Green Bay Opening Day!

Today is the opening day for my Green Bay Packers!  Expectations are high for the Packers this year, I just hope to see them do well one week at a time and perhaps we will have reason to be very excited at the end of the season.  Anyway, in honor of opening day, I am spotlighting my favorite Packer ever since he was a Badger, #65 Mark Tauscher.

Today's Wisconsin State Journal has a good article on his 'comeback' last season here.  And being a Wisconsin native and playing his whole college and pro career in the state prompted Travelwisconsin.com, Wisconsin's tourism board, to ask him to do a weekly blog about the state during this season.  The article about that is here, and the actual blog should be found here.  You didn't think I was going to write my own stuff, did you? 

Wherever you are I hope you are a Packers fan, if not then at least root for them for me!  I plan on enjoying the hell out of the game today against the Eagles.  It won't be easy starting the season in Philadelphia, but I think Tauscher, Rodgers, and co. will do well.


Go Pack Go!!

Pic Dump 19

It's time for another Pic Dump!  A collection of pics that I have come across recently that have caught my eye for one reason or another.  These aren't all meant to be funny pics, and that may be evident more so this time than in times past.  I may have an eye for thought provoking, sometimes artsy, and just plain weird pics as well.  As always, discretion may be required after the break.  Click the pic to see original size.  Enjoy!

253rd!  Poor girl..............      Now that's funny!

(At Least) 4 More Weeks

I had my 2-week follow-up appointment this morning.  It started with x-rays, followed by removing the staples.  There may not have been 100 staples as I commented to my sister the other day, but there were at least 50.  And yes, they hurt like hell to be pulled, but I survived.   My leg is still swollen and puffy.  When I touch my knee I can't feel it yet, which is a very strange, disconcerting feeling.  So I decided I just won't touch it for a while.  On the bright side, at least I can shower now.

The most shocking thing was that when the PA came in he put up this morning's x-rays right away before I had a chance to brace myself.  Wow.  Of this type of break, I really went all out.  It was broken in two different directions.  I now have an 8 or 9 inch metal rod in my leg with four 4 inch screws in the bottom of my femur (in the top of my knee joint) and two 2 inch screws above at the other end of the metal rod.  Eventually I may try to get some images so I can show you here, but trust me when I say I really broke it terribly.  My next appointment is in 4 weeks.  Until then I still can't put any weight on that leg, and so I will be completely off work until I can be re-evaluated in a month.

At least 4 more weeks.  Sigh.  That's a long time with not much to do.  All I can hope for is that my leg continues to feel more and more comfortable and I can improve my mobility even just a little.   I have improved since the surgery 2 weeks ago, so I must remember that and just let myself take the time to heal.  Yeah, that's it.

I Bought A Poncho The Other Day

I had a computer and time on my hands.  It's one of those things that I have never had yet always wanted.   They just seem like they'd be comfortable and functional for some situations and/or weather.

About 20 years ago I saw a poncho in a store that I really liked but, for reasons I can't recall, I never bought it.  I have regretted that ever since and have always kind of kept my eye out for one but never see any for sale.  So with that thought, free time, and permission from my wife I went about searching for one.  It wasn't as easy I thought - which makes me think I don't have fashion to worry about.  Fashion only matters as much to me as any other typical 40 something male, anyway.

I wanted black, but in the interest of dirt and lint, I got a gradated gray.  It has a hood, is made of sheep and alpaca wool and comes from Bolivia.  I got it here, less than 50 bucks total, and it should arrive in 10 days or so.  I really hope I really like it, but it's probably not smart to wear it while I still have to use crutches or a walker...

The Hospital Stay, Briefly

Generally the hospital stay was the necessary experience that you would expect.  It started out fine, Friday night after the surgery, with competent, nice, nurses who took good care of me.  When I started to see the nurse's aides on the day shifts is when I got nervous and worried.  These were people who seemed underqualified to say "do you want fries with that?"  It culminated in the last nurse I had on Sunday being downright scary.  She didn't seem to have confidence in what she was doing, so how were we to be confident in her?  She didn't even know how to operate the bed I was in.  But mostly she pissed me off when she gave me the wrong meds on Sunday afternoon.  I hadn't noticed at the time, but it sure explains why I got so drowsy!  We wound up voicing our displeasure to anyone who would listen, and had a talk with the head nurse about her before I was discharged.  We couldn't get me out of there fast enough that day. 

I've had the misfortune to be hospitalized a couple times in my life, and the quality of care has gone down each time.  I guess this is just a reflection of the times we live in, unfortunately.

Broken Leg: Week Two

Hello people, family, friends, peers, lurkers and random visitors.  I hope all of you enjoyed your 3 day weekend, if you were so lucky.  We would have been but, of course, we were both off work already.

My wife returned to work this morning for a half day, getting me all set up in my chair with everything I might need before she left.  I have been encouraging her to go back, I need to be more self sufficient during the day hours.  I had been working on my mobility with a walker (broken thigh, remember?) this holiday weekend and can now get myself around the house and in and out of chairs the way I need to.  After this she will work full days tomorrow and Thursday, maybe with an extended lunch break that she will use to come home and check in on me.  Then only in the afternoon Friday so she can get me to my leg appointment in the morning.

I know she has been upset with me a few times since getting me home from the hospital.  Mostly because I had been a jackass, frustrated with my own limitations.  But she has been wonderful to me this whole time.  If I had any doubt that she loved me, well, she has seen me at my lowest and still has never turned away from anything.  For that and so much more,  I love her more than anything.  When things are more normal I want to do something very nice for her.

Friday morning is the first follow-up appointment, a full fortnight after the surgery.  I won't even be seeing the orthopaedist, I will be seeing his PA.  I have never had staples before, I don't know if they will be removed then, but I am a little worried they will hurt.  (They're metal friggin' staples in my leg!)  I should get a clearer idea of when I may get back to work though, among other things.  I still have not seen my original x-ray.  I don't think I want to see it yet, but I may request a printout of the before and the after x-rays, in a sealed envelope for 'someday'...

I know I haven't recounted the hospital stay yet, so I may just touch upon that next.  It was kind of an eye-opening visit for me, but I'll explain that later.   Good Day!