My friend Sharon slipped in her home and broke a hip a while back. Now her wishes are coming true! Read on, and be merry...
Went back to Dr Novotny today, see if I could ditch the crutches or not. after having my hopes dashed last month, wasn't even hoping today..
he did an x-ray, took me to a room, looked at the pix. MY BONE IS 100% HEALED!!!!! I hugged him, I cried. A pronouncment my year-long ordeal of hell is over.
For the FIRST TIME, I stood up and looked at the x-ray! Will always have the rod and 2 screws, he showed me where the screw was that he removed, can see a shadow, will always be a scar there. he showed me where the bone was broken.
You always put on your best face, never let anyone know how much the pain really is, or how down you really are. There were some days of nothing but hell. I watched out my hospital room as 80 year old folks walked down the hospital hall on their walker, when I all I could do was move my foot and nothing else. There were days of having to have help just to move, to get to wheel chair to go to the bathroom 5 feet away, having to pull that cord in there for help, like a geriatric patient. 2 weeks of bleak winter days laying in the hospital. No One has to stay in the hospital that long. Remember them trying to get me up 2 days after surgery, and dropping to the floor like a wet noodle, having a blood transfusion since I lost so much blood in surgery. I just wanted to slip away, into a dark place at that point and not try anymore, not have any more pain, physically or spiritually.
Still use 1 crutch as I need for stability and with ice. Bone is healed, now on to therapy to rebuild hip muscles so I can WALK NORMAL AGAIN! :)
Short of some therapy and medical bills, my ordeal is officially pronounced over!!!
I thank God for this blessing to go through such trials that I have a much bigger appreciation of life and of good health. And empathy for others who are struggling.
Thank you for all of your support.throughout the whole ordeal. May you have as happy a New Year as I'm having!! I've been waiting for this day for a very long time!
HOT DAMN AND HALLELUJIAH!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
The Truth About Diet Soda
From the Internet:
We talk a lot about ''watching what we eat,'' but if you never gave a thought to what you ate and instead watched only what you drank, you could probably cut 450 calories a day out of your life. (Yes, nearly a pound of fat loss a week!) That's what a study from the University of North Carolina found. Americans today drink about 192 gallons of liquid a year—or about 2 liters a day. To put it into perspective, this is nearly twice as many calories as we did 30 years ago.
When confronted with the growing tide of calories from sweetened beverages, the first response is, “Why not just drink diet soda?” Well, for a few reasons:
Just because diet soda is low in calories doesn't mean it can't lead to weight gain.
It may have only 5 or fewer calories per serving, but emerging research suggests that consuming sugary-tasting beverages--even if they're artificially sweetened--may lead to a high preference for sweetness overall. That means sweeter (and more caloric) cereal, bread, dessert--everything.
Guzzling these drinks all day long forces out the healthy beverages you need.
Diet soda is 100 percent nutrition-free, and again, it's just as important to actively drink the good stuff as it is to avoid that bad stuff. So one diet soda a day is fine, but if you're downing five or six cans, that means you're limiting your intake of healthful beverages, particularly water and tea.
There remain some concerns over aspartame, the low-calorie chemical used to give diet sodas their flavor.
Aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar, and some animal research has linked consumption of high amounts of the sweetener to brain tumors and lymphoma in rodents. The FDA maintains that the sweetener is safe, but reported side effects include dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, memory loss, and mood changes. Bottom line: Diet soda does you no good, and it might just be doing you wrong.
We talk a lot about ''watching what we eat,'' but if you never gave a thought to what you ate and instead watched only what you drank, you could probably cut 450 calories a day out of your life. (Yes, nearly a pound of fat loss a week!) That's what a study from the University of North Carolina found. Americans today drink about 192 gallons of liquid a year—or about 2 liters a day. To put it into perspective, this is nearly twice as many calories as we did 30 years ago.
