Further Observations and Ranting

Let's hear it for torn cartilage - the wrist is not broken! 

Of course, I had kind of figured that out by now. Anyway, I only have to use a removable brace/splint for six weeks - Hooray!  Funny how I didn't ever realize until now just how terrible that break was four years ago… 

On a completely different note - This makes me mad … I can feel my blood pressure rise as the train passes the Metrodome every day … what a waste!

They keep blowing it up with limited results.

I saw a wrecking ball hit it today - barely made a dent.  Maybe that's because it was a perfectly sound structure - they're tearing it down because they want a prettier one.   It would be bad enough if they were paying for it themselves, but of course they are not.

On a brighter note, I saw a father/daughter pair on the train Sunday … she was probably about four years old. They were all bundled up and had a snowboard with them. And get this - the dad had a Hello Kitty hat on. How adorable is that?!?!

Random Observations

• I just saw Tim's Vermeer
• Vermeer is a fascinating painter to many people, myself included
• Hitler too
• The movie turned my view of Vermeer upside down
• You should go see the movie
• The Uptown Theater in Minneapolis now has assigned seating
• And a full bar
• They didn't announce that there's a full bar until it was too late to get a beer
• I had to wait 'till I got home
• Next time
• Seeing the movie is part of my new plan to see 30 movies this year
• Inspired by my friend Dorothy
• I'm going to count each season of Tales of the City as a Movie
• And Sherlock
• I started watching the British Sherlock because my coworkers were talking about it
• Also Downton Abbey
• Season finale for Downton is tomorrow
• Did you see this article about Bates?
• Also in the news did you see this from The Bloggess?
• I love Jenny Lawson
• Venezuela is in the news too
• My AFS family does not write
• I don't know if they're ok or not
• They are incapable of writing
• We have seen each other here and there over the past 35 years
• But they don't write
• Makes me sad, not knowing
• On a brighter note, I am starting to knit again
• Nothing fancy
• But still … it's progress
• I have new tires on my car
• Hooray
• Came in handy today given the state of the roads
• Which are like washboards

Here are Sunday's photos:

Two of my pet peeves: feet on the seat in the train and butt hanging out of pants

Girl-child took this photo in the elevator at my new building when she and DIL came to visit

Boy-child in his favorite new Christmas t-shirt

Marshmallow World

Last night:

This afternoon:

I still love the cold, clear days after a storm :-)

The Wrist Saga: 2014 Edition

Saturday 1pm - After fall at White Bear Lake I cry out, "Well, at least I didn't break anything!"

Saturday 2pm - Starting to hurt

Saturday 3pm - Hurting quite a bit

Saturday 4pm - Decide to go to urgent care

Saturday 7pm - Leaving urgent care still uncertain of whether or not it's broken … looks like a chip fracture of the triquetal although it could be just a badly torn ligament

Sunday - do nothing all day

Monday - find an orthopedic specialist downtown Minneapolis to avoid going across town to the one urgent care was going to send me to on Friday morning

Tuesday - pick up X-rays from urgent care

Wednesday - go to orthopedic specialist in Minneapolis who tells me the same thing I heard Saturday

Thursday - go for MRI of the wrist so he can see the ligament

Friday - work from home because office is closed due to blizzard…sure am glad I didn't keep that appointment across town this morning

Upcoming:

Monday - follow up to discuss MRI results

By the time they decide how to treat the problem the wrist may have healed on its own 

Point of interest: Heard the word "shattered" when the Dr was looking over the 2010 break info.  That might explain why I was fairly crippled four years ago compared with this week.  Also, the triquetal was not involved in the 2010 break, so at least I'm not repeatedly picking the same bone ;-)

More Shanty Shots

Because Girl-child let me use her camera after mine died:

Art Shanties

Yesterday was my day to visit the art shanties at White Bear Lake.  Girl-Child and DIL created one of them.  Unfortunately I have very few photos because my camera battery died.

There were folks fishing and wind sailing on the lake too.  It's pretty amazing how many people are crazy enough to go out and play on a frozen lake.

The beach is closed; there are no lifeguards. 

There's a polar bear cycle affiliated with the shanties.

The Girls' shanty is Monsters and Robots.

 That would be me.

Robots on the outside, monsters on the inside.

It was lots of fun.  Really cold.  A little snowy.

