Content-type: text/html Ray Manning

Monday, January 19, 2004 8:00 AM

Active Rehabilitation


On Tuesday there is the usual ResourceScout meeting where we make more changes to the proposal based upon comments from Los Angeles County. And I tell the team that we need to be prepared to walk away from this deal because in the amount of time and effort that we've expended on making trivial changes to the proposal, LA County could have already had a working product. My teammates agree.

On Wednesday night I geek out with website development and bowls of ice cream. As I'm turning off lights to go to bed I stop and watch Nopey as he sleeps - sprawled out in a comfortable position on his blanket on the kitchen floor. I observe the small tremors in his hind legs that have been present for a long time now. And I also observe the entire body tremors that have only appeared in the last 6 months or so. Hopefully Nopey is dreaming away about his past and future life where he runs wild - chasing children and small animals, carefree and abundantly reckless.

Person N_V comes over near 2am on Wednesday night and I am unable to fall back asleep. So I get up and read a book about cryptography and encryption for about an hour. Heading back to bed I still have a hard time falling back asleep but eventually I do.

On Thursday night I decide that almost one month of pain is enough. It's time to get back to it. It's time to take matters into my own hands. So I set the alarm for 5:30 on Friday morning.

On Friday I get up early and get out for a brisk walk. On a number of occasions I try to run a bit. But each time that I land on my right leg I feel that it is about to collapse - sending me toppling to the ground. I end up running just a bit in a stiff-legged position - good thing that it is dark at 5:45 am so that nobody can see how funny this looks.

I keep things going on Friday after work by getting in a good session with the weights and going for another walk. The leg doesn't feel great, but this has to be done. To go along with the "active rehabilitation", Friday is a day of only 3 g of fat intake. I take two Kava root extract tablets and am fast asleep a bit after 9pm.

Saturday I'm up early and refreshed so I get in an early morning bicycle ride. This is going to be one of those "older" Saturdays as opposed to the lazy ones recently with the leg hurting. So after the bicycle ride I sell a truck, mow the lawn (with Nopey walking slowly about the neighborhood and checking things out), feed the roses, do some grocery shopping, sand some trim around doors, remove cabinet doors, and sand the doors. (Taking the advice of Person N_V and deciding to start changing the color scheme of the entire house.) After a failed attempt at a nap - oh I perhaps dozed off for a bit - I get in another good session with the weights and then get out for another long walk. Two anti-inflammatory later I talk with Person J_VKPI and Person N_V. (Person N_V is at the Sundance Festival.) In the full active rehabilitation mode, today is another day of 3 g of fat intake (or possibly a bit less).

Person J_VKPI does not make it so I head to a club in West Hollywood on my own - knowing that I'll run into friends and acquaintances. Present, but not limited to, are Brandon, Chuck, Person JJ_F, Person Ray, Person J_I (who keeps suggesting that we go somewhere while he tries to make me forget about my boyfriend), Person T_U (who is very depressed now following his breakup with Person D_V - after 8 years together), and others. Person Huy, a friend of Person N_V's, is there and we talk for a few minutes. I know that he works for a law firm that is suing Northrop Grumman, so I jokingly pull out my wallet, hand it to him, and say, "Just take that and call off the lawsuit". Person Huy doesn't want to give the wallet back but I eventually wrestle it away from him. I spend a lot of time talking with Person T_U about our city council, clubs, and other activities. Tonight, by the time that I am leaving near 2 am, I have received no kisses on the chest (or anywhere else for that matter) though I did have someone trying to prevent me from leaving by holding my hand. Because I have nobody to drop off tonight I am laying down for sleep at 2:40 am.

On Sunday, as I try to continue an active rehabilitation, I get out for a morning bicycle ride, write a letter to the newspaper, sand some trim for painting, lift weights, and get out for a long walk. I stay at or below 3 g of fat again today. After a bit of reading about crytpography and encryption, I am ready for sleep.