For the last few weeks, we’ve had a huge number (at least two a day) bit I’ll-Rip-Your-Throat-Out dog fights between the three dogs, one of which sent me and Susan to the ER to fix up some nasty puncture wounds from a dog bite in her forearm.

Normally, these fights happens when everyone’s home, and in particular when Mere and Susan walk out or in the door.  (In which case, someone, usually Jack, gets really excited, and our Alpha Bitch, Dash (who is very gentle with us and all people, and has only really hit the wall recently with the other dogs) decides to put that dog or dogs In Their Place.  The hard way.

Meredith is skating this weekend at a meet in Lombard, Illinois, at her ‘home rink’. Times are approximate and could be up to an hour either way, though Saturday should be pretty accurate – they need to finish by 11 am for skating classes for little kids.

Saturday:
Singles 8:45 am
JWC Pairs (short program) 10:10

Sunday:
Fresh/Soph A pairs 11:45
JWC Pairs (long program) 7pm

Unfortunately, she has to be at the rink on Sunday at 5 am for a practice session on Figures (which is around 8 am that same morning), but I generally don’t encourage folks to watch that – it’s horribly boring to watch, really. Good for teaching skates fine control, but a yawnfest to watch.

Susan is also doing special stuff for the local skating club – using her l33t Photoshop and tech skills to make ID buttons for staff and some Mothers’ Day buttons for the Moms in the audience.  I will be at the rink for the events, but not all the time before or after, and probably not during Sunday afternoon.  (It’s going to be hard for me to get around and be comfortable with the level of crowds at these things – and I have a blue ton of things to do at home.)

I really haven’t updated on this subject for a bit. My podiatric surgeon has been working on me weekly with a type of skin graft on my foot – called Dermagraft “Re-epithelialization — assists in the restoration of the dermal bed, allowing wounds to heal” is what the website says it’s doing, and the more I’m not putting any pressure on my left (wounded) foot, the better it will heal.

The problem has been in making it possible to truly be off my foot; it’s easy to say, harder to do. It has meant a major revision of how things are done here, in more ways than you would think.

First off: for getting around, I’m on crutches or my kneeling scooter almost all the time. I can lumber over to the John from our bed – about 15 steps, being careful not to walk on any part of my left foot aside of the heel. There’s a couple of other exception like that, but not many.

This is a gigantic PITA, for obvious reasons. If you are on crutches, you really can’t carry things around in your hands. This means I have to ask for help on a lot of things, which gets old for everyone after a while. Otherwise, I have had to improvise all sorts of carry bags that work like backpacks or can be improvised to get a long shoulder strap to hang on via the shoulder and around the neck.

It also means that I can’t move fast, so bolting for a phone in the other room is a near-impossibility. I have to make sure I have essentials with me in a carry bag all the time, making sure that the items stick with me – searches for keys or wallet or whatever become much more of a hassle.

On the big plus side, it’s working to heal my foot, after nearly four and a half years of wretchedness. The podiatrist- surgeon thinks that at this rate, it will be healed within 2 to 4 weeks. I don’t trust that estimate, because my healing is so erratic (due to the underlying leukemia) and I’m guessing twice that…but nobody knows for certain.

I have decided, however, to make sure that once my foot heals, my first priority will be to take a trip back to family and friends in Ohio. More on that on another rock.

• Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong:  Autumn in New York (YouTube, and beautiful sound)
• Ivan Rebroff: The Legend Of The Twelve Thieves (YouTube, and yes, it’s in Russian, but just *listen* and check out the man’s vocal range!)
• Stan Rogers: Giant (YouTube, and the song never fails to grab me with emotion and awe.)
• Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind  ( YouTube, and a little uptempo than I’m used to, but…)
• Loggins and Messina: Watching the River Run (YouTube rarity from 1973)

On the positive end of things, the podiatric surgeon said that my foot is looking a whole lot better, and that the whole stay-off-it routine is working.  He did say that a stay at a rehab place is not going to be covered by insurance, and that my only real option is staying at home off my foot.

On the other hand, I’ve had MAJOR frustrations re work; the VPN connections to work have dried up, and aren’t working, and other stuff on my work laptop is jamming up.  I’ve been asking and asking for help to come out here – and the office’s network support people saying, “gee, beats me” over the phone is not helping, especially since my boss is annoyed as to Why Isn’t This Taken Care Of?  The tech from work has made and broken several appointments recently to come out here, and was supposed to come out (again) today – and hadn’t responded to questions about when he’s coming out.  Finally had to make a huge stink about it – I basically am too tenderhearted to kick hiney and scream about this sort of thing, but I can’t get anything done otherwise.

After a flurry of emails and calls this morning, he just called and said he’d be here early this afternoon.  For What That’s Worth.

I was delighted!  Mere took a 1st place in pairs, 1st place in Singles/C-Class and 2d place in Singles/B-Class..beating some girls who were *good* skaters.  She was very VERY happy.  This will, however, move her up to Singles/A-Class in the future….tougher competition.

Over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend, she’s going off with her coach and his family (including her pairs partner, Eric) to the Donora Invitational – a high-visibilty event.  She has been practicing like mad with her new routines, and I hope and expect that she’ll do well with that!

The next local meet is on Mother’s Day in May, at the Lombard Rink (our home rink).

Alternate History that Doesn’t Involve WW2 or the Civil War – Friday, 02-10-2012 – 11:30 am to 1:00 pm – Birch B
As any judge for the Sidewise Awards knows, hundreds of Alternate History stories come out each year. Though many of them seem to fixate on World War II and the Civil War, some find more unique points in history for a divergence. What are some of the best Alternate History stories that explore underutilized periods in history?
Walt Boyes (M)
Dale Cozort
Mark Huston
Jim Rittenhouse
Steven H Silver

Thrashing around with a ton of things since we got back last Monday; right now I’m up to my eyeballs in paperwork.  The memorial service went very well, and had a big turnout of friends and family from the Sioux Falls area; some came much further. More later.

…or something like that. I’m exhausted and shutting down for the night; we’ve been packing up for the trip to Sioux Falls tonight, and leaving around 9 in the morning.  The memorial service is 1-4 on Saturday afternoon, and we’ll be seeing friends and family beforehand and coming back next Monday.

And yes, I’ll peek in from time to time in the meantime.  Later.