Happy New Year!!

Christmas Visits

I haven't posted in a while because like most I've been enjoying the Christmas season and spending a lot of time with family.

Things started for the Dunns on the 24th since my sister Becky and her family spent Christmas day at her in-law's house. We started early as if it was Christmas morning, had breakfast after opening presents and stockings, enjoyed the day and new toys together, had an early supper and then all headed to church for Christmas Eve services.

Christmas Day was very relaxing. After sleeping in I spent the day at my parent's house. We watched A Christmas Story (maybe a few times), had our steamed shrimp (a family tradition started when we spent Christmas in the Florida Keys with my mom's parents back in the mid 80s), and ate leftovers from the day before. I also got to speak to my good friend and academy classmate Mike on the phone.

Friday the 26th we headed up to York, PA to gather with the Stebbins family (my mom's side). The 26th was my grandfather's birthday and even though he and my grandmother are no longer with us we have kept up the tradition of getting together on his birthday. Almost 30 of us took over the back room of a local steakhouse for dinner and then most of us went over to my cousin Jeni's house to continue the visit.

Saturday morning Mom, Dad, Becky, Jesko, Rachel, Allison and I headed for Pittsburgh to visit with some of the Dunn side of the family. The Dunn family is quite a bit larger and much more spread out, but 16 of us were together at my cousin Terri's house on Saturday and Sunday.

It was so good to see everyone, especially considering all that's happened this year. I hadn't seen the Stebbins families since last December 26th and it had been a year and a half or more since I had seen my aunts, uncles and cousins from the Dunn side. It was also really good to get out of my house for a while and my parents got a break from walking and feeding my dogs who were in a kennel from Friday morning until Monday night.

So now that physical therapy has started and the holidays are ending I am starting 2009 with a resolution to get life back to "normal" (whatever that may be) as soon as possible.

The Nativity Story

The unmistakable voice of Harry Belafonte. Most of the pictures in this slideshow are from the 2006 movie The Nativity Story. Its a very well done cinematic telling of the story that Christians everywhere heard or will hear tonight and tomorrow in church.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas

Peace Carol

Written by Bob Beers

The garment of life, be it tattered and torn
The cloak of the soldier is weathered and worn
But what Child is this that was poverty-born
The peace of Christmas Day

The branch that bears the bright holly
The dove that rests in yonder tree
The light that shines for all to see
The peace of Christmas Day

The hope that has slumbered for two thousand years
A promise that silenced a thousand fears
A faith that can hobble an ocean of tears
The peace of Christmas Day

The branch that bears the bright holly
The dove that rests in yonder tree
The light that shines for all to see
The peace of Christmas Day

Add all the grief that people may bear
Total the strife and the trouble and care
Put them in columns and leave them right there
The peace of Christmas Day

The branch that bears the bright holly
The dove that rests in yonder tree
The light that shines for all to see
The peace of Christmas Day

Financial Crisis Humor

A little comic relief from the dire financial situation...


Click on the picture for a larger view. The small print is worth reading.

Hanukkah Blessings

From the Barenaked Ladies.


Their Album Barenaked for the Holidays is really good if you don't have it already. They do some really nice versions of some Christmas classics, added in a few Hanukkah songs (including the one in the YouTube clip) and a few goofy additions that are quintessential BNL. They do Deck the Stills which is Deck the Halls except instead of the actual lyrics they sing "Crosby Stills Nash and Young" over and over to the melody. Bizare but it works. Its on sale for digital download at Amazon.com this week and you can preview the other tracks.

And in case you haven't heard it on the radio yet this year, the most popular Hanukkah song from Adam Sandler-

Physical Therapy Begins (again)

I had my first appointment with Jessica today. I've been doing my exercises at home since Thanksgiving when I was cleared for therapy by Dr. Brumback, but this was the first actual appointment. I had to fill out all the new patient forms and be evaluated again so that they have a base line for this time around. I know that my knee is bending more now that it did at Thanksgiving when I got the go ahead to start working on it, but I was still pleasantly surprised that she measured it at 40 degrees when I was just sitting on the edge of the table and letting it "dangle." She was able to gently push it to 53 degrees without any major pain, so that's a great starting point. She said that she could feel a great deal of difference. There was resistance, but she said it felt more like soft tissue and not the bone on bone contact that I had through the spring and summer. She also thought it looked much more like a normal knee than it ever did before --normal except for the nasty scar and bulging muscle flap/skin graft area of course.

Jessica said that she and Amanda (the PT Director) will both be working with me and that they were going to enroll me in the Knee Group that meets every Monday and Wednesday afternoon. They are apparently really booked up and getting appointments is pretty difficult. This way I'll have two standing appointments every week. She said the group is mostly younger patients with ACL and other sports related injuries as opposed to other groups which are mostly knee replacements on older patients, so it should be a good fit for me.

I'm pretty happy with how things went and glad to be starting a new phase of the recovery process.

I picked up my last present on the way home and have already wrapped it, so I'm pretty well set for Christmas.

Dad, Jesko, Bill, Steve and Matt Hays and I are all heading to the Maryland basketball game tonight. Go Terps!!

Christmas Shopping

Well, I survived the mall and have taken care of all but one gift. This is actually pretty early for me. I'm such a last minute shopper. Back in college I got interviewed at Security Square Mall by the local news crew while shopping on Christmas Eve. I can't do that this year since we are going to have our family Christmas on the 24th since my sister and her family will be at the Hagees' on Christmas day.

I've got a busy day tomorrow with church and youth fellowship. Then Monday is my first physical therapy appointment and I'm going to a Maryland basketball game with Dad, Bill Hathaway, and Jesko. So today was pretty much my last chance to get the bulk done. I took the wheelchair since I wouldn't have lasted very long attempting this trip on crutches. I'm still worn out. I will say having a handicapped parking permit comes in awful handy.

I got home and found Elf on TV which is perfect for wrapping presents and decorating the tree. I've had the tree up with lights on it since last Saturday, but haven't decorated it yet. If you haven't seen Elf, do yourself a favor and rent it. Its hysterical and even though its only five years old it is already a classic that I must watch every year.

My top Christmas movies (not necessarily in order)

1. It's a Wonderful Life
2. Miracle on 34th Street (1947 - Edmund Gwenn, Natalie Wood version)
3. A Christmas Story (You'll shoot your eye out!)
4. Elf
5. Love Actually (which is also on tonight but I borrowed it on DVD and have already watched twice this year)

Luckily I had Dad put the star on top of my tree already so I don't have to use Buddy's method-

Make sure that you stick to Buddy the Elf's four main food groups - Candy, Candy Canes, Candy Corns, and Syrup. Me, I'm eating Christmas Tree Peeps and drinking Cherry Coke while I'm watching...

