Cramming For The Exam

We are making steady progress towards getting out of here.

Mrs. Dr. Phil made the bed in the last few days. As in built a bed platform so that the futon is no longer on the floor. The unit looks grand in the photos. Well made, thorough directions. Hell, she even got to go buy a power tool. There are 12 drawers, six on each side in two layers, plus a door in the center of the foot of the bed. We've never had that much bedroom storage. And the therapy people are delighted I don't have to do floor transfers to get in/out of bed.

I am room independent, at least once I'm up, so I can take the walker into the bathroom without supervision. Tomorrow (Wednesday) I should be hallway independent with the walker.

Mrs. Dr. Phil came by at 2pm, so that we could practice cane to passenger seat of the Bravada. Looked at getting the driver's seat, but need to work to get the right leg that high while standing on my left foot. In theory I am mobile, as a passenger.

I get to go home for two hours on Friday as we get evaluated for the home site visit. Doesn't mean I can be released yet, but Therapy can document for the insurance company what I need to be able to go home. Insurance company squawked at moving the date to 7 October. I've had 15 October pencilled in my mind for months, for no real reason. Running out of September -- it will be soon.

That's all for now.

Dr. Phil

MY EVIL GENIUS PLANS -- THWARTED!!!

Today was the first day I was hallway independent (with walker). So I loaded up some gear and head out the door on my own. My goal? The pleasant little conference room at the end of the hall.

But blast it! 3:30 in the afternoon and the people have the unmitigated gall to hold a care conference in the conference room. Such nerve!

Sadly, I turned the walker around and wandered back to my room, with nothing but a hallway walk (with walker) accomplished.

Oh the ignominy of not having control over one's life.

Dr. Phil

PS -- Today's other new accomplishments include a sit-to-stand from the 17" mat table, at least an inch lower than my previous record. Mrs. Dr. Phil says she measured our bathroom toilet and it's 15.25" high. So you can see why this is important. At least to me.

Or-A-Cle! Or-A-Cle!

As I have mentioned before, I enjoy watching the Tour de France every July. But another race I have enjoyed on Outdoor Life/OLN Network/Versus/NBCsports has been the America's Cup yacht racing and the Louis Vuitton Challenger Cup series which precedes it. Haven't seen much of either series this year.

The first America-New Zealand match I saw for the America's Cup, the Kiwis needed just one more win. Amazingly, the US has battled back until today's sudden death match and damn if the Oracle boat beat the Emerites boat -- or black with a red nose versus all black... Still confused? America's boat won the 34th America's Cup in beautiful San Francisco Bay, with the Golden Gate Bridge blazing bright in the background.

Damn this new giant catamaran class is FAST. And since they're for the most part not hullborne on the water, it looks surreal to see these knife edges slicing through the water.

The America's Cup isn't every year. But every time they show this event, the technology for displaying who is actually ahead -- with taking different tracks and tacking and long telephoto lenses, it's hard to eyeball what the hell is going on -- has gotten superb, along with multiple onboard cameras. Sure it's a rich man's sport, but it is stunningly beautiful.

I would love to take my Nikon 200-600mm f9.5 AI-S Zoom-NIKKOR to one of these races and shoot from shore, but it probably won't happen. Hmmm... looks like an 82mm circular polarizer runs from $45-$100 on eBay. Unless I were to haul out the F3 and F4s to shoot film (to be scanned to digital) and use a regular polarizer... Hmmm... Just thinking about taking the Big lens to Lake Michigan to shoot the sailboats... Never mind. Just daydreaming while still stuck in my hospital bed -- and this summer I was supposed to get a new tripod and take the Big lens out to play.

One thing I know for sure, the next America's Cup defense will also be in America. Who will be the challenger? New Zealand? Italy? Australia? The UK?

I dunno. See you for the next Louis Vuitton Cup...

Dr. Phil