Back in Civilization...sort of...

We've landed back in Genoa for a night following a pretty informative set of lectures on our Geek Cruise.

Given the foreign difficulty in posting pictures, and my general irritation with the unfriendliness of blogspot, I'll have to look to update the blog in the upcoming week to share adventures at sea.

And get ready to move the blog over to my own domain.

More on that later.

Ciao!

Pompeii

  

Well, the days here have finally started to blur one into another, and we'd been cruising less than 24 hours.  Of course, travel to Chicago, layover 36 hours, travel to Italy, layover for 48 hours, then get onboard ship while 11 time zones away makes me a tired bunny (don't ask!).

Wayne and I fell asleep very quickly our first night onboard, and to our great amazement, we slept until 7 a.m.  That NEVER happens!  So, breakfast in the suite, 3.5 miles walking on deck (you would not believe the number of people just standing and talking on the jogging/running track), followed by a quick shower and a trip down to the MacMania conference.  The session revolved around the basics of taking and editing good digital photographs, and was a good basic class.  The best part; however, was the review of Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac.  The things you can do with that program!!!

Lunch was a slice of pizza, and then we headed off to Pompeii with our tour guide.  Our first stop was in Herculenium at the cameo factory.  We got to see how they were made, see one being made, and then were afforded the opportunity to shop for 20 minutes.  I would have loved to have purchased one bracelet in particular, but it cost about 2000 Euro.  That's a big no-go!

      

Then on to Pompeii.  Our tour guide was a retired archeologist who had been part of the many excavations of Pompeii, covered by ash and lava since the most famous eruption in August 79 A.D. (at 1 pm, mind you, as our guide told us).

  

The people in the town were caught unaware, and were largely killed by poisonous gases.  Then ash fell, lava flowed, and a town was covered.  The excavation of the town revealed a very modern area, supposedly guarded by Venus (apparently the goddess of love inspired many sex shops -- of the literal, brothel type), where there was an arena, a town shopping area, public baths, what would have been lovely homes.  

   

  

And, in the general merchant sales areas, there were three bodies and a chained dog shown.  The excavators came up with a methodology of injecting areas with a solution to dissolve the ash around the dead, and allowed forms to be made of those cavities.  In one aspect, it is horrifying to think of pregnant women, chained dogs and children dying through inhaling the pre-eruption gases; however, at least it was quick and without feeling molten lava...

It was an amazing journey back in time, and one that I really appreciated.  

 

Then it was back to the ship to hear David Pogue’s discussion on the iPhone.  I was a little disappointed, as all of his tricks, tips and favorite applications were things that I either already knew, used or had stopped using.

:(

Then to dinner with Ivan and Sue again.  Very funny side note -- for the past two nights, Ivan and I have ordered the same dinner, and had the same lunch (although lunches not spent together).  I laughed as he ordered the same dinner last night, and again as he pawned his vegetables off on his wife (I do the same to Wayne).  I pointed it out to him, Sue and Wayne.  Then the discussion turned to pizza -- turns out that Ivan grew up and went to school on Long Island!  How funny and small the world is.  Of course, he was in Nassau county, not Suffolk.

Anyway, good day, leaving us looking forward to the next.

Ciao!

p.s.  Promise to edit and add photos later -- bandwidth challenges abound here

At sea

Yesterday after finishing the blog, I looked out the window of our hotel in Genoa -- sunshine!  Doesn't it figure.  =]

At around 8 am, we headed out to see Joe "the Shoe" to pick up my formerly destroyed shoes.  He did a wonderful job fixing them, and they were fantastic!  So I paid my six Euro, and headed back to the hotel.

We all gathered downstairs to get on the bus(es) to Savona Port.  We were briefed by the Costa guide that there were four ships in port, so there might be some difficulty.  That was ok by us, we were on a new adventure.  We wound around the Italian countryside for about an hour, arrived at the port, and saw that the other 3 ships were also Costa!  And each was in its own slip, so how hard could it be to manage?

Turned out, pretty hard.

Two ships operate out of the same gangway simultaneously.  It looked to be more pleasant than NCL, though.  We got a group number assigned, moved into the waiting area, and were surprised with an internet station, a bar, snack area, duty free, children's playroom, and sofas upstairs and downstairs.

We were due to board beginning at one, and Costa started calling groups at about 1:20.  People with the wrong numbers began crowding the entryway, and the crew of two was overwhelmed turning them away.  Those who were there at the right time either hadn't torn the paperwork as required, or hadn't filled it out!  It just took forever.  I thought to myself that we needed to have Germans running the entry point!  About 3 hours later, we surrendered our passports and headed up to our suite.

Initial impression of the cabin is that it was wonderful!  Very efficiently laid out, nice size bathroom, and a whirlpool tub.  Two closets!  Really, just nicer than any hotel you can get in a big city.  The suite comes with a personal butler!  How the heck did that happen???

Anyway, we had a welcome package, and after we unpacked we opened the wine and had a few glasses while waiting for our mandatory emergency drill.  And waited.  And waited.  Finally, the ship started moving (in the midst of a thunderstorm that we appreciated, and rolling seas that made walking difficult).  About 15 minutes into the ride, the ship's captain and crew got on, welcomed us all, went over the drill, and in every language except English, asked that no one bring any cameras or video equipment to the drill.  We were scheduled for area B, on the 3rd deck, port side near the shuttleboats.

About 3 seconds into the drill, the captain came on the loudspeaker and changed all our locations to inside the casinos and lounges because of inclement weather.  What good did that do?  Oh well.  Drill accomplished.  Time to get ready for the Geek reception.

"Smart casual" was listed as the dress code for the dinner seating, so we dressed east coast smart casual.  First thing I noticed going in to the welcome was that we were WAY overdressed.  Jeans and t-shirts appeared to be the dress of the day.  We sat in a corner and listened to the welcome speeches.  Not a great sale for Geek Cruises (The ship staff is terrible, nothing is on time, the food is ok most of the time, blah, blah, blah).  Tell you what, I was underwhelmed.

Then we went to dinner, and our assigned seats.  Tables were not laid out sequentially, but the dining room is gorgeous.  It's two stories tall, with two levels of seating.  The windows and lighting are ornate, extravagant even, and the service was very nice.  And, the food was about twelve times better than advertised by the Geek Brief crew.  We sat with a very nice couple from Atlanta, Ivan and Sue, who run designer eyeglass shops all through Georgia and Florida.  Recent switchers to Mac, very intelligent and business savvy, really enjoyed dining with them.

