venture out into the snow today though. We, after all, can't be slowed down too much by the white stuff. We went to a shoe store where I bought a pair of boots. They are broken in already. Nice and warm and seem to handle well on the snow. We also tried a Malaysian restaurant for lunch. It was pretty good and nice to warm up on a very cold day. We also checked out a couple of art sales in the metro area.

We've had anywhere between 4-6 inches of snow. No warm up in sight, so I think this snow will be around for a bit. It's -2 right now with the wind chill. I just take it slow, avoid shoveling, and Steve walks with me. :)

All in all, my ankle seems to be pretty good. It still swells up quite a bit depending on the day. I had dinner a few weeks ago with a former co-worker who had broken her ankle 4 years ago. She said she had swelling well over a year later. Guess I've got a few more months to go.

Work is finally slowing down a bit, so I hope to get back in the groove of blogging more often. Hope all is well!

If it wasn't for Steve...

I'd have very few comments on my postings. He got a little carried away on my last posting. I'm adding this one to mainly give him a new post to which he can comment.

Things are extremely busy at work these days, so I don't have much time for getting on here and blogging. I see the faint glimmer of light from the proverbial "end of the tunnel" - so after this month I hope to get back to Debbie's Discourse on a regular basis.

In the meantime, know that I am 1-7 now in my Fantasy Football league. I finally have a win! Of coure the guy I beat had 4 players that had byes that week so he wasn't managing the team very well. Sad...I barely beat him too! Steve wondered how much my nephew paid his friend off to let me win that game. :)

Hope all is well!

Miscellaneous Musings

It's been a week of Drew Carey on Price. I've heard mixed reviews on him. I haven't had a chance to watch it, but I did catch a clip of a gal playing Plinko on You Tube. The downside to You Tube is that when I do venture to that site, I end up wasting way too much time surfing the videos. One night I was all about looking up various old videos - many Olivia Newton-John clips!

Work has been crazy busy and therefore this site has fallen down on the list of what I can keep up with. The good news is that it's higher than even cleaning my house. The bad news is that it's higher than even cleaning my house. ;) I'll be going in to work this weekend as well.

My little guy Eric in Arizona injured his right foot last weekend at a birthday party. He too has his foot in a splint. Poor little guy. He gets to use a wheelchair for a couple of weeks, so I would guess he's the hit of the preschool.

Oh - I did manage to run a little bit last week on my "bionic" ankle. Ok, so I was on the treadmill and ran twice for a minute and a half each time for a total of 3 minutes.

Either it's Friday night and my humor is slightly warped from lack of sleep or this was funny. Steve was just talking to our dog Moe and he used the word "traverse" in his conversation. Totally sure Moe understood that! As I saw once in a card, a dog hears..."blah, blah, blah, blah, Moe, blah, blah, blah, Moe."

One last thing - Fantasy Football seems to be a bust this year for me. I'm 0-6. I'm having fun with it though. My dad's not doing any better in the league either. Thankfully for him, he's in a couple of leagues and he's won in the other one. Alas, I'm not. I'm still having fun though.

Hope all is well!

45 Down, 5 to go

Check out my map. All states in red are ones I've been to. Check out the following site to create your own map.

http://www.world66.com/myworld66/visitedStates

I added both Louisiana and Mississippi yesterday. I drove from Houston across Louisiana to Gulfport, Mississippi and then back to New Orleans and ended in Baton Rouge for the evening. I hit Gulfport right as the sun was setting. I dipped my feet into the Gulf of Mexico briefly and then hopped back in the car to continue my 9 hour day of driving.

One thing that was quite clear is that Katrina was quite the bitch. Driving along I-90 through Mississippi back to New Orleans was quite the site. You could tell that they still had uninhabitable housing and destruction still around. I was seeing most of this in the dark and you could still tell the destruction.

I'm glad I got those 2 states checked off of my list. I can't imagine that I'll be going back to those states anytime soon. I had my fill in the short time I was there. :)

These Boots Were Made for Walking

OK, so I'm not wearing boots, but today marked the fist day that I tried wearing shoes that were b.f. (before fall). They aren't that spectacular, but they do have a bit of a heel - maybe an inch and a half of a chunky heel. I wore them for about 4 hours and then switched to the flat shoes I've been wearing. It was just nice to feel a little taller for a change. 4 hours was quite enough though. I'll ease into them.

Hope all is well!

Raw Peanuts

We stopped at the Farmer's Market today - it's huge and the produce looked great! We picked up some Lemongrass, Honey Crisp Apples, Green Beans and Raw Peanuts. Guess which two were my picks and which two were Steve's.

Yes, I'm pretty "vanilla" - Dad, you're not the only vanilla person in the family. Steve is a bit more adventurous and picked the Lemongrass and Peanuts. Steve cracked one of the peanuts open at the Farmer's Market and took a bite. It was wet, white and a bit nasty tasting. He had to quickly find the garbage to spit it out.

So, tonight we looked up how to roast peanuts. (350 degree oven for about 30 minutes). Such an odd smell wafting up the stairs. It smells like green beans cooking. He brought me one a few minutes ago. It was still rather damp and it felt like a pea in a pea pod. Kind of crunchy, wet and slimy. We decided to put them back in the oven for a little longer, so we'll see what happens.

Raw peanuts - freaky!

This post approved by Steve for publishing.

43 and Counting

No, I'm not talking about my age! In my previous post, I mentioned adding a couple of states to my list of states when I travel to Louisiana and Mississippi in a few weeks. So, I'm sure many of you are wondering - at least one person was - what states do I still have to hit?

Well, thankfully I've hit the "hard to hit" states of Hawaii and Alaska. I've been to Hawaii a couple of times in the last 5 years or so. Last year, 2006, Steve and I took a weekend and flew to Alaska on miles so that Steve could hit his 50th state! I've been stuck pretty much since then with my grand total of 43. Now that's not too shabby, but when the spousal unit is sitting there with 50 states, I have to be a little envious.

So, I figure when I go to Houston next month, I'll add a day or two onto my trip and make a foray into Louisiana and then into Mississippi. I might have been in Mississippi a long time ago, but since I can't remember definitively I'm going to add it so there's no question!

The remaining 5 states should be relatively easy to hit if I can arrange a trip out to the Northeast. The states are: Delaware, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine.

States that I've had to make a special trip to hit include North Dakota (seriously - you don't go through North Dakota for many cross country trips!) and Nebraska - another one that is hard to hit by being on a road trip.

I'd like to get back to a few states that I've been in but have not really explored. Those include Washington and Connecticut.

Speaking of Connecticut - does anyone when spelling certain words remember your grade school days of how you learned how to spell? I still spell Connecticut by saying Connect-i-cut. Mississippi is another one of those words that requires a little mental discussion.

Well, I've digressed - no big surprise there!

One more tangent - I'm doing this Fantasy Football league with my nephew. I lost last week, but it is fun! I'm watching the Vikings/Lions game right now and I have the Vikings defense and the Lions receiver. Both of which are doing fairly well at the moment. This does give a new dimension to watching football games.

Count up your states and let me know your count.

Land of Disney

I'm sitting in the Orlando airport at the moment waiting for my flight back home. I've been here since Wednesday at a conference for work. Prior to this visit, my last trip to Orlando was probably a good 20 years ago.

It was a good trip - sadly I didn't see Mickey or Minnie. I wish I would have planned a trip to one of the theme parks - maybe next time. Most of my time was taken up with work and the conference. Today I had a little time to myself until I had to check out. I didn't make it to a beach, but I did hang out by the hotel pool for a short time. It was pretty hot and humid here this week, so I didn't last too long outside today. Probably just as well since I had no sunscreen. I thought about buying some at the hotel, but decided that $15 for sunscreen that would probably spill out in my suitcase wasn't worth it.

I had a good time down here and am looking forward to my next conference in 3 weeks to Houston. I'm going to spend an extra couple of days on that trip and add Louisiana to my list of states. Just in case I've never hit Mississippi, I'm going to do a quick trip into that state as well.

So, from the land of Mickey Mouse - signing out!

Reflections on the Library

Steve and I went to the library this afternoon to get a little work/studying done. When did libraries become a place to socialize? I remember being at the library when I was a teen and having a librarian shush me. No more - one of the louder voices at the library today belonged to a librarian helping a patron find a book. The only way to have peace and quiet is to get a study room, which are few and far between. Sadly, I was out in the main area with everyone else.

