A small chitinous lady landed on my little balcony this morning, a 4-inch long preying mantis, wearily looking for somewhere to lay her eggs. I love mantids, love their ferocity, their intelligence, the way they eye you, daring you to just TRY something so they can trounce you.* A mantis moves through life supremely confident, supremely paranoid, without a shred [...]
Long time no write. Sorry about that. ;-) When last we left our intrepid surgical guinea pig, Cynthia-the-pincushion, she was on the eve of the final finito finale FINAL surgeries to save Elmo. Verdict: So far, so good. Thanks for reading, and good night. On Friday night, Sept. 16, 2016, I fractured my left femur just above Elmo, my replacement [...]
It's the evening before my first surgery (I hope, anyway--after the false start of a couple of weeks ago I've learned not to make assumptions). I've spent the last couple of weeks going to work (short-term disability doesn't count unless you actually HAVE the surgery, I discovered), tying up ever-growing collections of loose ends around the remodel, making sure that [...]
Some people dream of finding the right lover. I dream of finding the right bathroom. So when, after spending months in a construction zone, I got to shower in my brand new bathroom for my birthday, well...it was a glorious day. It really was a birthday present. Nathan-the-resident-carpenter dropped everything to ensure that, on my natal day, plumbing was working [...]
I was having surgery--the first of at least two operations--on The Leg this morning. Note the past tense: I WAS having surgery. It's been postponed and I'm sure that the God of Adventure is ROTFL about the whole thing. Mom and I flew down to Walnut Creek on Monday, had a delightful dinner with Nancy and Gary Goodenough (very tasty [...]
If you happen to have wheels on your butt* the difference between accessible and Accessible is pretty obvious. I should know; I've been playing the wheelchair card for more than a year. I'm getting very very good with Spiffy the wheelchair--I can pop wheelies and climb low curbs, and I spin a mean 360-in-place. Even so, every single day that I [...]
One year ago Saturday, my life changed. So I took the day off, to consider how far I've come. It seemed especially fitting, since things are about to change again. More about that later. On Friday night, Sept. 16, 2016, I fractured my left femur just above Elmo, my replacement knee. I lived in a wheelchair, facing hip-high amputation of [...]
A nanosecond between me and death, but I never paused: I leapt from that window like a deranged chimpanezee, smartcard clenched between my teeth, reaching reaching reaching for the strut of the helicopter and climbing inside. "Arrrrgh!" yelled Mr. Big's frustrated henchman, hurling manhole covers after me. One struck my knee as I shoved the dead pilot aside and took [...]
Ever find yourself on a mountaintop, musing, "Now how the hell did I get up HERE?" That would be me. I'm having a small surgical procedure in the morning, which apparently caused me to sit back, notice the mountain, and decide it's not a bad place to be. Since it's Morganica Mountain, of course, it's a bit ...odd. Thank you, [...]
The first time I packed frit into a mold I learned the difference between the volume of frit and the FIRED volume of frit. Even so, when you're casting or fusing with frit, the level of shrinkage can be disconcerting. Here is an example. Fill up a test mold to the brim with powder, tamp it down tightly so that [...]
