Thursday, January 29, 2009

Today's heat-inspired weirdness

Officemate: Del CamWalker, I am your father…
Me: You are? You’re very young.
Officemate: Well, yes, it was the 60s.
Me: And this is botox..?

Friday, January 23, 2009


^ Random flower from the front garden.

Physio = not that scary

I'd been getting looks of total sympathy and/or horror stories about going to the physio throughout the week, but it actually wasn't bad. Or maybe I just have a masochistically high pain threshold.

Physio - boyishly charming with adorably curly hair.

Treatment - not actually that painful. In fact, quite lovely. The only really sore bit is still on the top of my foot, but that's apparently more to do with tendon strain or something.

Exercises - had already been doing some of them, just because it felt right, so I was relieved I'd been doing the right thing.

X-rays - physio impressed with healing.

I'm going back next week, so hopefully I'll make more progress with the exercise and be less reliant on the cam walker thing. Actually, this morning for the first time, I was wandering around without using crutches. Makes the ankle sore, but yay!!!

Plus, in one of those times when I didn't have the camera at hand, I was wearing my devil's horns this morning. The random cat came around for a visit only noticed the horns once he got inside. He backed away, eyes wide as saucers and pupils dilated, looking rather psychotic. Kind of wondered what was going through his mind, other than the breeze.

Hiiiiilarious.

He recovered quite well from the shock to have a scratchunder the chin, hunt around the house and attack Mum's arm. He really is a total nutcase. But I quite like him.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Week Five

So, today is the fifth week of having a broken leg.

I don't recommend it, frankly.

Although it's a great way to strike up conversations with strangers, all of whom want to know what exactly occurred to the leg. And then, more often than not, laugh when you tell them. So I guess that's interesting enough.

Also saw the specialist on Thursday, and he thinks things are progressing well. According to the new X-rays, the bone is healing really well and there's nothing wrong with the top of the foot. The only real issue with the X-rays was managing to get up onto the table using only one leg and my arms and not managing to flash anyone as I did so. Or fall off the table while getting down.

Mostly it's a learning experience, though. You learn that the more you pay for a specialist/surgeon, the less time you'll spend with them. You also learn that Medicare doesn't cover you with payments for seeing said specialist in hospital because you don't have a referral note from your own doctor. Yes, that's right. So if you are going to be rushed to hospital for an emergency, remember to have the foresight to get a referral from your local doctor. Just in case...

I'm managing to get around more on crutches, too. Navigated an entire shopping centre on Friday, along with the carpark. But on the whole, it's restrictive. You have to think about where you're going, what stairs there are or whether there's uneven ground or anything. And then keep an eye on the ground at all times (an excellent way for finding random coins actually).

Anyhoodle.

The long and short of it is that there's another three weeks of cam walker for me. And physio and so on. Argh. Will post some photos of it later.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

In cleaning my bedroom a bit this evening, I realised I hadn't read anywhere near as many books as I was hoping to over the... err... break. You see, I thought a broken leg would give me some time to catch up on reading, but really, it was mostly tiring and I ended up doing other stuff.

But I did manage to read some books.

My Family And Other Animals by Gerald Durrell - Not quite as amusing as advertised, but quite diverting. Especially loved the description of being chased by a swirling hoard of dogs down the main street, all anxious to get at Roger.

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert - Meh. Minimal sympathy for anyone contained within its pages.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - Loved it.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C S Lewis - Loved reading them all again, although I still really don't like the final book for some reason.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda by Roald Dahl - I bought them on the Friday before breaking my leg to see if they were as enjoyable as I remembered them being from childhood. They're still rather cute.

Carpe Jugulum and Hogfather by Terry Pratchett - Hilarious as always.

Father to the Man, The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass Aged 37 3/4, Bacon Sandwiches and Salvation and A Year At Saint Yorricks by Adrian Plass - I love his style of writing, and it often has me laughing outrageously or nodding my head and thinking, "Yes, I know that feeling." Father to the Man is less humourous, but I like it all the more for it, especially the story Posthumous Cake, which never fails to bring a tear to my eye.

The Faraway Tree series by Enid Blyton - My absolute favourite books ever as a child and I am willing to admit that I read them at least once a year. Or more. Although it reminds me that I haven't read The Wishing Chair books for a while.

The Light Princess and Other Stories by George MacDonald - I LOVE the story of The Golden Key and could read it again and again.

The Story of My Life by Giacomo Casanova - Meeeehhhhhh.

Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton - Not that I'm tempted to go construct a little cabin in the woods from recycled materials and live there for a year and I probably won't give up shopping, but I like this book and its challenges.

Also started reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, a number of Pablo Neruda's poems about his home country, some of the Grimms fairytale collection, a couple of Dickens's short stories/monologues and the Christmas section from The Pickwick Papers, pondered finishing Anna Karenina (but remembered how interminably dull it is) and just generally didn't pick up as many new books as I'd hoped to read.

In addition to not getting to read all that much, I never did any painting at all, which I had hoped to do. Oh well. Guess there's always next holidays or something. Or the long weekend...

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

The 16

Okay, I’m finally doing it after getting distracted for so long about it.

Rules:
Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 16 random things, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end choose 16 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, its because I want to know more about you.

1. Although I’m mostly very open, I play a number of my cards very close to my chest. A few people know what’s on some those, but they don’t know each other. Useful, really.