Back to the room, Wayne and I settled down to our first full night of sleep in over a week.  The CPAP machine setup in the room is hysterical, an extension cord is winding its way out of the bathroom to my side of the bed, the dining table is over at my side, and the machine pumping away from there.  Anyone looking at this who didn't understand would be highly amused.  I'll put in photos at a later time.  

Breakfast in the room, followed by 3 miles walking the deck, and heading down for the MacMania conferences commenced after we slept in until 7 am!  A nice side benefit of upgrading the room was getting that for free.  =]

And now I'm sitting in a lecture about basic digital photography tips and software editing tips, a lot of which are really basic, but I never actually knew the rule existed.  The section on the actual editing software is pretty decent, but the newest program from Adobe seems complicated.

Anyway, we are headed towards Naples, and our first excursion to Pompeii.  Will blog more tomorrow!  And if you're on flickr, keep your eyes open for a few photos.

Ciao!

Genoa, rainy Genoa

First and foremost, out to Annie -- I soooooo totally now understand your frustration with this forum!  Posting in the US is simple to do, I can move pictures, put quotes under them easily, but from overseas?? Blech!

Now, back to business.

For those of you who know me, I travel on two things -- my stomach and photo ops.  Not for me, I tend to avoid being in my own shots, but for things that catch my eye.  Tuesday in Genoa was pretty good for that.  The day started out far, far too early with a spouse that was suffering jet lag.  After several hours up, I finally went back to sleep, and he eventually did as well.  He woke me up at 8:00 a.m., imitating Simon's cat in "Feed Me," (check it out on YouTube), giving our universal sign for hunger.  So I staggered into the toilette, got ready, and went to our breakfast.  

Not a typical continental breakfast, but not bad!  Sweet pastries, hard rolls, swiss cheese, ham, salami on the cold side; runny cheesy eggs, cut up vienna sausages, and bacon on the hot side; and cold cereals.  Not bad for a continental breakfast.  So Wayne, his iPhone and I settled down and had a good breakfast before figuring out what to do for the day.

Linus had his blanket, Wayne has his iPhone.  =]

     

The day was gray and rainy, so we held of heading out until around noon, when we headed to Da Genio, a "must eat here" establishment listed in Fodor's, and recommended by the NY Times.  The restaurant is in the Piazza Dante, about 3/4 mile down the road from our hotel.  It was sort of the way on to the aquarium, so we headed for lunch.  The local specialty here is linguini with pesto sauce, so I had that as the first course, Wayne had acorn fusilli noodles with pesto.  Second course was stuffed squid.  The portions are just small enough that the first and second course were filling without fearing that one wafer thin mint at the end.

After that, to the Aquarium!  The Genoa Aquarium is the 2nd largest in Europe, and is designed inside to mimic the feel 

of a ship.  The exhibits range from Mediterranean to Caribbean to Micronesian, with a few land creatures thrown in for good measure.  It was fantastic!  Plus we

 got nice views of the surrounding city from within the facility.

Then we started back to the hotel, using a Google map on Wayne's iPhone.  It gave directions in minutes rather than distances since he chose the walking option, and it was just screwy.  Walk to the left for 1 minute, then turn right.  Walk for three minutes and then bear right to stay on same road.  In the rain, which began again as soon as we began walking home, which probably made me walk more quickly.

I failed in following it in the very first minute, going too far.  Wonder what length stride it is calibrated for...certainly not mine!

Back to the hotel we went, going the very long way, making our way around the old city in the general direction of the hotel until we reached the Best Western, and the official taxi stand.  Wayne pulled out the iPhone again, and kept looking it over as the rain began to pour harder and harder.  We were about to get a taxi, but decided to walk up to the palazzo.  Lo and behold, it was the Palazzo de Ferari, which was our target from the beginning.  From there, a left turn onto Ave. 25 Settembre, and a walk back to the hotel, where we got ready for the pre-cruise ice-breaker.

Boy, was THAT an event...there was wine (red/white/sparkling), some hors d'oeuvres, and about 65 people, to include our cruise organizer.  Looking around, I saw that we reduced the average age of those in the room by 10 years!  

Wayne and I got some plates, sparkling wine, and made our way over to the bar where we met a retired couple (the gentleman had just retired a few months ago from Apple and is traveling the US with his wife in an RV with a Mac setup).  Nice couple, good conversation, could see sitting with them at the second seating.

We parted ways after a half an hour of chatting, and met another couple who sort of faded into the woodwork as we were approached by a woman at least 1-2 inches taller than I.  Her name is Janet, and she runs a non-profit organization that brings music to retirement homes and other remote areas.  Great job, great thing to do for people!  She and her husband Bill (and their daughter whom we met at the end) are out of Salt Lake City.  Janet and Bill were...interesting...to say the least.  I think they were more than a little tipsy, and the topic turned from Macs to politics.  Both Bill and Janet are rabid Democrats of the fiercest order.  And scary!  Their daughter had just graduated from Cornell, and has a similar political view to mine.  Registered Republican who votes Democratic when the conscience dictates.

Yes, it dictated on this election.

It turned very scary when a short, very heavy set gentleman (?) with a raspy voice came over and started shouting about "that son-of-a-*&^%$," how there were no good Republicans (excuse me, Colin Powell anyone?), and how Bush will have had no visible impact upon the American political spectrum of the future (Supreme Court appointments, anyone??).  

AUGH!!!  Wayne, take out your iPhone and rescue me!!!!!

Which he did.  He swooped in, made his parting remarks, and whisked me away.

Hopefully, the other 2/3 of the MacMania crew will prove a little more well rounded than the last 3 we met.  If not, this should prove a very comedic blog.

Ciao!

Buon giorno from numero sei undici!

Oh what a circus, oh what a show!  Continental has gone to town over the trip of two Mac geeks flying to Rome....

Poetic license, I know.

So let me say that being in Chicago for my birthday was a very good thing, although the amount of time spent there was near to insignificant.  We will have to go back and spend a week some time in September so that I get to see Navy Pier and go up the Sears Tower like a typical tourist.  

I did get the 2nd gen iPhone out of the trip there, though, a nice, shiny black 16Gig iPhone!

