ouch

Tripped up the stairs with a load of groceries tonight, landing right on the broken arm. No biggie, just jarred it a little bit. I've put some IcyHot on it and it doesn't seem to have done anything other than jangled the nerves. Still, going to be very conscious of it the next few days. I've had a little area of swelling just under the break for a few days -- not painful -- but it all bears watching.

Otherwise, I'm doing well. I guess I can put it out there now -- my boss is pregnant, and from the looks of things, come March when she takes her maternity leave, I'll be taking over the club, most likely on a permanent basis.

I'm rolling around the idea of vacation now, since it seems I've managed to settle the lingering insurance questions with my teeth. I've taken no actual time *off* since the accident (except that three day weekend two weeks ago) -- any time I wanted to do something I've had to make up the time. I've used up all my sick time with my stint in the hospital, and I saved my vacation time to cover any unforeseen problems... but now I'm staring at two weeks worth of vacation time and two months before it expires. I have no idea what to do with two weeks time -- a couple of long weekends here and there, a run or two down to FL, and a jaunt to NYC, I guess. I'd like to go somewhere new, though. I know a couple of people in SF and Chicago, so that's a thought.

Halloween is in two days. I've got most of my costume stuff pulled together, and did a test run on the makeup on Saturday night. I must say, I miss doing that elaborate stage makeup -- I was really quite good at it. Gotta come up with a shtick to go with the look, but it's all coming together quite nicely.

a clean bill

Post #100 comes with good news.

I went back to have my arm x-rayed once again. The ulna has healed completely -- without even an indication there was ever a break except for the metal plates and screws attached to the bone. The radius -- the one that shattered -- has been considerably slower, and while it's still healing, it's solid. I have a little notch in the bone which we suspect will be there for life, and will be a source of weather-induced and seasonal pain (which is what I'm likely suffering right now).

The hardware is still in place -- the original worry when the pain started two weeks ago was that some of the screws had come loose and I'd need more surgery to either tighten or remove them. That's not the case, and with luck, I'll always be a kind of bionic man and they'll never have to come off.

After looking at the x-rays, the doctor turned to me and said "Yep, I think we're done here. Call me if you have any problems, but no need to schedule any more follow-ups."

Now if I can only get this dental insurance mess sorted out, we'll be doing great.

more answers

I'm impressed -- all the correct answers have been given -- except for two, and someone got one of those half right.

1) Margaretha Zelle was a dancer who was put to death by the French government on October 15th, 1917, accused of being a spy. Under what name is she better known?

The Mata Hari. I missed this one.

2) What color is Superman's belt?

Yellow.

3) What detergent advertised that it could remove ring around the collar?

Wisk. I could have sworn it was Tide.

4) The Mason-Dixon line was established in 1767 to settle a land dispute between which two states?

The land dispute was between Pennsylvania and Maryland, however, Tekay gets partial credit because the line does also draw a partial border between Delaware and Maryland, too.

5) In 2003, what country became only the third on Earth to launch a manned space mission?

China

6) What is the next number in this series? 1, 4, 27, 256, ___?

3125. It's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, each raised to its own power.

7) Hadrian's Wall was built by the Romans separating what two countries?

England and Scotland. I let down my British heritage, but then again, we're Welsh. We had nothing to do with that damn wall.

8) What English guitarist was a founding member of the band Cream?

Eric Clapton. Can't believe I missed this. For some reason, I thought Clapton was from Philly.

9) What pastry was created by the Kennedy Biscuit Company in 1891 is now the #3 most consumed cookie in the world?

No one got this -- I should have added that it is named for a suburb of Boston -- Newtons.

10) What NFL team famously relocated overnight in 1984 after its original hometown threatened to seize the team under eminent domain to keep it from leaving?

The Baltimore Colts transformed into the Indianapolis Colts -- the move was made without even informing any of the players.

trivia time

Got to play trivia again tonight. My fortunes were far dimmer tonight, with some REALLY tough questions. Here we go...

1) Margaretha Zelle was a dancer who was put to death by the French government on October 15th, 1917, accused of being a spy. Under what name is she better known?

2) What color is Superman's belt?

3) What detergent advertised that it could remove ring around the collar?

4) The Mason-Dixon line was established in 1767 to settle a land dispute between which two states?

5) In 2003, what country became only the third on Earth to launch a manned space mission?

6) What is the next number in this series? 1, 4, 27, 256, ___?

7) Hadrian's Wall was built by the Romans separating what two countries?

8) What English guitarist was a founding member of the band Cream?

9) What pastry was created by the Kennedy Biscuit Company in 1891 is now the #3 most consumed cookie in the world?