When confronted with the growing tide of calories from sweetened beverages, the first response is, “Why not just drink diet soda?” Well, for a few reasons:
Just because diet soda is low in calories doesn't mean it can't lead to weight gain.
It may have only 5 or fewer calories per serving, but emerging research suggests that consuming sugary-tasting beverages--even if they're artificially sweetened--may lead to a high preference for sweetness overall. That means sweeter (and more caloric) cereal, bread, dessert--everything.
Guzzling these drinks all day long forces out the healthy beverages you need.
Diet soda is 100 percent nutrition-free, and again, it's just as important to actively drink the good stuff as it is to avoid that bad stuff. So one diet soda a day is fine, but if you're downing five or six cans, that means you're limiting your intake of healthful beverages, particularly water and tea.
There remain some concerns over aspartame, the low-calorie chemical used to give diet sodas their flavor.
Aspartame is 180 times sweeter than sugar, and some animal research has linked consumption of high amounts of the sweetener to brain tumors and lymphoma in rodents. The FDA maintains that the sweetener is safe, but reported side effects include dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, memory loss, and mood changes. Bottom line: Diet soda does you no good, and it might just be doing you wrong.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Yes Man
We headed out with Troy and Dona to catch this flick, which spoofs the kind of cultish behavior typified by a dynamic hero cheerleading an auditorium full of deliriously happy, chanting people.
Besides Jim Carrey's usual flair for ad-libbing and physical comedy (e.g. his highly-caffeinated rambling about the greatness of Red Bull - after ingesting them all night long), what I liked about it was the way that the conflict arose without his character (Carl Allen, a previously humdrum loan officer at a bank) doing or saying something surprisingly wrong. The solution was in coming to grips with the fact that while life passes you by if you say "no" to opportunities, that blindly saying "yes" to everything can be equally hollow due to the inherent dishonesty of it.
It's a great ride with a fast-moving plot, see it while you still can!
Besides Jim Carrey's usual flair for ad-libbing and physical comedy (e.g. his highly-caffeinated rambling about the greatness of Red Bull - after ingesting them all night long), what I liked about it was the way that the conflict arose without his character (Carl Allen, a previously humdrum loan officer at a bank) doing or saying something surprisingly wrong. The solution was in coming to grips with the fact that while life passes you by if you say "no" to opportunities, that blindly saying "yes" to everything can be equally hollow due to the inherent dishonesty of it.
It's a great ride with a fast-moving plot, see it while you still can!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Tough Times
"Tough times don't last, tough people do." - Les Brown
Following a year-long investigation by the state's attorney's office, outspoken public figure Les Brown's charitable organization was not only exonerated from charges of mismanagement, but praised when it was discovered that he had put $13,000 of his own money into the program to subsidize it. Not all good deeds are destined to lay in the shadows, sometimes fate uses them as an example for others to see.
America embraces those who endure tough times without complaint, whether it's of their own making or not. Few baseball players were as despised in the media during their playing days, or revered by the time of their death, as Ted Williams. What about Muhammad Ali, the boxer who famously threw his Olympic gold medal in the river as a protest against the American government, and later received the loudest cheers and the honor of lighting the torch at the opening ceremony of the 1996 Olympic games?
Both Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn played their entire 20+ year baseball careers for a single team, almost unheard of today. They also endured far more losing seasons than winning ones. And they were celebrated as model citizens, why? Because they continued to smile and speak respectfully, even as their prestige grew to a level that could have been quite influential.
In this day and age in American society, refusing to be negative equates to remarkable optimism! It's tough, and it's worthwhile.
Following a year-long investigation by the state's attorney's office, outspoken public figure Les Brown's charitable organization was not only exonerated from charges of mismanagement, but praised when it was discovered that he had put $13,000 of his own money into the program to subsidize it. Not all good deeds are destined to lay in the shadows, sometimes fate uses them as an example for others to see.