The day after the birthday, we got up at 5 after another night plagued with jet lag, headed out to O'Hare, and checked in.  Naturally, when trying to get boarding passes the night before, my passport information had disappeared from the Continental website, so no early check-in.

When we got there, we were ticketed for the first two legs (Chicago to Newark, Newark to Rome), but the third leg (Rome to Genoa) we had a little slip of paper that said "this is not a boarding ticket," meaning check in at Al Italia in Rome.  

First flight went well, got in to Newark on time, maybe even a little early, but my knee began to act up.  A lot.  We went into the President's Club, put our stuff in lockers, and then headed out through the terminal in search of cash machines, the currency exchange, and lunch.  Lunch was at Gallaghers, yummy!  But the knee kept throbbing, and getting worse.  

Then all heck broke loose.  We went down to the currency exchange machine, and my knee buckled, cracked and was in general unpleasant.  We then got to the ATM that did currency exchange and withdrew 200 Euros each, and walked back to the lounge.  We went on the personal conveyor belt, and were walking slowly, and my left shoe lost its heel.  Wayne picked it up, and we put it back in, but I wasn't confident.  Later, the right heel came off as well, and we never could find it.

We got back to the lounge, and changed seats twice, and I really couldn't tolerate the pain level any more, so I was out in search of Motrin.  Got it finally, popped two dry, and got online.

When the time came, we boarded the plane, and got into their upgraded seats, woo hoo!  (Of course, when you pay both dollars and miles, you are likely to get upgraded when there are empty seats...)  We were approached by the Al Italia liaison, and informed that we would be escorted to the club when we debarked so that we could use the showers and freshen up before our connecting flight.  Nice!  

But then we wound up sitting on the flight line for a very long time, and were significantly delayed.  Visions of my flight to Russia were entering my mind, the time where my flight was delayed, we arrived an hour late, and I was rescheduled onto another flight to Moscow, and my luggage didn't make it.  But it looked like we were only going to land a few minutes late.

Finally, we took off.  

Let me tell you, flying to Europe is quite different than flying to Guam.  The menus came out, and we had choices among osso bucco, halibut with shrimp, chicken with mozzarella di buffalo, just to name a few.  The appetizers were lobster bisque, quiche, Italian pastas.  The whole thing was just amazing.  Took my mind off the delay.

After fitful sleep, we landed, and got off the plane.  No one to meet us and bring us to the club.  We finally headed to the connecting area, went through customs, and headed to the Al Italia desk.  I couldn't find my little slip saying "This is not a boarding pass"!  EEK!!  But I had my passport and baggage tickets, so no worries.  Until we got to the desk and were told that I already was issued a boarding pass.  

What, did my one lost heel miraculously get off the plane with the voucher and sign itself in?

Oh, did I mention she gave me a completely different flight number and time?

Anyway, we checked in, got boarding passes and headed to the gate.  We waited in the middle of a herd of people, and tried to listen to the PA.  It was like PAs of eras gone by, with Europe never upgrading to new speaker systems.  I kept mentally comparing it to Japan and Korea, with Italy losing out big time.

Boarded the plane, headed to Genoa, and finally good luck.  All our baggage arrived!  I could have danced.  Walking through the customs was a breeze, and we got our taxi to our hotel without the usual usurious rates.  Very tired puppies, we checked in and set up shop upstairs.  (Naturally we could not function without setting up internet, etc)

Following showers (Wayne unable to shave thanks to a broken sink stopper that we disabled later in the day), we went downstairs to look for the shoe repairman.  We were given vague directions that there were two in the square behind the hotel.  Gamely, we went out in the rain and spent probably the better part of an hour looking.  No luck.  Went back to the hotel, had lunch, asked the concierge for directions (all of which were very vague -- go to the Tabac and turn left -- and met David Pogue!!!

Who's David Pogue, do you ask?  He's a technology columnist for the New York Times who also has a video podcast that we watch.  And enjoy.  Yeah, yeah, geeks you say.  Well, it's true! Even the cats have a .Mac account, Rocky_and_Oscar@mac.com.  When I told Wayne who it was, David asked if we were fellow geek cruisers.  And we are.  We're here to be on the Mac Mania 8 cruise set up by Geek Cruises.  After talking for about 10 minutes, we parted ways with David giving us the card to a restaurant that he and his family had visited, and we set out.  

We went along the route the concierge gave us.  No luck.  But there was a seamstress.  We went in her shop, and neither understood the other.  I finally pulled out the shoes, and she rattled out words to me.  I didn't understand.  She then saw Wayne, and fired of the fastest Italian I've ever heard, ending with "capische?"  That, I understood.  "No capische, Inglese

," the response.  She then took us outside, pointed, and said "bar!"  So we took off.

Still no luck, so another 30 minutes of wandering, and we found the restaurant recommended by David Pogue.  

We headed back a different way, saw a shoe store, went in and asked if there was a cobbler nearby.  They nodded and started to talk simultaneously.  I motioned for them to write it down, they did, and we found the place in under 3 minutes!  On Piazza Savonarola, we found the shop operated by Tony Calzolaio.  Tony "Shoe" Calzolaio.  =]  After a few minutes of not understanding one another, we pulled out our relative calendars, and agreed that the shoes would be ready by 8 am Wednesday, 2 1/2 hours before we would be headed out on our cruise.  Hooray!

Funny side note on the shoe store.  As I was asking for directions, I also asked the ladies if they carried shoes in a size 44 (please note that they were 5'1" at the most), and they looked at me aghast -- "For women? Oh, my, no!"  I had to laugh.

Back to the Star President for naps, the Daily Show (the Obama interview), and then out to the Ristorante Galletto al Mattone for dinner.  We arrived at 7:30, and had the place to ourselves for about a half an hour.  We managed antipasti, first course, and then I had some cheese for dessert.  Nice meal, and after chatting with the waiter, we were treated to a complimentary digestive -- also known as limoncello.  Perfect!

Now to sleep, hopefully, this evening, and to go to the Genoa aquarium tomorrow.

Ciao!

Lost in real time...

Ok, ok, I've been silent...to be honest, I had the back to work blues, and have been desperately trying to figure out what it is I really want to do.  And to try to tie it into Wayne's retirement schedule.  And to make a difference.

I was initially going to file paperwork to come back on active duty for 2 years, but thanks to the knee, I'd been on profile for over a year prior to the surgery.  So, until I can take a valid PT test (six months from now), I can't even file.  That one went out the window...for now.