Hanukkah

I just watched Jerry Seinfeld on Letterman and he was talking about his kids (and himself as a child) wanting a Christmas tree despite being Jewish. It got me thinking of a similar problem for Kyle on the first season of South Park. After being told he can't eat Christmas snow or come see Santa at the mall, Kyle sings a poignant but comical song about being Jewish when all around him are celebrating Christmas.

The lyric that makes this song for me -- "I'm a Jew, a lonely Jew. I'd be merry, but I'm Hebrew....on Christmas"



Hanukkah starts Sunday night at sundown, so don't forget to wish your Jewish friends "Gut Yontiff"

Pronounced GUT YAHN-tiff (gut rhymes with put). That's Yiddish for "good holiday."

Straight No Chaser

I saw this last year for the first time and had forgotten about it until a friend at the Baltimore Presbytery posted it to Facebook. This is the original men's A Capella group from Indiana University back in 1998 doing a very clever take on the Twelve Days of Christmas (and for you '80s music fans a little Toto)

A Quote from Sunday's Sermon

Sunday's sermon from Rev. Bill Hathaway, Pastor of First Presbyterian Annapolis included discussion of Sarah Vowell's book The Wordy Shipmates. I'm not sure when or if I'll get around to reading this book, but I'm so glad that Bill chose to include this in his sermon. The main reason for its inclusion was to share a quote that Sarah Vowell calls "one of the most beautiful sentences in the English language."

'We must delight in each other, make other's conditions our own, rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, our community as members of the same body. ' -John Winthrop, Puritan minister and 1st Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony

I love that sentence too. That puts into words, so much better than I ever could hope to, what it means to be the church. I think this is what Jesus was talking about when he told the Pharisees that the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. That's not to say that it is easy. It certainly is not. But whether you are thinking about a marriage, a friendship, a family, a team, a church, a country or all of humanity that is certainly a standard to strive towards.

Regardless of what you believe or do not believe, whether you identify with a specific faith tradition or none at all I think you'll agree that there is an interconnectedness to our world and to all of our relationships. Life is so much better, and things go more smoothly when we act accordingly.

That is definitely what I get out of working, worshiping, and participating in the community that is First Presbyterian of Annapolis. I only wish that I was giving back anywhere near what I am getting from them. My goal in life is to "pay forward" the support, care, encouragement and love that God has graced me with through this church (and through my family and friends).

More Muppets!

Another from the 1979 TV special as promised. This may be my favorite of the pop/secular Christmas songs.

I also shared another track off of this album for our staff meeting devotion today. I played John Denver reciting his poem Alfie The Christmas Tree (below) and the song It's In Every One of Us

Did you ever hear the story of the Christmas tree
Who just didn’t want to change the show
He liked living in the woods and playing with squirrels
He liked icicles and snow

He liked wolves and eagles and grizzly bears
And critters and creatures that crawled
Why bugs were some of his very best friends
Spiders and ants and all

Now that’s not to say that he ever looked down
On a vision of twinkled lights
Or on mirrored bubbles and peppermint canes
And a thousand other delights

And he often had dreams of tiny reindeer
And a jolly old man in a sleigh
Full of toys and presents and wonderful things
And a story of Christmas day

Oh, Alfie believed in Christmas alright
He was full of Christmas cheer
All of each and every day
And all throughout the year

To him it was more than a special time
Much more than a special day
It was more than a beautiful story
It was a special kind of way

You see some folks have never heard a jingle bell ring
And they’ve never heard of Santa Claus
They’ve never heard the story of the Son of God
That made Alfie pause

Did that mean that they’d never know of peace on earth
Or the brotherhood of man
Or know how to love, or know how to give
If they can’t no one can

You see, life is a very special kind of thing
Not just for a chosen few
But for each and every living, breathing thing
Not just me and you

So in you’re Christmas prayers this year
Alfie asked me if I’d ask you
To say a prayer for the wind and the water and the wood
And those who live there too

Tonight a brand new Muppets special is airing on NBC. I've had it on as I've typed and twenty minutes into the program I haven't heard any musical numbers yet. It has been full of the usual Muppet antics, but I don't think there is much chance of it comparing to the John Denver special.

And before I hit "publish" they've broken out into song. Not a Christmas song, but cute... Woopie Goldberg, Uma Thurman and Nathan Lane just made cameos. I'm going to start paying closer attention....

They were a size ten

It's no secret that I'm no fan of George W. Bush, but this is just crazy. An Iraqi reporter threw his shoes (yes that is plural) at our President while in a joint press conference with Iraq's President Malachi. Bush was there to celebrate the signing of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) on an unannounced visit. Bush's reaction is pretty calm and cool. He ducks enough to dodge both shoes, but he remained upright and staring right at his assailant who was quickly taken to the ground and subdued. Bush later joked that "all (he) can report is that they were size 10." Somehow White House spokesperson Dana Perino managed to get a black eye out out of the deal during the scuffle to tackle the journalist. She's not visible in the video, but apparently was right in the thick of it.

And they thought Helen Thomas was tough!!



UPDATE - It didn't take long for several online games giving you a chance to virtually throw a few shoes yourself to pop up. Here's one.

Elf Yourself!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Are you in the Christmas spirit yet?

If not perhaps this will help-



No Christmas music quite signals that it is Christmas to me as does the TV special that John Denver did with the Muppets back in 1979 - A Christmas Together. This has been a family favorite since it originally aired. Becky and I got the LP from the library the year that it first aired and it has been a staple ever since. The librarian even let her keep the poster that was included with the album since we were the first to check it out and they had no desire to keep it. We've all (parents, sister and me) upgraded our copies to CD versions, but I could no more do without these songs than I could go without a tree.

For some reason it has never been released for sale as a VHS or DVD. You can find bootleg versions for sale online, but most state that the video and sound quality is not up to today's standards (like this YouTube clip). I keep checking each year to see if a digitally re-mastered DVD has been released, but after almost 30 years I'm not holding my breath.

There are several old standards like this song included, but also some that I had never heard anywhere else that are among my favorites of all Christmas music like It's in Everyone of Us, The Peace Carol, and The Christmas Wish. I will undoubtedly be sharing more of these in the next two weeks. In the mean time do yourself a favor and grab a copy of the CD for yourself. I don't think that you'll be disappointed.

