Archive for the ‘ipad’ Tag
Today is my ninth day living in this one-legged hell my life has become. I’ve learned a few valuable things in these nine days and I thought I’d share them with you.
-
First, don’t break your damn leg. I know it’s a bit simplistic but sometimes you just need to be told the obvious.
-
Second, hope and pray your relationship is solid because it will be tested. I’ve become somewhat irritable and difficult or at least that’s what my better-half has been screaming at me.
-
Third, prepare yourself for the realization that all it takes is a small bone in your leg to break to turn you into a giant dependent ball of human flesh.
I was raised to be as independent as possible and have spent my entire life just that way. I hate relying on anyone for anything. I’ve had a few times in my life where I was laid up for a day or two but nothing like this. Six to eight weeks of sitting on my ass and stumbling around the house being unable to do a damn thing. It’s incredibly frustrating to say the least. My better-half remains supportive but realizes I’m quickly going out of my mind with cabin fever.
I’ve improved my walking abilities with these crutches but it’ll never be enough to make this situation bearable. Since I’m unable to carry coffee and walk on crutches at the same time it took a day or two for me to solve that problem. A sealable carry-mug that fits nicely into my pocket was the solution. I can now walk/hop/drag a leg to the kitchen, retrieve some coffee, and return to my chair. It sounds stupid I know but it’s a major accomplishment for me.
Thank God for my X-Box and IPad. Those two devices are the only things keeping me from going bat-shit crazy. I’ve always spent a lot of time on the X-Box but now it’s totally out of control. I’m afraid I may be developing a serious case of X-Box thumbs. The IPad has allowed me to connect with hundreds of other addicted Scrabble fanatics to play Word HD with Friends. A great little App that allows me to continuously play multiple games with people from around the country. The time really flies by very quickly when I’m focused in those games.
I received some good news on my follow-up visit to the orthopedist today. The leg is healing properly and no surgery will be required. I’m to spend the next two weeks doing things much the same as I’ve been doing. That news raised my morale a bit and hopefully in two more weeks I’ll be permitted to put some weight on the leg which will really jump start this recovery.
One other quick note. My better-half suggested a trip to Walmart today to pickup a few items and somehow strong-armed me into riding on one of their infamous electric carts. I put up a good fight but there was no talking to her. For years I’ve bitched and complained about certain people on those carts blocking aisles and being a general nuisance to other shoppers. Well, today I joined the elite ranks of the Walmart Disabled Shoppers Group. I was hoping for a Walmart hat or T-shirt but sadly I was out of luck. They wanted to give me a pair of pink sweat pants that had “JUICY” on the ass but I declined. Pink just isn’t my color. It clashes way too much with my purple sweatshirt and my orange Budweiser baseball cap. That’s my official Walmart shopping outfit.
We’re headed back home now where I’ll enjoy another afternoon of Scrabble, Tiger Woods 2011, and really bad TV. I must have done something really terrible in a past life to deserve this karmic ass-kicking.
We’re well into the month of March, one of the more religiously celebrated months of the year. The following days are observed by millions of people in many varied religions and countries. They are this year; St. David’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Saint Piran’s Day, St. Urho’s Day, and of course Easter Sunday.
I tend to get mixed messages because at the same time we have a total of 287 other daily, weekly, and monthly observances in March that are anything but religious. Here are a few odd and unusual observances that are in my opinion completely ridiculous.
Atheist Awareness Day, Root Canal Awareness Day, Pig Day, Day of the Dude, Corn Dog Day, Snowman Burning Day, and Earmuff Day. Go figure.
I myself have only one observance in March that interests me enough to mention. March 15-17 is Sherlock Holmes Weekend and I celebrate it each year by reading selected stories from my Sir Arthur Conan Doyle collection. Of all of the detectives written about over the years Sherlock Holmes has had more staying power than almost all of them. Alex Cross, Jack Reacher, Travis McGee, and Eve Dallas all have a huge followings around the world but nothing comes close to the Sherlock Holmes contingent of which I count myself a proud member.
Not only is it fun to read detective stories written in the late 1800’s but it’s also amazing to me how many of the skills developed by the Holmes character eventually became talents developed by many real life investigators. I was a criminal investigator and interrogator for more than than thirty years as a police officer, private investigator, and then in the private sector. The most successful investigators have an ability to look at a series of facts and circumstances from a unique angle that most people are unable to do. They place themselves into the mind of a criminal or victim which in turn helps them to understand the simplest of actions and statements which under normal circumstances might go unnoticed by the untrained. My first exposure to that way of thinking was through the Sherlock Holmes stories.
You can’t really appreciate Holmes without giving credit to his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who died on July 7, 1940 in Sussex, England. Six years and one month later I was born. Approximately twelve years later I read my first Sherlock Holmes story and saw my first Hollywood movie version staring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. I’ve been hooked ever since.
I’m not saying that Sherlock Holmes was the inspiration for my career but I can’t tell you how many times when I first initiated a case I thought to myself “Watson, the game is afoot” .
One of my all time favorite Holmes mysteries is The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle. Find it, read it, and enjoy it.
Also thank God for my IPad, I still carry Holmes with me wherever I go.
Today I’ve scheduled a few hours to complete the close out of the Anti-Stupidly Central blog. I was a slow starter this morning but I finally downed a couple cups of coffee in an attempt to get my motor running. Last night was another cold night with winter just around the snowy, sleety, freezing corner. Thank God for that lifesaving electric blanket because without it I might have frozen off an important body part or two.
The closeout article for Anti-Stupidity is now completed and I’ll post it on the 31st so I can get to work on this journal. I keep second guessing myself about the reasoning behind the closing but I’ve just got to let it go and move on. It really was a great two year run and I learned a lot more than I ever anticipated about blogging and writing. Life truly does goes on.
I’m forcing myself to get the hell out the house later today and make a short trip the my favorite spot, the Scarborough River Wildlife Sanctuary. It’s the perfect place to take a few photo’s, breathe a little clean air, and commune with good old Mother Nature. I haven’t been there nearly enough this summer but I’ll make up for it this winter. Besides, I can’t wait to break in those new snowshoes I bought last Spring. As much as I like Summer and Fall scenic shots, I think the winter snow scenes are even more beautiful. I plan on going overboard this winter on them if we get the amount of snow needed to make them perfect. Everyone including Poor Richard is calling for large snow falls this year and I hope their right.
It’s time for a hot bowl of soup, a little reading, and then back to the computer. I‘m slowly getting the hang of blogging with my new IPad but I’m a long way from being as proficient as I need to be .
everyuselessthing.com 