2. I love the colour black. Them giving me a black cam walker first up meant I didn’t have to ask for one.

3. Summer sucks. Apart from the summer fruit. Mangoes… Mmmm.

4. There is a deep amount of love in my heart for Bunnings, with absolutely no reason. I don’t even like DIY, apart from painting.

5. As I get older, I become more indifferent to things I thought I’d always be interested in…

6. …and more passionate about other things that aren’t what I expected to become interested in.

7. The psychotic mood swings of the random cat make me glad he’s not mine. And extra glad he’s not a child who’s mine. You can’t shut them out on the veranda when you get sick of them. Well. Not without getting visits from DHS.

8. Part of me still wants to be a doctor.

9. I’ve never smoked or tried drugs. I obviously wasn’t a normal teen.

10. My life is very reliant on music and I probably listen to more hours of it per day than is good for my ears. Plus I love to sing.

11. Older men have always appealed to me – the “youngest” guy I’ve dated was eight years older than me.

12. People may know about my shoe collection and think that shoes hold a special place in my life. They don’t.

13. Rammstein - *squeeeeals*

14. The trip to Germany and England with my family was probably the best thing ever. Although crossing the Simpson Desert was also awesome.

15. Photography has become a surprisingly large part my life.

16. I hate seeing birds in cages.

I now condemn Taylor, Kez, Deb, Kaisa and Clare to completing this task.
This is the result of two very, very different conversations colliding in the office today:

Officemate: "My balls are already taken!"
Copyeditor: "I do like the feel of them, but I don't go rubbing my face on them."
Me: *practically falls off chair laughing*

For further information, the officemate received a basketball, a soccer ball, volleyball and football for Christmas. The copyeditor was talking about a conversation she was having on iChat about the feel of clothing on your face.

So wrong. So funny. So glad I'm at work.

Wednesday, January 07, 2009


^ Walking in bushland with broken leg degree of difficulty: 9.5. But worth it to get some photos of these lovely ferns.

^ The bruising after taking the cast off on Christmas Eve.

Not quite as spectacular as a few days after that. Thankfully the swelling reduced as the bruising increased, although the muscle tone has also departed so I've got a skinny, white leg. A very skinny, very white leg.

Had the nicest dream the other night that the cast was off and I was walking like normal, which was delightful. I'm a little worried about the healing process and about whether or not I'll be able to wear heels again soon (or if at all - eek - a prospect that fills me with dread).

Random photos







Fetish ahoy

Let it never be said that I do not cater to fetishes.

Over the years, I've had people visiting my blog who have foot fetishes, seatbelt fetishes and strange thoughts about Santa and bondage.

And now apparently there's a thing about women in casts, which I've been linked on. So that's interesting. And explains the ginormous spike in blog visits for the day.

So... err... Yes.

Remember, casts/cam walkers aren't as much fun as they look. That's all I have to say about it. Also, life is never dull or uninteresting, even when it's been a very quiet period of life thanks to the broken leg.

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Observations on breaking a leg - the good

> My family. They've been looking after me. And doing all of the things that I'd planned to do over the holidays. Will have to buy them something nice or create something fantastic to say thanks once I'm up and about again properly.

> Zipping around Bunnings in a wheelchair is ridiculously fun.

> Having not one but TWO hot doctors fix my leg, asisted by lovely nurses who were all amusing and sweet and reassuring. Of course, the time I meet hot doctors is the time I am not looking my best.

> Morphine, oxycontin and chocolate mousse.

> The gorgeous flowers from the people at work, along with the lovely bunch from people associated with our work (thanks, Melody!).

> My neighbours. They were amazing and I'm going to miss them when they move in a couple days. But they've got great things in store for this year and I can't think of anyone more deserving.

> My phone miraculously lasting from Sunday to Wednesday in hospital with regular use and me sending out loads of SMSs and stuff in my boredom. It flashed up with "Low Battery" within minutes of me hobbling in the door at home.

> Getting random calls from people just to check up on how I'm going.

> Some amusing conversations that have arisen from random strangers approaching me to ask how the leg breaking happened. Including being challenged to a race by an old guy who was also on crutches.

Observations on breaking a leg - the bad

> It sucks. Sucks great big hairy goat balls.

> Cam walkers are much better than casts. But it's still a job getting anywhere and you can't really do all that much once you're there. It quite puts a halt to my big plans for the holidays to have worked on the garden, done more painting in the house, do the decking, etc.

> The bruising has been spectacular, but is fading now. I should post some photos sometime soon to traumatise you all.

> Crutches are annoying.

> I'm amazed at how many strangers come up to me in shops, on the street, etc to ask what I did to my leg. And then many of them laugh when I tell them how. Wonder how amusing they'd find it if they'd done it. Or if I smacked them about the ears with a crutch.

> I'm missing Kaisa and Pete's wedding thanks to it :(

> I've really gotten nothing done at all *sigh*

> Also, if anyone else makes comments they think are amusing about "breaking a leg" or puns along those lines or whatever, please bear in mind I have heard them before. A number of times. This will help you understand why I will give you a look of pure unimpressed-ness.

> Being told a cast is "sexy" by a guy I know and asked if we could hook up. My immediate thoughts were, "Run... Err... Hobble away!" Disturbing. And kinda wrong. But also somehow kind of funny.