I've finished my CIO certification and am three classes away from the CISO certification.  I get to walk the stage in DC next year, and the year following.  So, that aspect of life is about finished.  But what to do next?

Consulting hasn't been hitting the mark for me lately, although Booz was wonderful giving me the full time and partial disability for 2 months.  I'll stick it out with them for at least the next six months while I rehab.

So what did I do?  I applied to the University of Hawaii Masters of Social Work program!  After 19 years of counseling Soldiers and friends, plus my own therapy time, I feel a special ability in this area.  It's a big change, and one that my therapist thinks is triggered by a mid life crisis (turned 41 yesterday in chilly Chicago), and it makes Wayne extend his retirement by about 6 years (which he is willing to do, after our discussions over the past month).  I'm glad he's going to support it, because I really do need change.

Speaking of change, I should be blogging more as we are headed off to Italy on our MacMania eastern Mediterranean cruise!  Expect pictures from Pompeii, riding camels in Egypt, and lots of touristy schlock in addition to commentary on the seminars.

Ciao!

On Kauai

Deep sigh. Roughly 9 months ago, Wayne and I planned a hiking trip out to Kalalau over the "Founder's Day" weekend (I still call it Columbus Day). This was when I first returned on to active duty, and was feeling pretty darn good having hiked out to Hanakapi'ai. Then came the return to active status, daily PT, and lots of walking/running/etc.

Some time in May, I stopped PT altogether due to the incremental stress on my already damaged ACL, and began the process of going to Orthopedics to arrange for the revision surgery. So, no hike to Kalalau for me. :(

This morning at about 6am I dropped off Wayne and Brooke at the trailhead. It started to rain, got heavier, so I waited, but no aborted hike. I'm now back at the Westin in Princeville and about to go out and walk for three to four miles along Hanalei Bay. Not quite the same, but blessedly without a knee brace! Yes, awesome news yesterday at the surgeon's office. Fully on track with the recovery, I just need to get to the 5 degree hyperextension of the knee that my right one displays, and I'm about fully operable. True full healing won't happen for about another 4 1/2 months, but I'm well on the way. I got to throw out the knee brace in his office yesterday!!! And I'm using the stationary bike, the elliptical trainer, walking backwards (!) on the treadmill, and using weights.

There's a really nice gym here at the resort, so I'll be in there in the evenings to complement my morning walks.

Oh, and did I mention the spa nearby where I will get my massage???

It should be a good weekend with pictures, planning on walking the golf course path, going to Waimea Canyon, and kayaking on the Hanalei River. More to come.

Just wish I had been well enough to be out on the trail, but with the rain, might be better off at the resort. =]

Aloha!

p.s. Shout-out to Dad -- Happy Birthday! I called the Cull House, your gift certificate should be in the mailbox today.

The Other "C" Word

And body rehab begins. I started on my low carb diet yesterday, actually looking to follow the Weight Watcher's plan again without the weekly weigh in. I was graduated from the stationary bicycle to the elliptical machine in pt yesterday, and continued to work with weights, increasing the number of sets rather than the weight load. I still suck at balancing on my left leg, but I think I sucked at that even before I had surgery. Then it was four hours of Booz work, followed up by meeting Wayne at the gym at Schofield to start upper body weight training again. I'm getting back into a groove, I have to!

I know that the "c" word has many connotations, and although "can't" resonated most loudly with me over the weekend, there is one that is even more oppressive: "cancer." So many people in my life have been touched by the disease. My father's baby brother died of Hodgkins and Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, his mother of advanced lung cancer at the ripe age of 82. My mother is a breast cancer survivor. My friend Janet's mother is not. I go to the dermatologist anywhere from 2-4 times a year to deal with actinic keratosis -- pre-skin cancer cells. My father has had to have a chemical facial peel to deal with his skin cancer cells. My high school health teacher's wife just died of lukemia.

And now my sister's mother in law has been diagnosed with small cell lung cancer, very advanced. They took her to Sloane Kettering last Friday, but the results are only with my sister and brother in law. They haven't told her, or her husband. This is a horrible disease, with even more horrible treatment that doesn't even truly cure a person.

It's October -- breast cancer awareness month. Do yourself a favor. If you are 40 or over, schedule a mammogram (boys get breast cancer too, by the way). Mine is due in November. Find a cancer walk and either donate money or your own two feet to walk it. Susan G. Komen foundation has hundreds of them. Wear someone's name on your shirt and walk either in celebration, or in memory. 1 in 5 women will be struck by the disease. Early diagnosis is the only saving grace, so do your self exams and get those mammograms. Especially if someone in your family has already been diagnosed.

I'm registering Wayne and me to walk the October 19th race for the cure in Honolulu. I hope some of the rest of you do the same!

Aloha!

The "C" Word

Of all the things I hate in the world, the "c" word is among the top, and the most frequently heard these days. Can't. I HATE that word.

It was drill weekend, but not too terribly bad. I had to weigh in, which was distressing, as I have been active, but not my normal active self over the past month. I've gained about 8 pounds. Yuck. Luckily, I can do the stationary bicycle now, and will be doing so starting tonight when I meet the spouse at the gym on Schofield.

Day one of drill was a farewell for the General, who is retiring, followed by a trip to the movies with Wayne. We saw Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Not something I would normally choose, but my two preferences were not playing at the theater in Kapolei. It was cute.

Day two I was on my own in the office, writing OERs, awards, a request for orders and access to the Japan classified network, and doing mandatory training. Not another soul from my section was present, the office was freezing, and the knee throbbing. At the end of the work day, I headed home to wait for Wayne, who was out hiking with Brooke on their final preparation for the Kalalau Trail. That's when I heard the "c" word. I was told that they took an alternate route down from the top of the pass, essentially rock climbing, and they decided that I can't ever take that route down.

I was upset with that proclamation. More than a little, in fact. I explained that the things that I won't be able to do once the knee is healed generally involve sharp pivoting motions, like on a basketball or volleyball court. The verdict was modified to "can't for now."

That's still the "C" word.

Between my girlfriend's marital trouble, my sister's mother-in-law's extreme illness, my sister's marital strife, my throbbing knee and the "c" word that cuts out activities I enjoy, I was upset. In fact, there were a few tears. I went out and snuffled to Wayne, and told him never to use that word in my presence again! He scrunched up his face and was about to say something, and I must have given him the look, because he revised whatever words were to be spoken to "we should go up that way rather than down."

