it's Friday eve

 * Started a new project. I had a cake of String Theory "Photon" (it has sparkles) in the colorway Penumbra, which reminds me a bit of Twilight Sparkle. And I decided I didn't want just plain striping socks, so I found a modified feather-and-fan stitch that will work (it'll chevron a bit) with the striping yar. I'm only a few rounds into the ribbing thus far so no photo yet.

* Tomorrow's the MRI. I was worrying about it but a friend on Bluesky told me that he had a knee MRI and they only put you in up to the waist, so the claustrophobia thing shouldn't be as bad as I was fearing. I have foam earplugs that I'll bring and see if I can wear them if the noise is going to be bad.

* The knee is off and on. The intense pain that felt like ligaments is gone, but there's a nagging slightly arthritic-like pain if I stand or walk a lot. Tylenol relieves it; taking a break to sit down makes it better and then I can stand back up and walk more. I can walk and stand without pain for longer periods. The x-ray they took Tuesday at the orthopedic doctor DID show some arthritis so I won't be surprised if that's it. The bad news is arthritis is always there but the good news is that exercise can help it, and tylenol is there if it gets bad.

* I'm REALLY hoping for a good report. That's the one thing I would want for my birthday (the end of this month) but of course that's not a thing that can be bought at a store. 

If I do get a good report, and my leg is better enough to brave an hour's round trip drive and some walking, the weekend of the 24th, I will go to Denison and maybe also to Michael's and the Ulta. If I don't get a good report? (Shrug emoji) it will depend a lot on how urgently they want me to have surgery, I'm hoping if that's the outcome it can wait AT LEAST until my spring break. I mean, it sucks to be laid up during (and after) Spring Break, and it sucks to contemplate going backwards in terms of pain and disability, but....I really hope that's not it. I hope the fairly rapid improvement I've had this week is evidence it's healing up on its own. (It's been just over a month; I did the injury on 14 January).

 In hopes of this, my mother said she was sending me a check in addition to the small birthday gifts she was sending, so I doubly hope I am okay to go and check out the new home of Quixotic Fibers and maybe get some new shower gel.

* I will say, and this is how I am - when someone called today to do "pre registration" stuff I was super calm and polite with her, and I admit, the part of my brain that still believes in fairy tales tells me "be nice to every medical professional you encounter, and maybe you'll be rewarded with a knee that's healing on its own." Oh, I know intellectually it doesn't work that way (but wouldn't it be nice if it did? That if you were kind to people and not rude and demanding, good things came your way? Our society might be a much better place if the rude and pushy people were punished in some kind of short term and the kind and patient people were rewarded....)

* Anyway, if you're a praying type, or a good-thoughts and mojo type, I'd appreciate some around 2 pm CST tomorrow; that's when I go in. I mean both for a good report but also that I can remain calm and still during the process - I am not good at staying still, and I am not good around loud noise, and I am claustrophic, though it seems very likely that won't be an issue if it's just my lower body that goes in the machine; if my head is free I'll be okay.