writingstuff and more filker pics

Name this filker. :-)


Arm still feels a bit weird, so I've decided not to rebook for California. Since I stopped using a sling, my right arm has been in some varying amounts of pain; overall, it seems to be gradually improving, but I think I'd rather not take a chance.

I had been considering just going for Consonance weekend, but it took me so long to accumulate the frequent-flier points that I would rather save them for a longer trip in the future where I also wouldn't have to worry about arm pain (and maybe even enjoy playing my flute!) and do some visiting.

Thanks to Ny & Rachel, Margaret & Clark for the postcards! And to Joey Shoji for the chocolate tasting kit! (*drool*)



Name this filker. :-)


This week I've been back to my novel writing. It has been massively satisfying. I've started to do some editing in Microsoft Word, which is certainly going to be a challenge using ViaVoice. My right arm has recovered enough that I can start doing a tiny bit of typing again, however, so I'm hoping to gradually ramp that up.



Name this filker. :-)


One of the main challenges for me will be to stick to my normal writing style. Since I started using ViaVoice, I have found that I've been slipping into the habit of opting for words and phrases and sentence constructions that I know are easier for ViaVoice to interpret, rather then facing possible frustration and the extra effort required for writing the way I normally do if I could type easily. After a year of this "sloppy writing", I need to get back to stricter standards, even if it makes me want to throw my ViaVoice headset out the window sometimes. Wish me luck.



Name this filker. :-)


Really looking forward to tomorrow, when Allison and Jodi are coming over for an Urban Tapestry practice, our first in a long while. Scheduling has been a challenge, as is the distance, so I'm glad we were able to find a time to get together (unfortunately it means we have to miss a filk in Hamilton). Allison's going to be bringing the DVD that her husband has been working on, highlights of our performances at The Gathering in December; we're going to be donating a copy to the Interfilk auction at FilKONtario.

Have any of you seen the pilot for the new Battlestar Galactica? Thanks to Vartan and Hrach for loan of the taped show. Holy cow, am I ever hooked. I was a fan of the original series, but I confess I love the new one even more, or at least the pilot. Much edgier, much more interesting characters and subtler relationships between them. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping they can keep up this standard in the series.

I still have a soft spot for Richard Hatch, though, especially after jamming with him (photo by Gary Ehrlich, RH is on the left) at Marcon a few years ago.

Have a great weekend, everyone!



David, Mich, Marilisa and Cora.


Are you a filker willing to submit your childhood photo to a future poll? Please feel free to send it! (spam-filtered address; the first time you use it, you may need to manually enter a code in a follow-up e-mail)

February 2004 comments: Read | Post | LJ

a good day at the fracture clinic

Yesterday was a good day.

For one thing, my friend Rand came to visit. The visit was planned before I finally got my fracture clinic appointment. When the clinic called, Rand volunteered to come to the appointment with me as part of the visit despite me warning him that there could be a long wait, that I might need more X-rays, that his afternoon in Toronto could turn into a dull and interminably long visit in a hospital waiting room. Luisa and Reid had to wait two hours for their son Michael's appointment at fracture clinic last Friday.

Rand said he would bring something to read, just in case, and for me not to worry about it. Yay for good friends. :-)

Happily, there was no waiting time, and the doctor in the fracture clinic was available to see us right away even though we were early. I was pretty nervous; ever since spending a lot of time in them when my mom was dying from cancer, I've never been crazy about hospitals. I appreciate what they do and the staff who work in them, but just being inside one is still a bit of an unsettling experience for me.

The doctor asked me questions, looked at my X-rays. I'm glad Rand was there to help supply the part of my brain that went missing. As most of you know, for example, I have had tendinitis in both arms for nearly a year (mainly my right arm), to the point where I had to use voice-activated software instead of the keyboard.

So of course when the doctor asked me if I have ever had problems with my right arm, I brightly said, "No!"

Duh.

Anyway, it turns out that the initial diagnosis from the doctor I saw in the emergency ward in Huntsville was incorrect. The fracture clinic doctor said he didn't think there was a break, that I should not use a sling anymore, can gradually start doing exercises. I'm supposed to see him in two weeks, just in case, but it certainly sounds as if I suffered a strain or sprain instead of a bone break.

