Bob is still doing well. We are very hopeful.

I am managing, in terms of my ankle. It is very bruised and still swollen. It hurts the most in the morning, after I get up. I use my cane in the living room. I also ice it on and off all day. Bob is able to carry small things downstairs so I can hold the bannister all the way. Since I don't drive and Bob's follow up isn't until Wednesday, I couldn't go to church today. That's a very rare event for me. I love the walk to and from church, but there was no way I could walk that far. However, I did clean up the yard and I started weed wacking (then the battery died).

Since I'm favoring the left and I have problems even on a good day - my right leg is protesting.

Sophie had some kind of episode last night. We are not sure if Sam hurt her leg while playing, she had a mild seizure, or she had a nervous breakdown because we have been focused elsewhere and she isn't getting the attention she usually commands. Any of those are possibilities. She is still acting kind of weird, but she seems OK, like nothing obvious is wrong physically.

Grades are done!! Yay!!!!!!!!

Now if Bob was well, and I didn't have a sprained ankle...we would go out to dinner to celebrate.

Bob looks and feels well. We are in sort of a holding pattern, waiting to see if he can keep the mesh. Several posts ago, I wrote that I wasn't going to share the details of his experience. This morning I told him that I think it will be a good idea for him to write up something about his experience and I will post it somewhere - either as a post here on my ejournal or on my verizon hosted Gully Brook Press website (still under construction, btw - it is a summer project).

I made a lot of progress on grades yesterday and I plan to submit them on Monday. Yippee!

Bob is coming home today!

I am aiming to be done with grades on Monday.

Bob is getting better, but he's still in the hospital. Not sure when he will be coming home.

The wedding was wonderful. But, I sprained my ankle right at the end of the reception. A combination of inattention to where I was walking, 3 drinks, feet always a little bad when they're tired, and heel spur...and I fell completely down, but didn't hurt myself otherwise. (I did break my wine glass in the fall - I am glad, actually. It was full and would have been my 4th, and I definitely didn't need it). It didn't really hurt and I was able to walk around with no problem. On the ride home, I took my shoe off because I could tell it was swelling. After I got home from the wedding - I thought, wow, this is an ER level sprain. But I iced it all night, even when I was sleeping and it was somewhat better in the morning. I iced it on and off today too. Motrin helps. The ankle is swollen and bruised, but the rest of my foot is fine. Walking on it actually seem to help it. Sitting around makes it stiffen up. My shoes are great, of course. You could walk in them with a stump.

Just my luck right now!

Some good news: I made some progress on grades!

Bob had a major setback and had emergency surgery Wednesday night. He's still in the hospital, receiving massive antibiotics. He's going to be in there at least several days. He feels better than he did after the original surgery. Tomorrow is our anniversary. Every other year we celebrate with a posh dinner, sometimes a weekend away. This year was to be spent at our niece's wedding, and we were going to stay overnight there. We intended to go from Samsonville. But I will be going to the wedding alone. It will be a round trip. I am not sure the hotel will refund the money, but we'll see. Regardless, it is going to be a difficult day for both of us, and not because of the forfeited hotel room!

Twenty students have sent me well wishes. My students are the best in the university.

I changed my profile picture. This is the official university portrait that I just had taken. I had many to choose from, and so I put it up to a vote of friends and family. I got 18 responses - this one was the winner with 7 votes.

I'm going to write about two subjects I almost never post here: religion, and an old friend.

Here's an interesting post, with a long comment thread (that are mostly thoughtful and didn't degenerate into insults).

I rarely comment anywhere - I really don't consistently write that much even here. But I thought about the post, link and comments and decided to contribute some reasons for why I am Catholic. I have many more reasons, too many to write in a comment. Also too many to write here.

But I kept thinking about it, even after commenting, and remembered an experience I had last year. I have a very, very troubled friend. We share a long, complicated past. I've done a lot of writing about our relationship over the years. It would almost make a book. I have never attempted to get any of it published, although some parts of it would be very marketable. I've written very little, practically nothing, about my friend here in this ejournal.