The big draw of course to the libraries these days are those who need to use the computers. I think it's great there is a place to go for those who don't have one. Unfortunately the internet wasn't working at the library today, so many people were at a loss on how to do research. Hmmm....wasn't that covered in middle school - how to do research at a library. Do they even cover that these days or is it all about what you can find on the computer? I did see a sign at a different library a few months ago that said "Teacher won't let you cite Wikipedia, try the library."

We witnessed an argument between a middle-aged couple. I'm not sure where the woman had been, but there was a guy who had been using a laptop to play Solitaire for a couple of hours. This woman came up (presumably a wife or girlfriend) and they started talking. He was trying to explain to her why he wasn't able to do whatever research she thought he should be doing - the internet wasn't working. They were not seeing each other's point at all but just kept getting louder trying to make their point. Someone nearby finally commented for them to quiet down - which they did. Seriously though - he played Solitaire the entire time. As soon as she walked away he was back at the game!

Just a different type of library experience than what I grew up with. I guess I'm officially old!

Crooked Foot

I've determined that when my foot was "relocated" from its dislocated position, it was positioned crooked. I've noticed for some time that in a normal standing position, my right foot angles ever so slightly to the right. Tonight at the gym I noticed that I have a big gap between my big toe and the next one. The spacing is just not there on the left foot. If you look at the picture to the right from when I first got back to being on my feet - you can you see that there is a larger space. At the time I figured it was due to swelling. Now I'm not so sure. My toes don't seem to lay as flat on the ground as my left ones.

Of course this is probably all in my head, but it sure seems like my right foot just wasn't screwed on right. ;)

Side note: I just saw an advertisement for Kid Nation that is a "reality" show starting in September. It's been in the news recently for talk about it being harmful to the kids, etc. The premise is that they put this group of kids together and they form their own town, government, rules, etc. No parents involved. The main person complaining is the parent of one of the kids. I guess there were a few dangerous situations - ingesting of bleach being one of them. I'm sorry, but what did the parents expect when they signed their kid up for this. They obviously wanted their kid to have 15 minutes of fame. I'm not saying that they don't have a right to complain. Bleach is pretty serious - thankfully no one was hurt. The entire premise is ridiculous! Anyhoo...

15,000 Miles - in 9 Months!

Little Red - my 2007 Honda Civic - hit 15,000 miles yesterday. Very sad. I bought the car on October 30th and it had 8 miles on it at the time. Granted I drove it almost 1,000 miles in the first 2 days. I bought it in Louisville, KY and so that took a number of miles to get home.

When I put 60 miles on it each day driving to and from work what else can I expect?? The good thing is that it gets pretty nice gas mileage so at least I can be happy with that. It's still in great shape and fun to drive.

Here's to hoping that the odometer starts slowing down a little!

Fantasy Football Newbie

My next venture will be trying out fantasy football this fall. My nephew Chad has a league he runs through espn and he invited me to be in it this year. I thought about it and decided - sure why not?

So I committed to it and then looked at all of the information on espn's website. Am I nuts? It looks to be pretty complicated and intense. Our draft is coming up soon, so I guess I need to start thinking about players.

I found myself listening to the local sports station in the car today - they have an entire program around fantasy football. I picked up a few pointers - none of which I'll share as there are others in the league who may occasionally look at this blog.

Feel free to pass along any helpful hints if you're a fantasy football expert!

Over 5 Months Since the Fall

I'm sure everyone is interested to know how the old ankle is holding up these days. Suffice it to say - better than 5 months ago! I almost feel like I can do everything I used to do without much pain. The swelling around the ankle continues to be present, but it's not as big at least.

This week I've been in more pain in the evenings. It's hot and humid - wonder if that's the problem. The other thought is that I'm now not "babying" it as much and so maybe I'm just using it more. I've iced it a number of times and even used a foot massager that we bought recently.

I was talking to a co-worker the other day about how it still occasionally causes me trouble. Her response was one of surprise. She had broken something too in the past (not anything that she walks with by the way) and was surprised that it was still bothering me. Made me wonder if I was healing slow, but then someone else pointed out to me that she probably didn't have a plate and 8 screws to repair the break either. Point well taken!

Anyway, I'm healing and getting around much better. Still have the pain occasionally, but all in all - getting around much better than last March.

Thanks for reading!

Catching Up

I've been MIA for the last couple of weeks. I've been on vacation and busy with work getting ready for vacation.

To get caught up....

Steve and I met up with his family at Fair Hills Resort a couple of weeks ago. Steve vacationed there when he was younger and he hadn't been back in a very long time. It was great to finally experience it firsthand instead of just hearing the stories. The resort sits on a lake and is very peaceful. It really would be a great place to be for a week. We only were there for a day or two.

I worked for a couple of days after Fair Hills. Then headed to Illinois for a week with the family. I saw a ton of people while I was in Illinois. My sister and her kids came for a visit. My sisters, their families, and my parents and I went to my mom's hometown for a bit of a family reunion. My mom's from a big family and our reunion included my mom, her brother, her sister, 2 sisters-in-laws, and lots of cousins. There were about 45 of us there and that was probably about half of what could have been had everyone been there. It was a lot of fun.

My parents and I took a day trip to Springfield, IL and visited a few of the Lincoln sites. We went to the relatively new Lincoln museum, Lincoln's tomb (not so new), and New Salem. I probably hadn't been to New Salem since 4th grade - a number of years ago! I would highly recommend visiting any of the sites. The Lincoln museum was very cool and definitely worth the time to go over there.

I had fun seeing the nieces and nephews while I was down there. My sisters, nieces and I went to see Hairspray while I was there - very cute movie. I also saw my nephew pitch in a tournament game (sadly they lost, but not because of his pitching!). I went swimming with my sister and niece and got together with Steve's sister and family for my favorite - Custard Cup!

All in all it was a nice summer vacation.

Now I'm back home and we are finally getting some much needed rain. Our grass hasn't been mowed for probably over a month. We are majorly lacking in moisture.

Sad news out of Minneapolis with the bridge collapse. It's been nice seeing how the community is pulling together and supporting each other.

On another sad note, my 2nd grade teacher passed away last week after a battle with cancer. She was one of the reasons I originally wanted to teach. She was one of my favorite teachers. I remember her as a beautiful, young teacher who was kind to everyone. She'll be missed!

Bob Didn't Tell Me Directly, but....

Drew Carey it is! Straight from CNN, Drew Carey will be taking over for Bob Barker on The Price is Right.

I'm happy with the choice. It'll be interesting to see how he does with it. Definitely a better choice than some that were talked about.

Recent Movies

As I'm sitting here watching "Ebert and Roeper" I thought I'd give a few movie reviews of recent movies I've seen.

Steve and I went and saw Waitress several weeks ago. It was quite the "chick flick" and not at all what Steve was expecting. However, he even admitted it was an ok movie. I thought it was good. It stars Keri Russell as a waitress in a bad marriage and pregnant. Keri's character is a well-known pie maker in town. There was enough mention of pie that we went for a piece of pie afterward. So, make sure you don't eat too much popcorn - save room for pie.

After the Waitress, I haven't gotten Steve back to the theater. I don't mind seeing movies on my own, so that hasn't stopped me. I'm making up for lost time while I was laid up this spring!

I saw Knocked Up. It was ok, but didn't quite live up to the hype I'd heard about it. Lots of profanity, so if that bothers you - you might skip this one. Seth Rogan did a good job and I enjoyed watching him.

Next was Mr. Brooks. This is a movie where Kevin Costner plays a serial killer. It was pretty interesting and a little creepy all at the same time. Supposedly they want to make a trilogy out of this story. However, given that it didn't do that great at the box office, I can't imagine they'll bother, but you just never know.

On the 4th of July I saw Evening. This was the ultimate in chick flicks! I thought it was a good movie, it was about a woman dying and remembering things from her past. Meryl Streep's daughter was in the movie and looks a lot like her mom.

Next up was A Mighty Heart. This movie stars Angelina Jolie as Marianne Pearl - wife of Daniel Pearl who was kidnapped in early 2002 in Karachi. It was an interesting movie and made me realize that not everyone is out to get Americans. There were many people who were trying to find Daniel. It was pretty eye-opening for me.

I think that is it for now. I know I haven't seen the "summer blockbusters" yet, but I sometimes like to wait until movies have been out awhile so they aren't so crowded. Nothing worse than being elbow to elbow with other moviegoers or having to sit too far down front.

