For Once I'm Not Kvetching

Yes, I have been pretty grumpy about the all too early commercialization of Christmas, especially coming in the weeks (months) before even Thanksgiving. I know I'll feel better after we get to see A Charlie Brown Christmas, and in the midst of a moment of angst, Linus tells of the Christmas story and the true meaning of Christmas. (sigh) Later on, as the celebratory nature of the season gets close, we'll hope that TBS will again do their 8pm to 8pm Christmas Eve to Christmas marathon showings of A Christmas Story, as much for the amusing kid's view of a simpler Christmas as knowing that TBS was able to give the day off to most of their employees. Take that you heartless Thanksgiving Day merchants.

So you'll probably find it strange that I have found something before Thanksgiving that I think shouldn't be lost in a sea of Facebook posts. Something that I think speaks to the Christmas story, in an accessible and humorous way which I think will give a few people pause, if only for five minutes.

I give you Bethlehemian Rhapsody from 2011, with Muppet-like or Avenue Q-like puppetry. It is, of course, based on the legendary and complicated Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.

Just as some back in the 70s were offended by Jesus Christ Superstar or Godspell, I am sure that some may find Bethlehemian Rhapsody to be sacrilegious. But I don't see it that way. There is a long tradition of music, performance and attempts to make the Christmas story accessible. And if it makes one pause for a few minutes and step outside the commercial and mercenary madness that Christmas sometimes becomes, then I am all for it.

Anyway, it made this curmudgeon smile -- and humming about the three wise men -- and it's still a week until Thanksgiving here in the U.S.

Dr. Phil

Rush Hour(s)

Midday ended up pretty busy here at Le Chez Home Rehab. First up was the RN to do the heel dressing. The seeping is way down, we never had to add or change 4x4 gause pads on the outside of the dressing. And it is looking better, for them what can see on the bottom of my foot. Memo to self -- need to get a mirror to put on the floor so I can see the bottom of my feet. (grin)

While the RN was here, the PT therapist showed up, apologizing for being late. Uh, no, I had you written down for 2:30, so you're early. But... you get to see the heel which caused all this trouble and is usually encased in socks, AFO and shoes. So after the RN was done, we did some more kneeling on the bed, then tried to see how low I could get one knee. Started with setting the right knee on a footstool, maybe 7-8" high. Then stretched to get the left knee low, but still an inch or so off the floor. Left knee still relearning how to bend that far. Without the stool, I got the right knee down to about 5" above the floor. Go me.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, my leg lifts-and-holds are about equally high for both left and right, equally long in duration and equally steady. That's something I couldn't do just a few weeks ago, on all three counts. Now we add in straight leg lifts -- okay, that needs some work. (grin)

So last week was supposed to be my last with the HHA bath lady. But due to a scheduling snafu -- the order wasn't cancelled after the meeting last week -- since they had the HHA scheduled to come today, I took advantage of the opportunity to refine my strategies for bathing. All clean and shiny again.

Next week gets complicated with Thanksgiving, a visit to the foot surgeon, a long delayed dentist appointment and might as well throw in a fasting morning before that visit to get my annual cholesterol check... before the holidays. Last week I checked with my dentist to see if there was a problem with teeth cleaning versus the Xiralto blood thinner I'm still on. I knew that there could be issues with blood thinners and dental work, but they said that was more of a problem with tooth extraction, not cleaning.

Anyway, I'm likely to get just one PT at home next week, 'cause of the holiday. No worries, mate.