And, later, while making dinner, I got an unsolicited "I love you," which helped a lot.

Good God, am I menopausal, or do I need to go back on the Strattera??

I've been feeling disjointed, emotional and just not myself over the past week, which was my first week back to work. Thank goodness it's only 50%, I would have failed miserably at every task. Even when blogging, I jump from subject to subject at an astonishing speed without any obvious connections (even for me)!

So, it's back on the Strattera, and back to the gym today. Hopefully, the combination of these two things will bring my brain and self back to normal.

And I'm abolishing the "c" word!

Aloha.

Gray days

Sorry so quiet over the past week and a half -- I have actually been in a bit of a slump, realizing that full time work is looming and I am not nearly quite ready to go back mentally. Couple that with a lot of rain, my girlfriend's diminishing reconciliation prospects, an inability to get out and walk due to aforementioned rain, and ridiculous inability to park at Tripler to go to physical therapy, and you have an unhappy redhead.

I had been told of my new position, working on the Guam joint enterprise architecture project out at NCTAMSPAC, which was exciting! I'd be working close to Wayne and close to home. We were already planning commuting, and going to the gym in the evening, stuff I really wanted to do.

And then, silence. Turned out that two lead EA folks from McLean are coming out to Hawaii for six months, and my spot in the workplan disappeared. Now, my boss was scrambling to get work for me. And recommended me for a project at PACOM in an area with which I am not familiar.

I know, good opportunity to learn something new, but if anyone out there knows the landscape at PACOM, parking is abysmal. I'd wind up at the bottom of a very large hill each day, having to walk it to work. Up is not so bad, it's down that's a problem. A long, steep down.

:(

Cue music, magically my short term disability was extended by 30 days until the end of October, so no need to grasp out at work right now, and another 30 days of healing!!! That takes me up to just before we leave for our Mediterranean cruise, so I ought to be in full swing by the time I get back. :)

So let's see, what's been going on? Besides having to reschedule several PT sessions due to no parking at Tripler, and not walking. Hmm. We had Eliot for the weekend for the first time since he headed out to UH as a freshman. It was good to see him. We hadn't heard from him in a while, so I texted him, asking if he was ok, enjoying school, and would he call his dad. He's good when I text him that way. He called Wayne that day and made the arrangements to come over. We went out to the India Cafe for dinner that night, and the next day walked to Denny's for breakfast, got to see Burn After Reading (darkly wicked, better than In Bruges), and had dinner out.

Sunday, Wayne and Brooke hiked the Hau'ula trails in preparation for their Kalalau hike next weekend (I was originally going as well until the surgery came along), and I sat under a tent and did my pt exercises. FINALLY heard from my girlfriend (she's been off the radar for over a week), although it wasn't promising for reconciliation. I walked (with sunscreen on) for about 15 minutes on the beach, only to burn my shins. You should see the patches where the brace was. But the water was soothing, and I was able to relax.

Finally got my friend out of her house on Monday to go walking -- she came Tuesday as well. Things are not boding well for her, her husband told her he feels empty inside, but doesn't want her to make any decisions until he returns from helping his mother on the east coast. I think she's ready to file, and she is mentally cataloging how they will split up the house, where she will go, and what she will do. Wasn't able to get her out this morning, but I think that was because he was still there. Sigh.

She brought me to my pt session on Tuesday, where I had great news. No longer need electric stimulation on my quad, the muscle is firming up, and not quivering when I contract it. We changed my routine to include weights and walking backwards (!) on the treadmill. It really looks like I have graduated to phase 2 of recovery.

I did my walk this morning (I was looking at the Nike+ website, and realized that the knee injury really started bothering me in May, when I stopped walking altogether), and was pleasantly surprised to see I have finally hit the 500 mile marker! I'm establishing a goal for myself of 25 sessions in the month of October, and I plan to meet or beat that goal!

Time for home pt exercises and a drive downtown to Booz Allen to pick up my computer and let my boss know I'll probably be working half days, mostly from home during the next 30 days.

His ears were burning -- he just called and is pleased to know that he doesn't have to find work for me for a few more days...and wants me to submit my timesheet!

:)

Ok, back to exercising and getting ready for work.

Aloha!

Dog Days of Summer

Dwindling away, at the very least.

So what does one do when stuck at home with not a heck of a lot to do? Go online to apple.com and buy the new iPod Touch with Nike+ iTunes and a pair of in-ear headphones.

What does one do when one's good friend will not leave the house because she is so bummed with the state of her marriage? Play on her sympathy for her dog and your crippled state and ask to meet up on a walk around the neighborhood. I'm very proud to say that I've done so two days in a row since the Touch arrived and will probably do so again tomorrow morning (her husband returns from the mainland tonight, she will probably need the stress break, as will the pup).

Both days I've come just shy of 3 miles, and she has had an ear and shoulder on which to lean. The morning yesterday was hot, we ran into another friend and her dog on the loop as well (thus the two happy faces above). While she was not amenable to getting the toenail intervention accomplished, she was to a wine interlude in the afternoon. So home I went, showered and shaved my legs (can't go to the salon with hair growth!), and then out for a pedicure and a trip to the shrink.

Yes, I see a shrink, but for ADHD treatment. Late in life diagnosis. Let me tell you that Strattera has made a significant difference in my life. Something about sharing your life with a psychiatrist (this referral is about my hubby) makes you more amenable to therapy. Or less. For me it was more.

But I digress.

Back home I came, changed clothes, activated the girlfriend network (meow, meow, meow!), and dragged a bottle of wine over. We sat and talked for quite a while, even after her daughter came home, and through the spousal unit texting his whereabouts.

Believe it or not, I was waiting for that text. The night before he announced his hiring at Schofield was up in the air as they were reneging on the salary offer, and that he might be out of work in two weeks. Augh! Thankfully, when he announced his intention to leave, the hospital came to their senses.

I still digress. But that was stressful.

Anyway, we talked and ate and then came home. Later, in the wee hours of the morning, hubby and I had a good talk about the situation and I got to voice lots of questions. It was a wonderful discussion, and I relaxed to the point of being able to sleep until 7 am!

