Un-Caned

Walking around today without the cane that has been my companion for several weeks, especially when I'm out in the world. I had a very encouraging visit with the orthopedist yesterday, who is of the opinion that I do not need surgery, that the structure of my knee is not as bad as I (or, indeed, he) had feared, and that some cortisone treatments might just do the trick.

And so I received one. And I already feel much more stable on my feet.

And that's what I call relief.

Learning

My head feels full. Having just finished a course in songwriting (and having received high marks from my peers for my final submission), I've moved straight on to "Building the Wealth of Nations." Fascinating stuff!

At the same time, I'm studying lines for the next play at the Village Players.

And still writing, of course. No wonder I'm tired.

Furloughed

Today was my last day of work for awhile; Tom's was yesterday. I was expecting some kind of gap in employment—it's not uncommon where I work—but the timing could have been better. Had I been off this week instead of next, I could have stayed with the kids, saved some daycare expenses, and saved Karen a couple of vacation days. Sigh.

Meanwhile, there will be lots for both Thomas and me to do before they call us back to work in mid-May. The next two weeks may not be profitable, but I'm going to try to ensure that they are productive.

Day Off

The boys are on vacation, and in order to not have them stuck in daycare all week (and save ourselves the expense of that), I decided to take a day off and Karen decided to take two. Brave woman.

The boys and I went to the movies today, to see The Croods.

What did I think? Well, the boys liked it.

I also submitted the final recording for my songwriting course. All that's left to do is evaluate the submission of at least five of my fellow students, and then wait to see what the final results are.

And after that? I've signed on for a writing course, which partly overlaps a physics course. I don't believe in giving learning a rest.

Birthday In the Booth

Just finished the next-to-last performance of Undeclared History. I was in the lighting booth and Karen was in the audience. Made for a great end to my birthday, especially given the cast's amazing performance. One more day (matinee) in the booth before the wrap party.

And then next week it's back to acting, with the read-through of Hello ... Is Any Body There? I get to play Sir Malcom, whose wife writes murder mystery novels.

Having a Happy

I woke up this morning, the 56th anniversary of my Mom's last trip to the maternity ward, and couldn't get back to sleep. I was not, as I would have expected, anticipating the day, or looking back on the last 56 years. No, I was—true to form—writing.

I have a songwriting assignment due Monday, and I'm not quite there with it yet, and I was trying to sort out the lyrics in my head. This is how I do much of my writing. I get a lot of the mental part done while I'm working, as my job requires far too little mental effort.

And so, this is how I started my 57th year. So where do I stand at this time in my life? Well, things could be better of course, but there are a lot of folks these days that are suffering financially. I have a roof over my head and plenty of good food to eat, and that by itself is a lot more than many people can say.

But I have so much more. This morning, over a breakfast of eggs, scrapple (a special treat I'd never have know about if I had not married a certain gorgeous New Jersey native), and toast made from home-made bread, my family gave me my gifts. The most expensive was a tall bottle of maple syrup purchased from a workmate of Karen's who puts up this local liquid gold every year. The rest of the gift bag was filled with little food treats from the dollar store, including banana chips and Whoppers malted milk balls. I couldn't have asked for more.

Today, my family will be taking me out to a very early dinner, because I am scheduled to do lights and sound for a marvelous show at the Village Players. Karen is attending the show tonight, so we will get to hang out with the cast and crew before and after the show together. That's what I call a celebration.

And sometime during all of it, I need to work on my song, and help Karen with the construction of her camping trailer. Work? Yes. But both labors of love.

Now, anyone who has been following our page knows that I am limping along, literally, with an injured knee; a brand new offset aluminum cane is my companion whenever I leave the house. Certainly, this must be making me feel a little old. But as my first knee surgery was more than 40 years ago, when I was fifteen, this is pretty familiar territory.

And rather than viewing it as a sign of aging, I'm just annoyed at my knee for it's inconvenient sense of timing. The injury has made work, theater, and projects around the house go much slower. And the prospect of another surgery is mostly daunting from a financial and schedule perspective, but it's not unexpected.

And so, at 56, I might want some things to be much different than they are now, but I have a wonderful family, and some exciting, creative things to do. All in all, a good life.

And I've managed to avoid the word for about ten paragraphs now, but it's time I gave in.

Yes, today is my birthday.

The Day After

Opening night for Undeclared History is in the can. Small audience because of bad weather, but the cast played it like it was a full house. And so Hell Week is done, there are four more shows to do, and I can do a little bit of catching up and perhaps a little resting between shows.

Quick updates: songwriting course still going, and I've made very deadline so far. One last assignment left to do, a rewrite of the song I wrote last week (and recorded late at night after rehearsal just before the deadline). Knee is still somewhat swollen, but then I haven't really rested it. MRI on Wednesday to find out what's going on in there. Work is, well, same as always, and probably will continue until the end of the school year.

Daniel got to meet New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan during a trip to the state house last week, and even shook her hand. He was very impressed by that.

Now I have to get ready for tonight's show.

Discovery

We're at the Mt. Washington Weather Discovery Center. Never been before, but we will return this summer for certain.

Oh, Yeah

While going on about how busy I am, I forgot that the subject of this blog is what's happening now. I'm writing this in a pool house in Intervale where Danny has been invited to swim with some friends.

I'm actually working on my songwriting assignment on my phone while watching.

And yes, I know I repeated myself about my knee injury; I really should read my past posts before I write a new one. (Insert appropriate emoticon here.)

Slammed

I've been neglecting this blog, and in fact all of my blogs, for a while now. But not out of laziness. I'm just living at the confluence of several events that are, taken in combination, a little overwhelming.

But all but one are good things, and a couple are quite exciting. I'll explain more in a later entry on the family blog, but here's a quick list: a show at the theater, for which I am serving as assistant director and manning the booth; a songwriting course, currently at week five of six; and returning to work full-time. The one bad part? I injured me knee and am walking with the aid of a cane. Kind of shows me down.

But more news coming on all of these as the chaos winds down over the next three weeks.