Yes, I should have changed the title many posts back, but I got into a habit and simply forgot. Mea culpa, but I’ve not been at my best all the time. It may change again in future, but I’ll keep the numbering system, regardless. It hasn’t been about surgery for a long time (the actual date of the operation was August 20), and it’s been about recovery, rehab, physio, and occasionally about how the world has gone to hell in a handbasket, thanks primarily to the Dictator Trump and his malign fascist regime. Okay, it’s more about the former stuff, but I cannot help but segue into my musings about the state of the world and the rise of the right-wing. But sometimes that’s local stuff, too. For example:
More than a week has gone by, and the Town of Collingwood has done nothing with the two blocks of street it ripped up. The dirt road they left is an inconvenience and annoyance to residents, vehicles, and cyclists, but virtually impassable for anyone with mobility challenges or who requires a mobility aid like a walker, cane, wheelchair, or electric scooter. Does the Town of Collingwood give a shit about those residents who can no longer travel on these dirt roads? Based on this, I’d say of course not. The orange sign in the middle left, by the way was erected by the work crews. It says “sidewalk closed.” Given that there has *NEVER* been a sidewalk on this street, that’s just another slap in our local faces. Think the town cares? Me, either.
And do you think the Town has communicated with residents about when the street will finally be re-paved? Of course not. That would require a proper communication policy and strategy. The Town prefers to keep residents uninformed and angry. I suppose we should be thankful that council voted once again to raise our taxes this year, while voting themselves another pay hike.
Saturday: I managed two 1km walks today. I wanted to go further this afternoon, but there has been similar street de-paving adjacent and west of the image shown, including closing the sidewalk, so the Town really makes it difficult to impossible for anyone with accessibility challenges (think anyone in townhall actually thinks about accessibility? me, either). We had to turn back instead of continuing on because the block was impassable (and that’s really annoying). I managed to push my cycling (on the stationary bike) to 12 minutes per session, morning and afternoon. Slowly, yes, but I can do it. I have not discussed the longer time with the therapists yet (not until next week) but I hope it helps speed up my recovery by helping my mobility improve.
Does massaging my swollen leg help anything? I don’t know, but I do it anyway. It seems to have alleviated the pain somewhat and maybe helped reduce the swelling a bit. I am still not using my TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) machine. I will again discuss it with the therapist at the next session.
It is a busy week for me, with something going on every day, a Zoom meeting with the IOOF board, two physio sessions, and two mornings with friends for coffee. I have not had coffee (not been to a coffee shop) since a week or two before surgery, so this will be a treat. At home, we drink tea (currently drinking Barry’s Irish tea, red box blend). Since I cannot drive yet, I am dependent on others to get me there and back. Susan is my main chauffeur.
Sunday: An 800m walk in the morning, but in the afternoon, it was too hot for Bella to go far, so we drove her downtown to Treasure Tails (the humane society thrift shop) and let her walk around the main street. I found a copy of Rick Atkinson’s second book in his World War II Liberation Trilogy, The Day of Battle, about the campaigns in Sicily and Italy. I read the first of the trilogy some years back, but can’t recall if I have read the third. If I ever find one locally, I’ll get it as well (or at least scan it to see if I’ve read it).
I also found a DVD of the 1935 musical, Top Hat, with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Not sure if I’ve seen the whole film, but I’ve certainly watched scenes from it, and I started watching. The 1930s are a favourite decade of mine for film and music. Aside from the Universal monster films, there are the Thin Man, Marx Brothers, Three Stooges, WC Fields and other films. And while most were in B&W, the first colour films came out at the end of the ’30s. And 1935 was the same year Mutiny on the Bounty and Bride of Frankenstein were released.
I did two 12-minute cycling sessions and an 8-minute session in the early evening. And I am finding it easier every time to get into and out of the car.
Again, a poor night with my leg throbbing and aching so that I thrashed around trying to find a comfortable position. I did not take an ibruprofen before bed, but felt I needed one when we got up, before I started my exercises. I try to avoid taking anything if I can, but sometimes the pain is just too demanding.
I weighed myself this morning and I’m just over 155 lb. The other day, I was just below that. When I went in for surgery, I was around 163, so I’m comfortable with the loss. I hope to keep it off over winter. I like to think that my recovery is helped by not carrying too much weight.
Monday: Exercises, a 600m walk, then physio, followed by an 800m walk. And by late afternoon, my leg was sore. It rained last night and the ground was wet, so I have to be extra careful where mud has pooled on sidewalks. Some of the sidewalks in my part of town are in atrocious condition and collect water (and mud) every time it rains, sometimes ankle-deep. In winter, these can freeze over and make an additional challenge for pedestrians. These are also busy routes for kids going to the nearby school, often with their parents. But do you think the town cares about the condition of the sidewalks they use? Me, either.
Tonight I’m on my own for dinner. Susan is going out with friends, and I am having kimchi soup, a slice of bread, and some olives. Plus a glass of red wine. Or maybe a can of stout.
Doomscrolling: Has the American experiment in democracy come to an end? I think so. The USA today is a full-blown authoritarian state and every day the dictator pushes the nation deeper into totalitarianism. Maybe it’s not 100% fascist, if your definition of that particular form of authoritarian rule is very strict, but I’d argue it reached that status some months ago and continues down the fascist path. Canada and Mexico are now the big anchors for democracy, ethics, and morality in North America. I suspect the USA will experience a civil war soon, too, but as the video explains, it won’t be a battle between two equal sides…*
I was right earlier when I wrote that MAGA had found its Horst Wessel in the murdered, racist MAGA influencer, Charlie Kirk. They are using it to promote division, fear, hatred, and, of course, racism. I saw some clips of the tacky, tawdry memorial for Kirk held yesterday. It had pyrotechnics, music, and a gift shop. All the top MAGA admin cultists and even Putin’s puppet Tucker Carlson, made their crocodile-tear speeches (including the Nosferatu-cosplayer Stephen Miller who spewed hate and threatened violence), invoking their loving god to grant them power to smite others. It was as classless as the dictator Trump’s Oval Office. But it was a powerful performance for the faux-Christian Talibangelists who want to implement their own, repressive version of Sharia law in the USA. Missing from those speaking at the event were Kirk’s parents, siblings, longtime friends, past teachers… it wasn’t a funeral: it was a MAGA propaganda spectacle and fundraiser.
Notes:
* I surf a lot more than contemporary politics and the shitshow in the USA, although they tend to dominate of late. For example, I recently discovered Gavin the Medievalist and have watched several of his videos about the epic poem, Beowulf. And I also watch a lot of gaming and cooking videos. But here’s an example (Tolkein’s essay is also found in “An Anthology of Beowulf Criticism“, ed. Lewis Nicholson, University of Notre Dame Press, 1980 (sixth printing, which I have on my shelves). I have this urge to read Beowulf again after watching him… but the YouTube video interruptions for irrelevant ads are really annoying.
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