I have had a strong urge to blog today and wanted to take a break at work to work on it....however I stayed strong and focused on my numerous tasks in my ISU office. I haven't been very worried about making New Year resolutions. I'm not sure if that is good or bad. I'm sort of sick of making the same resolutions each year and not succeeding with any of them. I guess I do have one "resolution" or rule for myself this year:
I will leave my work at work and give myself down time in the evenings so I focus on Gavin, Jon, and/or myself.
I think adhering to that rule will help me accomplish other goals in life without having to necessarily name them as resolutions. I will be able to cook with a purpose (e.g. somewhat from scratch) when I just focus on making a meal and enjoying it. If I can get into exercising in the late afternoon or evening, I can work out too and not worry about grading papers or doing prep for any of my classes. LeAnn made a commment about writing and how she missed writing fiction. I'm in the same boat...I don't miss writing fiction but I do miss writing letters to people and being better about sending cards for anniversaries, birthdays, etc. By having more time for myself, I won't scramble to complete those things....I might actually get to sit down with a coffee and patience when I write to people.
I've been concerned about my diet and exercise of course but I've been prioritizing my joint problems since the pain is a big distractor. It feels good to be active and I can reduce the pain through general activity but the higher impact things aren't helping matters. Even walking for too long seems to make things worse. Sadly I cannot get an appointment with the arthritis specialist until March 21st. Due to that fact, I'm trying to get an appt with a specialist in Des Moines.
Jon is doing well with his second week of physical therapy. He has reached 37 degrees of flexion in his knee up to today. He's gaining a lot of his independence back too. In theory, he only needs me at home to do the laundry since the machines are located in the basement. Outside of his house, he still needs a driver but sadly my availability is gone now that ISU and DMACC start next week. Thanks to the new course I'm teaching, I don't finish teaching until 3pm on Mondays and Wednesdays so there is no way for me to get Jon from work and to PT on time. Thankfully his parents are able to help when I can't bop down there.
Gavin is currently at basketball practice (I'm in the cafe by the gym using the building's free Internet) and his games start this Saturday already. All his games are at 5pm this season which will be different. They have been in the late morning or early afternoon in the past. He's also a finalist in a geography bee next week. I didn't even know he was participating in it until I got a letter in December that said he was one of the top performers at his elementary school.
Well I'm glad I got this done today...I still have another full day of work to complete tomorrow but I should be on track for the start of the semester on Monday. I wish I didn't have all day meetings on Friday and Thursday. I could use those days to do prep work for DMACC. Heck, I still need to visit the Ankeny campus and get my key to my classroom and see how it's set up. Luckily it's the same class I taught this past semester (that's apparently rocket science and no one can get an A) so I just need to review my PowerPoints before I teach each Wednesday. It's not online though....everything is pure lecture. My class this previous semester was half lecture and half online content. Not sure why they are making me backtrack.
Ok, that's enough babble. Hope everyone's year is starting off nicely. I'm sure it's going to be 2012 before we know it.
2 comments:
I totally agree about the resolutions - it's usually the same thing. No offense, but I think your resolution will be tough (even though I wish it were possible for me). Teachers always have more work than what the day allows, which means work comes home. I'm useless when I get home. I get the most done when I'm at school. I still bring something home though, whether I get it done or not.
I do not envy your and Jon's physical health right now. I can barely get myself an eye appointment, dentist appointment, etc. I didn't hear about Gavin's geography intelligence. That's exciting. Your schedule sounds pretty full. But that is life. The countdown for summer begins. Lol. Glad to hear/read a blog. Now it's Nicole's turn . . .
I too think your resolution will be difficult but I think they're supposed to be a challenge. You'll have to work hard to accomplish it but I think you can do it!
I can't believe how long it is going to take you to get into the specialist. That is a really long time to be in pain. Have you considered doing some non-weight-bearing exercises? Do they still have open pool hours in Forker? It would be a good way to get in some exercise but hopefully save you some pain.
I'm glad Jon is progressing. I hope he continues on the healing path.
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