The New Movie Normal

Due to various health and economic issues, I had pretty much resigned myself to not seeing any movies in the conventional fashion weeks before the current Corona virus crisis. What happened since then has only confirmed the idea that I was right to do so.

In a way, it's a shame. After all, some of the best memories of my life involve movie theatres.

On the other hand, I really don't see anyone with as many breathing issues as I have being all that comfortable wearing a mask for two hours just to watch a movie that I could see far more safely at home. Add to that the fact that movie theatres seem to be charging me more and more while providing me with less and less and suddenly cable TV and DVDs don't seem like bad alternatives.

Besides, the only real change I see on the horizon is an end to library rentals. My local library is finally allowing patrons to check out and check in books but the check out process is by appointment only and while I don't mind going through all that to read a book, going through all that to rent a movie is another story.

Not Quite Sick Leave...

Apparently my being a Type 2 Diabetic with heart issues puts me in a high-risk category in regard to the Corona virus. I haven't got it yet but I've been asked by my supervisor to stay home the next two weeks in order to prevent any possible on-the-job exposure.

Fortunately, I have some vacation time coming so it shouldn't be too much of a financial problem for me. Plus I'm already starting to lose weight so I might end up being healthier when I go back to work than I've been so far. We'll see.

In the meantime, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. And I'm grateful that I already have a box of face masks on hand that I bought long before anyone ever heard of the Corona virus. And I'm especially thankful that I'm not in the hospital right now. All too many people nowadays don't have a choice about that.

Things I'm Thankful For

1. Not having acquired the Coronavirus.

2. Not having to go to the hospital.

3. Being able to take time off work without losing my job.

4. Having friends and family who are well and healthy.

5. Not having to experience again what it feels like to be on a ventilator -- especially when there's a strong chance that next said experience might not involve giving me sedatives to keep me unconscious.

The Accident

It never fails. I get to a point in my life where I think I can actually relax for a bit and then something happens to set me back again.

This week it's an accident. Fortunately, it was not a serious accident. No one got hurt and no one got killed. In fact, my car was the only vehicle that was damaged in the accident.

However, it does not look like my vehicle will be fixed right away and when it is, it will most likely turn out be very expensive. Which is something I really don't need right now.

So far things have fared well. I have managed to get a free tow from AAA to my local mechanic. But I have the feeling things will get complicated as time goes on.

We'll see.

Good Times, Bad Times, You Know I've Had My Share...

I came this close to calling the paramedics this morning but fortunately, I was able to resolve my health issues without their help.

Still... I'm dreading the day when I have no choice but to call them. Last time I had such a day, I ended up in the hospital and I'm still paying bills from that period.

In and Out of the Hospital Again, Mr. Kruger?

Needless to say, this has not been a very good week for me. But at least I'm still alive. So that's one thing.

Home Again

I'm finally back home after all too many days in physical rehab.

I hope to return to work soon. We'll see.

Yes, I'm Still Alive

I am currently recovering from a fall at work -- an incident that lasted less than five minutes but had consequences that have lasted for at least a week so far.

I went to the local hospital almost immediately after the accident took place on Tuesday of last week and was later transferred to a physical rehab facility on Tuesday of this week because I was still having trouble standing on my own for reasons too complicated to describe here.

On the plus side, none of my bones are broken, none of my organs are injured or impaired, and despite my worst fears, I have shown no signs of a head injury.

On the other side, I really, really, really, really can't wait to get out of here and go home. I'll give you more details about that last part when I get home.

And Now My Right Wrist Hurts

My right wrist started hurting so bad the day before yesterday that yesterday it took me about ten to fifteen minutes to figure out how to start my car -- and even then I had to use my left hand to do so.

Needless to say, I'm having to take off work at a time when I really don't want to. What else I may have to give up in the future, I don't even want to think about.

Ironically, my left wrist works just fine -- though I still have fears about overusing it.

Writing Fanfic

For some odd reason, I have been writing a lot of fanfic lately and not the reality kind either. Though it may be argued that fanfic is not a recent thing for me -- after all, this story certainly qualifies as fanfic and so does this one -- I do seem to be writing more fanfic nowadays than I ever imagined I would be. In fact, I've written so much fanfic that it seems harder and harder for me to make it through the day without writing at least one chapter of a fanfic story.

If nothing else, such experiences have made me understand why so many people find writing fanfic to be so addictive. Granted, I can readily understand why most people don't consider it all that respectable to "create" new stories using another person's characters. And my main intention in writing these stories is not to rob another writer of his or her just desserts. And yet writing such stories have taught me more about the craft of storytelling than I ever learned from more respectable sources.

Besides, I do not intend to keep writing fanfic all my life. But as long as I receive "likes" on the site where I post my stories, I'm not likely to stop any time soon.

I Wear My Wrist Brace Like a Badge of Honor

Okay, not really but I don't see myself taking it off any time soon. And I can't noticing that at least two of my co-workers wear wrist braces as well.

On the plus side, my wrist no longer aches like it used to. Plus I'm able to work again. So there's that.

In the meantime, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

My Wrist Still Hurts

My left wrist still hurts. I'm currently wearing a wrist brace per doctor's orders. I take Tylenol to help with the pain and try to do as many of my daily actions as one-handed as possible.

But my wrist still throbs and I don't know how I'm going to deal with work. Fortunately, I'm on medical leave right now but I can't stay home forever.