Catching Up

I've been doing some traveling over the last weekend and have been keeping busy at work. Steve and I met up with the rest of my family down in Louisville, KY for the weekend. We took in a Cardinals/Reds game Saturday night. A few of us went to the University of Louisville's Speed Art Museum. Highly recommend it if you are in town. We of course had some good food and fun catching up with the rest of the family.

We kept pretty quiet for the 4th of July. We did take an 18 mile bike ride. Some people might suggest that I start out with a 3-5 mile bike ride my first time out since the ankle break, but I always like to bite off more than I can chew. Although I was able to get through the 18 miles yesterday. I'm a bit sore today though.

Another key accomplishment this week has been that I was able to run up my stairs at home. I was pretty excited to do that! You just don't know how much you miss being able to do the little things in life... Of course I can't do it today (see 2nd paragraph).

Onto other news....the GRE studying has paid off. I not only did ok on the GRE, but I have found out that I've officially been accepted to the graduate school I applied to. I start this fall!

That's what has been happening in my neck of the woods. Hope you are having a great summer.

It's Over!

I completed the GRE this morning - bring on summer! I thought the exam went ok. There were two essay questions that I think I did better on than I was anticipating. The verbal section was tough. None of the four words from my previous post were on the exam. In fact, not too many of the 300+ words I studied were - or at least I didn't recognize them. The math section was pretty tough too - I ran out of time and didn't even read the last few questions, just guessed. Thankfully my scores didn't seem to be too reflective of the guessing at the end. My quantitative score was better than the verbal. I just have to wait for the essays to be scored and then see what the University does with my application. The good news is that my scores are above the average scores from students last year!

After the GRE this morning I met Steve for lunch. He made the comment that he hadn't been to the nearby zoo (I had been there with family members a few years ago.). We ended up calling an audible and going to the zoo for the afternoon. I really enjoyed seeing the fish exhibits, but it made me a little dizzy looking at the tanks. It was pretty cool to have a shark coming right at me (with a nice thick piece of glass between us). I also like the monkeys - one was grooming another. I've heard of this before, but never have actually seen it. We spent about 2 hours there and had a good time. I then got on the riding lawn mower and cut grass for an hour or so. My ankle handled all the walking pretty well, but I guess the combination of the walking and the vibrating of the lawn mower took its toll. My foot is hurting tonight - it's not swollen though.

Thanks for the good wishes! I'll let you know when I find out if I get in to the Master's program.

GRE Brain Drain

I feel like all I've done lately is prepare for the GRE that I'm taking on Saturday.

I'm done studying tonight - need to get a good night's sleep. I take the test on Saturday and so am quickly running out of time to study. I think I'll do ok on the quantitative piece of the test. I'm a little more concerned about the verbal section. There are a lot of "GRE" words that I'm still trying to memorize. I've made about 300 flash cards and it sure is a struggle to get through all of them. I'd say I have about 200 of them down pat, but there are the remaining 100 to get in my head.

Hmmm....maybe should have been studying words back in March while I was out of work - instead of being Bob Barker obsessed!

So, wish me luck on Saturday! I'm looking forward to enjoying the summer as of 12:00 p.m. Saturday.

In the meantime, here are a few words for you....

sedulous - diligent; hard-working
recondite - hidden; concealed; difficult to understand
torpid - lethargic; sluggish; dormant
prosaic - dull; lacking in spirit or imagination

I am feeling rather torpid this evening after having been so sedulous in studying for the GRE this week. I only wish the vocabulary words didn't have so many recondite meanings. The entire process of studying has resulted in a prosaic blog entry this evening.

An End of an Era

All good things must come to an end. I watched the final episode of Price tonight with Bob. It was a good one. Lots of winners, lots of cars! I felt sorry for one contestant - he was in the first group that was called and it took him until towards the very end to get up on stage. Then he missed winning a car, but ended up in the showcase - which he didn't win (missed another chance at a car - a Lincoln Navigator nonetheless). He had waited for 5 days in line to get into the show. That's dedication that even I'm not sure I would have had.

The Daytime Emmys came on immediately following the rerun of the Price. One of the early awards was for Outstanding Game Show Host - which of course Bob won.

It'll be interesting to see who is going to replace him - if anyone gets a credible scoop on this, be sure and let me know.

So long Bob!

No Wonder There's Road Rage

This morning's commute took about 40 minutes - that's about the best I can hope for given that I live about 30 miles from work.

Tonight's commute home took about 70 minutes! Why you might ask? Who knows, could it be the blue sky distracting drivers, causing them to slow way down? Maybe it's the big orange orb in the sky that we miss seeing in the dead of winter. Or could it be everyone is amazed to see their car thermometer start with a 9 - yes it's been in the 90's all week!

I've had better commutes when it's snowing. But forget about it if it rains - no one knows how to drive in the rain. Even when it sprinkles people suddenly worry about hydroplaning. So, when it rains, driving stinks, when it's sunny, driving can stink, no rhyme or reason to it all.

I mean this in the best sense possible, but when you get stuck in traffic in seemingly fine weather you almost hope to see some car out of the race to at least explain why we're going 20 miles (at most) an hour. (This is on a highway that has posted speeds of 55.) Tonight there were no cars off to the side, no emergency vehicles in sight...just slow, slow traffic.

OK - get over it right? That's the nice thing about this blog. I can vent and feel better. You can choose to read this or you can choose to surf to some other blog. Thanks for sticking around though.

Lastly - a friendly reminder to watch or tape The Price is Right tomorrow - it's Bob's last day!

Not Much Going On

I really am struggling to find something to write about these days on the old blog. I want to provide posts for your reading pleasure as frequently as possible so I don't lose my "faithful readers." Now that the world doesn't revolve around my broken ankle (or Bob), I find I have less to write about.

At what point do I stop saying that I have a broken ankle? Maybe I should have stopped back in March when a plate and screws were put in place to repair it. Given that I'm walking ok right now, I guess it's not really broken anymore. However, I don't think it'll ever be normal again. Of course the 2 lovely scars on each side of my ankle also remind me daily that there is something not quite right about that foot of mine.

Last weekend should have been my 39.3 mile walk as part of the Avon Breast Cancer Walk. I was sad I wasn't able to do the walk this year - maybe next year. My sister walked the whole thing for the 4th year in a row! She has a very personal connection - her sister-in-law passed away last year from breast cancer. I talked to Susan last Sunday after the walk and she sounded absolutely beat. I wonder if she's recovered yet. The difference between Susan and I is that I actually train for the walks. She's able to walk it without training - no way could I do that.

So I've sat here for several minutes just staring at the screen. Blank mind = blank screen. Guess I don't have much else to write about tonight.

Here's to a good week (and better material for me to write about)!!

Sad to Say Goodbye

The day has finally arrived....the taping of the last Price is Right with Bob Barker. I heard people on the radio talking about it throughout the day. Seriously - anyone who grew up in the 70's and 80's has to feel a little sad that the Bob Barker era has come to a close. I only wish I had Tivo to capture the airing of the final episode on June 15th. However, never fear - they will be rerunning the last show in primetime that evening right before the Daytime Emmy Awards.

In other news....

I made it out to Phoenix over the weekend to visit my friends Jenni and Beth. I found out that I could really say anything I want about Jenni on this blog because she doesn't read it. Beth on the otherhand is a faithful reader - that makes about 3 or 4 of you! Anyway, the trip was a blast - very relaxing and great to get away. I may have to move there though - my ankle didn't hurt as much and my hair loved the low humidity. I didn't even mind that it was around 100 degrees.

The plane ride was a little iffy. The change in air pressure did a number on my ankle. On the way there the flight attendant gave me an ice bag - plus I took a Vicodin. On the way back I just took the Vicodin when I boarded the flight and was set for the trip. They showed movies on these flights and I saw Wild Hogs - cute movie with a number of laugh out loud parts. :)

Just for those of you who wonder, there really is some science behind people with broken bones, joint problems and the weather. I found the aches and pain index on the internet. Check it out!

First Walk Outside

Yesterday I met Steve at the gym and we went for a walk around a lake across the street from the gym. This was my first attempt at walking outside (besides going in and out of buildings). We made it probably about a 1/4 to a 1/2 of a mile before my ankle was telling me to quit. It was a good start at least. Can't say it was much of a workout for Steve, but I sure felt sore afterwards. I still walk very slow.

Next week will present me with another challenge - my first time flying since before I fell. I'm heading to Phoenix on Thursday for the weekend. I'm looking forward to the trip but will enjoy it more once I get through security and the airport. I'll keep you posted as to if I set off the metal detectors. I'm either going to take a crutch or a cane as I go through the airport. I figure it's better to have people notice there is something wrong with me than just thinking I walk funny. Maybe they'll stay out of my way - and hey, I should be able to board the plane early!

