Archive for June, 2007
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24
Jun
2007
Mighty Oaks From Little Acorns Grow
I’m cautiously optimistic about my knee. In the last week, I finally experienced some improvement again. When I first started physical therapy, there was definite improvement. I went from struggling up the stairs to dull yet constant pain. It was better than before, but better is still not well. The stall has lasted quite awhile, but last week, we changed up the exercises and started doing electro stimulation on my knee. Don’t know if it’s one or both of those or it was just time, but I found myself feeling better last week and that’s worth celebrating. Fingers crossed I’m finally on the way to being over this. My only outstanding question when I go back to the orthopedist in a few weeks for my check up is about the knee and how long we’re talking before something has to be done for that… I was too disappointed at not getting a definite answer about my problems to ask.
On less depressing sides of this thing we call life, I’m showing one of my photos as part of the Castleberry Hill art stroll next month, as part of Atlanta’s Urban Photography group.
Checkmate - Atlanta King & Queen Tower
The show is on July 20th, and the framed print of the King and Queen Towers will be available for sale. Will be nice for a little bit of exposure and all that and this is my favorite local shot so far, well known Atlanta landmark in Sandy Springs – the tallest towers in a suburban setting.
I’ll likely also submitting to the juried exhibition, Slow Exposures, I mentioned in my last post. I need to work on that one night this week. I’ve got a couple of definite choices for my four photos and a couple more to choose from. It’s not too late to help me out and choose your top four.
19
Jun
2007
Photos & Shows
Originally uploaded by Marksda1.
This is one among a group of photos that I’m considering entering in an show called Slow Exposures, which is for photos of the rural south.
If you have time, I’d appreciate you checking out the set of photos and letting me know your fave four (as you can enter up to four for consideration).
Thanks all!
15
Jun
2007
This is Mark’s Insanity Part II
SMART Car
So, after days of thinking about it I put down my $99 and registered for a SMART. I loved them in Europe and they are coming to America in ‘08!
So much for that happy place of no car payments. 
The one above is the configuration I want, color-wise, and yes, the cabriolet model – after year’s of swearing against a convertible
13
Jun
2007
This Is Mark’s Insanity
I was just too excited last week to find out that the SMART car I’ve seen in Europe is coming to the USA in 2008! I’m thinking very seriously that this may be my next vehicle. As long as I hang onto the Blazer, I still have something bigger if I really need it for hauling and such.
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0O64xGtaLE[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T–Q0Cnvk9M[/YOUTUBE]
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hON6gFWrNA[/YOUTUBE]
12
Jun
2007
No News is….
Not sure where the “no news is good news” thing comes from. I guess it has it’s good points, but as the continuing knee saga unfolds… I’m not sure I agree…
After weeks of physical therapy, I went back to the orthopedist last week. I had improvement in physical therapy, but in the end, I had hit a plateau that I couldn’t seem to get around. The improvement just leveled off and stopped. And after weeks of that, the physical therapy people said it was time to go back.
The orthopedist agreed and ordered an MRI, which was Friday. This was in the same week that I had to go to Chicago. Thursday night, in fact, I flew back. That’s a whole nightmare of its own. High winds (why aren’t they used to that in the windy city), couldn’t get on a flight, got moved to like 6 different gates… and when the flight took off, it was the absolutely worst take off of my life. Not the pilots doing. I should say I never felt like we were going to crash, but there was no question that we were flying into some hell winds. The fasten seat belt light was barely off during the flight but it did eventually smooth out.
With all the delays, I got home after 1am… And my MRI was at 8am… yeh… I nearly slept through it, which may not be a bad thing as it definitely took the edge off the experience of having my knee mechanically restrained and my whole body being shoved through what amounted to a giant dough-nut. Blind of course… no glasses…
And then I waited… from Friday to today… for the results… In that time, I was all over the place. I have a good imagination, so believe me, I came up with some doozies. And other times, I imagined that in fact, I’d find out nothing.
Per usual, I was waiting forever to see the doctor. And again, all the horrible ideas went on their parade through my subconscious. Did the nurse seem a little aloof when she said the doctor would be back with my results? Oh, wait, no, not my imagination, but she had been that way everytime so far… nothing new…
Which was pretty much the mantra of today. Nothing new… Tendonitis…
Hmm… lovely… although they indicated yet another tendon… one that as far as I can tell doesn’t bother me, but what do I know…
And the only new news I could have done without. The MRI shows evidence of early arthritis on the back of my knee cap… Eventually I’ll have issues with it catching and maybe locking on me. Lovely, this is like being told eventually you’ll get shot, but not when. Now, the good news was that when that time comes, they can scrape of the back of my knee cap and fix it…
In fact, he mentioned surgery today as a possibility, not per se just for the knee cap but in the way of exploratory to try to find the issue. But I asked if it were him, would he do that at this point, and he said no.
Back to physical therapy for another six weeks and then back to him for a follow-up to see what we shall see…
I’m in a really dour state of mind right now. I was relieved that it’s nothing horrible, but after five months and so little ground gained… It’s just getting mentally rough. I have to remind myself when it started, the stairs were a hurdle. I was only going up and down when I had to go up or down. And that much did improve. But I can’t get past this constant pain. All the pain meds I’ve tried made me sick. And yet, day after day, a variable intensity but constant pain… it takes it’s toll…
I’ll snap out of this later… but that’s where I am right now…
