Just a Short Hello

Quick update:

Physical therapy will be over this week.  Hey, only 7 months in recovery.

Lost another cat:  Culpepper.  He's been sick for nearly a year.  He was feral from kittenhood, so wasn't a candidate to go to the vet.  I'm pretty certain it was renal failure, which is difficult to deal with for a tame cat.  There's no way I could medicate him or give him fluids.

Four new cats:  My 92 year old neighbor passed away a week ago Tuesday.  Three of us split up her cats between us.  Laurel took 2, Barb took 3 & I took 3.  Unfortunately some c**k-sucking SOB dumped a kitty in a carrier on the neighbor's lawn the night of her funeral.  She left the carrier door open and left chicken bones inside for her to eat!!!  A bludgeoning death for this asshole would be too good for her.  I've named this sweet kitty Chelsea.  She's adjusting in my teeny tiny bathroom.  She loves to be held.

Finally, I haven't been in the mood to write anything.  The main reason?  I've been sucked into the Tom Hiddleston Vortex.  Can we say obsession?  That's where I am.  If you haven't any idea just who Hiddleston is, just Google him.  He is, without a doubt, the most popular topic on the internet.  Or here's a link to a good jumping off spot: Hiddleston-daily  I even joined Tumblr & Twitter (jossisgod is my screen name) so I could more easily follow the latest photos, gifs, videos, etc.  Yes, I am a nearly 64 year old fangirl.  Short list of his films:

War Horse
The Deep Blue Sea
Thor
Thor - The Dark World
The Avengers (my fave)
The Hollow Crown (PBS- Shakespeare's Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2 plus Henry V)

I also went to see the National Theater Live worldwide live broadcast of his play, Coriolanus, on January 30th.  Unf***ingbelievable!!!!!!!  It's one of Shakespeare's last histories.  The play was at the Donmar Warehouse in London and ran for about 3 months.  Mark Gatiss, of PBS' Sherlock fame. was in the play as well.  There are rebroadcasts around the country.  Check it out, if you're interested, by going to NTLive at here.

and an obligatory Loki, the god of mischief, from Thor, The Avengers and Thor - The Dark World:

His next film is Only Lovers Left Alive, where he plays a 500 year old vampire.  What's not to love?  The film premiers in the US in early April, probably to a limited run since it's an indie film by Jim Jarmusch.  His co-star is Tilda Swinton, playing his 500 year old vampire love interest.

Checking In

I am not the most graceful person on the planet.  Since my mid-20s I have slipped, tripped and fallen more times than I want to remember.  From my little toes, to my ankles, to my left leg and knee and on to my back, I have fractured, broken and otherwise permanently damaged myself.  On July 16th I lost my balance as I was bending over to pick up a piece of paper I had dropped on the floor.  I twisted and turned trying to prevent another fall.  Although I didn't hit the ground, I slammed the full force of my considerable weight into my desk, landing on my right shoulder.  I heard crunching and crackling sounds, leaving me to believe I had done some serious damage to the shoulder.   Of course, due to the other, older injuries having weakened other parts and pieces of my body, I realized my forthcoming pain would not be limited to my shoulder.  Today, a month and a half later, my shoulder, neck, back and left ankle are limiting my ability to do much of anything. 

After numerous visits to the local Urgent Care facility, I was finally approved for an MRI.  A few days later I finally had a diagnosis - small fracture in my upper humerus and a completely torn rotator cuff.  Since this is a workers' compensation claim, the treatment cycle plodded along.  I saw an orthopedic surgeon who set a date for surgery to re-attach the rotator cuff.  Originally it was scheduled for August 30th, but has since been moved to September 11th.  I had been relying on ibuprofen to control the pain and allow me to function.  Unfortunately, that medication had to be stopped two weeks before the surgery.  I am now relying on the last remaining Vicodin I have remaining.  I'm rationing them, taking only half a pill at a time. 

Frankly, I haven't been interested in either reading or writing much.  I have focused on working from home until this past week, when I went back into the office.  Driving for the first couple of weeks terrified me, plus it was painful.  I started the car with my left arm and changed gears that way as well.  I just didn't have the strength in my right arm to do either.  It was even difficult for the first few weeks fastening my seat belt. 

As in the past, when I was laid up, friends have trekked long distances to come to my home to scoop my litter boxes, help with laundry and drive me on my shopping errands.  I am so grateful for their kindness and feel that I can never repay them for both the moral and physical support they have provided to me. 

I apologize for "going dark" and not keeping you, my regular visitors, in the loop.  As in true cat fashion, I've sought a dark place in which to lick my wounds and give myself time to heal.  Most of the time I have been miserable, which tends to make one prefer isolation to sharing.  Additionally, I didn't think talking about this "phase" was an interesting topic for a blog post.  I can't even muster the desire nor strength for a righteous rant about the state of the world.  Focusing on myself has me bored.  I am so ready for all of this to be over with so that I can get back to the semblance of a normal life. 

I will do my best to provide something worth reading in the near future.  No promises with surgery, recovery and physical therapy in my future.  Hopefully progress will elevate my mood , moving me into a better space.