Broccoli We Have Heard on High

Hat tip to Daily Dish for posting this.

If you click through to YouTube, this guy has made musical instruments out of loads of vegetables. It is apparently quite a hobby.

Obama Keeps it Cool

I have to say 1) Fred Armisen is getting better as Obama. Rumor has it that they are looking for a replacement. Maybe that was the motivation that Armisen needed to work on his impression.
2) SNL was pretty funny this week. Malkovich, like Christopher Walken, is a fantastic host. He's an extremely talented actor with lots of versitility and he's just warped enough to fully commit to the skits and characters like an actual cast member.

Other highlights this week included the twins who only wanted a calculator for Christmas, Amy Pohler's return as Hillary and at the Weekend Update desk, Plaxico's gun safety tips, Virgania Horsen's mail service and Boy George explaining about handcuffing and beating a gay prostitute with a length of chain.

Shinseki to head VA

Andrew Sullivan and James Fallows over at the Atlantic think that this is a masterful move by the President Elect. I whole heartedly agree.

Interesting Personal Note - At 57 seconds in to this video is Gen. Shinseki, who was then the Army Chief of Staff telling a Senate committee how many troops would be needed in post invasion Iraq. He was there that day with the rest of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Two seats to Shinseki's left is Gen. Michael Hagee, then Commandant of the Marine Corp. Gen Hagee happens to be my sister Becky's father-in-law and grandfather to my nieces. Not sure what he told the committee that day, but I do know he is good company at Thanksgiving Dinner and a very good grandfather.

Therapy and Blue Jeans

I haven't written in a while because there hasn't been much to report since my big appointment with Dr. Brumback last week.

I stopped in to the physical therapy clinic and made an appointment with Jessica. She didn't have any openings until the 22nd, so I'm on the cancellation list in case anything opens up sooner. I was disappointed that I have to wait, but luckily I've been through this already and can get a head start. I did get to talk to her though and have been doing my exercises at home this past week.

Being free of the leg brace has certainly made life much simpler. I can actually wear real clothes again. I don't think I've had jeans on since March. Its amazing the little things that one learns to appreciate when you have to do without for a while.

Other than that I've been working on youth stuff and had several meetings this week. We're gearing up for this year's confirmation class, getting the spring calendar finalized and working on an alternative worship service for the older elementary school kids. It is good to be busy.

It is hard to believe that Advent has arrived. I love the anticipation of what is to come.

Jon Stewart is Going to Miss Bush

"Every day has been joyous." ......What?

"Before I arrived in President....During I arrived in President" WTF!!?? This man has an MBA for crying out loud.

He is intrigued by the thoughts of doing charitable work. He's not going to do it, but isn't it intriguing?

January 20th can't come soon enough. Less than 48 days.

Prop 8, the Musical

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's almost Thanksgiving

Which always brings this classic to mind -

Better Than Expected

The way that things have gone with my knee injury and recovery I've learned that realistic (and even pessimistic) expectations are a good way to keep from being disappointed and discouraged. So I went into today's appointment figuring that I would have an x-ray taken, Dr. Brumback would look at it, and he would -

a) tell me things were OK, but it was too soon to tell and he would need to see me again before making any decisions.
b) say things didn't appear to be healing and the infection may be back. OR
c) say things looked OK and we would start physical therapy to strengthen my leg and work on bending it some.

My appointment with Dr. Brumback today went so much better than expected. Not only did he write my a prescription for PT, but he also said that I could stop wearing the leg brace and slowly begin to work on putting some weight on that leg.

He was very pleased with the x-ray and authorized me to do so much more than I anticipated in my wildest dreams. I was expecting to be totally non-weight bearing until mid-December based on his prognosis after surgery in September and assumed that the infection was going to extend that time line into the new year.

I am thrilled. Mom, Dad and I stopped at Chevy's for margaritas and quesadillas to celebrate on the way home.

I'm not out of the woods yet when it comes to the infection and may never be completely. It is most likely to reoccur withing six weeks of stopping the antibiotics, but could rear its head in a year, ten or more possibly. Its something that he said he will always be on the look out for and will factor into the decision for any future surgeries (which will hopefully be a long way off). My next appointment is in six weeks and now I can shift into the next phase of my recovery - physical therapy. Hopefully I can get back in at the same place I was before and work with Jessica again.

It sure is nice to have some good news to share for a change!!

My Typealyzer Results

Andrew Sullivan had a link to a site called Typealyzer that "reads" a blog and tells you about the author. Here are the results to mine -

ESFP - The Performers

The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves. They enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.

Pretty accurate, I'd say.

I Saw Dr. Higgins Today

This was my final visit to the plastic surgeon and like the previous visits it was entertaining and full of positive information. Dr. Higgins was very happy with how things look and said that if it wasn't for the underlying bone issue I would be cleared for contact sports or whatever else I wanted to do. No need for bandages any more, just the knee brace and crutches/walker/wheelchair.

He was visibly a little disappointed that my appointment with Dr. Brumback isn't until next week. He was hoping to know how the bone was doing and if the infection was gone. He was asking about that before he even looked at my leg. He's certainly not alone in that desire. Hopefully we will know something in less than a week.

I debated putting pictures up earlier because things looked a bit gruesome. Things still aren't pretty by anyone's stretch of the imagination, but relative to how things looked a few weeks ago I think things are looking really good.

So here are some photos so you can see how things look. I've only put thumbnails up so that if you don't care to see them you can ignore them. If you do want to check things out just click on each picture to enlarge it.




The large reddish oval on my knee is the area where the muscle flap was placed and covered with a skin graft. That area is still a bit swollen and will continue to shrink. The color will also fade and become more like the rest of my skin or a normal scar. The third picture is the scar up the back of my leg where Dr. Higgins gained access to my calf muscle to borrow a piece for the muscle flap. The forth picture that shows a big red rectangle next to my Micky Mouse tattoo is the donor site on my thigh where Dr. Higgins took skin to use for the graft. It too will fade in color and eventually just be a normal colored scar.

No one is going to be contacting me to become a Rockette or a leg model anytime soon that's for sure. Good thing I wasn't counting on either of those for a career path.

Hey Missouri finally decided who to give their electoral college votes to

First time since 1956 that Missouri did not go to the winner of the presidential race. With almost 3 million voters the margin was only 0.12%.

So the final tally is 365 to 173 and the map looks like this -



It looks like Hillary as Secretary of State is closer to being a done deal and that Tom Daschle will be Secretary of Health and Human Services and Eric Holder will be Attorney General. So far, I'm liking what I'm hearing.