This morning, I met up with my girlfriend and we walked the loop again. Lots of good discussion, plus hugs and doggy kisses from her pooch. She will pick up her husband at 6 tonight, and there is sucky emotional time ahead for her. I told her I would stop by on the walk tomorrow morning, and force her out of the house.

I'm rambling, rambling, rambling. I hope I'm helping her, and I'm being there in the right way. I've taken on fielding the questions from the other girlfriends in the network, and am trying to channel the spouse in a way where I am moderately impartial, while at the same time extremely defensive of her.

:(

Like I said before, I'm learning.

Anyways, now watching the Cubs win (go, go, go!), and typing, getting ready to activate more of the girlfriend network and shower now that the pt exercises are done for the day.

On the plus side, I love, love, love my new iPod Touch!

Now to let that enthusiasm bubble over to supporting my friend.

Aloha.

Meet my torturer

Or is it my incentivizer?? SGT Price from the Tripler Physical Rehabilitation Center.

Tuesday was a bad rehab day. Really bad. Tight, painful, locking knee. Par for the course, I think that it's just that I'm screwing up somehow and not measuring up to expectations. SGT Price has a different suggestion. I'm doing too much.

No way. Not me. (I hear that snorting)

Hmm. Let's turn our crutches upside down and take a look and see what's happening.

Oh. Maybe I am doing a little too much.....but how can walking be bad for you? Definitely bad for the crutches.

Anyways, I took yesterday off from stretches and strengthening exercises, spent quality time manipulating the knee and icing down (after finishing yet another paper). And sleep, I did that quite a bit as well. Guess I'm catching up finally. Wayne came home, and it was out for haircuts and dinner.

So this morning I was skeptical of my ability to progress, go figure.

I took off the brace, noticed very little stiffness in the knee, and didn't have the customary 2 minutes before the knee was warm on the bicycle. I did my quad sets and actually saw the formation of a quadricep muscle. I lifted my leg and there was no lag behind the knee!

And it just kept going well, deepest squats I've been able to do thus far, pressing 60 pounds on the leg extension, adding a 3 pound weight to my ankle on the hamstring curl. It was great! Plus I noticed a change in the swelling of my knee. First shot is 10 days ago, second shot today:

It almost looks like a knee, only bigger.

Now as for my girlfriend, she had an extended talk with her husband this morning, and I went over at lunchtime with wine and cheese in hand. Well, wine and poke. We both had a glass, and she seems to be doing quite well, better than I would be. She has quite an extended support family here in Hawaii (in addition to her actual family), and we're all rallying behind her. I left her after an hour as she was heading with her eldest to the mall. She wants a return visit so we can use the hot tub and drink some more wine. I can probably handle the wine, but may need to avoid the hot tub for a week or two more...must ask doctor...also must ask about extending the short term disability another 4 weeks at 20% so I can go to pt two days a week without having to worry about making up the time.

And my new Nike + iTunes iPod Touch arrived in the mail today! Now getting the old one ready to ship back home, along with my 3rd gen Nano. They'll get more use there. And I can now start tracking my miles! With the assistance of the old crutches, that is.

Aloha!

No, no, not work!

Ok, I admit it, I've liked being home this week for the most part. I've caught up on a lot of sleep that seemed unobtainable due to knee pain in previous weeks, plus all my school work is up to date. But the 24th looms ever closer...it's my plan to get 20% for another 4 weeks or so so that I can go to pt twice a week without fear of having to make up missed hours of work.

I so need to win the lottery.

Add to that a girlfriend in crisis. She discovered (quite by accident) that her husband had co-signed a loan on a Lexus (!) with someone, and then found hundreds of phone calls to one number over the past 10 months on the cell phone bill. She called the number, and at the other end was a Korean woman who wouldn't identify herself (can't say I would). Found out that the woman had already picked up the Lexus.

Her husband first denied knowledge of the co-signing, and then relented saying that the woman was only a friend.

Did I mention that the call frequencies increased over the course of the last month?

Anyway, she's now not sleeping/eating/etc, something with which I am familiar, having dropped down to 147 pounds at one low point in life, and using sleep inducing products...all too familiar.

Time for an intervention, and time to focus on being a good girlfriend, something with which I am not completely familiar, for which I apologize to all girlfriends past, present and future. After almost half my life living alone (with the exception of my Korean roomies and hubby), I've pretty much stayed isolated from people, and tried to rely on very few at all.

So, if anyone has girlfriend like tips, they are appreciated. I'm starting out with wine, cheese, and the lure of either a movie or pedicure. I'm thinking the pedicure is the one that will win out.

:(

I think we'd all rather go diving so that we didn't have to talk, but since that isn't an option, we'll see how toenails go.

Aloha.

Awesome weekend!

Not exactly the belle of the ball, not exactly on time, but AWESOME! :)

Friday was on heck of a day, woke up at 2:30 am (a standard need to turn over which I can't do right now), at which eight legs pounced upon me. Four of the legs were very vocal (meaning Rocky), and wound up moving the supported body directly on my chest. Obviously needed attention. The second set of four (Oscar Wilde-Cat) wanted to lay on my left knee (the healing one). Loud purring noises ensued from the first, and an annoying, raspy sound from the second. No luck with going back to sleep. Finally, after shooing off all eight legs (let them roost for half an hour), I tried to count sheep. Still no luck. So I got up and went into the living room to read and watch Law and Order on the DVR. At 5 am, I went back in and fell asleep about 20 minutes later, waking up again at 6:30.

Argh.

Wayne went off to work, and I started the day at home -- two loads of laundry, one of dishes, walking 2 miles, and physical therapy exercises, combined with a trip to Wal-Mart (as I've said before, the uber awesome spot in Waipahu). Got finished with all that, ate a little lunch, and it was already 2pm! So, showered, and waited for Wayne to arrive home.

He got here a little after 3:30, and we left at about 3:50. Plenty of time to arrive and make it to the cocktail time at 6. No such luck. Wayne forgot his dress shoes, and remembered when we hit Nimitz. Turned around and got his shoes. Made it to the hotel at about 5:40.

I won't digress with how disappointed I am with the Hilton staff. But I am.

We checked in, got up to the room, changed, and were downstairs at 6:20. The receiving line was closing, we chose to find out where we were seated instead. Good thing for us. No sooner had we made it to the chart, the seating bell rang. Oy.