I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day Weekend. I'm looking forward to the extended weekend. My company also started summer hours this past week so I was off of work at noon on Friday!

Enjoy the start of summer. Be safe!

Familiar Looking Boot - Ahh, Growing Pains

Does this look familiar? Looks like the old "stormtrooper" boot again doesn't it? There's a bit of a difference though - do you see it?

The good news is that this is not my foot! The bad news is that my niece Krista is now the proud owner of an Aircast walking boot too. Luckily she only will have to wear it for a week - unlike my 8 weeks.

Krista has been having some heel pain and at first it appeared that she may have a fracture in her heel. The podiatrist looked at the x-rays and thankfully she doesn't have a fracture. However, she does have an irritation on or of the growth plate in her foot. (Something like that anyway.) Guess she really does have growing pains.

Now that she and I have this in common I told her I'd put her picture up on the site to go along with my pics. Send good mojo her way that she will only have to have it for a week!

Feet Don't Fail Me Now

The picture to the right is one I took looking down at my feet while standing barefoot in my family room. I just took off socks, so I have some strange lines on my feet. The only scars are still the vertical ones on the side. I also notice that I've got some strange spacing between my toes on the right foot. Guess the bones need to remember how to work now that they've been on a leave of absence for 11 weeks.

I received the ok to go back to regular shoes today and start walking. The doctor said to try it at home for a day or two before I start going out and about without my boot. It was pretty strange to take the first step tonight here at home. I'm enjoying the freedom it provides to just get up and move when I want to. I also was able to tuck my leg underneath me while sitting on the couch for the first time in almost 3 months.

The report from the OS was good. I'm about 99.9% healed. He said I will have swelling still for the next 6-12 months, but that I'm about a month out from being able to run. Hmmm...never was a runner before, but hey - why not! I can leave the hardware in my ankle for life - however, if after a year it starts bugging me having a plate on the side of my ankle, we can go in and take it out. At this point I'm not planning on it, that's for sure. I don't have to go back to see the doctor unless I have any troubles or concerns. I'd definitely recommend this OS to anyone needing orthopedic surgery.

I am very slow walking and I limp quite a bit, but I know it'll get better. Every stage of this process has seemed difficult at first, but it quickly gets easier. I hope by my girl's weekend in early June to be walking around just fine.

Quick Note: Price is Right has a primetime special on Wednesday, May 16th and a special on Bob Barker on May 17th. Be sure and watch!

Well, need to check my laundry. Exciting - I don't have to use crutches, put on my boot, or anything. Woo-hoo!! I simply can get up and walk....feet don't fail me now!

2 Days and Counting

2 more days! That's what I hope will be the number of days I still have to wear the old walking boot. I go in on Tuesday to see the OS and 5 weeks ago he indicated that this next appointment will be when I get back in my own shoes. Although, as I've mentioned before, not sure I'll have a shoe that will fit. Although I found some cute looking shoes (Mahogany is the color I like best - kind of brownish and purple) in the Land's End catalog that look like they'd be comfortable and stylish. Not exactly work shoes, but they look like they'd be good for someone just starting to walk again.

OK, so 11 weeks ago we had about 14 inches of snow. Today we broke a record by hitting 92 degrees! That's a little warm - especially when you have a thick sock and boot on your foot. My parents were up for a visit this weekend and one of the "tasks" my mom had on "my" agenda was to paint my toenails. She did that today with only a couple of comments about how hot my foot was and that it kind of smelled. Well - that's what 92 degrees does I guess.

We had a great time with my parents this weekend - lots of good restaurants and activities. They are on their way home now though. Next up for me - a trip to Phoenix (speaking of hot!)

Be sure and check back for an update on Tuesday or Wednesday as to if I have a regular shoe on my foot or not. I hope you can sleep while you await the big news!

Take care!

If the Shoe Fits

Today marks the first time I actually put one of my shoes on my broken foot! It was a tennis shoe. I've been using Steve's shoe when I drive. Now I technically could use my own - although it feels pretty small - and that's after stretching it out as far as I could. It was a good feeling to be able to put my own shoe on - especially given that on May 15th I might get clearance to lose the boot and wear a shoe!

However, I think I'm going to have to buy new bigger shoes, at least for the immediate future. It'll be interesting to see how that affects my good foot. I've heard that Nordstroms will let you buy 2 different sizes of the same shoe. Although, I've seen Nordstroms prices and am not sure that'll be the way I'll go!

Friday Night Musings

Interesting...I'm now back at work and super busy, but I have less interesting things to post on the blog than I did with the Price is Right mumbo, jumbo. I don't want to talk about work too much. I've heard of people who were fired after blogging about work. Don't need that to happen!

The ankle is still coming along. Last night I really worked on exercising it and keeping it elevated. Steve came in the room and said it was the smallest he had seen my foot since before the accident. So, the swelling is trying to come down. My physical therapist thinks I should still walk some with one crutch so I don't injure my back or some other area by walking funny. I may have to borrow my mom's cane (from her knee surgeries) for when I'm back in regular shoes.

Speaking of my parents...they are finally getting up here for a visit next week. I told them if they didn't come by the 15th, they would have missed out on all of the ankle recovery process (the 15th is when I hopefully get out of the boot). Sadly, I will always have evidence of this unfortunate chapter of my life - these scars will be my "badge of honor."

The end of May sees me taking my first trip on a plane since before the fall. I'm heading to Phoenix to visit Beth & Jenni. We were supposed to go to Phoenix the end of March (when going to Phoenix makes more sense!) I messed up those plans and thankfully Jenni was willing to change her flights and go when I could too. I'm a little anxious about the airport, but I'll just allow extra time. Hey, maybe I'll get to board early - for those people who need extra time to board.

Well, thus ends my Friday Night Musings...it is now time for my daily dose of Friends and Scrubs reruns. If it's a really late night, Bernie Mac reruns come on - then I can do some major chillaxin.

What's Happened to Saturday Night TV?

Growing up there was The Love Boat and Fantasy Island. What do we have now? The movie Pearl Harbor - which has been shown a number of times. Cops, Dateline, nothing that really grabbed me tonight. I am watching Without A Trace, but I'm not really that into it. Saturday night tv just stinks. I don't have cable or a dish, so I'm relying on local broadcast. What it's led me to do is play too many games of Eggz! That game is so addicting.

I did go to a movie today for the first time in over 8 weeks! Now those of you that know me know that I would love a job that combined movie watching and wine tasting, so 8 weeks is a long time. I had to "break the rules" and put my foot on the back of the seat in front of me - no way could I have had my foot down for 2 hours! Anyway, I went and saw The Hoax. It's about the author who claimed to write the autobiography of Howard Hughes. It starred Richard Gere. I thought it was pretty good. I saw The Aviator a couple of years ago, so I at least had the Howard Hughes story down. I'd recommend going to it for those of you who like movies. It's better than all of the other garbage out there right now.

The ankle is definitely coming along. I've been doing more and more walking without crutches. It's nice to be able to walk around the house without the click, click, click of the crutches. I can now also sneak up on people at work - they can't hear me coming. I probably tend to overdo it sometimes. This morning I woke up at 3:00 and my ankle was hurting and making it hard to get back to sleep. I was "this close" to taking a Vicodin, but I didn't - it's been over 2 weeks since I had to take one. It's been 8 weeks since the fall. So much has happened in that 8 weeks!

Maybe after Without a Trace I'll read a book. We'll see!

Have a good weekend!

Learn Something New Everyday

Steve helped me figure out how to link to websites without filling up my posts with the actual web address. However, in doing so I managed to lose part of my Crip-fucious post. I hope you read it yesterday or earlier today. I'm sure it was really good and now part of it's gone.

The good news is that I learned how to link. :) Thanks Steve!

Gnarly Scar Pictures

Check out the new links to the right - pictures of my foot. The right side of my foot has a nice blood blister from the surgery. It actually is about half the size it was. It is slowly "sloughing" off. The left side of my foot is the scar that I think will be more visible than the right.

Had a great PT visit today. The therapist worked the other bones in my foot to "wake them up" from the 7 week slumber they've had. It felt like a nice foot massage. I'm pretty sore tonight though - is it from the massage or maybe the fact that I'm getting around easier and so I'm walking alot more. Glad to be in my upstairs chair and soon to be bed for the night.

Crip-fucious Says....

