Friday, March 23, 2012

Consider these two scenarios:

RANDOM PERSON:  I think I'm going to lose weight and get in shape.
FRIEND #1:  That's a good idea!  We could totally go to the gym together sometime!
FRIEND #2:  Good luck, I hope you stick to it!
FRIEND #3:  I'd like to do that, I just wish I had the time!
FRIEND #4:  Are you on the Atkin's diet or the South Beach diet?
FRIEND #5:  You don't need to lose weight, you look fine the way you are!

Now, there's me:

ME:  I think I'm going to lose weight and get in shape.
FRIEND #1:  OH NO!  It's cancer isn't it?  I told your mom that she shouldn't drink all that turpentine when she was that pregnant, but she wouldn't listen to me.  OMG it's cancer!  I just knew it!
FRIEND #2:  You should love yourself man!  Don't listen to what society says you have to look like!
FRIEND #3:  Why would you want to get in shape?  Doesn't that mean you'd live longer?  What do you have to live for anyway?
FRIEND #4:  Of course you need to lose weight, but if I were you, I'd worry about those awful clothes you wear!
FRIEND #5:  We'll be right over!  You need help!  YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO LIVE FOR!

These scenarios are purely hypothetical.  You can tell because they have proper spelling and punctuation.  Real internet doesn't work like that.

Anyway, I apparently give the wrong impression to people on the internet.  I've said I was giving it up in the past, and I have limited myself quite a bit.  I think this just reinforces that idea.

Anyway, the point is that in addition to all the other things I'm trying to do with my time, I want to become more active.  This is a touchy thing.  Obviously, I'm not going out jogging.  I walked a half block last week and my knee is still killing me from that.  My knee is like that - it doesn't allow many traditional forms of exercise or work.  I have some hope that maybe losing some weight will help, but the process of getting there is the problem.

Similarly, it's amazing how many things you use your knees for when you're doing something.  Even simply sitting in an office-style chair can be a challenge after a while.  Well, sitting in any chair.  You're like, "Hey!  It's a knee injury!  You can sit all day!"  My advice would be to stop using exclamation points.  But still, your observation is an obvious one.  I thought that way too.  Maybe I don't know how to sit or something.  Shrug.  The knee hurts and it limits what I do and how I do it.  The plan, therefore, is to work around it as much as I can.  If I can walk three feet at a time, then I walk three feet at a time.  You can eventually walk a mile, it just takes longer.

That would be an exaggeration.  I can walk farther than three feet on most days.  Yeah, there've been a few days when that was a challenge, but those days were right after the surgery itself.

 Now hopefully, I don't injure the knee further.  It's a price I'm willing to pay if I have to, but it's not something that will help in the long run.  Still, I suppose it's better to die trying than live like this.  Sitting here only means that those few abilities I have left atrophy that much quicker.

- Jim

Monday, March 19, 2012

In what I hope won't be the start of a trend, my Niece went to the hospital last night. She'd lost consciousness for some unexplained reason, but now she's fine.  The first fear, obviously, was that she was having a seizure.  That's not because she has a history of them, but because it's the most prevalent condition around here, it seems.  The hospital isn't sure, but they don't think that's the case.  For now, it's "not sure".  She's resting comfortably.

I've been working on reading.  It's going slower than I like, but it is going.  I started a... two month goal list, sort of like a mini-yearly to-do list, like I usually put out.  I'm behind, of course, but it helps to keep things moving steadily.  A year is an awful long time.  Part of the reason I'm behind is because I spent nearly a whole week cleaning over here, and I mean deep cleaning.  As I said, I moved furniture, I cleaned behind things, I moved things.  Me being me, and mostly my knee being my knee, an hour-long job was turned into a day-long job and I had several of those things.  Ah well.  I think I'm doing better because of it, though my knee has not yet forgiven me.

So, that's what's been going on around here.  It doesn't seem like much, but it keeps me busy.

- Jim

Sunday, March 18, 2012

In an insane twist for me, I've continued to focus on physical work.  I haven't read much or watched much on television in a week.  That will change today.  The body needs a break and the knees are done.  I think they're on strike.  So, I will take the day off and try and catch up on some of the media that's piled up around me.


For instance, I just watched the Presidential Primary Debate from January 26th.  Sigh.  I'm waaaay behind.

Anyway, more soon.

- Jim