For those who don't understand, walking in a full length, narrow skirt with heels makes you like a hobbled horse. Doing so with a brace and crutches is even worse. Add to that all the ups and down with "please be seated" and the "please stand for" and you have a nightmare. Crutches under the table, so I needed the help of both Wayne and the Chaplain (my other seatmate).

We made it through the whole evening, up to the awards at the end. Surprise, surprise, I was the recipient of the Bronze Order of Mercury! "The Bronze Order of Mercury recognizes those people who have demonstrated the highest standards of integrity, moral character, professional competence and selflessness, and who have contributed significantly to the promotion of the Signal Corps and the Signal Regimental Association." After 19 years, recognition at last. I have to thank my boss, Colonel Michele Bolinger, for the recognition. I want to be like her when I grow up. Once the dancing started, we were out of there.

The rest of the weekend was equally as good. Saturday was spent walking around some of Waikiki, going to Wine the Experience to bottle our batch Limited Sicilian Nero d'Avola-Shiraz. It was a great bottling, small, but with good people! We also selected two new vints to bottle after Thanksgiving -- one that we served at our wedding (Washington Yamhill Pinot Noir), and our most recent favorite white, a dry Australian Riesling. I'm moving further and further away from the oak monster chardonnays.



Then it was back to the hotel, a little relaxation time, and then to dinner at the Bombay Indian Restaurant. It was an awesome little hole in the wall Indian restaurant (natch) where we had some fantastic food. We had seen some terrible reviews, but the aromas wafting out were enough to lure us in...and we weren't disappointed. We went back today for brunch!

The one great thing about staying at the Hilton was the tub -- shallow with handicap access. Cannot emphasize how WONDERFUL it was to be able to sit and soak in the tub, scrubbing the leg with an intensity that could not be done standing on one leg in the shower (or sitting on the shower seat).

And now I'm home getting ready for the week, and watching Wilde-Cat attack Wayne.

Aloha!

Going to the Ball tonight!

Ah, memories of days gone by and my second ever Marine Birthday Ball -- 4 roomies headed out having fun in Korea.

This ball will be slightly different, it is the Signal ball, so it will be work rather than play.

It's been an Army week for me, getting my convalescent leave form in to the unit, working on OERs and awards (that will keep me busy through the weekend), procrastinating on another paper, and sending certified copies of my orders out to my unit.

It will be a Navy week next week, I'll be registering a contract with the directorate of contracting personnel in Italy. Been through it time and again, so with new work for Booz Allen on the horizon, time to get cracking.

Also looks as though on October 1, I will head over to a new position at NCTAMSPAC in Wahiawa. A most excellent commute with little to no traffic, and a decent position all in all, advising on the Joint Integration of networks in Guam. No moving involved, but a wee bit of travel, which will not break my heart (Palau, Yap, etc, here I come!). Of course, this will be after I have been cleared to dive, naturally. Sometimes things shake out the way they should.

SO, on to packing, doing dishes and laundry, walking, and doing my pt exercises (and another paper).

Next semester starts Monday, woo hoo! Time to get mentally engaged, probably exactly what I needed.

Aloha!

Doldrums

Well, it's finally hit. 2 weeks at home, limited mental interaction with others, being under the weather in the land of sun, sea and surf. Hard to keep a hard body when one is limited in one's exercise. I'm limited to walking with the crutches right now, and although I am spry, shoulders and armpits are the limiting factor. If I get out early enough in the morning, I can get in 2 miles (with a break in between at the park here in the development). Schoolwork is only momentarily diverting, and podcasts and tv shows are all starting to blend together. :(

Enter the doldrums.

One good thing about having fully embraced therapy many years ago, I can at least recognize the signs as they hit. I don't think I am anywhere near needing to go in and have anti-depressants prescribed; however, I think I need to start relying on the chick friend network a little more heavily. I could use a pedicure, manicure, trip to the movies...something, anything.

And I wish my knee could bend further. Or that there was a kitten in the house. Actually, I just wish it were six months from now already and I was up and diving and running already.

I'll get over it, and am actually surprised it took me this long to lose the Pollyanna aspect I've had. Well, it won't be lost, just floundering for a bit. I think part of it was triggered by how hard it was to bend my knee this morning while doing my therapy exercises. It was almost as if it had locked in place, and to even try to slide it back and forth was excruciating. I know, 17 years ago I was still in a cast at this point, and didn't start bending until week 3, with full range of motion achieved by week 5, but I really hope to move it along further, faster, better, sooner.

Ok, vent session over, time to continue forward.

Ciao.

Withdrawal

Yes, I've been quiet -- some might think too quiet, and have cause for worry! But never fear, all is well here now.

I went off of the narcotics this weekend. Despite having stepped down the dosage significantly, I wound up experiencing all of the withdrawal symptoms starting Sunday night (yes, after I finished my paper). I wound up with very little sleep, and multiple trips to the powder room over the following 2 days, and am still experiencing a small bit of the shakes. Oh happy day.

But now that that's winding down, I can drive myself! Woo hoo! Not my cute, sporty Acura, but the Pathfinder. The seats in the Acura are quite low to the ground (not even a worry for me at the time I bought it), so maneuvering in and out is very difficult. Given the amount of work I get to do on the knee in pt, I didn't need the extra hassle.

PT is really kicking in. I can bend my knee beyond 90 degees at this point, although it feels like some serious stretching is going on behind it. I'm working hard at being able to walk, bending the knee. My therapist (sadist!) has me doing all sorts of stuff. I get in to Tripler, take off the knee brace, and start out with 10 minutes of cycling. My great accomplishment this weekend was finally being able to do full revolutions on the pedals rather than just back and forth. After the cycling, more electrical stimulation of my quads -- 20 minutes worth -- coupled with quad presses and leg lifts. I am apparently doing quite well there, with very little lag (knee leading the exercise).

After this, we (we as in he watches, I execute) do heel slides, which don't always go well. Sometimes the knee kind of locks in place, and is very painful. It just doesn't want to move. Not a happy place for me, but I know I shouldn't get too worried. After all, it's only been 2 weeks!

Then it's over to the parallel bars, where I do mini squats and toe raises, attempting to balance equally between both legs, step-ups (lead up with the bad and down with the good) which should eventually be accomplished without holding on to the bars, and balancing on a rubber disc. All this culminates with a 20 minute ice down.

My target goal for removal of the brace is supposed to be standing on the left leg without the brace, bearing full body weight. Eek.

