The Ghost of Hugh Thompson

Morning weigh-in: 177.5#, 10.5% BF

The doctors must be getting sick of me: surgeon doesn't want to see me for three weeks, and yesterday the infectious disease guy said "Don't come in next week, come back in two weeks." Good news is no longer news, I guess, it's just what normal looks like... Yesterday was day 21 of 42 for the antibiotic regimen, by the way --I am now more than halfway done.

Here's an interesting look at the emerging Haditha scandal, and reaction it.

Parting shot: Another photo from Wednesday's walk. I spent most of the time with my cameraphone in my hand, on the off-chance that some random bear would pop out of the woods for a photo.

We Gazed Upon The Chimes Of Freedom Flashing

Morning weigh-in: 176#, 9.5% BF

Walked yesterday at Merril Creek again, maybe three miles total this time; saw more deer & rabbits but no bear. (No coyotes either, which I have also seen there.) I walked out to the halfway point on the second dam, which is higher and way more scenic than the first -- it crosses what probably was the ravine cut by the original outlet creek. Anyway, three miles, an hour walk, which gives me seven miles (and three hours walking) so far for the week.

Today I don't stay late, I have an appointment at 3:00 with the infectious disease specialist. I may walk around the block or something tonight.

Joe Hill, Tom Joad: I heard Bruce Springsteen singing "Chimes of Freedom" today on the way in, sounded like a live version but I don't know.

Starship Trooper, Astral Redux

Morning weigh-in: 177#, 10.5% BF

It's a little cloudy now, but it was another beautiful morning: sunny, deep blue skies, cool but not too cool. This time of year I like looking up through the new canopy to the late-spring/early-summer sky, it reminds me of Yes's "Starship Trooper," and of other spring/summer days spent in the woods... Needless to say, I'll be walking again after work.

Paging Doctor Arrowsmith: Here's a cool post about bacteriophage. (Via the most recent Tangled Bank.)

Sister Bluebird

Morning weigh-in: 177#, I forgot the body fat

Went in to work a little late today: visiting nurse at 7:30 AM (blood tests, PICC line maintenance takes about an hour), followed by an 11:00 appointment with the surgeon. He looked the incision over and seemed to think it looked OK, and then the nurse took the stitches out. Right now it has a bunch of strips across it, maybe like butterfly bandages. I now have the OK, at least as far as the ankle is concerned, to walk and to do mellow workouts on the stationary bike. (Still can't get dirty/sweaty/wet or do anything strenuous with my upper body, because the PICC line is still there.) Anyway, got all that in in the morning, and got to work by noon.

I've been walking a bit lately, trying to get the legs (and the rest of the body) ready to start getting back in shape. I walked a few miles Saturday (at Allamuchy), then a mile Sunday in my neighborhood, and yesterday I stopped at Merril Creek on the way home, walked maybe a mile, mile and a half. I will be doing the same over there tonight. I might try running a bit, maybe 50 yards or so at a time, slow pace.

UPDATE: Went there after work, walked for an hour, did ~2.5 miles according to the markers along the trail (no running). Ran into a couple who said they saw a bear, but I didn't see anything except deer & rabbits.

Home Connection Is Back Up

Just a quick update, since I really wasn't planning to try fixing the computer tonight, and I'm definitely not supposed to be playing with it now that it's back online -- I am out of food, and have a ton of other things to do tonight... But I did get my dialup connection back up and running. (It was not so much a matter of fixing it so much as "un-breaking" the stuff I was messing with yesterday. But it's back up, and I learned a few interesting things along the way, like "don't press the history-eraser button."

Getting Back To A More Active Weekend

Morning weigh-in: 177.5#, 8.5% BF

Friday night was the Mug Club "investor's thank you" party. A little different from what I expected, just a few tables in the back, somewhat quiet even though it was very nice. I really didn't stick around the main group too long, they were basically having a wine-tasting thing and that's hard to manage without actually tasting any wine... I mingled, got some dinner on my own in the main bar, hung out with the regulars. Several other investors were drifting in and out of the party as well, and we would drop back into the dining room to grab some of the free munchies, BS for a bit, drift back to the bar & BS there, pleasant social evening.

Saturday I was going to help with the Allamuchy trailwork organized by my friend Bob. I got to the meeting place but I was a little late, figured I must have just missed them so I went walking into the woods to catch up. I thought I knew where they were going to be doing the work, but I never did actually find them... It was a nice (long) hike though, and I got a few good photos.

Saturday night was the annual Mug Club "mug retirement party," so it was back to Which Brew. The place was packed, and many partiers had followed the directions & arrived in costume -- you were supposed to dress as your favorite superhero/arch-villain -- so things were very festive. I have to wonder though, was Bettie Page a superhero? Or an arch-villain? Either way, that girl had the best costume there... Anyway, another good night (despite not being able to drink, in a room full of free beer -- good beer too, dang), and the band was the Roamin' Gabriels.

Sunday was spent reading and playing with the computer. I wasn't too nice at first, but the sun came out later in the day and I went for a walk on my one-mile jogging route. Two days of hiking and my calf actually felt tight...

Stormy Seas for the S.S. Linux: I started messing around with my Ethernet card again, among other things, and now I managed to screw up my internet connection. Those pictures I took, don't expect them on Flickr for another few days yet...

Ankle Update: Not much to say really, except that things are coming along. I had a lot of discomfort during and after the hike on Saturday, my boots seem to rub the newly-reshaped parts of my ankle, and it was kind of raw. No damage or problems by the incision though, which is good. It's killing me not to wear boots (I'm constantly in running shoes), I feel like an invalid without them.

The tendons/ligaments are coming along nicely though, and I now walk without much of a limp at all, but I find that I sort of "bop along," bouncing with each step, to compensate for and hide what's left of the limp. This too shall pass...