And icy.  I managed to slip and fall.  Seems I broke my wrist again.  I've always found it supremely ironic that my name means grace.  I have to be one of the most klutzy people ever.

Random Calendar Shots and a Story

I think I mentioned that I have a very cool shoe calendar on my desk. Photos were requested, so here's a sampling:

As you can see, some are more practical than others.  We have a lot of fun at work critiquing the aesthetic and practical merits of each. I seem to like the ones from the 18th century, the 1920s-1940s and the 1980s. My shoes these days are not very exciting, but I can still appreciate looking at all types.

It's hard to come up with blog fodder these days.  I feel like I don't do much, although Girl-child disagrees with me.  I told her this story over the phone tonight and she thought it was very funny….

…I went to an awesome party last weekend.  A ballet mom (from the old days) has these amazing parties to which I sometimes get invited.  Last weekend's bash had a travel theme.  Everyone was to wear something (a piece of jewelry, an article of clothing or whatever) from a trip.  It makes for a great ice breaker and interesting stories.  I met another AFSer who went to Italy in the 1970s - I went to Venezuela the summer of 1977.  There were a ton of really interesting women there.  Great party.

Anyway, I took the bus to the party since it was easy and close, and that way I could have two glasses of wine (yes, I really let my hair down sometimes).  The bus driver apparently took a shine to me and was pulling out a treat to gift me before I got off.  I said, "Oh, is it a dum-dum?!?" (They gave these out to kids at the liquor store when I was little and they still did at Lunds and Haskells when my kids were little).  And the driver replied, "Would I give a dum-dum to a lady?  What kind of a message would that be sending?!?"

This is what he gave me:

A Blow-Pop.  I'm not sure what to think.  

Since it seems like a bad idea to accept candy from a stranger, even at my advanced age, I've decided to just leave it in my bag.  Makes me giggle every time I see it.

Weather Shots

It's wintertime here in Minnesota. It's been a cold winter, with average amounts of snow. We have two kind of people here in the winter, people who love it and people who hate it. The folks who hate it should move.  Me, I really like the snow. I think the cold is tolerable if we have enough snow. 

This year the snow to cold ratio is out of kilter.  Mostly it's just been cold.

I go through the skyway to work now when the weather is  bad…that means every day.  I had not realized until being above the streetlights that those lights are warm, even in the cold, and the warmth causes melt, drip and icicles.  Kind of cool.

This is the view from our lunchroom at work when it's snowing.  Makes me smile.

When it's really cold people get dressed in all kinds of unusual garb.  This woman had a bit of a furry clash going on - the hat, the hair and the collar of her coat.  She was probably pretty warm though, so we'll mark her as fashionably warm.  It's hard to kinnear people when it's cold out, so I don't get many pictures of people dressed for winter weather.

When it's cold you can't even touch metal or it will burn your skin.  This is a shot of the door from inside.  The metal is dark brown when it's not covered in frost.

This is the view from the lunchroom on a cold day - today.  Today it is too cold out to snow.

I heard recently we aren't supposed to blog about weather but I'm not buying it.  I got an email from Australia recently asking what the hell was going on with our weather.  They're burning up there.  He also said that a newspaper in Oz said that people in the Midwest take a sort of sick pride in their brutal weather.

I did not deny it.

Office Decorating

Girl-child was giving me a hard time after visiting me at the new place of employ because I hadn't decorated enough.  (I think she's pretty horrified at how happy I am to be back in cubicle land.)  Just thought I would show that I've decorated a bit now. 

Cat/dog salt and pepper shaker from Suzie.  Owl coffee sleeve made by Rose The Gypsy.  Library of Congress coffee mug.

Photos of the children at favorite graffiti points (boy at Cadillac Ranch and girl in London).  Sock monkey buddies, postcard encouraging knitters to make socks for the soldiers in WWI.  Card from Sue who thought the bouquet looked like yarn :-)

Favorite photos of the children - several of them were Christmas cards.  On the left is one of the kids in Toledo, Spain - May 2000.  The wire photo holder was a gift from Carol - the holders are in the shape of shoes.  Also a wire bicycle from Fede which is remarkably still in one piece 33 years later.

Librarian, bookish and library photo corner including the librarian action figure comic strip (published when I was in grad school), card with photo of what's probably a bookstore, the public library in Vicuña, Chile, The Brooklyn Art Library and The Morgan Library.  Since I work with an electronic collection I thought it would be good to have some images of physical books.