America embraces those who endure tough times without complaint, whether it's of their own making or not. Few baseball players were as despised in the media during their playing days, or revered by the time of their death, as Ted Williams. What about Muhammad Ali, the boxer who famously threw his Olympic gold medal in the river as a protest against the American government, and later received the loudest cheers and the honor of lighting the torch at the opening ceremony of the 1996 Olympic games?
Both Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn played their entire 20+ year baseball careers for a single team, almost unheard of today. They also endured far more losing seasons than winning ones. And they were celebrated as model citizens, why? Because they continued to smile and speak respectfully, even as their prestige grew to a level that could have been quite influential.
In this day and age in American society, refusing to be negative equates to remarkable optimism! It's tough, and it's worthwhile.
iPod Nano Modernizes McDonald To 2005
I saw a 24-year old co-worker trading text messages with another co-worker during a meeting one time, and concluded that I need to take steps to keep up with technology. Later I mentioned that I'd probably buy and iPod at some point, and he offered me his.
According to Wikipedia:
"Testing by technology-enthusiast website Ars Technica has shown that even after being sat on, dropped by a jogger, dropped four times from a car moving at various speeds, then being driven over twice by the car, and finally dropped from nine feet onto concrete, the unit's screen was damaged but it could still play music. The unit finally stopped playing music after being thrown 40 feet (12 m) into the air and landing on concrete."
I'll keep that in mind the next time a song makes me so jubilant that I feel like flinging something skyward.
Nano is now in its fourth generation in four years, but I take some comfort in the fact that the endurance ratings were reportedly a little lower for these new-fangled ones. That's me - a stickler for quality, even if it means lugging around a four-year-old dinosaur of a machine.
So now I dabble in the iTunes world, snapping up a dozen or so songs and realizing that the rights to the original Beatles tunes have not been released. Still, my morning drives and walks into work are sunnier, my workouts mellower, and my pockets a little more gizmo-occupied.
According to Wikipedia:
"Testing by technology-enthusiast website Ars Technica has shown that even after being sat on, dropped by a jogger, dropped four times from a car moving at various speeds, then being driven over twice by the car, and finally dropped from nine feet onto concrete, the unit's screen was damaged but it could still play music. The unit finally stopped playing music after being thrown 40 feet (12 m) into the air and landing on concrete."
I'll keep that in mind the next time a song makes me so jubilant that I feel like flinging something skyward.
Nano is now in its fourth generation in four years, but I take some comfort in the fact that the endurance ratings were reportedly a little lower for these new-fangled ones. That's me - a stickler for quality, even if it means lugging around a four-year-old dinosaur of a machine.
So now I dabble in the iTunes world, snapping up a dozen or so songs and realizing that the rights to the original Beatles tunes have not been released. Still, my morning drives and walks into work are sunnier, my workouts mellower, and my pockets a little more gizmo-occupied.
Friday, December 26, 2008
7 Pounds
See this movie if you like:
1. Will Smith.
2. "Perspective" movies - ones that prove that things could always be a whole lot worse, and you've really got it pretty good.
3. Charitable giving.
4. "Pursuit of Happyness" - Smith's last flick about a brilliant man making enormous sacrifice for a dramatically good cause.
5. A romantic plot.
I'd recommend seeing it in theaters - something about the large screen and dark theater builds the emotion better for this type of film.
1. Will Smith.
2. "Perspective" movies - ones that prove that things could always be a whole lot worse, and you've really got it pretty good.
3. Charitable giving.
4. "Pursuit of Happyness" - Smith's last flick about a brilliant man making enormous sacrifice for a dramatically good cause.
5. A romantic plot.
I'd recommend seeing it in theaters - something about the large screen and dark theater builds the emotion better for this type of film.
Cry-Free Christmas Stuns Family
Christmas is a time of joy and generosity, and these were in abundance in the Goodfield home of Duane and Vermeda Freidinger on Christmas Day. Predictably, the presence of Freidinger's six grown children and their significant others gave rise to sugar- and gift-induced emotional highs. But expectations were shattered when the couple's eleven grandchildren failed to cry for the entire event.
