In which I update my loyal audience, both of whom I’ve left hanging.
HEALTH UPDATE
I got an e-mail from a friend who still visualizes me doddering around with a walker. Fortunately, this is not the case. Let me catch you up with my progress. Since I stopped writing incessantly about the baby steps involved with recovering from orthopaedic surgery (left hip replacement, right elbow reconstruction, pubic bone repair, and putting my iliac crest back together on the right side) after the motorcycle accident, I have:
Gone to physical therapy. A lot. I was going 2-3 times a week for a couple of months. Two things were happening there. One, a lot of exercises to strengthen muscles, especially in the legs. Two, a really nice guy who apparently has a license to do this kind of thing was pulling on my right elbow until I saw stars. It’s worth mentioning that a bit of range limitation in my right elbow is really the main functional “nag” remaining. Everything else is just kind of a matter of degrees – a matter of continuing to gain strength and flexibility. I was fortunate in that the hip socket on the left was the only lower body part in which a hinging joint was affected. Of course, that “fortunate” fact would still have left me crippled if I didn’t live in a time when they can just replace the sucker (and if I didn’t have good insurance). But as it stands, I can walk pretty well now (more on that later).
Actually, the elbow is quite literally a matter of degrees – as in I can only straighten it to about 25 degrees. Normally, your arm will straighten to about 0 degrees, i.e. fully extend. However, as in other things, I’m not quite normal. My left arm, which wasn’t injured, apparently only straightens to about 15 degrees. I think my arm will continue to straighten some more, but it’s not interfering with anything I need to do, including playing woodwinds and typing. I have full use of my hand, and good strength in this arm.
Speaking of that great insurance, they have a strict limit on physical therapy visits, which I have exhausted. So I’m cured!
Gone back to work full time. Or more. It’s a shame I can’t take a normal vacation like everyone else, but a month in the hospital left me so eager to get back to work that I’ve been quite energetic. I’ve put in a lot of hours. I’m fortunate here in that I’m mainly paid to run my mouth and work on the computer, but I’ve done a few things as needed in the warehouse and shipping department, and it went okay. I can pick up boxes and such. I have a client which consists of 2 people. One’s had back surgery and the other’s had hip surgery (not a replacement, just some work done to relieve some severe pain). I made a large delivery to them the other day and I was actually the least disabled person of the day. So I got to move all the boxes in.
Gone back to the gym. Well, some. I’m not setting any records here, but I’m getting back at it. I walked and got on an elliptical trainer today. Somewhat against doctor’s orders, but I just had to try it – I jogged a little to see if it was even possible. I’ll never be a recreational runner again, but I was interested in what running was like in case I have to dash to my car in the rain or there’s someone behind me with a hatchet. It wasn’t too bad. I need to start on some weights – I especially think it might be beneficial to my right arm.
In short, as if it isn’t too late, I am able to do anything I need to do, and if you saw me walk down the street, I doubt you’d notice anything’s really wrong. I have got to be one of the luckiest, most blessed guys on the planet. Everyone continues to ask – yes, I’m done with motorcycles. If you ride them, I respect your decision, and will just tell you to wear the helmet and gear, because it saved me from a lot worse, but I’d like to stay on said planet for a few more years.
CARS ARE DANGEROUS ENOUGH
Here’s another funny development that has a lot of my meatspace friends shaking their heads. I got hit by another truck a few weeks ago. Fortunately, this time I was in my car, which at the time was a Camry. Here’s the after picture: 
And we won’t talk about this one much for legal reasons, either. Suffice it to say I was stopped at a red light in Prattville, having come back from playing a gig, when someone coming up from behind didn’t see me, or the other 6-7 vehicles stopped at the intersection, or the 3 big, red, lights hanging from the wires overhead…
Nothing was bleeding or broken at the scene, and that’s all I’ll say about that…
SO HOW’S WORK GOING?
Glad you asked. I’ve really thrown myself into webdev related issues. Recent events have convinced me that I’ve got to get better at doing this stuff. Currently I’m trying to get two of my company store sites redeveloped (one is for a big external client, the other is actually for another division of my company), and I’m also playing with Joomla.
SO – DID YOU GET ANOTHER CAR, OR ARE YOU JUST STAYING HOME NOW?
You know I can’t just stay home. I replaced the Camry with an ’08 Honda Accord EX-L. Got the 4 banger for fuel economy, and gave the $2,000 in-dash nav system a pass because that’s just stupid when a <$300 Garmin does the trick. It’s my first car with built-in XM. Woot!