I was so happy about this new diagnosis that I had to restrain myself from leaping off the examining table and giving the doctor a huge hug. :-)

So now I'm trying to decide whether I should rebook my California trip; I'm going to wait a few days to see how my arm feels. The original booking was on frequent-flier points, so I don't have to worry about increased fare. I'm leaning slightly toward not rebooking since my right arm, even if not broken, is still not in great shape, and I really want to avoid another setback in my tendinitis. Woke up at 3:00 a.m. this morning and had to take a painkiller; I think I was a tad overenthusiastic in trying to get my right arm back to normal activities after the appointment.

Nonetheless, I am much happier than I was a week ago because unless I do something stupid, my recovery time from my ice skating fall should theoretically be much shorter, which means my tendinitis recovery time should be that much shorter, which means I should be able to get back to my normal typing that much sooner.

:-)

February 2004 comments: Read | Post | LJ

Pioneers of Mars

How very very cool. From Karen Linsley earlier today:
"Every Martian morning, the staff at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory participating in the Mars rover project start the day by playing a song as a wake-up for the rover. Today I am proud and a little overwhelmed to announce that this morning the wake up song for the rover Opportunity was Pioneers of Mars. One small step for a robot, one giant leap toward a dream and maybe even a legacy." As some of you already know, Karen's co-author and partner, Lloyd Landa, died days before the song was debuted to a standing ovation at the Mars Society conference in Toronto four years ago.

From the Mars Exploration Rover Mission site:
"Observations by the panoramic camera and miniature thermal emission spectrometer were completed successfully on sol 20. The sol's wake-up music was 'I Like Dirt,' by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and 'Pioneers of Mars,' by Karen Linsley and Lloyd Landa."

You can find links and more information in Allison's Livejournal entry here. Thanks to Eli Goldberg, who put in many hours researching the JPL tactical uplink managers and other staff members who were in a position to make this dream actually happen. You can find the full RealAudio stream of the entire song (and more information) available at http://www.totouchthestars.com (the song is from the "To Touch the Stars" CD).

I discovered a few days ago that ViaVoice doesn't work so well when I'm laughing (Jeff and Maya Bohnhoff's fault, during an iChat session). Now I find it doesn't work so well when I'm crying, either. :-)

Congratulations, Karen! Lloyd would have been so very proud.

February 2004 comments: Read | Post | LJ

leaning on friends

(updated 4:00 p.m.)

So I admit that I was not the happiest camper earlier this week.

Monday was the worst, when I had to call Air Canada and cancel my flight to California, and also was forced to look ahead and acknowledge that it might be a while until I could type normally again, needed to rethink my short-term goals. My friend Andrea called to see how I was coping; I thought I was doing pretty well at being optimistic and perky until partway through the conversation when, inexplicably, I started crying.

I am fully aware that my situation is nothing compared to what some other people have gone through and are going through. But it's still an enormous comfort sometimes to be able to lean on the shoulders of people who care about you when you get tired of always having to look for silver linings, of having to be cheery. After my brief cry with Andrea, for example, I found it easier to see things with a fresh perspective, find my sense of humor again, move on.

I've never been the greatest at asking for help when I need it. It's the pride thing, you know, wanting to always appear in control and unafraid, fear of obligation and dependence. Over the years, however, I've learned the value of leaning on others I trust when I need to. I'm always careful about how often I do it; I see it more like stashing away a bar of a very good and expensive chocolate, nibbling away a bit at a time, not wanting to waste any of it or take it for granted that there always will be more.

As I've mentioned before, I very much appreciate the phone calls and e-mail messages from many of you out there. I feel very lucky to have the friends and family that I do, and of course, Jeff has already been so supportive and patient for the past year during my tendinitis.

Just a few recent acts of kindness:

- My sister helped me find waterproof shoes/boots that are easy to pull on and take off with one hand, new track pants (I suspect I will be living in track pants for the next while), brought over some food today.

- Craig gave me a padded arm sling which is much more comfortable than the one I got from the emergency ward.

- My mom-in-law (owns a restaurant) is bringing over a cooler full of homemade cooked and frozen food that I can just stick in the oven.

- Allison is coming over tomorrow night since it's too difficult for me to make the trek out to Richmond Hill these days. Really looking forward to hanging out with her.

- During his visit next week, Rand is also taking me to the fracture clinic, keeping notes for me during my appointment since I can't. Thank you so much, Rand!