One Down, Two Left

For his 85th birthday Senator Convicted Felon Ted Stevens got to read in his local paper and possibly on the internets (which is made of a series of tubes - see video) that he has lost his re-election bid.

The key line is at 2:12. Boy we're going to miss him.


It took them two weeks to figure it out, and they are still counting, but the AP has reported that the lead is now insurmountable and that Anchorage mayor Mark Begich will be the victor in Alaska.

Now we just need for Minnesota and Georgia to complete their recount and runoff election respectively.

In other political news, unfortunately the Democrats are being way too nice and letting SUPER WEASEL Joe Lieberman keep his key chairmanship and he will still be caucusing with them. I'm really ticked off about this. I don't care if we get to 60 (which is pretty unlikely) one vote is not worth the cost of allowing this jerk get away with the way he campaigned against the party and especially the things that he said about our president-elect.

There is no easy way to say this.

Danielle moved out on Saturday.

I don’t want to air our dirty laundry, but in the interest of disseminating information and keeping the speculation to a minimum I feel that I need to comment on this at least superficially since it is a major occurrence.

Many of you are aware of the struggles that Danielle and I have dealt with in the eleven years that we have been married. For those of you who don't know the history, a dual diagnosis of mental illness and substance abuse has been a storm cloud that has followed us through our marriage.

Although we still love each other very much, the dynamic that has developed between us as a result of these issues is unhealthy for both of us. I am constantly watching for possible symptoms of relapse and Danielle resents having her feelings discounted as symptoms. Sometimes I am overly vigilant and sometimes she lacks insight into how she is feeling or behaving. Neither extreme is good for us and the struggle has taken its toll on our relationship.

Currently, as has often been the case, we do not agree on what is wrong let alone the best approach to dealing with it. We have reached an impasse and she has decided to deal with things on her own. Initially this is not the way that I wanted to handle things, but I now agree with her that this is the way that it must be.

I do not know if this will be a temporary or a permanent change. Only time will tell.

She has only moved a few blocks away and has offered to be available to assist me with the dogs or to help around the house while I’m still in recovery. It’s nice to know that she is close and willing to help me, but I intend to give her the space that she has requested. I have an amazing support system (that has really been put to the test this year) so I’ll be fine.

Regardless of whether we reconcile or not, I wish her all the best and I will always love her.

PICC Line is gone

and I'm not bleeding like Dan Akroyd (as Julia Child) in that old Saturday Night Live skit.



I can now shower without having to wrap my arm in plastic and duct tape too!

Now if I could just put weight on my leg and bend my knee. All in good time I guess.

Finished with the Antibiotics

As I type this I am about to disconnect the final "grenade" of antibiotics from my PICC line and flush the lines with saline and heparin for the last time. Six weeks was actually up on Tuesday, but the pharmacy sent me enough medicine to take twice a day through today. I spoke to Dr. Campbell (the germ doc) and he said to take it all even though it was slightly over 6 weeks.

Wendy my home care nurse is coming at 9am to remove the PICC line from my arm. Yippee!!

I also finished with the blood thinner yesterday, so no more shots in the stomach. Hopefully it's out of my system already, or will be by morning. The doctors and nurse don't appear to be concerned about pulling the line considering the Lovenox I've been taking, so I'm taking my cue from them. I will feel much better once I see that it isn't bleeding and that the hole has clotted, healed and closed though.

So now I will be completely off of all of the medicine that has been such a big part of my daily routine and anxiously awaiting the appointment with Dr. Brumback on the 25th.

As much as I am happy to be free of the medication I think the wait and see time may end up being more difficult. I won't have the routine of something to do or the medication intervals to keep my mind busy. Luckily I'm feeling much better and getting around is getting much easier. So I'm planning on keeping myself busy with work and hopefully will be getting out of the house more often.

As they say - this is the moment of truth. Is the infection gone or will it return? We'll find out in a few weeks.

Thank You Veterans

If you didn't watch the NBC Nightly News last night you missed a really good story of how the Canadians have been welcoming home their fallen soldiers from the War in Iraq. Granted they haven't had the 4500+ that we have lost, but they have repeated this amazing welcome home for every single soldier that has died.

While our government has been banning photographers from showing us the coffins arriving at Air Force bases and the funerals tend to be private family affairs with a story in the local papers, our neighbors to the north have a very impressive ritual along 100 miles of highway leading to Toronto that you won't believe until you see it.



To the Canadians I say - well done.

I truly wish that we had something like this, but fear that it would get mired down in the "are you for or against the war" debate.

To our soldiers and the families that have lost loved ones - we may not be as good at showing or saying it, but we honor your service just the same regardless of whether we are for or against the war(s).

Today we not only honor those that have fallen, but all those who serve and who have served and their families for the sacrifice that they have made on our behalf.

THANK YOU!

will.i.am's song of celebration

It's a New Day

Just for fun

Smackdown

CNN's Campbell Brown has a few words for the folks in McCain's campaign who are now scapegoating Sarah Palin.....YOU PICKED HER.



So which is it? Was she this bad all along and they lied to us about her qualifications? or Are they trying to protect themselves by putting all the blame on her?

My guess is its a little bit of both.

Something Stinks in Alaska

And for a change I'm not talking about the Governor. (although more on her in a minute)

While we are still waiting for the final verdict on the Senate and House races with both republican incumbents in hot water for corruption (one convicted and one with pending investigations), it would appear that something really fishy is going on with the numbers. Both of these men were trailing by 6-10 points in the polls going into the election and both are leading by slight margins while the final votes are being counted.

Or are they the final votes? With record voter turnout everywhere in the country, an historic election and their own popular governor on the ticket apparently voter turnout was at the lowest ever for a presidential election in Alaska!? Over at Huffington Post, Shannyn Moore lays out the numbers that just make no sense at all.

Mudflats, a progressive blog in Alaska has much of the same data too.

In 2004, 66% of registered voters turned out to vote in the presidential election between George Bush and John Kerry.

In 2008, including the votes still outstanding, only 54% of registered voters turned out.

And the strangest part of all? Voter turnout in the primaries, before Palin was even on the ticket, was up 12% from 2004. We also had more than 20,000 new registered voters.

Curious.

Now for the latest on Gov. Palin just in case you haven't heard yet -

Newsweek has even more on the clothing overspending than we knew previously. She also is reported to have prepared her own concession speech, but was told "no" by McCain's staff. It was his night and only he would speak.