Over the years, we lost touch, for reasons I won't go into, but I will say that it was a deliberate decision on my part. I found not having her in my life incredibly cathartic, although I sometimes worried about her, in the back of my mind. Then, about a year ago, I heard through the grapevine that she wanted to get in touch with me. I was given her telephone number.

I didn't know what was the right thing to do. It's been easier without her. Still, I did care. I agonized over the decision.

When I was in church at Sacred Heart that weekend, I prayed for an answer. The sermon was about whether people could change. The priest said that Jesus felt that they could.

I went home, googled the telephone number, got the address and wrote her a letter. We later talked on the phone. She is recovering. Will it last? I don't know. I hope so.

More has happened since then, but that will keep. Maybe forever.

I think Bob has shown some gradual improvement for the past two days. It's very slow-going, though, and he often feels like crap.

I have a heel spur! It is so minor in comparison to what he is going through that I hate to complain. Time for an adjustment to my orthotics.

Finally, today, spending a little time on grades.

Bob seems a tiny bit better. He ate a little, and went outside for a brief time twice.

Bob was improving after he came home Tuesday and into Wednesday, but then he had another setback yesterday afternoon. It didn't require him to return to the hospital, and in some ways, he is improving.

I haven't written a lot of details about his surgery, and I don't plan to - he probably wouldn't mind, but I don't feel it's my place to do so. It's his, not my, surgery and complications. Also, I haven't had a lot of time to write here. For one thing, every moment I have spent on the computer (or blackberry) has been occupied with sending email updates to family and friends, and responding to work-related stuff. Remember my grading deadline is 5/18! (Which I believe I will miss for the first time in the nine years I have been teaching).

Instead I'll write about my experience. Today I put the newly acquired permit to good use, and went to the drug store to get an anti-nausea medication that his surgeon phoned in. I had to take Bob along, of course. I felt bad about that, because if I wasn't so driving-phobic and had a license, he could have stayed in bed. But I think the fresh air may have done him some good. And no way could I have done it alone. For one thing, I would never break the law, and for another, I need a co-pilot.

Nine years ago I finished the PhD, and moved on to a new goal. I resolved to finally get my license, with a date in mind of before turning 40. For the first time in my life, I actually practiced. I'd had my permit three times before. When I was 16, I practiced a little and never took the test. For my second permit (in my 20s) and my third (early 30s) I never practiced at all. Those permits were simply glorified IDs.

In 2001, I wound up failing the road test four times. It was really hard to take it that many times. It is more in my nature to walk away with the message of "unworthy." I finally did give up, and never drove again. My permit expired in 2005 and I didn't bother renewing it in the two-year window.

Anyway, whether I actually drive a lot and take another road test remains to be seen. I suspect I won't do it. I'll drive short distances right now and maybe occasionally in the future, even after Bob is cleared to drive again, and be satisfied. I don't see myself ever getting over my nervousness, and frankly, the road test itself is a barrier. I know I could never pass it. Not because I can't execute all the skills competently - but because my nervousness is apparent. I am always hyper-vigilant.

I'm that way as a passenger, too. I'm often that way in other parts of life as well. I was the kid all parents wanted to go with their kid - because they trusted that I would never do anything stupid. Or if something dangerous happened, I would know what to do.

In any event - I'm really proud of myself for driving today.

Bob is home! Hooray!

But seriously, thank God.

I hope I am as good a nurse as the ones in the hospital.

Bob is still in the hospital but he seemed much better today. He saw his surgeon (who wasn't on call over the weekend) and assuming there are no more complications, it looks like he will be coming home tomorrow afternoon. He seemed (almost) improved enough to be home today - but he was still on IV and a clear diet.

Bob had some complications and is still in the hospital. Prayers appreciated!

It's been a long two days. Bob had surgery yesterday and is still in the hospital. He had a bad night, but is somewhat better today. Coming home tomorrow (actually today, but in my owl world, it is still Saturday night) or Monday, not sure yet. I have been very unproductive in terms of my end of semester work, something that I will pay for next week. (The grading deadline is 5/18.) On Thursday I went and took the fifth driving permit test of my life (and got my fifth 100). My old permit expired four years ago, so I couldn't just remew it. This way, I can drive us around a bit once he is feeling well enough to go in the car.