General Update
Post-Accident Health
It's been just shy of a fortnight since the accident. I've largely recovered, except for my arm. I can carry light things and perform most tasks in one way or another (including simply using my left hand instead) but occasionally I still move it in a way that hurts like hell. At least I'm able to drive again; I got my first ZipCar since the accident on Saturday.
My head, on the other hand, has recovered nicely. A week ago I still felt a bit dopey, not quite keeping up at meetings, etc. but by the end of the week all that was back to normal. I still get a little headachey occasionally, but my lip looks normal again, even though I can still feel tough scars on the inside when I press with my tongue. I wonder if those will ever go away.
Taking it Easy... Eventually
My acupuncturist told me to take it easy last week. I did the best I could, but it was hard to do that and still maintain work commitments and go to lots of medical appointments. I really don't want to let work slide because I got a mediocre review earlier in the year and because of travel in the not-too-distant past and future. In the end it all worked out, though: my health had improved substantially and I felt good about what I'd achieved at work, and I've been able to unwind this weekend.
It's a long weekend here in the U.S. If every weekend had three days, I'd spend one day each weekend relaxing, another socialising, and the last one on personal projects. That's exactly what I did this weekend.
During the day on Saturday I did absolutely nothing. I slept until 11am, went for a walk, and that's about it. My walk included a stop at Amoeba Records, where I bought a Frank Black album I'd ripped from a friend a couple of years ago, a Cake album that's been missing from my collection, and another album by the Sparks. I'm amazed that I didn't hear of the Sparks until last year-they've been around longer than I have and every album I've bought so far has been absolutely brilliant. This weekend I bought Lil' Beethoven.
Pantheacon
Saturday night I went to Pantheacon, and ran into dozens of people I know. Although I've never actually been to any of the plenaries, I've found myself mixed with the Pantheacon crowd most years this century, and I enjoy it more every time. Some long-overdue time with veleda was part of this year's enjoyment... her dad was even at the con.
It seems Pantheacon has also attracted a segment of the Goth community, and a group that reminds me of the pirates that I hung out with once upon a time that I dated a Californian SCA Noble. The weekend's Pantheacon pirates were just as much fun, especially when they decided to track down Joy Wolfwoman and make her walk the plank. We swaggered across the Doubletree Hotel with rowdy pirate noises and a plank over somebody's shoulder. When we found Joy, a dozen inflatable swords coerced her to the plank which had already been trust onto the carpet. Our triumphant pirate noises climaxed as she neared the end of the plank. Then she daintily stepped off the end of it. We looked at each other, shrugged, and quietly scurried back to the hotel room whence we came.
Another highlight was hanging out with just traumentwerfer. It's always nice to get along with the primary partner of somebody you're in love with (laughingstone) and I especially enjoy being metamores with him. They were kind enough to share their already-shared hotel room with me, so I was able to have breakfast with laughingstone the next morning as a bonus.
Further Socialising
After that I drove out to Pleasant Hill to pick up hopeforyou, who had spent the previous few days with pure_agnostic and starry_sigh. I spent the rest of the weekend with her, including nice productive time today when she did work and I paid bills and completed my tax return.
On Sunday morning, damned_colonial, who has recently moved to the U.S, invited us over to show us her new place, some nice city polyfolk who I didn't know, and her fabulous soup-making skills.
The main contribution to this weekend's socialising was oddiofile, who was visiting from British Columbia. I got to meet his new primary, and he got to meet celerypie, who stayed at my place on Friday night after a symphony. oddiofile and I caught each other up on times since we shared an apartment in Amsterdam, and we did our usual ranting about politics on both sides of the Pacific and the 49th Parallel.
Back to Healthcare... grrrr...
Lately I've been ranting more than every about the healthcare system in this country. Like I said, my head's okay but my arm is not, and I've had a dreadful time getting my arm treated. Even though I'm paying for a PPO plan, physiotherapists (or 'physical therapists' as they call themselves here) don't want to deal with me without a referral. My doctor, however, didn't want to give me a referral until she received records from the hospital. I'm pretty sure I've jumped through the hoops necessary to facilitate that, but I haven't been able to get her or her office on the 'phone for days to confirm it. I'm quite pissed off about it. I've since realised in horror that she might not even be on my insurance plan anymore, because I've changed jobs since I last saw her, and my new employer has changed insurance providers recently as well. This would mean even more out-of-pocket payment for me, and I'm already expecting all the tests she's sent me to get to cost a grand. Just a sexual health checkup cost me $1300 when I went to her for it a few years ago-I kid you not! $1300 for tests that are free in Australia and the Netherlands, and probably other civilized countries. I'm so sick and tired of this bullshit! Not only does the healthcare system fail people who can't afford care; it fucks around those of us who are fairly well off as well.
On the bright side, Damon was kind enough to massage me at, Pantheacon. He wrenched around my arm and shoulder in ways that were quite painful but seemed to pop things back into place: I've been able to move my arm more normally since then, and the pain's returned to pre-Damon levels. That's the state of healthcare in this country: a guy who makes chainmail on Telegraph Avenue for a living has provided me more care than the system. See why I get so snarky about it?