"When you’re only wearing one sock a day, and you’re out of socks, it’s time to do laundry."
(OK, so I got that from another blog on broken ankles)

Good news and bad news....the good news is that the weather has been pretty great this weekend (with the exception of rain this afternoon). Highs in the upper 70's. The bad news is that my boot gets pretty dang hot! I have 2 socks that I wear with it and thankfully Steve is washing them as I type. So...I'm out of socks right now.

I'm actually getting around pretty well and doing more and more for myself. I did a load of laundry today, but since I needed both of my boot socks washed I had to have Steve do it. I'm sitting upstairs just waiting for the Hallmark Sunday night movie to start. It looks to be pretty good.

Today I've done a lot more walking around the house without any crutches. I walk a little like Quasimodo, but I'm getting around.

I even swept the kitchen floor! Part of that was because Steve and I made these awesome

VT and the News

Sad news out of Virgina this week. I learned yesterday that a young woman who went to my parent's church for a number of years was killed in the shooting on Monday. Austin Cloyd was a freshman at Virginia Tech and had lived in Blacksburg since the beginning of her senior year in high school. Prior to that she lived in my hometown. Austin was a beautiful girl. My thoughts and prayers go out to her friends and family as well as others who lost loved ones on Monday.

Back to the Gym

All good things must come to an end....my hiatus from exercise is over. Actually, it was great to get back to the gym today. I went after work and did 15 minutes on the "ergometer". The ergometer is an upper body cardio workout - like pedaling a bike, but with your arms. It just felt good to do something to get my heartrate up - besides just walking on crutches.

My one crutch walking is going pretty well too. I have to get warmed up in the morning - some people have reminded me that I'm not getting any younger. Once I get going, I can walk pretty well.

It was beautiful weather here today and I did think about the fact that had I not fallen, I would be training for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk in June. Still pretty bummed about not being able to do that. Maybe that can be a goal for next year. Although, I may want to reconsider. Last year I walked and 3 days later I fractured my big toe. This year I was going to walk and broke my ankle. Hmmmm....

Down to 1 Stick - (Occasionally)

I met with a physical therapist yesterday and he gave me some exercises to improve my ankle mobility. He also taught me how to walk on one crutch (or stick as he called it). After yesterday I decided that I'd be on crutches until I'm at least 40!

Today I was describing my inability to walk with one crutch to a coworker. When I went to show her how bad I walk - it clicked and I got it! I was actually able to walk with 1 crutch all around the office the rest of the day. By mid-afternoon I was getting pretty sore and so was on 2 crutches by the time I went home.

I've been sitting with my foot up and ice on the foot for most of the evening. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

Anyone watching the Price for me? I think there is a primetime special in May - I'll keep you posted when to look for it.

Take care.

I Didn't Drive (much over) 55

Today marked 6 weeks since my fall on ice. In order to "boost my mood," Steve suggested that I might want to drive to work. At first I was pretty apprehensive, but then I decided that it would be fine. The doctor had told me that I could drive. I just get to the car in my boot and once in the car I change out of the boot into a shoe and then back to the boot when I get to the destination. I had originally thought I'd wait a couple of more weeks, but....why not!

Sadly, none of my shoes would fit on my foot since it's still pretty swollen. Luckily one of Steve's tennis shoes worked just fine. So, we got me set up in "Little Red" (my new car from last fall) and I was on my way. It felt so strange at first, but I definitely enjoyed the freedom of driving myself. (I'm sure Steve enjoyed the freedom of being on his own for the day!)

I think it was good exercise to move my foot back and forth from gas pedal to brake. I drove with my right foot, however when I really wanted to push down on the brake I used my left too. I was very conservative in my driving - not a lot of lane switching, stayed around the speed limit and left lots of room between me and other cars.

I'm happy to report that I made it to work and back with no problems. Steve was on standby to come get me if I felt that I couldn't make it back. (also if I had a flat tire or any other problem)

So, I'm one more step closer to being back to normal. I don't plan on driving every day anytime soon, but it's nice to know that I do have the option.

I'm thankful it's the weekend! A full week at work and no Price is Right this week - I'm tired and a little sad. :)

Back at Work

As you can tell by the length between posts, I'm back at work full-time. It's going very well - although I'm very tired by the end of the day. I also am missing my daily Price is Right fix! It really is good to be back in the swing of things.

Everyone at work has been so nice and helpful. I have co-workers asking me all the time if they can get me a drink, lunch, go to the mailroom, etc. So, all in all the week back has been good. Although I am looking forward to the weekend!

Sorry - not much right now to write about, but wanted to add something.

Oh - check out this link....my favorite game to play right now - Eggz.

http://www.cbsgames.com/games/play/eggz

Take care!

Breaking News

Today was another appointment with my surgeon. I received clearance to start putting weight on my foot. I can walk with my boot on for the next 5 weeks. He suggested that I walk for a bit with both crutches, then down to one and finally all by myself. So, everything is healing as expected. May 15th is my next appointment and at that time if the x-rays still look good I may get out of the boot and into regular shoes!

I'm back at work full-time this week. It's good to be back, but I'm wiped out at the end of the day.

This entry is short as I'm tired and am heading to bed. Without my boot! Yes, I finally can sleep without a big boot on my foot each night. I'm looking forward to it, but who knows - I'll probably find myself missing it in the middle of the night and have to put it back on to be comfortable. :)

Road Trip to Seed Savers

Today marked my first "extended" outing since the ankle incident of '07.

Steve, my friend Tracy, and I hopped in the car (I literally hopped) and set off on a Road Trip to Decorah, Iowa to a place called Seed Savers - http://www.seedsavers.org/ . The drive took us through Rochester, MN and then just into Iowa. It was a gorgeous day out - nice and sunny. It was rather windy and quite brisk outside. Seed Savers is a farm setting that spreads over 890 acres - they have walking paths and of course - lots of gardens. Given that it's early here and it was cold, there weren't many visitors and we only explored the visitor's center. Steve picked up a couple of books, some potatoes, and I picked up some seed packets - both flowers and vegetables.

We then went into Decorah and had lunch at a little bistro in town. It was pretty good. We saw a gentleman there with his beard in a couple of ponytails. A little strange....

There were some little shops that looked interesting, but given my condition we just kept on going. We did drive through the campus of Luther College which is housed there. There was a statue of a big head which Steve graciously posed by for a picture.

Tracy knew of a bakery in Rochester that was good. So on the drive back we stopped at The Bread Baker http://www.breadbakercompany.com/index.html . Some great tasting bread!

It was a day of driving with a few stops here and there. It was fun getting to catch up with Tracy who just came back from Puerto Vallarta and was a great way to spend my last day of my time off of work.

I am back to full-time at work next week. Wish me luck!

Tired from Work (a.k.a., Mother Knows Best 2)

After a month off of work recovering from this broken ankle, I went back today. I worked about 5 hours and I was worn out! My mom had warned me that I would be tired. She was right! My mom had double knee replacement a few years back and she said it was good getting back to work, but she would go home at the end of the day and crash. Mother does know best!

All in all being back at work was fine. My supervisor had arranged for someone to come to my desk and help me get situated with something to rest my foot on and to make sure my chair was set up properly, etc. That was a great help! People were also very helpful - getting me a soda for lunch, carrying things for me, etc.

I got caught up with everyone in the department and started sifting through my emails. I can tell I've lost a few brain cells staring at the tv - I called a "manila" envelope a "vanilla" envelope. I just have to get back in the office groove again. Maybe I need to watch Office Space again! (Have I mentioned how funny I think that movie is?)

The nice thing is that I have all day tomorrow to recover. I'll be back at work on Thursday for another 5 hours and then back full-time next week.

Miscellaneous Items:

Ohio State let me down last night! I ended up in 8th place after they lost. No winnings for me. Out of the 18 people in the tournament pool, 6 were female, 12 were male. All of the women were in the top 10 in the standings and the top 3 (the ones who win something) were women. :)

Price is Right Watch - tomorrow I know someone who is supposed to be on Price. Her name is Ann - she's a brunette. Cheer her on if you can!

Debbie & Ebert - Movie Reviews for a Sunday

I finally made it into a Blockbuster and was able to stay long enough to pick up movies. (A week or so ago I tried and had to leave due to some little issue with my foot.)

So - today was movie day!

For Your Consideration - an ok movie. Nothing fabulous, but it didn't lose my interest either. It was rather short which helped. Basic premise is it's a movie within a movie and a buzz starts that a number of the actors might get an Oscar nomination. Ebert's review was very positive (www.rogerebert.com). He gave it 3 1/2 stars. I'd give it 2 1/2. It didn't help that the disc was scratched and kept "catching" during parts of the movie.

