My CPAP says I got 9 hours of sleep, but I know that doesn’t account for all of the times that pain woke me in the middle of the night. I’m following some sage advice from a friend (i.e. “Don’t be an idiot”) and taking a pain pill this morning. Showering again can wait until tomorrow, I think.

It turns out it’s really easy to calibrate “weight-bearing as tolerated” when your tolerance is “ow fuck don’t you dare think about puttting any weight on that foot again”. I’m just whining, though - I knew this recovery is gonna take a while, but the early setbacks are hard. Time for a pain pill…

Oof. Yeah, my body is making me pay for all that activity. Time to take a pain pill and zone out while watching Alone - Africa (what can I say, I have a weakness for this kind of silliness).

For anyone who might need it: (For years I've convinced myself "there's no such thing as overthinking, I think exactly as much as I should." But when thinking becomes an obstacle, even leading to paralysis... I think we gotta start picking our battles. ❤️)

Shower complete! Holy shit, that was exhausting. But everything that needed to stayed dry and I feel so much better. Now for a nice session with some ice because my ankle did NOT appreciate all that moving around! Maybe venturing downstairs can wait til tomorrow though.

That was a surprisingly good night’s sleep despite being stuck on my back with my leg elevated. The getting up and moving part kind of sucked, though. Today’s exciting task: a shower! I’ve got a cast cover to keep the bandages dry, it’s just having my foot out of the boot that freaks me out a bit.

Pain flare-ups notwithstanding, it’s been a pretty good day for all that I’ve been stuck in bed. Between social media, Skyrim, and streaming services I’ve been keeping busy. Tomorrow, though, I’ll be starting to get more mobile, even if it’s just going downstairs to the living room!

"Oh great! I'm getting feeling back in my foot." "Oh, ow. That's not great. Ow." OK, maybe one more dose of pain meds. Because ow.

As expected, that was a truly crappy night’s sleep. Repeating cycles of 30 minutes lying awake then 60 minutes of sleep. at least I don’t have to be anywhere today and can sleep if needed! Still no movement in my toes, but that’s to be expected for 36-48 hours after the nerve block is administered.

See, this is what happens when you have surgery and are too dopey on pain meds to join meetings 😀 In all seriousness: this is the culmination of a lot of planning and discussions. I’m really looking forward to further helping this great organization that has been such an important part of my life.

“I don’t know if I’ll need doggles for my next dog.” … “OMG I need to buy these!” www.rexspecs.com/products/len...

On this International Hyena Day, I have to admit that I have a huge crush on Samna, @utunu.bsky.social’s sweet and adorkable hyena from Far Flung and Tethers Torn 🙂

Anesthesiologist: “Ok, I’m putting antibiotics into your IV. Now here’s some fentanyl.” Me: “We’ll, that’s a party.” A: “It’s so you won’t mind these big needles for the nerve block.” Me: “OK, there’s the fentanyl kicking in…” OR Nurse: “See, that wasn’t bad!” Me: “How did I just lose 3 hours?” 😀

Made it home. I expect I’ll be parked here for the next 36 hours or so. (Who needs fake tans when you have Betadine?)

I lived! I can’t feel a damn thing in my left leg but I’m ok with that. Time to go home and have a nice long nap.

See this? This is The Problem. Tomorrow morning the surgeon is going to go in, detach my Achilles tendon, grind down the bone spur, then reattach the tendon. Simple, right? Thank heavens the surgery will be arthroscopic at least. I'm fortunate to have my sister here to help with my recovery, too!

I am also continuing my (delicious) exploration of Spanish sweet vermouths. I haven’t been let down yet!

Coffee beans obtained!

I’m wandering around coffee shops this morning, looking to pick up some beans for the next few weeks. Also, I made a nice find: Apres Bakery in Lake Zurich (IL) may not have the best croissant I’ve ever had, but they certainly do not shame their ancestors.

That sound you just heard was my Out of Office autoresponder turning on. I am now officially Not Thinking About Work for the next nine days!