Shrill, powerful wailing has been as much a part of the annual holiday gathering as the pre-meal blessing since grandchildren were first introduced in 1992. Outbursts ranging from a handful of sobs to barrel-lunged tantrums have been fueled by unsatisfactory food, head-vs.-thing collisions, or simple crabby fatigue. Yet as the 1:00 activity stretched into evening hours, the family sensed history in the making.
"I don't know. I just don't wanna cry," said Trevor Heffren, who grew pouty-lipped but kept his composure during a custody dispute over toy-sized trucks with his younger brother Tyler. The youngest Heffren and youngest grandchild may be due much of the credit for the tearless occasion, as his freakishly tank-like strength makes him and his famous grin nearly indestructible.
Surprise contributions came from Darren and Jane's two little ones, who declined to be interviewed. The two siblings steeled themselves through several frustrating moments when the younger one just could not seem to figure out Wii bowling, to the horror of a gallery full of raggedy-nerved computer simulated fans who were repeatedly assaulted by balls that slipped out of hand.
While the new Wii system drew the loudest (and delighted) screams of the event, it notably did not cause any significant injuries despite hours of midair flailing by long-limbed adults near child brains and sharp-edged furniture.
By 9:00, weeplessness was assured as Lane shrugged off a vicious accidental kick of a chair during a Wii match, and Duane and Vermeda each participated lively in bowling and tennis, respectively, without incident. Not even a series of bitter defeats at the hands of his son could incite Troy to tears.
"It wasn't for lack of trying," Duane said resignedly of the absence of bawling. "We had all the right ingredients... snacks conducive to mood swings, kids without enough nap time, nice icy backyard for slipping and falling. It just wasn't meant to be this year, that's all." Freidinger pointed out that the deal may have been sealed by the momentum of week-old fuzzy blanket-wrapped puppies brought into the house by Troy and Dona midway through the afternoon. "Nothing bad seems bad when you've seen puppies."
Shrill, powerful wailing has been as much a part of the annual holiday gathering as the pre-meal blessing since grandchildren were first introduced in 1992. Outbursts ranging from a handful of sobs to barrel-lunged tantrums have been fueled by unsatisfactory food, head-vs.-thing collisions, or simple crabby fatigue. Yet as the 1:00 activity stretched into evening hours, the family sensed history in the making.
"I don't know. I just don't wanna cry," said Trevor Heffren, who grew pouty-lipped but kept his composure during a custody dispute over toy-sized trucks with his younger brother Tyler. The youngest Heffren and youngest grandchild may be due much of the credit for the tearless occasion, as his freakishly tank-like strength makes him and his famous grin nearly indestructible.
Surprise contributions came from Darren and Jane's two little ones, who declined to be interviewed. The two siblings steeled themselves through several frustrating moments when the younger one just could not seem to figure out Wii bowling, to the horror of a gallery full of raggedy-nerved computer simulated fans who were repeatedly assaulted by balls that slipped out of hand.
While the new Wii system drew the loudest (and delighted) screams of the event, it notably did not cause any significant injuries despite hours of midair flailing by long-limbed adults near child brains and sharp-edged furniture.
By 9:00, weeplessness was assured as Lane shrugged off a vicious accidental kick of a chair during a Wii match, and Duane and Vermeda each participated lively in bowling and tennis, respectively, without incident. Not even a series of bitter defeats at the hands of his son could incite Troy to tears.
"It wasn't for lack of trying," Duane said resignedly of the absence of bawling. "We had all the right ingredients... snacks conducive to mood swings, kids without enough nap time, nice icy backyard for slipping and falling. It just wasn't meant to be this year, that's all." Freidinger pointed out that the deal may have been sealed by the momentum of week-old fuzzy blanket-wrapped puppies brought into the house by Troy and Dona midway through the afternoon. "Nothing bad seems bad when you've seen puppies."
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