Stranger Than Fiction - good movie. It wasn't as funny as I thought it was going to be, but it kept my interest and I thought Will Ferrell did a good job. The movie details the life of a man named Harold Crick whose life is being written by an author who is determined to kill the character at the end of the novel. He can hear her narration and quickly realizes what is happening. I won't give away anymore, but it was a cute movie. Ebert gave it 3 1/2 stars. I would have to agree.

Running With Scissors - haven't finished this yet. Very strange movie so far, very dysfunctional. Steve was around when I was watching this one and he asked if we could switch it out for another one. I haven't decided if I'll go back and finish it or not. We'll see. I know that you should give a book 50 pages to decide if it's worth your time or not. Not sure what the count is on movies.

Napoleon Dynamite - OK, so I finally watched this movie that some of my coworkers have quoted over the years - Gosh! It was good. I was ready for it to be pretty lame, so I was pleasantly surprised. I don't think I'll watch it over and over again like some people have - it's not to Office Space status. I'd probably give it 3 stars. Ebert gave it 1 1/2 stars - ouch!

As my eyes are now a bit blurry from so much screen time, I think I'll call it a night.

Mother Knows Best

According to my dear Mother, my previous post titled Recommendations and Miscellaneous Items didn't have a very good title. You know, I can't be "on" all of the time. It's always hard to title posts that are so very random in nature. Maybe "Random Thoughts on a Saturday" would have been better??

She also wanted me to comment more on the electric carts that I've used at grocery stores. I did post more details about that in Electric Carts and Other Things . I did notice that when you are in a cart at a lower level you see products you don't normally see. I also noticed that sweetened cereal tends to be on lower shelves - eye level for kids!

That's it for tonight!

Recommendations and Miscellaneous Items

Today has been spent recovering from my venture to the concert last night. I watched O Brother Where Are Thou - with George Clooney. A movie I had seen before, but still good nonetheless. I would recommend it without reservation. I then started my all time favorite movie - Gone With the Wind. I have seen it a number of times, but just don't get tired of it. I do wish the ending would change, but I have my "what happens after the movie ends" down and it's a happy ending. If you've seen the movie, you know it's a lengthy one. I haven't finished it yet.

We actually went to the grocery store and ran a few errands today. I stayed in the car for everything but the grocery store. I did get an electric cart for that trip. One of our errands was to a sporting goods store. Steve bought me a pair of weightlifting gloves to use with my crutches. I'm getting some ugly looking callouses on the palms of my hand and am hopeful that the gloves will help. They make me look pretty cool if I do say so myself. If anyone reading this ever has to use crutches, I'd recommend getting a pair of gloves like this. The nice thing is the fingers are cut out, so you don't lose any tactile ability.

I've been watching the Final Four tonight. Go Ohio State! I'm back in 3rd place in my pool. I need Florida to win the second game and then Ohio State to win it all. I then should be in 2nd place and will win a little cash. :)

Steve's grandmother emailed me with a scoop on Price is Right. She read in a magazine that Mario Lopez has been tapped to replace Bob Barker. She did say you can't always believe what the "rags" say, but I have heard he's one of the top contenders for the job. We'll see what happens.

Go Buckeyes!

Blue Man Group

Last night Steve and I went to our 3rd Blue Man Group performance. (http://www.blueman.com/) The first time we saw them was in Boston about 9 years ago. It was a small theater and was an awesome experience. The last two times have been larger arenas and not quite as good as the first. They still are good and I'd definitely recommend seeing them to anyone.

We got to the arena early in order to see if we could switch our tickets for handicap seats. Thankfully we were able to. The only downside was the walk to that section was further away than our original seats. But being able to have space and put my leg on a chair was worth it!

There were a couple of people in wheel chairs that had foot injuries as well. I was wishing I had a wheel chair at that time. I'm thinking having one at work would be awfully nice. :) I guess in a little over a week I should be able to walk a little on my foot.

The concert was pretty good. Our seats ended up being pretty awesome. We were center stage - although at the back of the arena. We had a talkative usher that was pretty funny at times. He was telling us about cleaning up the floor seats after the concert and said that the country western concerts are the worst. 5% of the people that attend are already drunk. Lots of beer bottles/cups to pick up afterward.

I thought I had walked a lot on Thursday - that was nothing compared to last night. Even with handicap parking, it still was quite a walk from the ramp, through the arena and then to our seats. My shoulders and arms are quite sore today! You just don't realize how hard it is for handicapped persons until you become one. I promise from here on out - I will always give extra space, get out of the way, help if I can to any handicap person I can!

Wheelchairs - Great Invention!

In an attempt to get my energy level back up as I get ready to go to work, I've been trying to get out for extended periods. Today I spent some time at a coffee shop near Steve's school. He then showed up for lunch. I wanted a change of scenery after lunch, so I told him I could walk the 1 block back to his school and hang out there. That was the longest walk of my life (even longer than the 39.2 mile walk last summer)! Of course I'm exaggerating, but when you walk with your arms, 1 block is a long way. I'm getting a great upper body workout using the crutches.

We then stopped by an art gallery to see a new exhibit - thankfully they had wheelchairs that you could use. Ahhhh...sweet, sweet wheelchairs. The only downside was I had to try to navigate the bathroom with the wheelchair - doors just aren't made to open from a seated position. Some of the time I wheeled myself, some of the time Steve did it. He had fun at my expense - he pushed me to the water fountain and in the middle of my drink he pulled me backwards. I drooled all over myself. Steve had a good laugh, so I guess that's what counts.

I was worn out after today! I'm now just sitting in my chair for the remainder of the night.

Getting Out and About

My convalescence is going well. I can tell I'm starting to feel better as I am back to my "gotta get out of the house once a day" mentality. Yesterday was for a Dairy Queen run - broken ankle, ice cream, calcium - makes sense. :)

Today I rode along with Steve on a few errands. We learned that in our state you get new license plates after 7 years. So, we have new plates for one of our cars. I then spent a little quiet time at a coffee shop while Steve went to the gym. It was such a good mood lifter for me.

Last week I mentioned in Next Leg of the Journey (pun intended) that I needed to get used to the boot cast. Thankfully I have finally reached that stage. I do take it off at least twice a day and let it and my foot air out, but otherwise I have it on and am not finding it as uncomfortable as last week. Granted, I'll still be glad to have it off in May, but for now I've grown accustomed to the thing.

I'm making plans to return to work on a part-time basis next week. 2 half days. I think I'm ready to put my mind on something besides whether the guitar is higher or lower than the sofa set, or whether it's a better strategy to put the Plinko chip down the middle or to one of the sides in order to hit the $10,000 slot. In my rediscovery of the Price is Right, I have learned that a woman at work is going to be on the April 4th show next week. I'm definitely going to watch that one! For those of you that are Price fans, I believe Bob Barker's last show will be June 11th - something like that.

Stay safe!

What a Difference 3 Weeks Makes

A little over 3 weeks after the biggest snowfall of the year and a fall on ice that resulted in my broken ankle, the temperature yesterday hit 81! That big snowfall that I tried shoveling only lasted about a week at most. Yesterday was sunny and actually a little hot. Not that I'm complaining - although when you have to wear a ski boot on your foot it tends to hold in the heat even more.

All in all, I'm doing much better with my ankle. I'm getting more movement in my foot and am able to sit for an hour or so without the boot on - let the boot and my foot breathe a bit. I'm getting out a little bit more and getting acclimated to the world again. Sunday I actually sat outside for a little while to breathe in the fresh air (with only a hint of smoke occasionally - see pictures of fire in earlier posting.)

My foot still pretty much looks like the picture in the link to the right. I can't imagine how I'll ever be able to get into a regular shoe again, but I guess that doesn't matter until mid-May anyway!

Steve's still managing to put up with me and keep up around the house - kudos to him!

TV Commercials

We are getting some much needed rain right now - given my pictures from yesterday we were in serious need! We may get some thunderstorms overnight - cool! I actually got out a bit today - the temperature was in the mid-60's and very pleasant.

I've just been watching the basketball games this afternoon. Thank goodness Ohio State won - I'm still in the running for the pool! For those of you who watch the games or much tv at all, I'd like to comment on a few of the commercials. Some of which were Superbowl ads, but some I think are newer.

