Camel Riding in Chicago

Yesterday Kym and I went to Chicago for the Adventures in Travel Show. Dad and I have been twice before. The first time we went it was so much fun that when the next year rolled around, we signed right up to go again. The second time, though, it was much smaller and less interesting. We didn't go last year. This year, though, they were having the zipline again, so I asked Kym if she would like to go. And because I'd been a past attendee we got the tickets for half price.

We got to Rosemont just before 10:00. I'm wringing the last little bit of privilege out of my handicapped parking permit (which expires on Jan. 31), so we had a really good parking spot. When the doors opened, we went straight to the zipline, but it wasn't slated to open for 15 minutes. While we waited, we decided to try scuba diving at the exhibit nearby. We were one of the first ones to try it. They suited us up with wetsuits, masks, and flippers and we climbed into the pool. There they fitted the tanks and gave us a quick lesson, then let us swim around trying it out. They took our pictures underwater, too. They will send that to us later. By that time there were starting to be a large group of people waiting for a turn, so we had to get out. They had hairdryers available, but running them both at the same time kept blowing the circuit breaker. And of course, the rest of the day we had to go around with no makeup, deodorant, or moisturizer. Still, it was really fun.

By the time we finished there the line at the zipline was too long, so we wandered around to the booths, picking up pens and other freebies. Some of the best things we got were a "stress ball"-type squishy train car, a combination compass/calculator (as Kym said, "Hey, because how often do you need a compass and a calculator at the same time?", causing the woman at the booth to give her a weird look), some cosmetic products from a mud festival in Korea, a chapstick on a carabiner clip, and lots of other stuff. After scooping up loads of brochures, DVDs, and other loot we stopped for a drink, where some total stranger saw the SIUE sweatshirt I was wearing and proceeded to tell me about his teaching career in high school and college. Why does this kind of thing always happen to ME? Anyway, after sitting for a few minutes, we went over to ride a camel.

We got to pet a zebra, who was very sweet, while we waited in the brief line. And Kym decided to do the zipline next because the line was much shorter. The woman who helped us get on the camel took our pictures with my camera while we were riding (there is one stunning shot of both the camel's butt and mine - THAT's a keeper). It was an experience. Not sure I'd ever want to ride one very far, but how often do you get to ride a camel, anyway? By the time we finished with that, we discovered that the zipline was closed, so no zipline for Kym! I wasn't going to do it this time because I wasn't sure I could climb the rope ladder with my ankle. We made another circuit to pick up more pens, and then headed home. It was a fun day, and Kym actually had a good time, too.

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In other news, I was released by physical therapy on Thursday. They gave me a t-shirt and a 30 min. personal trainer session at another place, as well as a month of wellness membership so I could keep coming to therapy just to use their machines. On Friday, I was released for the THIRD time by my doctor. The first time was with a restriction to sit half a day (which they said they couldn't accomodate), and then 10 days or so ago for full duty (when they said they "weren't comfortable" with my having not actually SEEN the doctor before he released me totally). He has actually seen me and released me now, but I still have to go see the company doctor (I think Thursday) before I can go back to work. This was a last-minute addition to the process, triggered by the nurse's "lack of confidence" in my doctor because of the second release. Whatever. It's peak season at my tax job, so I've been spending lots of hours there anyway (I've done 35 returns already -- more than a quarter of the way to my goal, and it's not even February yet).

I could actually get used to a life of going to the gym during the day and working in the evening. I've been going to my deep water exercise class, too. When I do have to go back to work I'm going to miss the old ladies in my class! Tomorrow I have a 10:00 appointment for a foot massage (you get one free), then I'll work out, maybe swim a bit.... Yes, I'm spoiled. :)

Back to Work

Today I was released from the doctor to return to my real life, bill-paying job!! I have to call work on Monday and find out the process for returning. This time Skeeter can't keep me out because I have no restrictions. I'm sure I'll be tired and sore for a few days, but I really have nothing to lose by trying to go back. The nurse at work said that if it turns out that I can't manage, I could just go back on disability, so there's no risk, really. And in the meantime I could be bringing in some actual money. I have to admit that the disability pay started and continued without a hitch, but it just wasn't enough, particularly since my disability spanned the Christmas shopping period. I hope that I can arrange to still drive inside the gate for awhile till I'm used to the walk back to my work area. 

Tax season has been going great so far. I had the first return of the season in our office (major bragging rights), and I now have four completed returns out of the 14 that have been done in our office. I have several appointments coming up, and a couple of partially completed returns just waiting for people's W-2s to arrive. I'm not at all sure how my own return will come out. I had to take a distribution from my 401(k) to cover some expenses. Because it's an early distribution, I'll have the tax plus a penalty. Oh well. I had no choice. My income is down from last year, and Kym's school expenses were lower than before because her current school is cheaper, so we might not have that much education deduction, either. 