10) What NFL team famously relocated overnight in 1984 after its original hometown threatened to seize the team under eminent domain to keep it from leaving?

And so things level out again. Work has been quite stressful over the past two weeks but it's beginning to glide again.

I'm still on my workout regimen, and oddly enough, I still haven't lost any weight, but the body fat percentage keeps dropping. I'm now two percentage points lower than I was. Only six more to go!

And, finally, I have a glorious three day weekend this week! I've been needing a break, and tomorrow, I get it. I've got a couple of projects to work on -- helping brothers with a new computer and designing some outreach cards for the guy who cuts my hair. I haven't gotten to be good and geeky in a while, it'll be nice to jump into that again.

Three posts until my centennipost! What a year it's been.

correction

OK.

I got the full breakdown of my dental services and compared it to items covered in my plan. Some corrections have been made, though I still owe more than originally quoted... not much more. The $1,400 bill can now be argued down to $576 if I'm reading this correctly. The final payment of $311 was supposed to happen next Friday, so hopefully I can negotiate and navigate this effectively -- 2 payments of $288 instead? Let's hope.

There's still that nebulous 'lab fee' stuck in there. I won't argue it, but you've gotta wonder.

I feel relieved.

--

On other fronts, training is going well. In two weeks, I've actually gained a pound, but my body fat percentage went down... so I've lost fat, but I've built more muscle to balance the difference.

I'm quite alright with that.

Ha, that was not the entry I set out to write when I sat down, but it's what came spilling out.

I meant to write about the irritation of getting a phone call from my dentist's billing office, telling me that my balance is now some $1400 more than what it originally was. Something about denied services from insurance. I called around for advice, first, and then called my insurance company to appeal.

The work is now underneath a full audit and hopefully tomorrow I'll have a better idea to what this is all about. Of course, if I owe $1,400 then any hopes of a November or December vacation are completely gone. This would all, of course, come up just as I'm making my last expected payment on my teeth. I was looking forward to being done with all this but looks like there's a second wind about to blow.

The training is going well. I haven't seen any remarkable number changes but I can tell subtle differences, like improved posture and hints of definition. I've started eating better, too. Hopefully this will maintain.

Work has been wearing me out mentally and physically. My weekends nowadays are spent mostly in the confines of the condo. There is a distinct lack of excitement right now, as some things pass on by and others remain on hold indefinitely.

"There is a thin line between passion and obsession. I like to think I dance all over it."

I have to wonder sometimes if I'm not a very highly functioning autistic. I read up on it a few weeks ago and a lot of things really clicked. It would go a long way to explaining my difficulties in social situations, some of my compulsive behaviors (most anyone who has lived with me can attest to my thing with straws, amongst other things), and my abilities to absorb information quickly and be able to repeat it nearly perfect on the first try -- as evidenced by my computer expertise and my immediate understanding of policy and procedure with work.

I struggled in school, though it had nothing to do with the actual learning. Middle school was a breeze, and the only time I actually did WELL because a lot of it was stuff I already had a working knowledge of from elementary school.

If you ever wondered why theatre clicked so firmly for me, consider that it was often the only outlet I felt I had that I could get past a lot of the mental blocks I'd set up. I work in a largely social setting, and I use that theatre training every single day. Without it, I'd probably be even more of a nervous wreck.

It can be useful, it can be hindering. I get frustrated at work when those around me don't pick up on the minute details. I can quote written policy as if it were great literature. Occasionally I lose my patience, and later on I have to stop and remind myself that it's not their fault they can't see things the way I do.

Of course, this is all just me trying to assign some sort of identity to my numerous quirks. After twenty seven years, I still find myself completely baffling.

really?!

	John Edwards Score: 45	Agree Immigration Taxes Stem-Cell Research Health Care Abortion Social Security Energy Marriage Death Penalty	Disagree Iraq Line-Item Veto
-- Take the Quiz! --

Tied for second: Kucinich, Obama, and Clinton.

Highest scoring republican: Giuliani, shocking no one, followed by (ewwww) Mitt Romney.

Of course, nuanced political opinions can not be fairly delineated in an 11-question quiz.

it begins

LOTS of intrigue going on around work. Some stuff I officially "don't know" yet, some stuff that really excites me, some stuff that really gives me reason to pause. What's on paper now is not necessarily what will be in the final draft.

Vague, I know, but with the nature of the Internet right now I can't afford to be more detailed. Some of you may be getting calls for advice soon.

just a part

My mantra this morning is "it's just part of the job. it'll be worth it soon. it's just part of the job."

But, seriously, can you blame me for not wanting to go to work at 5am on short notice and no sleep after doing a 14 hour day yesterday?