Whimsical Wednesday
Whimsy
From Omaha World Herald (4/2): "Earnhardt Jr: donating brain to science a 'no-brainer.' Dale Earnhardt Jr. is calling his decision to donate his brain to science a 'no brainer.'" [I read this & was inspired, so I contacted a university med center * & made the same answer. Their answer? Sorry, dude . . . Thanks, but you are a 'no brainer.' I hung up the phone **, turned to Lois, & said, "Wait . . . what?!"]* It's not important which one it was.
** Metaphorically speaking, since it was a cell phone.
A Hip Update
WARNING! Contains Graphic Content!
- On THU 4/1, I pretty much discarded my walker in favor of the wooden, Yellowstone walking stick that I purchased last summer while on our 40th Wedding Anniversary Odyssey. It's pretty cool, although I'm a little self-conscious about using it in public.
- That was one reason I decided that I didn't want to go to Bible class and/or church yet on SUN 4/3. I was also skeptical as to whether I could comfortably situate myself in either a folding chair or a pew for an hour or so . . . Next Sunday, that's my goal!
- I also started doing 2 daily sets of my home PT exercises on THU 4/2. I'm ready to do more walking. I'm typing this on SAT 4/2. The weather is a little nicer today, so I'm hoping that Lois will accompany me on a walk to the end of the block & back. I'll let you know how it turns out. [UPDATE: She did accompany me on a walk. Sammy, too. Our goal was the west end of the block. For those of you familiar w/our neighborhood, that would be toward 18th St. Unfortunately, the wind was chilly & I turned back about 2 houses short.]
- And on SUN 4/3, Lois brought a cane home from church. A parent who attends her SUN Bible study loaned it to her. I still use my hiking stick when I do my outside hikes, because it's not as wobbly, but inside the house is another story. Basically, I've transitioned from the walker to the hiking stick to the cane. The hiking stick is definitely more manly. The cane is definitely more "old" manly.
- SPOILER ALERT! On SAT 4/2, I found & watched a Youtube video of an actual hip replacement . . . an actual LEFT hip replacement. Here's the link. It's about 15 minutes long, & it is not for the faint-of-heart. I was actually familiar with some of the medical parlance . . . words like bone, blood, bleeding, labrum, femur. I was NOT familiar with a lot of other terms, including the names of many of the surgical instruments. Once again, I caution you about viewing this video. I found it fascinating, but there is cutting, bleeding, sawing, drilling, cauterizing . . .
- While examining my copy of the invoice from Faith Regional Health Services, the single most costly item was labeled "MED/SUR SUPPLIES," $27,365.00. I assume this included the cost of my prosthetic. Pretty impressive, don't you think? And yet, you would also think it would come with a warranty, would you not?!
- MON 4/12 Church Council Mtg. I'm secretary. This would require me to drive, possibly for the first time. That's just next week, so it might be a little ambitious.
- FRI 4/15 Spring Musical @ Trinity Lincoln. Lois & I have rarely missed any of the little girls' Christmas or spring musicals. This would require a longer drive, also an overnight or two @ Craig & Sarah's, but I would be disappointed if I couldn't attend.
- TUE 4/19 Voters' Mtg. Again, since I'm secretary, it would be nice if I could attend, so maybe this would be a more realistic date for me to drive for the first time.
- WED 4/20 Next appt w/Dr. Smith, my orthopedic surgeon. I am feeling very confident that I will be able to drive by this date.
- APR 21-22 This is the most ambitious goal--one that I'm not entirely sure is achievable, but a goal is a goal, right? Lois will be joining the rest of her staff from CLS, attending the NETA * Conference in Omaha. Last year when she was at the same conference, I allowed myself a road trip, which included some fishing at a sandpit lake next to I-80 near Kearney; exploring the Sandhills, including a jaunt through the northern unit of the Nebraska National Forest; & a visit to a "ghost town." I spent one night in Kearney & treated myself to a second night in Valentine. This would require a lot of driving, so I may have to set my sights on a more modest goal. I'll keep you posted.
- MON 4/25 Return to my avocation. This is the date I settled upon before I had my surgery when I planned to be back at Orphan Grain Train.
* Nebraska Educational Technology Association. This is a great conference. I've been to one. Vendors gave out lots of pens, notepads, mini-candy bars, & other cool baubles & trinkets. And it's where I got to see a 3-D printer in action for the first time!
There Is No Place Like . . .
Nebraska! [Lest you think that we don't have our priorities straight!]
From Norfolk Daily News (3/31): "Nebraskans donate to help charred neighbor states. NE cattle producers are donating hay & fencing supplies to farmers & ranchers in OK & KS who suffered financial losses during the historic wildfire that has occurred along the two states' border." [Yeah, that's just the kind of people we are.]
From OWH (3/31): "How about a license plate Nebraska can be proud of? Bring 10 Nebraskans together, ask them what constitutes the best license plate design, & you're likely to get 10 broadly different answers. People don't usually agree on license plate designs. At least that seems to be the experience here in NE, where motorists have had to muddle through one lousy license plate after another.
"The current plates looked terrific in the developmental stages, but in production they're terrible because the images of a meadowlark bird & goldenrod flower just look like yellow stains a couple of car lengths away . . .
"The image of the Sower statue in the center of the new plates will likely be faint & hardly noticeable when the actual license plates go into circulation in 2017 . . . It's dull. The plates' dark blue & gold highlight colors are strangely non-Nebraskan." [Keep reading.]
From OWH (4/1): "Lawmaker moves to put the brakes on new license plate. A state senator is hoping the Legislature can step in & stop a controversial new license plate from being issued. State Sen. Burke Harr of Omaha introduced an amendment that would delay issuing a new standard plate design for a year. He introduced the proposal amid concern from constituents about the plate's depiction of the Sower & its perceived lewdness." [No, not an April Fool's joke. Read on.]
From OWH (4/2): "Production halted to add right Sower to plate design. Jeff Heldt didn't think much about the state's new license plate when Gov. Pete Ricketts unveiled it last week. But then he saw the plate, in THU's World-Herald, displayed next to the image of the Sower on the NE State Capitol & the sower sculpture on a bell tower at Michigan State University. That's when it dawned on him.
"'It's my sower!' he said. And then: 'It's a mistake' . . . As artists quoted in The World-Herald suspected, he said FRI, his design is a combination of the State Capitol's sculpture as well as the bas-relief piece at Michigan State . . ." [Wait for it . . . wait for it . . . ]
Also from OWH (4/2): "DMV says vendor will put real Sower on license plates at no extra cost. State officials announced FRI that they are pulling a controversial license plate design. Rhonda Lahm, director of the NE Dept. of Motor Vehicles, said the Department will work to create an accurate depiction of the Sower that's atop the State Capitol in Lincoln to put on the new standard plate. Production of plates w/the current design has been halted, she said." [And there you have it . . . There is no place like Nebraska!]
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