Week is done

 I can be mostly sedentary tomorrow, which is good. I'm hurting a bit more; I am hoping this is evidence of the sprain healing itself and not that pushing myself to teach in person made me hurt myself worse. That immbolizer is for the birds - it will not stay in place if you have to move on the crutches, and it's uncomfortable to wear when sitting, even with your feet up (like in a recliner). In fact a couple sites I looked at from orthopedic doctors suggested taking it OFF when relaxing with your feet up to allow for better circulation to the area. 

Also, a realization as I struggled down and back to the bathroom on campus today: accessibility is not JUST "can this door admit a wheelchair user" or "are there curb-cuts" but also "how do we make daily tasks less arduous and timeconsuming for someone without full physical mobility" - I wash my hands after using the loo but the hand soap dispenser is just far enough from the sink to make it require shifting over to the side on crutches to use it. So I mostly didn't and hoped rinsing and drying my hands well would take care of it. 

I did find a good, sturdy rolling chair (it was one of the small number of "faculty classroom desk chairs" we had ordered) and when a student brought it over to me in class (on the grounds of "this might be more comfortable than the standard armless chair you have"), I decided to commandeer it for my use - it's safe enough to propel myself backwards in, so when I'm on campus, even though it looks REALLY stupid, I can roll down the hall to go to the restroom (I still have to take my crutches to navigate in there, the chair won't fit) and to go to the classroom with. It's also more comfortable at my desk. So I am keeping it, at least until I'm over this knee thing, and claiming it as an accommodation, I don't think anyone can complain.

Otherwise, the day was just tiring.

It started off with this.

This was a hard plastic water bottle (from a Doki Doki crate, so I'll never get another one like it). I had been using it for drinking water because it closes up and I had been keeping it on that small barstool I use as a table in the living room. But this morning, my crutches slipped when I had them leaned and they hit the floor and took this with it. And the bottom broke out. I mean, the only saving grace is that it wasn't my computer, and the water that spilled was on the floor (so: not on my computer), but I was sad and frustrated - I need to have water near me, it's too much effort to get up and get it and I will get dehydrated otherwise, and I have found lately when I'm dehydrated it spikes up my heart rate, which is not good.

Going in to work, I thought: well, I could take the nice metal one I bought from Loopy Ewe back home, but I do need that one in my office - I use it even when my knees were fine, just to avoid walking to the drinking fountain (far away) every time I wanted water. 

Then I thought: well, maybe I call the little local gourmet shop, ask what they have, and explain that I'm not very mobile and if I could pay over the phone and drive down, would someone carry it out to my car for me? But their website was not online shopping friendly, and I decided I didn't feel like calling and trying to explain. I asked my next-door colleague if the new Starbucks was open (knowing they sometimes sell travel mugs) but she said no, and then said: but walgreens does pick up orders. And that was a good idea; I have a new bottle now thanks to Walgreens, and more tylenol, and I bought a little package of dried apricots and of pitted dates in zip-top packages so I can keep them close to me in my recliner (sometimes you get hungry all of a sudden, and getting up for a snack on crutches feels like too much). 

But now I'm finally home. I've learned to get my mail by driving up close to the mailbox and reaching out my driver's side window - it is a lot safer than trying to navigate the two railing-less steps from the sidewalk to the street. And my car's put away. I'm considering texting Dana and seeing if she'd be willing to pick me up for church and bring me back home Sunday, just to save wear and tear on me (and also: I need to get gas soon). 

ALSO: Dana got Nelson, the guy who does construction/handyman work for her to come over and stabilize the wobbly front porch railing (he had come with her Tuesday when she came to get me and he looked at it and did say with some concern "yes this needs to be fixed"). He did a fantastic job and it's really stable now - and he refused payment, he said "all it took was a couple screws and washers and fifteen minutes' work" so I am grateful for that. I suppose some folks like that take certain pride in being able to fix small problems for people. 

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My box of yarn from KnitPicks came today. I am trying not to order more yarn but they had one of their "Static" striping yarns in a colorway called "Lasagna Cat" (a tribute to Garfield) and I wanted that, and I also ordered one called "Cabot Cove" (that has ocean blues in it) because of "Murder, She Wrote."

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Also, I found this article. It's another essay about how stuffies have the power to calm even some adults. (I hope you can read it if you want; it is marked "members only")

Politics, Pandemic, and Pete the Cat

Yes, I've seen a few of these lately, and it cheers me up after a younger life of hearing that people should "give up" stuffed animals after about the age of 10 or 12, and I've ALWAYS hung on to mine, and  have bought (and made) more over the years. I keep them around - I often push one up against my chest when I sleep, or tuck one up on my arm. I have two now keeping me company in my recliner; they were ones I kept in a big chair in this room and could easily reach - Boomerang, who is a horse from that Spirit tv show, kind of a nice little Beanie Baby sized horse

And then also Pigou, my winged pig

Yes, I'm enough of a nerd I named him after the British economist Arthur Pigou, who is the originator of the concept we call a Pigouvian Tax (which I talk about in environmental policy and law - it's often applied as a "cost of doing business" when the business is damaging in some way, like releasing sulfur dioxides)

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Tonight I hope to do some more knitting. I am slowly working on the second "Vintage Christmas" sock.