Speaking of fracture clinics, looks like Luisa and Reid were also finally able to get a fracture clinic appointment for their son Michael, who is in a full leg cast after a skiing accident.

Have a great weekend, everyone. Don't break anything.
:-)

February 2004 comments: Read | Post | LJ

broken arm :-(

(updated Wednesday February 11th, 11:22 a.m. )

So on Friday night while ice skating with my nieces up north, I fell and broke my right arm. Or to be specific, I fractured my radial head, a spot near my elbow. It didn't really feel all that painful, at least not what I always expected with a broken limb (I've never had one). I was most worried that I had torn my tendons again.

Ruth walked me back to our hotel; I watched TV until the others came back from skating. We played a card game (Guillotine), had a snack, did bedtime reading. When I tried lying down to go to sleep, however, the pain got a lot worse. Ruth came in to check on me, and insisted on taking me to the emergency ward of the hospital. Fortunately it was a quiet night at the hospital, and we didn't have to wait. After X-rays and a temporary diagnosis (I was told to make an appointment with my regular family doctor), I was given some painkillers, an arm sling, and sent home. I've been told to do "absolutely nothing" for a week. The emergency room doctor seem surprised that I wasn't more relieved or happy about this.

Apparently I should be pain-free in two weeks, healed in about six weeks. Not sure how this is all going to affect my tendinitis, but at least it will force me to completely rest my right arm for a while. I wish it had been my left arm rather than my right, though... at least then I could draw and write.

As you can imagine, it's somewhat of a frustrating situation. I was just starting to type a bit more each day, and had just finished physiotherapy. Now I'm back to not being able to cut my own food again, or tie shoelaces, using zippers or buttons, or easily hold a book. I'm also aware that I have to be very careful of overusing my left arm and aggravating the tendinitis again. It would really really suck to lose the use of both arms.

I had also been planning a 2 week trip to California starting at the end of the month; I have not mentioned this in Blatherings because I wanted to surprise Dave Clement and Tom Jeffers, who are guests of honor at Consonance this year. I was going to be visiting with Jeff and Maya Bohnhoff, Andrew and Jenny, Beckett Gladney and Paul Kwinn, and had been planning to room with Joey Shoji at Consonance. I was also going to meet Sal Towse in person for the first time; she was an incredible help to me as my markets editor when I had Inkspot. After much agonizing, I have decided it's wiser to cancel and postpone a trip to California to a time when I won't have to ask someone to help me get dressed in the morning. :-) and :-(. To those going to Consonance: I would be very grateful if you gave Dave and Tom an extra hug from me, OK?

On a positive note, at least I already know how to use ViaVoice.

One of my challenges is not to go stir crazy over the next while. So I'm asking you all for suggestions on how to cope with a few activities:

- Going to the health club is out for now as is running, but I really want to get outside for at least a walk every day. Problem is, I can't tie shoelaces, zip zippers, use buttons. I'm currently thinking of leaving my hiking shoes tied loosely so that I can get them on, but I'm worried about the looseness making it easier to trip on winter sidewalks. Not sure what to do about a coat since it would slip off unless I fasten it somehow.

Update: my sister went out shopping with me and helped me get a reasonably priced pair of waterproof pull-on boots and a pair of track pants. Jeff is lending me one of his old winter coats that I can fasten in front with snaps. My current challenge: trying to get an appointment with a fracture clinic in Toronto to figure out exactly what I should be and not be doing right now, especially re: my tendinitis recovery...somewhat frustrating trying to navigate through the maze of automated messages, answering services, bureaucracy (emergency doctor sent me to my family doctor who sent me to a fracture clinic). Thanks -so- much for all the advice and support offered in the message boards, e-mail, phone calls. And thanks so much to my friend Craig for the loan of his "Rolls Royce" of arm slings! :-)

- I welcome meal ideas for one-handed cooking, or no-cook meals. No can openers, for example, or chopping.

Thanks for the supportive e-mails as well as the filker photos. :-) I will be posting another filker photo poll in the future, but I will probably wait until it's easier for me to manipulate graphic files again.

Answers to the previous poll: Jodi, Katy Droege, Nancy Freeman, Rand, Monica Cellio, Beckett, and Jodi again.

February 2004 comments: Read | Post | LJ