Rock, paper, scissors - Bud Light commercial: For some reason, I think this commercial is hilarious. It's rather mean, but a good one. "I threw a rock." It reminds me of the commercial last year that had 2 guys in a locker room talking about a cell phone and one said it had a theft deterrent feature. He then gets the other guy to reach for it and then throws it at the guy as the deterrent. Hmmmm, maybe this says something about my mental state.

Convertible ads - there are 3 out right now, but the one that I find myself watching each time is one with a woman wearing a blouse and black skirt. She questions "Stan" about getting a convertible and then says he'll next want an "amp" and then she gives a "rock 'n roll" hand gesture. Strikes me as funny.

Sonic breakfast burrito: Two guys in a car talking about one's grumbling stomach who's named Charley and he'd be gone if the guy eats the burrito. These are the guys that last year had a tatertot commercial that cracked me up. "Don't even go there with that weak tot action. You've got to go strong, or not at all." Anyway, I don't really like the current one, but wanted to talk about the tatertot commercial.

Powerade Option: a woman is lifting weights, one arm has 10 pounds, one has 50 pounds and is obviously a man's arm. That one creeps me out.

OK, enough commercials. Maybe I need to read more!

A Little Less of Our Backyard to Mow Now

Thanks to favorable winds we remain unscathed. Looking forward to rain.

And I Thought This Month Couldn't Get Any Better

Ordering Steve Around

I like to be able to take care of things on my own, get what I want, etc. It's amazing at what you lose when you suddenly have to rely on others to help you on a daily basis. Being dependent on others is not something that comes easy for me. I have a "caretaker" personality, but this turn of events has made me the dependent one.

The main person I rely on at the present time is Steve. He's been great about making meals, helping me with my boot cast, taking care of stuff around the house, getting groceries, etc. This morning Steve brought me a yogurt for breakfast. After a little while I asked if he could get me a hot tea as well. I could sense the frustration and I said "Steve, there's nothing I can do but order you around." That really is what it's come down to. That at least made him chuckle. He took some dishes that I had on my nightstand downstairs. I then heard him say "I feel like a freakin' dishwasher jockey." Now I had to laugh!

He really is dealing well with this new role for him. Some of you know that he has been taking classes lately. The other day he said he didn't know he had signed up for "Burden 101" this semester. It's this sense of humor that has made the last 3 weeks bearable.

He does get a break this evening as a couple of women that I used to work with have invited me to hang out at one of their houses tonight for a change of pace.

Quick update on my tournament bracket - I'm in 2nd place in the pool that I'm in. Luckily Ohio State pulled out the win last night! We'll see how the rest of the weekend does for me.

Well, Price is getting ready to start, so I think I'll close. Speaking of Price, I found out that a woman I know at work is going to be on the April 4th Price is Right. That'll be fun to watch.

Updated Pictures

Tonight I actually spent about 20 minutes with my foot outside of the boot cast. I kept very still with my foot hanging out free on my pillow. It was a mental boost to have some "freedom". After awhile I was ready to get my boot back on and have my foot safe and secure once again.

Steve took a couple of pictures tonight. One of my foot in the Boot Cast and one of my foot out of it. The links are to the right of this post under "Interesting Links." The picture of my foot is not for the squeamish - just be forewarned.

The last link, "My Broken Leg Website," is a website I found tonight. It has stories from a lot of people who have broken a leg or ankle and have nothing but time to kill while recovering. I spent probably about 45 minutes exploring it myself.

Couch Potato Update

I didn't want to mingle this with the last post, but I did want to give updates as to what I'm doing to pass the time.

I've been doing some reading, lots of internet surfing, checking email, crossword puzzles, watching movies and tv. I watched Office Space again over the weekend - seriously - it's hilarious! I also watched Groundhog Day the other day, another cute movie. Most of the rest of the weekend was spent with basketball games on in the background. It was touch and go for awhile, but by the time the Sweet 16 was set, I was tied for 2nd place in the pool I'm in this year. Go Buckeyes!

Still watching the Price is Right if I can (http://www.priceisrightinfo.com/) and sometimes Family Feud (http://www.familyfeud.tv/). It's just not the same without Richard Dawson. Anyway, today on Price - there was this woman named Margie who was so excited to be called to come on down that Bob had to ask her if she was hyperventilating. She then was playing to win a car and told Bob that she was scared to win because she was afraid she'd hurt him. She seriously was nuts - she ended up losing the car but winning the showcase showdown. Bob stayed back when he announced her as the winner - I think he was frightened.

I haven't been watching Oprah (http://www2.oprah.com/index.jhtml) all of the time, but I am watching it right now. It's Oprah and Gayle's roadtrip - this is a repeat, but given I normally am still at work, it's new to me. It's on all week and it's hilarious!

Well, back to nothing.....

Next Leg of the Journey (pun intended)

I went to my follow-up appointment with the orthopedic surgeon yesterday. They took the cast off, removed the staples, and took more x-rays. I've had pictures of my ankle taken at least 5 times over the last 2 1/2 weeks. Each time they do at least 3 pictures. That's a lot of x-rays!

Anyway, the staples weren't as bad as I expected. The physician assistant who removed them indicated that it would be uncomfortable but not as bad as the pain I've gone through over the last couple of weeks. Point well taken. It was just nice to get them out of my skin!

I was put into a walking cast - it looks like a cross between a Stormtrooper boot and a ski boot. I'll put it up on my site once I get a picture of it. Anyway, the beauty of this contraption is that I can actually take it off if I have an itch or muscle cramp. I'm to leave it on as much as possible, but can take it off to shower or scratch an itch. I am not walking on it for another 3 weeks. At that point I'll have it on for another 5 weeks, but I'll walk with it. Yesterday it sounded good, by last night I was dreading the next 8 weeks! Today it's working out ok, I just hope I get used to it soon.

Things seem to be healing well. The doctor did say that he's keeping me off of my foot for a little longer because females tend to have more fragile bones and when he was in there during the surgery he could tell the bones were a little weaker. Guess milk is going to be a new favorite drink for me! Thank goodness for Yoplait Thick & Creamy yogurt. http://www.yoplait.com/products_lightcreamy.aspx

I'm out of work for the next few weeks and then will go back with Steve's help. I won't be driving until the boot is off - I'm guessing mid-May! The doctor said that within 6 months I'd be back to normal - 6 months??? Seriously, it was a 1 second fall that will cost me 6 months in recovery. I'm moving south - forget this ice/snow stuff. I'm no longer a fan!

Electric Carts and Other Things

It's been a few days since I've posted anything. As you might imagine, sitting around home most days doesn't allow for a lot of new material.

Today we went to the grocery store - big day out for Debbie! I'm getting pretty good at the electric carts. They zip around the store pretty well. I almost knocked down a display - but only once. The only bad thing about the cart I was on is there still really isn't any place to rest my foot - but it sure beats walking around the store on crutches! The carts go forward or reverse. I try to avoid the reverse feature if at all possible because it makes that lovely "beep, beep, beep." Steve enjoys making that sound as I back into the car when we do go out.

It's interesting being out in public with my cast and crutches. Lots of stares from people. Today at the store I had 2 people comment on my toes being cold. It's just too hard to keep a sock on my toes with the cast and all. It is a little chilly out there today, but really I can't feel my toes all that much so the cold doesn't bother them. I find that the people who talk to me are usually on the older side. I'm much more comfortable with their comments than those closer to my age. Maybe it's because the older people tend to move a little slower and I feel more comfortable with that pace right now.

So, how are everyone's brackets going for the tournament? I'm doing ok in the pool I'm in, but we'll see how today goes. One of the highlights of my emails over the last few days was one from Steve's grandmother. It simply read "I'll bet you didn't have Duke losing in the first round!" Loved it! She was absolutely right - although I can't say I was too sad by their loss. I just can't get behind Duke - goes back to the Christian Laettner days I think. I will say the Duke campus is absolutely beautiful though. Steve and I were there a few years ago when we added North and South Carolina to our list of states.

I've been Vicodin free for about three days now. We'll see if I can go the whole day today. After leaving the grocery store I thought for sure I'd be taking one, but now that I'm back in my little cocoon upstairs I'm feeling better.

One last thing - we bought a bag of dark chocolate at the store today. Steve and I have agreed that it will be kept up here with me. We'll see how long it lasts out of Steve's sight.

Odds & Ends

March Madness has begun - according to the NCAA and CBS. (Although my March Madness started around 8:30 on March 2nd.) I've spent much of the day with the games on, but I haven't gotten too in to them yet. I got a little excited when Penn actually went ahead in their game this afternoon, but they ended up losing by quite a bit in the end. I'm doing fairly well so far with my brackets - of course it's still very early!