It's been just shy of a fortnight since the accident. I've largely recovered, except for my arm. I can carry light things and perform most tasks in one way or another (including simply using my left hand instead) but occasionally I still move it in a way that hurts like hell. At least I'm able to drive again; I got my first ZipCar since the accident on Saturday.
My head, on the other hand, has recovered nicely. A week ago I still felt a bit dopey, not quite keeping up at meetings, etc. but by the end of the week all that was back to normal. I still get a little headachey occasionally, but my lip looks normal again, even though I can still feel tough scars on the inside when I press with my tongue. I wonder if those will ever go away.
Taking it Easy... Eventually
My acupuncturist told me to take it easy last week. I did the best I could, but it was hard to do that and still maintain work commitments and go to lots of medical appointments. I really don't want to let work slide because I got a mediocre review earlier in the year and because of travel in the not-too-distant past and future. In the end it all worked out, though: my health had improved substantially and I felt good about what I'd achieved at work, and I've been able to unwind this weekend.
It's a long weekend here in the U.S. If every weekend had three days, I'd spend one day each weekend relaxing, another socialising, and the last one on personal projects. That's exactly what I did this weekend.
During the day on Saturday I did absolutely nothing. I slept until 11am, went for a walk, and that's about it. My walk included a stop at Amoeba Records, where I bought a Frank Black album I'd ripped from a friend a couple of years ago, a Cake album that's been missing from my collection, and another album by the Sparks. I'm amazed that I didn't hear of the Sparks until last year-they've been around longer than I have and every album I've bought so far has been absolutely brilliant. This weekend I bought Lil' Beethoven.
Pantheacon
Saturday night I went to Pantheacon, and ran into dozens of people I know. Although I've never actually been to any of the plenaries, I've found myself mixed with the Pantheacon crowd most years this century, and I enjoy it more every time. Some long-overdue time with veleda was part of this year's enjoyment... her dad was even at the con.
It seems Pantheacon has also attracted a segment of the Goth community, and a group that reminds me of the pirates that I hung out with once upon a time that I dated a Californian SCA Noble. The weekend's Pantheacon pirates were just as much fun, especially when they decided to track down Joy Wolfwoman and make her walk the plank. We swaggered across the Doubletree Hotel with rowdy pirate noises and a plank over somebody's shoulder. When we found Joy, a dozen inflatable swords coerced her to the plank which had already been trust onto the carpet. Our triumphant pirate noises climaxed as she neared the end of the plank. Then she daintily stepped off the end of it. We looked at each other, shrugged, and quietly scurried back to the hotel room whence we came.
Another highlight was hanging out with just traumentwerfer. It's always nice to get along with the primary partner of somebody you're in love with (laughingstone) and I especially enjoy being metamores with him. They were kind enough to share their already-shared hotel room with me, so I was able to have breakfast with laughingstone the next morning as a bonus.
Further Socialising
After that I drove out to Pleasant Hill to pick up hopeforyou, who had spent the previous few days with pure_agnostic and starry_sigh. I spent the rest of the weekend with her, including nice productive time today when she did work and I paid bills and completed my tax return.
On Sunday morning, damned_colonial, who has recently moved to the U.S, invited us over to show us her new place, some nice city polyfolk who I didn't know, and her fabulous soup-making skills.
The main contribution to this weekend's socialising was oddiofile, who was visiting from British Columbia. I got to meet his new primary, and he got to meet celerypie, who stayed at my place on Friday night after a symphony. oddiofile and I caught each other up on times since we shared an apartment in Amsterdam, and we did our usual ranting about politics on both sides of the Pacific and the 49th Parallel.
Back to Healthcare... grrrr...
Lately I've been ranting more than every about the healthcare system in this country. Like I said, my head's okay but my arm is not, and I've had a dreadful time getting my arm treated. Even though I'm paying for a PPO plan, physiotherapists (or 'physical therapists' as they call themselves here) don't want to deal with me without a referral. My doctor, however, didn't want to give me a referral until she received records from the hospital. I'm pretty sure I've jumped through the hoops necessary to facilitate that, but I haven't been able to get her or her office on the 'phone for days to confirm it. I'm quite pissed off about it. I've since realised in horror that she might not even be on my insurance plan anymore, because I've changed jobs since I last saw her, and my new employer has changed insurance providers recently as well. This would mean even more out-of-pocket payment for me, and I'm already expecting all the tests she's sent me to get to cost a grand. Just a sexual health checkup cost me $1300 when I went to her for it a few years ago-I kid you not! $1300 for tests that are free in Australia and the Netherlands, and probably other civilized countries. I'm so sick and tired of this bullshit! Not only does the healthcare system fail people who can't afford care; it fucks around those of us who are fairly well off as well.
On the bright side, Damon was kind enough to massage me at, Pantheacon. He wrenched around my arm and shoulder in ways that were quite painful but seemed to pop things back into place: I've been able to move my arm more normally since then, and the pain's returned to pre-Damon levels. That's the state of healthcare in this country: a guy who makes chainmail on Telegraph Avenue for a living has provided me more care than the system. See why I get so snarky about it?