It's the weekend

 * Tired. This has been a very long semester because of the injury. Today was the last day of classes; I did a review in my one class (didn't quite get through the whole review sheet but I did review the main points of the first 2/3 of the class).

I also got the last two assignments (except for the student who took the L on the big project). In general, I was pleased with the plant collections - one or two people leaned too hard on using the apps and came up with wrong identifications (protip: when it's a small collection with fairly open parameters? Choose plants that it's hard to confuse with other things! Like, redbud would be a really good one. And catalpa, that's even *flowering* right now so you can't mistake it). But several people will be happy: this is worth as much as an exam so doing well on it can boost your grade.

I also computed provisional grades (what they would be before the final) so people can see where they stand. Most people are doing okay; the ones who aren't are the ones who seem not to have put much effort in. Mostly Cs and Bs, but our students are busy people and these are all challenging upper division classes, so that's not so odd. 

* I guess my leg is still getting better. I walked about one and three quarter miles yesterday out on campus to try to build back up, but that was mostly on sidewalk and I've learned hard surfaces are not great - I get fatigued and everything hurts. It was bad when I got up but got better over the course of the day, so when I got home for lunch (and decided not to go back to campus: no need to, and also, storms were threatening), I did the piano practice and then hit the cross-country ski simulator (which, despite the repetitive motion, may be better than walking on sidewalks - a more giving surface to be on, and it forces you to keep your legs aligned right). I was able to do just over 2 miles - 27 minutes. 

In the before-times, I did half an hour to 35 minutes most days, so being able to do that much at this point tells me that the injury has mostly healed (I do continue to see improvement, so maybe in fact the "four to six months for a bone bruise" isn't too far off). I also did the PT exercises, and I really think keeping up with those is going to be what keeps me functional and at least for now, able to avoid surgery on that meniscus. (I might still have it some day but I want to see how much improvement I can get with exercise. Right now it's mainly about reducing pain and also increasing my muscle strength - I can tell I lost a lot in nearly 3 months of immobility)

* I've been picking away at different projects. I have perhaps 1/3 of the second sleeve knit on Chalcedony; I am not sure if I'll need to plan another project for my last exam. (I have the sleeve to complete, and then the front/neck band to knit on.)

I'm thinking about starting a couple pairs of socks; I have a couple self-patterning yarns I want to use (that starling one I bought last week, and an earthtone striping one I've had for a while). I want to find some different ribbing patterns to use for the cuff - it sometimes gets boring to just knit plain socks.

I also pulled the giant blanket back out; it's nice when you're just tired or there's a program on tv you want to watch more intently because it's just garter stitch (with a decrease at the beginning of each row)

* I also did the accumulated laundry tonight and changed the bedsheets. I try to do this once a week in allergy season (even though I wash my hair in the afternoon/evening if I've been outside to avoid tracking pollen with me). I dont' always get it done; usually it's closer to 10 days. But at least I can do it again - when I was first injured I had to go several weeks because I hurt too much and was too inflexible.

Of course, given the sheer number of stuffed animals I also have ranged around the head of the bed, it takes a lot longer because I have to remove and then replace them. But I feel like I sleep better with them around...

And yeah, even though I do sometimes still hurt/get tired/lose flexibility after sitting too long, I have to remember how bad I was back in the end of January, when I was keeping the rolling chair next to my bed for when I had to get up in the night for the bathroom, both so I wouldn't fall and because it hurt too much, even with the cane, to put much weight on the foot. Now I usually don't even use the cane. (I keep it within reach in case I feel unsteady. The last thing I want to do is reinjure this.

But healing from a big injury is just super frustrating. And it's not linear, which has freaked me out at times - I'll have several good days (painwise) and then a bad one, and I'll think "oh no, did I reinjure myself?" I'm wondering if I actually had some nerve damage with the injury which is healing and I know that can cause weird pain. 

* I'll have to see what the weather's like tomorrow. I do have Zoom knitting, and I went and had a spendy trip last week, so I will stay in town, but I need to go to the grocery and whether I go to the one close to home or to the wal-mart will depend on how heavy it's raining and how early I can be ready. 

And, if I have time, I want to run back to the gourmet shop - I got my part of the gift for our retiring colleague there but I want to get a few other things to add to my mother's Mother's Day gift. I have  a couple small things. But one of the spice mixes I ordered (part of a set of three) has celery in it (I didn't see that when I ordered it), and neither of us can eat celery. (I'm still going to give it to her, possibly one of her friends would take it and use it). But if they have one or two other nice small things, I can do that.

For her birthday, I ordered her a Rancho Gordo gift box - she enjoys cooking and uses beans a lot, and these are supposed to be like the very best beans ever, so. 

* Next week is finals and the retirement for my colleague, and then the week after that, midweek, I leave for an extended visit with my mom. I'm considering trying to use my backpack as my carry on instead of my big Vera Bradley duffel bag (I'll probably have to pack books/projects in my suitcase, then) because it might be easier to get up and down the stairs since I'm not fully 100% stair compliant yet and being able to hang on with both hands would be good. I haven't decided yet whether I need to take the cane - my mother has a similar one left over from my father that we could reset to a shorter height if I need it. Canes don't count towards your carry on allowance but it will be another thing to drag with me and carry. (I wish I could have arranged for a lower level sleeper room, but then getting to the dining car would still have been hard)