I asked Steve to get me something today and his response was "what is your leg broken?" He fancies himself a funny guy. Actually he does make me laugh so I guess that's good.

Steve and I went out for dinner to a local Mexican restaurant - Theresa's. It was nice to get out for a change. I almost didn't get to go as it started snowing right before we were going to leave and Steve almost refused to take me. He said that if I fell and broke the other leg he was going to put me in a home until I healed. Luckily, it stopped snowing quickly and it's been warm so the ground was just wet. Just nice to get out!

Bob Barker Sighting

Bob Barker was on Ellen this morning prior to Price is Right - they showed some clips of crazy contestants over the years. One was of a woman who was called to "come on down" and tube tops were in fashion. In the excitement to "come on down" she also "came on out" of her top. Just kind of funny clips of how neurotic some contestants have been over the years. The conversation touched on who might replace Bob when he retires. I can't believe that The Price has been on as long as I've been alive. It's still such a good show. Speaking of the show, today's contestants were not very good at all! The young woman in the showcase showdown won today - her showcase included 3 different trips - Chicago, Holland, and China. All three are week long trips - how is she going to be able to take 3 plus weeks off? Then again, maybe she's still in college and has more time than I can imagine.

I talked to my niece Alex tonight - she has given up tv watching Monday - Thursday for Lent. I reassured her that I was watching enough for the both of us. I think she thought it was kind of funny. As funny as Aunt Debbie can be.

Today may be a 2 Vicodin day. The swelling in my foot has gone down I think and now I can actually feel sensations around the ankle. Not the greatest feeling in the world, but feels like it's healing.

That's it for today. Does everyone have their brackets done for the tourney? Feel free to check in with me if you need to know the scores - I'm sure I'll be watching!

Memento and Other Thoughts

Given my forced time of relaxation, I'm able to watch movies in the middle of the day. Today I revisited a movie that I first saw back in 2001 - Memento. The story is told in reverse order and is very well done. Would definitely encourage anyone to watch it. It's a little violent, but not too bad. You definitely have to pay attention to what's going on to follow it.

Another movie that I find is very entertaining if you're in the right mood is "Office Space." The first time I saw it - hated it! Then last year I was home sick one day and with nothing else to do I decided to watch it again. Hilarious!! I've now watched it at least one other time when I was sick. Maybe it's just a sick day kind of movie. Anyway - it's definitely on my list of movies to watch while I'm out of work.

By the way, I finished the book I started yesterday - would definitely recommend it. I've got some others to start and if they are worthy of making the blog I'll include them.

Price is Right Update - only 1 out of 6 players today won their game! Not a good day for the contestants. I've noticed that the younger the player, the worse their guess is for the showcase showdown. Today a young woman guessed $27,000 on a showcase that included a dining room set, a snowcone maker cart, and a baby grand piano. I would have said around $16,000 - the correct amount was $17,000 (something like that). Anyway.....

Steve brought home a pizza from Figaro's in Burnsville. If anyone has a Figaro's near them, it is great pizza and I would definitely recommend trying them!

Ankle pain today was at a minimum - it was only a 1 Vicodin day!

More later.

Toe Shines and Chocolate

Ok, so I won't normally post multiple times a day, but this blogging is new and kind of fun. This will be shorter - promise!

So the problem with the surgery is that it has left this orange glow on my toes that stick out from my cast. (some kind of antibacterial stuff) It's been bugging me for awhile, but given that I can't reach those toes easily with a cast on my leg I've let it stay. I've also been hesitant to ask Steve to clean them - I mean seriously, who really wants to touch someone else's foot that hasn't seen soap in a week (I have to cover the foot when I shower). Those of you who know me, know that I have a thing about socks, feet, etc. Anyway, we picked up some Ponds facial wipes at Target and I talked Steve into cleaning my toes. (They were seriously orange - like fingers get when you eat Cheetos.) He made some reference to giving me a "toe shine" (vs. shoe shine) and graciously agreed. Still have an orangish tint, but much better!

Second item has to be about the bag of Lindor's truffles my sister-in-law and family sent me. I made Steve leave the bag up by me (but across the room) so that they might last until tomorrow. There is a missing bag of chocolates downstairs that my friend Jenni sent me that I'm sure I'd find the empty package in Steve's office. I do believe that Steve checked on me quite a few extra times today just in order to pick up another chocolate. I finally got up on my crutches at one point and hid a few of them so I could have them later. Seriously, who takes candy from a cripple? Steve does - that's who! Now it's dinner time and when I asked Steve about it he says "Debbie, we've been eating all afternoon!" No, he's been eating all afternoon, I've only had 2 of the chocolates! He did bring me a fruit cup which has helped. By 7:00, I'm going to insist he make me something.

On a different note, I've started reading a pretty good book "When Charlotte Comes Home" by Maureen Millea Smith. So far so good! Also proof that I haven't been watching Judge Matthias and Montel all day. I will say that I got the scoop on Regis' heart bypass surgery first hand this morning.

Oh - and a few people have asked about me and the NCAA tourney. I'm definitely doing a bracket with my friends in Arizona. My only fear is that I will totally blow one part of the bracket by having Illinois go at least to the second round of games. I just can't diss my alma mater and not at least pick them to win one game. I need to work on the rest of the bracket - guess I should do that soon. Oh yeah, I have all day tomorrow on the couch to work on it too!

Bye for now.

A Snow Day Can Change Everything

March 2, 2007, started out as a day off of work due to a foot or more of snow - businesses actually closed for the day. Great - a three day weekend! I thought I'd start the day with a little shoveling with the hubby (Steve). A few steps out of our garage and I went down hard on a sheet of ice! I heard the "snap, crackle, and pop" of the old right foot as I fell. First words out of my mouth were "I broke my foot, I broke my foot!" Steve knew it was serious when he looked at my foot and it was positioned 90 degrees from normal.

Steve managed to get me into the back of the Jeep and attempted to get me to the ER. However, as I mentioned, we had just started shoveling and we had over a foot of snow. Even in the Jeep we kept getting stuck. Steve finally called 911 and they sent out an ambulance AND the Fire & Rescue Truck to get me out of our driveway. About an hour and a half or so after the initial fall I was in an ambulance getting the first few mgs of Morphine!

I spent that Friday in the ER in Burnsville with a good friend of mine - Tracy! I can't describe how great it was to see her show up there while Steve continued to try and get out of the driveway. After getting my foot back in alignment and doing some x-rays, I was finally on my way home that evening with instructions to see an orthopedic specialist on Monday.

The Monday appointment was what we expected - surgery was needed. My ankle was broken most spectacularly in 3 places.

On Wednesday I had surgery to put in several screws and a plate in my ankle. I had the greatest nurse - Nancy. Nothing too memorable about that day as much of it was spent "out of it."

Steve has been great about waiting on me hand and foot (pun intended). I think he secretly is enjoying getting to run the show!

Now I've come to the Monday after surgery (3/12). I'm out of work for a few weeks, on crutches for 4 weeks and total recovery time of 8-12 weeks. I've got a lot of time ahead of me to rest, read, and watch tv. Steve and I went out for lunch and to get my handicap parking sticker. I'm getting around pretty well considering I'm on crutches and have a huge cast on my foot that weighs at least 50 pounds. OK, probably not that much, but it's heavy.

On our drive home I was telling him how I would have won both showcases on the Price is Right today because my guess for the winning showcase was within $250 of the actual retail price of the showcase that won! I explained this to him with the intensity one might tell their spouse when they've discovered a cure for cancer or something else very important. It was then that I realized it might be fun to blog about the various things I encounter on my road to recovery.

I'm spending a lot of time off of my feet and am getting to know a lot about various infomercials that will help you lose weight or at least make your cooking time more efficient - who doesn't love the Magic Bullet! It was sad today when I realized that I was stuck on a channel watching an infomercial about a guy who had a hair transplant and the success he's had with it. As most of you know, I will never, ever need a hair transplant!

I'm bummed about the various things I'll be missing over the next couple of months - trips to see friends, training for the 2-day Avon Breast Cancer Walk, and the walk itself with my sister. But, I get to hang out at home and be forced to rest and relax - not a total bad thing. I'll be the one who is actually able to watch all of the NCAA tourney starting this Thursday (without costing my employer money)!

So, that is what is going on in the world of Debbie right now. I'll keep posting about the various things I encounter and you can read, not read, whatever. It's called Debbie's Discourse, but we could also call it the "keep Debbie semi-sane blog."

Stay Safe!