Meanwhile I got another backup Windows XP notebook up running and with firewall & antivirus updated. That will give me another Microsoft Office 95 capable machine at work when I go back. The Nikon D1 and D1X cameras had their old NiMH batteries survive 5½ months without losing their memories -- now have to check their clocks for the time change and get the Kodak DVD Pro SLR/n FX camera operational as well. Time to write stories and take pictures again. (busy-grin)

Gas Pricing

With ol' Dr. Phil laid up and hiding in hospital rooms, you've not be subjected to the Allendale gas pricing report. Since I've been home, it seems to have jumped around a bit -- one 25¢/gal rise I could only attribute to Exxon worrying about the Phillippines? Anyway, Tuesday when I drove for the first time, I noted that regular in town was $3.14.9/gal. Last week Mrs. Dr. Phil scored a buck a gallon off coupon at Family Fare, which she used yesterday at $3.11.9/gal ==> $2.11.9/gal. The coupon, which expired today, would have net us even more, as gas went down on the Friday before a holiday to $3.07.9/gal. Ah, well, I shan't complain.

Dr. Phil

50

Fifty years ago.

22 November 1963.

John F. Kennedy (1917-1963).

Dallas TX.

Due to a quirk in the calendar, November 1963 is the same as in 2013. So that means, like in this year, November 22nd was a Friday. Thursday the next week would be Thanksgiving, a time of family, food and home warmth. Not a terrible day of mourning after a national tragedy.

   November 1963
   November 2013

Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
                1  2
 3  4  5  6  7  8  9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30

And make no mistake, no matter your politics, the assassination of a U.S. President, whether by lone nutcase or vast conspiracy, is a terrible thing. Before that date, I was vaguely aware that such things happened, even though I was five. The killing of Lincoln was well known.

Assassination attempts and plots on Presidents of the United States have been numerous: more than 20 attempts to kill sitting and former presidents, as well as the Presidents-elect, are known. Four sitting presidents have been killed: Abraham Lincoln (the 16th President), James A. Garfield (the 20th President), William McKinley (the 25th President) and John F. Kennedy (the 35th President). Two presidents were injured in attempted assassinations: former President Theodore Roosevelt (the 26th President), and President Ronald Reagan (the 40th President).

Medina NY is halfway between Buffalo and Rochester -- we were in the half of Medina residents that shopped in Buffalo. I knew about McKinley from an early age.

The assassination of William McKinley took place at 4:07 p.m. on Friday, September 6, 1901, at the Temple of Music in Buffalo, New York. McKinley, attending the Pan-American Exposition, was shot twice in the abdomen at close range by Leon Czolgosz, a self-proclaimed anarchist, who was armed with a .32 caliber revolver. The first bullet ricocheted off either a bullet-proof button or an award medal on McKinley's jacket and lodged in his sleeve but the second shot pierced his stomach. McKinley died eight days later, on September 14, 1901, at 2:15 a.m. because the doctors forgot to drain his wound of infections before sewing the wound shut.

Under failed attempts at assassination, John Kennedy was the target of an attempt in Chicago between O'Hare and Soldier Field just twenty days before he was killed in Dallas.

Back on Friday 17 July 2009, my late sister Wendy commented on my blog about the death of Walter Cronkite (1916-2009) (DW), a man forever locked in memory with JFK:

I remember seeing Cronkite crying the day Kennedy was shot. I would have just turned 8 the week before. I was home sick from school, sitting on the couch helping my mother fold laundry and watching a game show.

Don't have a clue what game show it was.

But I remember asking my mother why Walter Cronkite was crying. I'm not sure she ever answered, because as soon as we heard the newsstory, she got up and went to call my dad at work.

I always think of Walter as an old man, but do the math. Cronkite was a year older than Kennedy, who was just two years older than my father. Kennedy was only 46 when he died. By comparison I'm nine years older. Who's old now?

There's been a bunch of coverage, documentaries and discussions about JFK, this being the fiftieth anniversary of his death -- more years dead than he lived. Much less people saying terrible things about Kennedy than back during the 60s. And much is made of the Where Were You When You Heard The News? Though there are probably more who are too young to answer that question at all these days, just as our students don't know about Vietnam, Watergate, Challenger, etc. on a first name basis.

We know too much and too little about the assassination of President Kennedy. We don't know all the truth, the waters are too muddied and we probably never will. Eventually this event will simply be a part of history. For now, there are many who still have a hole in their hearts.

Godspeed, JFK.

Dr. Phil