So... I have a regular weekend and two days off before heading back to the plant. My friend Susie and I are going to have lunch one day before I go back, and I need to try and get my car in for some service (recall stuff). I also need to change my therapy schedule for next week because I'll be working on Thursday morning. And one way or another, I am GOING to clean out the hall closet before Wednesday. I promised myself that I would get that done before I went back. (I also promised to paint the bathroom wainscoting, but I'm not sure that is going to happen.) It's going to be weird getting used to getting up early again, but I'm sure the first real paycheck will completely make up for the inconvenience. :)

Tornados in January?

Last night we had an ENORMOUS thunderstorm. The thunder was nonstop for hours and hours, and the rain continued all night -- we got about five inches of rain overall. We were also under a tornado warning for much of the evening, which is pretty unheard of for central Illinois in early January. There is a nearby school district who had to cancel school today because of flooding. It has been unseasonably warm the past couple of days (mid 50's), so we got this rain instead of snow. Good thing, too -- they said on the radio this morning that if it had been snow instead, we would have about 40 inches on the ground. No, thank you!

Taking Stock and Starting Again

Christmas is over for another year, and 2007 is behind us. While I had some really great experiences this past year, I really hope that I can make 2008 better.

Among the good things from last year: 
Laminate on the kitchen floor.
Finally getting Chad to get his dental work done.
Great events at BCPA.
21st anniversary at my factory job.
SPAIN!!!
A perfect Shakespeare Festival season.
"The Lion King" in St. Louis.
Kym moving back to go to ISU (eventually).
New carpet and paint in living room.
Becoming a 7 gallon blood donor.
Florida trip with Susie.

Among the not-so-good things:
Work problems of various kinds -- getting bumped, Skeeter issues.
Many small kid emergencies requiring "loans" that I will never be
repaid for -- car parts, water bills, traffic tickets, unexpectedly
short paychecks, renting moving trucks, etc., etc., etc.
Kym's problem with employment with Redz Ribs.
Chad's housing issues.
Stove repair that had to be handled long distance from Florida.
Knee problems requiring cortisone shots.
The Ankle and all of its many inconveniences.
Poverty due to disability income.

There are, of course, lots more good things and not very many more bad things, so on the whole it wasn't an awful year. It just didn't end well. One good thing that came out of the ankle problem is that I have had a broken-ankle buddy to compare notes with through all of this. Never met him, don't even know his last name, but having him to compare notes with has been a wonderful, reassuring thing. Thank you for being there, David!

I'm still not sure what is happening with work. I guess I will call on Friday and see what is up for the following week. It would be nice to know at least a little in advance of when they want me in there, but it might not happen that way. I have therapy scheduled for the next two weeks, but that can be changed. I start at the tax job (doing my required practice problems) on Thursday. I know I'll get over this money bind, but it can't come soon enough.

Looking ahead, I'm anxious to get started with the tax season, and I'm starting to plan another trip to Spain! This one will be in October, and I hope to stay maybe 10 days. A lot will depend on how quickly I get past my money problems, of course. And before my trip, my parents are taking a cruise that will actually dock for the day in Gijon, just a few miles from Jorge! He is going to meet up with them and take them around for the day, which I think they are all really looking forward to.

OK, let's get this year started!

Foiled Plans

Well. I called work on Thursday to find out how to go about coming back to work on Dec. 31. I'm probably really just barely ready, but I seriously need the money. They said I had to call my doctor and get released, then they would see if there were any restrictions, talk to Skeeter to see where I could be assigned, and that would be that. Well, that wasn't exactly that. I called my doctor, who hesitantly agreed to release me as long as I could sit half of the time (generally I stand all day, but have often done sitdown work, particularly when Skeeter needed me to do a lower level job for his convenience). They wanted me to still continue therapy for a couple of weeks after starting back to work, too. OK, so I called the nurse at work back and she was going to talk to Skeeter and call me back. She called on Friday, saying that she had talked to him and to the HR person, and I am not going to be allowed back right now! It seems that orders are really down, and that there is no work in my area for someone with that restriction. They are on (previously unplanned) shutdown next week, and Dec. 31 will only be a 4-hour day. And then for the first week of Jan, at least, they are on 36-hour weeks. At first I was really angry about that, since they tend to rush people back to work if they are on workers comp (I'm not). And I was furious that this is all in Skeeter's hands to say when I can come back. But I got an email today from someone at work who said that it really was true that there is almost no work, and that they gave 5 lack-of-works yesterday. So maybe I'm glad I'm not involved there right now. It's legal for me to work my tax job while I'm off (since they obviously have no work for me) so I should be able to put in quite a few hours there doing the OJT that is required at the first of the season. That will bring in a few dollars, anyway. I guess I should be trying to be more positive about this. It's just that I am SO broke, beyond broke. And so far my winning-the-lottery plan isn't working too well. I guess I'll feel better after the Christmas spending has stopped, but I'll still have the bills to pay. I think part of why I felt so crummy about this whole thing yesterday was that I was having a pretty bad day physically. My knees are absolutely killing me because I've been walking so much more, just like they would after any unaccustomed exercise. They gave me a new brace at therapy, one more flexible and comfortable than the air cast, but very supportive. It's what they put their athletes in when they start back to playing their sport. It has no hard plastic parts, just a lot of elastic, strapping and velcro (LOTS of velcro), and it takes approximately 20 minutes to put on correctly. (OK, it's not that bad, but it does take awhile to do because there are three layers to it.) It feels great once it's on, which has led me to walk more, which is hurting my knees. On the other hand, I have virtually no pain in my ankle at all, just the occasional twinge in my Achilles tendon. I have to keep in mind that I have only been walking on my own for a week (actually, it will be a full week at dinner time tonight), so I'm actually doing OK. Yesterday was two months since I broke the ankle, today is two months since the surgery.