I have to definitely thank the folks at Booz Allen for giving me the short term disability. It has been a Godsend, giving me time to focus on strengthening my quads rather than having to deal with work and pt. I did need a break after 6 months of active duty, but wasn't expecting it to come this way!

Time to get going on my homework, so I'll stop here. I need to feed my constant companions (the koi) and to start roomba so that my other companions' furry remnants get picked up.

Aloha!

Going to Denny's

Well, almost to Denny's...

I was ambitious again this morning pre-therapy, and hungry, so I suggested to Wayne we walk to Denny's, which is a little over a mile away. He gave me the raised eyebrow, but suited up. We set out, and made it to the corner that leads to Wal-Mart (ever the popular joint in this town), Times, Starbucks, and Denny's. I then began to realize that my shoulders were tired! Given that I was more than doubling my farthest jaunt to date, I should have expected that. So, we turned around and headed back to the house. Propelling 170+ pounds around on crutches should start building those upper body muscles, so I think I'll be keeping up the habit and walking further each day.

We did make it to Denny's though, had our egg-beaters and toast, even with the challenge of attempting to sit down at one of the tables. I went to my normal side to sit, and realized that that wasn't quite going to work, so I wound up on the other side with my back to the door. Yuck! Add to the mix my sore shoulders, it was a comedy of errors to watch. First came the crutch placement -- leaning against the leg prop chair. Then I sat down in the chair, only to realize I was going to have difficulty raising my leg under the table. I tried to stand up, but the shoulders were sufficiently sore to leave me still seated. I went to use the table to prop me, and it tilted! So much for that idea. Finally, I just scootched back in my chair and lifted my leg up onto the neighboring chair. Then came getting in closer to the table. Argh. Next time, Starbucks. I can sit on their couch easily, and the chairs are taller! Thank goodness we didn't ask for a booth.

Side note -- Hawaiians will never get any thinner if we keep getting places like Denny's that give you three (!) jumbo eggs for each meal. I'm thinking keiki menu from now on for me!!

Next outing is likely to Roy's in Ko'olina -- sitting outside by the golf course, watching for the black swans, and enjoying heavy pupus for dinner.

Next on the agenda for the day is taking a dose of pain medication, waiting a half an hour, and then doing home pt exercises. Wayne picked up a pedal exerciser for me so that I can do stuff similar to that which is done at the pt clinic -- I start out cycling for 8 minutes out of the brace so I can warm the knee up. Not full rotations as of yet, but I'll get there sooner rather than later. I want to keep ahead of SGT Price and be prepared for the next sessions!

And, no, I haven't finished that paper yet...

Aloha!

Procrastination....

Quiet day for me yesterday, my first day of actual physical therapy (Wednesday was a one on one session outlining my torture regimen) at the hospital. Have to say, it was a wee bit draining (not to mention frightening!). It started with quasi-bicycling (can't do full revolutions, so I just go forward and backward within range of motion), and then migrated to electronic stimulation of the quadricep. Interesting. Of course, the frightening thing was that I did all of my exercises without the brace on. To say I was hesitant to do so might be an adequate description.

Next week, exercises start with weights added, they were easy on me yesterday. SGT Price looks to be my slave driver for the next 4 weeks!

So this morning has been full, did an interview with Defense Investigative Services for a colleague's security clearance update, walked down to the little park at the corner and started to read (finishing up research for my cyberlaw paper), but had to vacate when they started mowing, came home and did my home exercises (am I ever sore!), and am now putting off continuing to read my research. I need to figure out 10 pages of writing for this paper in order to get it finished, so I've got to finish the reading and lay out the order of analysis I'll be integrating into the paper.

It will be a writing weekend!

Right now I'm listening to an alternative group on Morning Becomes Eclectic (a KCRW show/podcast), The Airborne Toxic Event. Name aside, they are quite good, and performing live! I may have to buy their new album, which is just being released overseas today.

All quite effective in avoiding studies!

I'm still excited about recovery from the surgery. The rehab program is astonishingly different than it was when I was 23. Much more aggressive and definitely geared towards someone who will be working the protocol while at home. Wayne is picking up a little gizmo for me tonight from Ace medical -- it's a set of bicycle pedals that fasten to the floor and have variable levels of intensity that you dial in. I know it seems like a frivolous purchase, but if the protocol involves starting/warming up with cycling, I want to try to do it at home as well.

Thousands of random thoughts are going on in my head right now -- I'm actually in quite a good mood, had a good night's sleep, am looking forward to the weekend and having time with friends, and mostly to getting more mobile. I guess that means I ought to stop typing for now, and start cracking the books! :)

After I buy that cd...

Aloha!

Ouch!

So yesterday was my first day of physcial therapy. I had hoped to have a written description of my surgery on hand as I went in, but that was not to be. I got in, filled out the typical threatening form letter given to most Soldiers (if you miss an appointment, we will xyz, your company commander and chain of command will be notified, etc, etc, etc). Funny signing that as a family member as opposed to as a Soldier...I don't thnk the folks at the front desk quite knew how to handle it.

I got in, and much to my surprise, was told that I haven't been over-doing it in my therapy and rehab habits. In fact, I was given more to do. I got my sheet of exercises, did each one at least once, and left pt tired and sore. I was able to bend my knee to a 70 degree angle, though, which was pleasant to find out! It took me until week 3 to be allowed to bend my knee last time, so that was a good thing.

This morning, having conquered the driveway yesterday afternoon, I walked to the park at the end of the block before doing my exercises. Good thing, since I am more than a little exhausted having finished the whole repertoire! I'm wishing for my own ET to get rid of the ouch.

The pictures above are of the inside of my knee and leg during the surgery. Turns out that I have had almost no damage to the knee despite the loss of ligament for over 4 years. I was truly lucky. And I got a good note from my Korean running buddy/roommate, Cheryl, today approving of my surgeon. High words of praise, followed by wishes for good luck during rehab, the hardest part. Of course, Doc is in her 38th week of pregnancy, and any good words should be considered doubly praising!

The two hardest exercises have to be the heel slide, where I bend my knee as far as possible, and the leg lift, where I have to ensure that there is no "lag" when I bring my leg mere inches off the floor. I'm not seeing a lag, but the therapist is, so practice I must.

The new roomba is running, cleaning up the floor, so I will end it here before it yanks the magsafe connector out of my macbook as it cleans. Again, OUCH!

Aloha!