As for this site, well, luckily I don't need two hands to use a keyboard. However, writing checks is going to be a bit tricky. Heck, writing anything by hand is tricky nowadays. And don't get me started on how much fun it is to try opening a prescription pill container with one hand.

And Now My Left Wrist...

My left wrist has been bothering me for a couple of days now. My physical therapist recommended some pills and an ice pack but so far it has not helped. It has become increasingly difficult for me to do anything as simple as open a prescription pill container with my left hand. Fortunately, my right hand has been unaffected but then I'm left-handed. Just my luck.

I'm hoping it will ease up soon. We'll see.

The Muse Wears a Shoulder Holster in Detroit City

I am often haunted by the suspicion that the same older cousin who once showed me a radio script he wrote -- and thus taught me that people like me that I actually knew could write stuff worth reading -- is the same cousin doing time in the Michigan prison system for murder. I would like to believe that my memory is wrong about this. But I doubt it is.

In fact, I have several cousins who are either doing time or have done time for murder. One of them is dead; the others are still in prison as far as I know. They are all people with whom I grew up. People I considered surrogate siblings. I find it difficult to talk about this aspect of my family without sounding like Michael Corleone talking to Kay Adams about his family. Granted, I would like to think I'm a long way from being a Michael Corleone. None of my relatives are members of organized crime as far as I know and I certainly don't aspire to live the gangster lifestyle. But I do have relatives in prison and I am continually haunted by the notion that it is only by the grace of God and a few lucky breaks on my part that I never ended up there myself. I don't aspire to break the law -- though I would be a fool to deny that there were times when I was tempted. And while I consider myself smart -- well, the cousins who went to prison weren't exactly dumb either.

It would be nice to blame their sins on society but then I would have to ask myself why society did not push relatives of mine who grew up in similar circumstances to do the same thing that they did. Moreover, I don't believe that it's all that useful to society to forever use it as an alibi for the sins that one chose to commit. And I certainly don't believe that it's useful to me.

The last few times I went to the hospital, I stopped breathing while under observation. By all rights I should be dead right now but the hospital staff managed to revive me and get me breathing again. And yet despite my many health problems, I managed to outlive my younger sister and my best friend -- both people who seemed sure to outlive me. As a result, I often feel a bad case of survivor's guilt -- especially around the winter holidays.

And yet it could be worse. I could be in a prison cell. I could have blood on my hands because I took another person's life. I could feel the guilt that comes with making a very bad choice that could never be undone.

Then again guilty people don't always feel guilty. One of the cousins I mentioned above was notorious for never taking responsibility for the life he took. As far as he was concerned, she was just some lady who got in the way. Who should have minded her own business. Who did not understand that it was none of her business whether or not he took a loaded rifle over to his ex-wife's house...

I really wish I didn't have stories like that swimming around in my head. And I wish to God they weren't true. However, they are true. And they'll probably be swimming around in my head till the day I die.

Health Report

I have been seeing a physical therapist about my neck and so far her efforts have paid off. I have been back at work for over a week now and so far my neck has not bothered me like it used to. It helps that I'm doing exercises to improve my neck muscles. It helps that I am paying more attention to my posture. (Holding up your head is actually a good way to prevent future neck pain. Who knew?) And it helps that I'm getting neck rubs on a regular basis. (I used to get regular neck rubs from my mejor amiga but since she retired and is no longer with us, that is no longer an option for me.)

Of course, I'm not totally out of the woods. I recently had to change health insurance companies and as you might guess, that is causing all sorts of problems. Plus the sight of my physical therapist makes me miss my former novia and bride-to-be even though the two of them are hardly identical.

Oh, well. When I was in the hospital, I saw so many people who had worse problems...

My Mother's Still Sick

But she's getting better. Seriously.

I, on the other hand, have been forced to take at least a week off from work due to medical issues. Hopefully, I can return to work soon.

And Now My Mother is Sick...

But on the bright side, she is getting better. She still has a bit of a sore throat and a cough but she sounds better today than she did yesterday. Seriously.

And Now My Neck!

The last thing I wanted to do this month was go see a doctor but my neck started to act up so badly at work this past week that I had no choice. The doctor's assistant* looked me over and found no cause for alarm. But she did prescribe some pills and a muscle relaxing cream as well as a list of exercises for me to do in my spare time to build up my neck muscles. I also use a heating pad on my neck but so far the relief from neck pain has only been temporary. If I work long enough, it comes back.

If this keeps up, I may need to see a physical therapist. We'll see.

* Also a doctor, natch.

My Head Says I'm All Better Now...

...but my body keeps disagreeing. Especially my nose* and throat...


*Yes, technically my nose is part of my head. But still...

Boo Hoo, I Have the Flu

According to my family doctor, I officially became the first person this year to come down with a case of the new "Flu B" strain, a fact I found out the day before yesterday. I should be well again by the beginning of next week but in the meantime, it's been a pain. I have been coughing a lot, wheezing, and trying in vain to keep my nostrils clear. For a while, even my appetite was gone.

But at least I'm feeling a bit better today than I did Thursday. I no longer cough as much, my nose doesn't run as much, I don't wheeze as much... Plus I've been eating more soup, so I definitely have more of an appetite.

I'm hoping to be well again by Monday but we'll see. Please wish me luck.