Christmas is Coming - SOON

I have SO much to do today! I have guilted Kym into being my little Christmas Elf today and we are going to run a bunch of errands, as well as setting up the Christmas tree (she slipped through my fingers yesterday). I actually got some Christmas shopping done last night on my own. Turns out that Meijer also has those little electric carts, and while I don't like that store, it was handy -- and practically empty. I consider myself completely off of crutches now. I looked at canes at Meijer and the only one I would have considered is one just like Dad's, and I thought that might be weird. Anyway, I am planning to go back to work in two weeks, so I really don't think I need it. I thought about getting it anyway (and letting insurance pay for it) so that if I needed it in the future I'd have it, but I don't think it's worth the trouble. So... I am starting what I think is my last two weeks of being off work. I haven't been having nearly the swelling that I had before, and it's practically pain-free when I am wearing the brace and a shoe. It's almost not too bad in just a slipper (no brace), either, though barefoot or in socks still zings me a little. Partly because I've only been walking on my own for a day and partly because it's still so stiff, I walk very slowly, with an exaggerated limp. I have to fight not to hitch up my elbows with each step to get momentum. It takes me forever to get far, which is why I got the cart at Meijer. I will have to call work next week to arrange my "physical" there (in quotes because we only have a nurse, and all she does is listen to your heart, take your blood pressure, and look at your incision). I will have a handicapped parking spot there, too, which will be ultra-nice in this cold weather because it's inside the gate, just steps from the door. I need a new lunch bag since I threw the old one away in October. I had had it forever and it was nasty and falling apart. I have a couple of little projects that I want to get done before I go back, too, like cleaning the hall closet and working in the small bedroom to try to clear more space in there -- a task not finished from the living room remodel, before I broke the ankle. Also, the computer room needs to be shoveled out, and we need to get the router working again. I have to give back this borrowed laptop so it can go to FL with my parents just after Christmas. But I can't start anything until I hit the shower, so I'd better get busy!

Winter Arrives

We are in the midst of our first actual winter storm tonight. We previously had an ice storm, and some freezing rain, but this is snow -- big, fat flakes -- and it's piling up. Tonight was an annual Christmas program at the State Farm corporate headquarters, for which we had tickets. Braden was singing a solo. I rode with Mom and Dad, and we parked in a great handicapped spot. They let the "cripple crew" in early so we could sit down. Because of the ice and snow, and the possibility of problems using crutches on wet tile in the atrium, I left my crutches in the car and walked in, holding Chad's arm. And I actually did fine! In fact, I haven't used them all evening now. It's creeping Kym out a little to see me walk around without them. She asked how long I was "going to do that". :) Actually, I have had several milestones in the past few days. Yesterday I went to Target by myself. I crutched in, but decided that I didn't need an electric cart. I just got a basket, put my crutches in it, and clomped along, all the way to the bandaids. OK, it wasn't far, really, but it was enough. On the way back I had to stop several times because my calf was cramping up. This morning when I got up, I got out of bed on the far side so that I could make the bed, then walked without crutches or brace around the bed to the door. And tonight I walked up the stairs (I've been crawling up) to get my dress clothes for the Christmas program. I will probably pay heavily for it tomorrow or the next day, but I AM making progress! With this snow, getting back on both feet is absolutely essential to be able to get around. There is just no traction on wet tile with those crutches. I was thinking about getting a cane, but maybe I'm not going to need one. I'll wait and see how I feel in the next couple of days before I make that decision, though. Chad finally got the Christmas things up from the basement, and Kym and I will set it up tomorrow. While he was here, he also took more of his stuff (yay!) and he shoveled the drive and walk! The road was getting so slick on my way back from taking him home that I was getting a little worried about being able to stop at red lights. I can't say I really hate the snow, especially if I don't have any need to go out. A nice snowy day is good for setting up Christmas stuff. Maybe it will put me more in the mood for the holiday (my Christmas spirit is sadly lacking so far). I'm finally somewhat interested in getting some Christmas shopping done, which is good, but I'm pretty broke, which is bad. It will get done one way or the other, of course.