Fox News of all places is releasing information that they obtained off the record and wasn't allowed to release before the election such as -

• She thought Africa was a country and not a continent.
• She refused to be prepped for the Katie Couric interview(s) and then lashed out at staff for how it went and the negative press she got as a result.
• She couldn't name the countries that signed NAFTA (US, Mexico & Canada)

Of course there have been plenty of rumors that she was already looking forward to 2012. Those rumors give us fun stuff like this -

The Onion's Fake Newscast...

Has caused me to re-examine my life.


Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

Just kidding!

Self-Evident

FiveThirtyEight.com

Check out the way the map and electoral votes went compared with the final predictions over at FiveThirtyEight.com. Nate Silver has quite a gift.

The only state he got wrong was Indiana (and possibly Georgia depending on how the final numbers come in).

Apparently Georgia's numbers don't reflect all the early voting. Even though most news organizations and networks have given it to McCain, the AP still hasn't and there are many votes yet to be counted. Reports are conflicting. Still waiting for something definitive.

The Senate race there is probably heading for a run-off and in Minnesota Al Franken is going to get a recount. He's only down by 570 votes. So Dems could pick up two more Senate seats. (maybe three once Stevens goes to jail)

Regardless of how these squeakers end up, if you want to know what's going on FiveThirtyEight.com is the place to check next election season.

UPDATE: I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Obama Elected the 44th President of the United States

It's a new day in America!

My dad shared this insightful column from the Washington Post with me today. Richard Cohen today argued that the winner in today's election if things went as expected (which they have) was going to be LBJ.

When he signed the epochal Civil Rights Act of 1964, Johnson knew he was also signing away the South and, with it, much of the white vote elsewhere as well. "We have lost the South for a generation," he supposedly said back then. For that generation, time's up.

Barack Obama is often called a transformational figure, and this election, it then follows, is a transformational one. I beg to quibble. Barack Obama is a confirmational figure, and this election confirms what has been gradually occurring in American society ever since that July day when Johnson virtually outlawed most forms of racial segregation in America. We've been transforming ever since.

Change doesn't happen over night. But change does happen. Sometimes you just have to do the right thing and wait for events to unfold. I'm glad that I was around to see this change come about.

I VOTED! Have you gone to the polls yet?

Decked out in my new "THAT ONE '08" t-shirt (thanks Betsy!!) and head to toe in red, white and blue I just cast my vote. (Danielle too)

A special thanks to Dad the chauffeur for the ride!

Now all that is left to do is wait, watch TV and read blogs.

There is a really cool page with a colorful name if you want to refresh your memory of all the high and low lights of this LONGEST campaign ever. Check it out HERE.

Andrew Sullivan, at The Atlantic, has been posting blurbs from readers throughout the day with stories of what they are seeing and experiencing in their states. Check it out HERE.

At Penn State there were 1000+ students in line at 7AM!

A Blogger at TPM Confesses

He didn't vote for Obama today. You've got to read his diary explaining why.

He voted for every race on the ballot except the one at the top of the screen. He thought of all the people who had influenced him over the years, people who did not live long enough to see an African American at the top of the ballot.

When my ballot was complete, except for the top line, I finally decided who I was going to vote for - and then decided to let him vote for me. I reached down, picked him up, and told him to find Obama's name on the screen and touch it.

And so it came to pass that Alexander Reed, age 5, read the voting screen, found the right candidate, touched his name, and actually cast a vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Oh, the vote will be recorded as mine. But I didn't cast it.

Then again, the person who actually pressed the Obama box and the red "vote" button was the person I was really voting for all along.

It made the months of donating, phonebanking, canvassing, door hanger distributing, sign posting, blogging, arguing and persuading so much sweeter.

So, no, I didn't vote for Barack Obama. I voted for a boy who now has every reason to believe he, too, can grow up to be anything he wants...even President.

One Day More!

For election eve I'm posting one last video --


NOW GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!

Paul Hipp strikes again

Take it back!

What's gone wrong?

Nice Weekend

Well, I thought I would give a quick update on how things are going before getting completely lost in the election mania....

Each day the pain in my leg is getting less and less. Consequently it is getting far easier for me to get around the house (with a walker and my right foot off the ground). This also means leaving the house is getting easier so I made three trips to church this weekend.

Saturday morning I attended a memorial service for a member of our congregation who lost his battle with cancer at the age of 53. Rest In Peace - Ken West. I ask for prayers for Kenny and his parents Westy and Eleanor. It was a very nice service and the Presbyterian Women hosted a reception afterwards. Kenny was a fixture in our church community and he will be missed. This spring while fighting the good fight and receiving treatment he cared enough and took the time to carve a back scratcher for me so that I could scratch my foot and ankle and inside my brace. I was blown away.

Sunday I made it to services in the morning and to Youth Fellowship at night. In worship we celebrated All Saints Day and honored those from our congregation that have died this past year. As is often the case "Time with Children" provided comic relief from the somberness of the service. Choir Director, Marc Boensal was charged with the task of discussing the day's theme with the kids. When he asked - "Does anyone know what a saint is?" the reply "a football team" sent ripples of laughter through the sanctuary. Marc handled it well and quickly brought things back on message.

Youth Fellowship was well attended and we watched a movie called Beat the Drum about the AIDS epidemic as it related to a young boy's journey from his small village to Johannesburg after losing both his parents to the disease. I think Sara summed up how the kids felt about the movie before it even started with the question - "Is this a serious movie with a message? because I was planning on a hang out, Princess Bride kind of movie night." The movie was good, although a little hard to follow without English subtitles and 1/3 of the movie spoken in Zulu.

We ate pizza and cookies; talked about the election and spent some time just horsing around. Catherine, one of the middle school students had loads of fun pushing me around Fellowship Hall in my wheelchair while Sara, a senior high student, raced us in the church's wheelchair.

It was really nice to get out of the house again for something other than a doctor's appointment and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing so many friends and co-workers who I haven't seen in weeks (although I wish that the memorial service had not been necessary).

Today, I was visited by Betsy Stewart from church with a wonderful gift that I plan on wearing tomorrow. A lovely white t-shirt with the following logo on the front -

My IV Antibiotics

I thought folks would be interested in the cool delivery method for my antibiotic IV medicine. Pictured on the left is one of the "grenades" that I wrote about in an earlier post.