We can make this place beautiful 💐 #art | #characters

Three endangered Mexican Wolves getting their first taste of freedom after being released back into the wild. I can't even describe how happy this video makes me. Specially the moment when the three reunite and excitedly greet each other after release.

The American heath care system is kinda crazy. (Go go magic Flexible Spending Account powers!)

As a followup to yesterday's dinner post: Leona's Detroit-Style Pizza. It ticks the boxes, but it's not quite there. I think they par-bake the crust, so the toppings just slide off leaving lightly-tomato-coated bread. Needs more browning on the bottom of the crust as well. Disappointing.

Don't miss the alt-text 😂

I'm not sure what's more surprising: that Leona's Pizza opened a location in McHenry, that there are now only three Leona's locations in the Chicago area (they used to have at least 12), or that Leona's is selling Detroit-style pizza. Guess I'll find out how good that Detroit pizza is tonight!

I got a ton of housecleaning done over the weekend, but I still have more to do in the coming days. My sister is going to be staying with me for a week or two as I recover from my surgery next week, and I want everything ready for when she arrives this weekend.

It's their first lantern festival! 🏮🦊

This is a wild collaboration, but I kind of like it! Gregory Alan Isokov teams with Durham, NC electropop duo Sylvan Esso to cover Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You" www.youtube.com/channel/UC3t...

Day drinking in the best way!

Fiddler is good people! (Or the furry equivalent thereof) If you’re down if DFW you should say hi.

Oh Midwest spring. Three nights of severe thunderstorms this week, and now? Graupel.

I try not to use my queer powers for evil, but….at a bar today, one (inebriated) guy kept asking if I was excited for Wrestlemania and if I liked wrestling. I finally said, “I liked it in the 80s but then I realized I was gay and just liked the sweaty half-naked guys.” He left me alone after that 😈

Breaking: HHS’s ban on gender-affirming care is struck down. Rarely have I read a ruling this sharply worded. “This case is one of a long list of examples of how a leader’s wanton disregard for the rule of law causes very real harm to very real people.” www.advocate.com/politics/nat...

I suppose my efforts to control portion sizes and eat better are paying off, if only because when I decided to splurge and get a burger and fries for dinner, I just feel gross for eating so much. Bleagh.

Trying out a medieval art style. #wolf #werewolf #animals #canine #sketch

I will point out that Po (Bernese/St. Bernard) is SEVEN MONTHS OLD. If Ranger (Malinois/GSD) seems like he's being a little rough, he's been putting up with Po using his long skinny legs as chew toys for the past several months. He's earned this 😀

It does not appear that there were any tornadoes last night, at least none confirmed by the National Weather Service. No damage around here to report, except for some poorly-secured construction.

First time my phone has ever gone off! It’s a good night to hang out under the stairs.

Crossword puzzle clue: "Second half of gay pride slogan" Me: "Um...'Do Crimes'?"

53 year old Decade cartoon old meme 🤝 shirt I find deeply amusing

breeze

Shoutout to Ars Technica for this great headline 🙂 "Trump picks qualified, normal health leader to head CDC; experts still cautious"

I'm boxing up books that have just been gathering dust on the shelves in my guest bedroom. It's mostly SF/F trade paperbacks from the '80s and early '90s. I kept thinking I'd re-read them, but I'm just not the person who read those anymore. Hopefully Half Price Books (or somebody) will take them.

I wrapped up the Big Week of Medical Fun this morning with a pre-operative visit with the anesthesiologist's clinic. Nothing notable, though I did learn that my surgery will take three hours (!) On the bright side, I was able to stop by the DMV and pick up the temporary handicap placard for later.

Tonight's cooking project: Garlic confit! It's super-simple. Put a few sprigs of thyme and/or rosemary in a jar, fill with garlic (I cheated and bought a jar of peeled cloves), cover everything with olive oil, and loosely fit a lid on it. Cook in the Instant Pot on high for 2 hours, and you're done.

OMG, Amazon threw up on my front porch. (I went on a buying spree in preparation for my upcoming surgery.)

Apropos of nothing, this is a useful link to have: status.bsky.app