It's a really ingenious design. In the center there is a hollow plastic tube that runs from the white cap on the top to the white cap on the bottom. There is an outer plastic liner and an inner rubber one. The inner liner is like a balloon that actually holds the medicine (probably surgical tubing or some other strong rubber). Before I hook it up and un-clamp it the inner and outer liners are the same size and the grenade is perfectly round. This picture shows it after a good amount of medicine is already out of it.
Since the inner liner is stretched when they fill it with medicine it is squeezed out when you release the pressure by un-clamping the hose that I hook to my PICC line (catheter). The clamp is next to my thumb in the picture. Just to the right of that is little disc that the medicine flows through. It is basically a flow valve that controls the rate that the medicine flows through the line. Since the medicine is under pressure and the flow rate is controlled by that little disc there is no need to hang the medicine like they do in the hospital or have the computerized pump to control how fast you get the medicine. I usually just sit the grenade next to my leg on the couch while I'm hooked up, but if I have to get up I can just put it in my pocket and use my walker without having to drag a pole along with me. Pretty much anyone whose ever been in the hospital (or visited someone else) knows about dragging the pole on wheels along with you to the bathroom or down the hall. What a pain that is! This is so much easier.

You can barely tell that I am actually hooked up and receiving medicine in this picture taken this morning of me and Allison. Becky brought Allison by for a visit today on her way to pre-school. Doesn't she look cute in her homemade pumpkin tie-dye t-shirt? The white armband is actually a cut off tube sock that I wear to keep the PICC line covered and the tubes tucked up and out of the way when I'm not getting my medicine.

Speaking of my PICC line I had a bit of a scare yesterday. Because the PICC line is a direct route from my bicep to my heart I was told by the nurse to be very careful about getting it dirty or wet, unless I had a death wish - which I do not. So the only complication to me being cleared to shower by the doctor on Wednesday was keeping that area dry in the process. So with dad's help I wrapped my upper arm in a garbage bag and a bunch of duct tape and happily took a shower. As I dried myself off I removed the tape and plastic to find that the tube sock arm band was soaked. The area is covered with cellophane and tape by the nurse, but I still started to panic because I could see that some moisture had gotten under that. All I could think was "that was a nice shower, but not worth dying for!" I called Wendy, the home care nurse who came out within the hour to re sterilize and re-bandage the site. She wasn't thrilled with my timing since it was the end of the work day and I interrupted the beginning of her three day weekend, but she was very good natured and reassuring. She also put a lot of extra tape on it this time and told me to use lots of saran wrap before the garbage bag and duct tape next time.

Doctors Appointment Today and an update

I finally have some information to share again on the leg front. I had my second follow up appointment with Dr. Higgins, the plastic surgeon, this afternoon. He was again very pleased with how things look and said that I could start doing dressing changes at home. More importantly - I CAN SHOWER!! Whoopee! It has been 43 days since I've been able to take a shower and wash my hair. P U! Granted I've been bathing with a wash cloth, but it just isn't the same. I can't get the PICC line wet, so I'll have to duct tape a plastic bag around my bicep, but that is a small price to pay to be able to sit and let glorious hot water pour over my head and body. I can't wait.

The appointment was pretty entertaining. Since he had told us last week that we would start doing dressing changes after today, both of my parents came back to the exam room so that they could receive instructions and/or ask questions. My nurse case manager had another nurse along with her today to show her the ropes. Her name was Paget. So when they called my name I brought an entourage of four along with me to the exam room which was pretty tiny. Dr. Higgins was pretty amused when he came in.

As was the case last week, it still looks pretty funky, but it was noticeably smaller and the graft area is filling in. Dr. Higgins was again full of explanations about how things looked and what to expect. I thought the most entertaining part of the visit was when he was reassuring my parents and I that we didn't have to be ultra careful about messing up the skin graft. He illustrated this by poking the area with his fingers and even lightly slapping my knee a few times. It still has a ways to go before it is healed, but he wanted us to feel comfortable that we weren't going to ruin the skin graft by touching or washing it. It was quite comical.

I've still got two more weeks to go of the antibiotics and then another two weeks before Dr. Brumback, the orthopaedic surgeon, comes back in the picture to assess how the bone is healing.

On an unrelated front we've had a bit more drama here lately. Danielle was in a car accident Monday night. She is perfectly fine, but her car is most likely totalled. It was raining like crazy Monday night and an oncoming driver attempted a left hand turn, pulled in front of her and they hit head on. She doesn't drive stick, so she can't drive my car. Right now she is dealing with police and insurance companies to get a replacement vehicle. She just started substitute teaching last week, so the lack of transportation has thrown another twist into our already complicated lives.

With the help of friends and family we have been managing and will continue to do so.

Wassup 2008

Obama in Virginia (not "real" or "fake"...just Virginia)

If Jesus Ran for President...McCain's attack ad

This is one of the most irreverent pieces of satire I've ever come across and fair warning it may offend some people. Personally, I love it.

For my conservative friends that need a push...a video

I know that there are some of you out there who aren't Democrats and the thought of a "liberal" president worries you. I know that you aren't all Moveon.org members like me who are excited to vote for Barack and you worry that if you do cast that vote you may be perceived to be the same type of bleeding-heart-liberal-hippie-weirdo that I am.

Rest assured - 1) your ballot is private and 2) you will not instantly become a soldier of the far left.

Here is a video of Republicans and/or conservatives that are voting their conscience this election. I would venture to say that they aren't excited about their decision, some even look a little bothered by it, but they all admit it is the right decision to make. The stakes are too high and the McCain/Palin choice is wrong.



Will you put your country first? or your party?

Opie, Andy and The Fonz pitch for Obama

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

What does the VP do?

Just in case you didn't know this - the VP is "in charge of the Senate." This according to Sarah Palin.

This woman needs a civics class, among other things.

Moreover, the U.S. Senate website explains that the modern role of Vice Presidents has been to preside over the Senate “only on ceremonial occasions.” ThinkProgress contacted Senior Assistant Paliamentarian Peter Robinson, who also disputed Palin’s characterization of the Vice President’s role:

In modern practice the Vice President doesn’t really control the Senate. … If anyone has a responsibility to try to govern the Senate, it’s the responsibility of the two leaders.

Andrew Sullivan links to ThinkProgress with a simple question - Could she pass a citizenship test?

A note from "fake" America

If you missed the McCain campaign's "real" America BS this weekend, or even if you didn't miss it, John Stewart laid it all out for us on Monday night as only he and the Daily Show can. I thought the Rove crap that divided us so badly between 9/11 and the start of the Iraq War was finally fading away. Unfortunately the McCain/Palin campaign is seeing its revival as necessary.



In this next clip we get to see what a wonderland Wasilla is and that Gov. Palin's replacement in the mayor's office thinks that she's ready to be VP too. Words fail me....you simply must watch.

Follow up Appointment with Plastic Surgeon

Yesterday I had my appointment with Dr. Higgins. He was quite pleased with the way things looked and again reassured me that everything was "normal" despite how funky it still looks to me. Its still really swollen although now instead of a cantaloupe its about the size of a small orange or large lemon. The graft is starting to fill in, although it still looks like mesh not skin. I also found out why the back of my leg has been so sore. I figured it had to do with him taking a piece of muscle from my calf to fill in the hole in the front. I was right about that, but didn't know about one additional reason. Turns out I also have an incision that runs straight down the back of my leg from the crease of my knee to the bottom of my calf. That was his "secret" he said with a sly grin. I figured the opening that was already along my shin was enough to get the muscle he needed, but apparently not. Everything has dissolvable stitches, so there is no need for any additional things done to me except dressing changes and waiting to heal. I'll see him again in ten days and then we will start changing the dressing on our own. He said it would probably take about 6 months until the graft area was completely covered and looking "normal." Although I have no idea what "normal" is going to be for my leg. Not that I'm really worried about what it will look like. I'm much more concerned with the functionality obviously. I am curious though.

Mom and Sandy, my nurse case manager, both came in to see how things looked and to take notes on anything Dr. Higgins had to say. So if you talk to my mom she can verify the funky appearance now.

While in the waiting room, Sandy was telling my parents and I about Dr. Higgins' talents. On another workers comp. case that she was assigned to, a guy somehow lost his thumb. Dr. Higgins was able to rebuild a new functional thumb for the man from his second toe. The guy is good.

I really like him. He's got a very good bedside manner. I feel like he anticipates questions and concerns and addresses them before you even have a chance to voice them. While unwrapping things he's talking the whole time: "Don't worry about that yellow on the gauze its from xyz medicine that's in the dressing", "what you're going to see with the graft is that some of the spots are starting to fill in", "its still going to be bulged out, but smaller than what you saw a week ago." He instills confidence, puts you at ease and does it all while having this child-like enjoyment in his work. Apparently he's one of the best in our region, because every time I mention his name to someone in the medical field I get this "ooo la la, he's the one working on you" response.

Yesterday morning I also had my home care nurse Wendy out for my weekly check in and care of my PICC line. She changed the tape and bandages, cleaned the area, put new extension lines and caps on and took blood to send to the lab. She also called the pharmacy to make sure my delivery was on its way for this week's doses and all the peripheral stuff that she and I need (replacement parts, saline and heparin flushes etc.). Before I've even posted this there was a knock on the door and my shipment is here.

Things are moving along and we've just got to wait and see if my bone is healing as well as the surface. Only the x-ray will tell that which Brumback won't do until I'm finished with the antibiotics. Until then I just keep plugging along with the status quo and hoping for the best.

The Hate Talk Express

Another winner from Paul Hipp (www.PaulHipp.com).

CROP Walk Today!

This afternoon I will be joining the folks from my church at Quiet Waters Park to participate in the annual CROP Walk. The walk is organized by Church World Service and raises money to help fight hunger both internationally and locally.

I will be rolling along in my wheelchair and can't wait to see folks from church, especially my youth group!

Please visit MY DONNATION PAGE and give what you can. Thank you very much!!

The endorsements are pouring in

Here's a link to excerpts from the editorial page of papers from across the country that have endorse Obama.

A complete list of papers and who they have endorsed can be found at Editor & Publisher's website. The current tally as of 11:30 Sunday morning is -

This brings Obama's lead over McCain-Palin by this measure of daily papers to about 4-1, at 76-18, including most of the major papers that have decided so far.

In addition to newspapers Obama also picked up the long awaited Colin Powell endorsement on Meet the Press this morning.

As reported, Colin Powell just endorsed Obama, calling him a "transformational figure." He listed several reasons for his choice:

• Obama's response to the economic meltdown
• Obama's ability to reach all classes, races, and parties
• Obama's rhetorical ability and his substance
• McCain's erratic response to the economic crisis
• Palin's lack of preparedness for the Presidency
• McCain's smears
• The wingnuttia of the Republican Party
• The danger of two more conservatives on SCOTUS (he's probably thinking about all the anti-torture decisions)
• The attacks on Muslims (he mentions a Muslim woman burying her son in
  Arlington)--this was one of the most powerful parts of the endorsement

Joe "The Plumber"

Truly bizarre that this guy became the focal point of the debate last night considering that he is -

1) Not a plumber
2) A registered republican
3) Has an open tax lien against him
4) Might be related to Charles Keating
5) Might already own several businesses.

An despite his attempt to hit Obama with a "gotcha" question, Barack engaged him and discussed his policies and why they will be better for our country.

How do you think McCain would treat an Obama supporter who asked him a question about health care on the street? My guess based on last night is that he would have rolled his eyes, stuck out his tongue and twitched nervously.

Quick...Which one do you want to follow?

By Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty

Back Home!

I was discharged at about 6pm last night and on my couch by 7:30. They kept me long enough to give me my antibiotic dose for the evening (which I got early) and I got to have one last dinner in the hospital. I thoroughly enjoyed the fresh air with the window cracked for the ride home from Baltimore and the change of scenery was really nice.

The dogs gave me quite a welcome home. There are few greetings that measure up to that of a dog welcoming you home after an extended stay away. I got double.

First thing this morning Wendy, my home care nurse, and a FedEx package full of meds and supplies arrived and we all got a lesson on administering the antibiotics and caring for my PICC line (IV port that was installed in my arm). I recieved a week's worth of IV bulbs that look like little grenades. They are pre-primed so they don't have to be hung or run through one of those computerized pumps that you see in the hospital. After sterilizing the caps and flushing the line, I simply hook up the hose to my PICC line and unclamp it and it runs for 90 minutes. I have to do this twice a day. It was pretty straightforward and of course I've been watching them do this to me in the hospital for two weeks already. Danielle took copious notes and has hung instructions on the wall next to the couch, just in case though.

Going Home Today

I don't know exactly what time I'm getting out of here, but I am being discharged today.

Dr. Higgins and one of his guys came by at about 8am this morning and removed all of my drains, the wound vac (which was over the skin graft) and the cellophane type of wrap that was over everything. Nothing like having tape (or a tape like material) pulled off of leg hairs.

My leg looks FUNKY! He had told my parents that it would look swollen and bulged out when I first saw it, but I still wasn't prepared. My knee looked like a cantaloupe and my leg looks so atrophied. No muscle tone at all any more. The area where he did the graft looked like a basket weave mesh. He said that as weird as it all looked to me, it was exactly what he wanted to see and that everything was perfect, living and healing. He wrapped me up in a ton of gauze and said that I don't have to do any dressing changes until I see him a week from now.

I am still waiting on a heat lamp to arrive that is supposed to "cook" and dry the donor site on my hip. There is a piece of something - cheese clothe or gauze that is over the site and apparently as the spot drys and heals it will peel off and I can trim it away. The main problem with the donor site is that it is right where the metal splint part of my brace hits my hip. So having my brace on properly and getting up to move is pretty painful. Hopefully that won't last long.

The nursing company called me already to schedule to be at my house tomorrow at 8am with the antibiotics and to teach me and the family how to administer them. Other than the heat lamp and I'm sure a good deal of paperwork on the hospital staff's end I think I'm ready to get out of here.

Mom and Dad are on there way here with clothes and it will take a little while to take all my pictures down and pack all my goodies up. I can't believe that today is day 15 in the hospital and I am so glad that I won't be seeing number 16.

Union Memorial All Stars

I wish I could remember everyone's name who I've come in contact with here and thank them all personally, but I am going to attempt to compile as complete a list as I'm able to of all the folks that have meant so much to me these last two weeks. (I will update as names come to me)

House keeping - Victoria

Food Services - Kelly, Angela, and Kim

Care Associates/Nurse Techs - Wendy, Mesi, Sharon, Courtney, Joan, Jonnie Mae

Nurses - Betty, Valeriya, Pat, Shimi, Sharon, Sandy, Felicia, Edward, Shelia, Samantha, Stephanie, Julia

Nursing students - Kelly, Bonnie, Chris

Social Worker - Cheryl

IV Techs - Thomas, Karin,

Pre & Post Op nurses - Stephanie, Randy, Judith, Nate

OR Waiting room attendant - Cynthia

Transport -

Physical Therapist -

Anesthesia - Dr. Levy, Tom Harris,

Docs - Brumback, Henderson, Campbell, Higgins, Sirota

Today was a really nice day

It was day 13 for me in the hospital today, which I suppose should be a little depressing, but I had a really nice day. I did miss being at church in the morning, but I kind of feel like church came to me today.

After a relaxing morning I got to spent about an hour on the phone with my cousin Michael from Atlanta. He saw the Allman Brothers Band both Friday and Saturday nights, so I got to hear all about the shows and reminisce about when he and I went to two Allman shows in one weekend a few years back. Next year I'll join him again hopefully. To me seeing a really good live show (or even hearing Michael describe one) can be a religious experience.

Then my parents came for a visit and I couldn't believe what they had with them. The little ones at church made me posters during Sunday school today. Rachel and Allison have been hard at work sending me pictures and cards every time Becky comes to see me. Rachel asked what color my room was and said that she was going to cover every bit of white on the walls before I come home. With the help of the kids at church she actually might get there if I hang everything that I've been sent. On Wednesday night the "Guppy Group" which is a fellowship once a month for elementary school aged kids made me cards too. They were so anxious to make them that several kids didn't wait for actual paper and I've got about 8 cards made on napkins!

So here are some pictures of the posters and drawings in my room-

Then Danielle and Taffy came for a visit. Danielle brought me all the cards that have been getting mailed to the house while I've been in here. I got cards from the Lanengas, the PWC, the Pooles, the Schmitters, Edith Leech, Aunt Sara & Uncle Carmen, the Clampits, Lauren Dhillon & Alice Taylor, the Bowens, Mark, Sharon & Graham, the Morans, the Drydens. Nancy Parker and the Allisons. Thank you all so much. The outpouring of support overwhelms me.

Danielle also brought the care package sent by the Marsico Family and I don't even know where to begin....YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! This was a care package extraordinaire. Great cards and pictures (love the Steeler family portrait - 17 people all in black and gold), tabloid magazine, smelly candle and candy, candy, candy, candy. Boy I'm gonna be on a sugar high for days. I think my favorite is the M&M Candy fan. Not only is this full of M&Ms, but this is an actual battery powered working fan.

Danielle and Taffy got themselves dinner from the cafeteria and brought it up to the room so the three of us could eat dinner together and then we settled in to watch the Amazing Race. It was just like normal except the pets aren't here and I've got tubes coming out of my legs and into my arm. I also got a phone call from LeAnn checking in and then our good friends Craig and Jen came over to join us. All four stayed well past the 8:30 cut off for visiting hours and now I'm just basking in the memory of what a great day I had.

Last Surgery. Hopefully

Today Dr. Higgins the plastic surgeon closed my incision. All week I was under the impression that surgery would be at 8am, which was confirmed by my nurse first thing this morning while having blood drawn and my vitals checked at 5:30am. So it was a little frustrating to nod off and wake up at 8am and find myself still in my room. They didn't take me down to the OR until about 10:30 and surgery wasn't until close to noon. My poor parents arrived at 7:30am as planned and had quite a bit of waiting to do again today. I was out of recovery and back in my room before 4pm. Dr. Higgins said that all went well and if everything heals according to plan then I could be discharged by Tuesday! That would be great since I was thinking it may be Thursday or Friday before I could go home. I'm cautiously optimistic.

A development that I totally forgot to include in my last update occurred a few days ago on the Worker's Compensation front. I have mentioned in previous posts the adjuster (for the third party) who has been incredibly difficult to deal with. She has been nasty to the church's treasurer, a trustee, Dr. Ove's assistant Pam, Dr. Brumback's assistant Marge, the orthodics department in Annapolis, the social workers here at Union Memorial and directly to me on several occasions. She was unhelpful, uncooperative and a big part of the delay in getting a second opinion and my surgery scheduled. Cheryl my social worker called to give an update to the adjuster the other day she was pleasantly surprised to be told that I had a new adjuster. Hallelujah!! What's more, they have hired a Nurse Case Manager to be directly involved in my recovery and to make sure that I am getting adequate treatment. I was practically speechless when Sandy, my nurse case manager, called to introduce herself the other day, gave me her cell phone number and said that she would be by soon for a visit. Yesterday I got to meet her in person. She came by with some paperwork for me, took a very thorough interview of the history of my injury and treatment and reiterated that if there was anything that I needed or any questions I had about my treatment plan that she was who I should call. She'll also be visiting the house as soon as I'm home and helping to coordinate the IV antibiotics that I'll be getting for the next month or so. She's really nice and I am thrilled to have this new ally in dealing with my recovery process.