Happy Hanukkah

After an extremely busy evening, the boys lit the candles and opened Aunt Elaine's presents. They love the new basketball gear.

Hanging Tree

I'm at a conference a full 3 miles away from home at the Gaylord Hotel at National Harbor. It's a neat space we rarely visit, kinda a fake old town Alexandria.

Great Effort

We played the number 1 or 2 team in the league today while we lost by 13 we played as hard as I've seen them play in a while. Sam had 9 points and 12 rebounds and Dylan ran so hard in the first 6 minutes that he started to hyperventilate. I was proud of both of them and I think the team is starting to come together after a rough start to the season.

Another Tough Loss

The team kept it tight the whole game but came up 4 points short in today's game. They wore their white uniforms for the first time and looked damn good in them but wasn't enough. Both boys played well, Dylan was maniac on defense and caused mayhem while Sam hustled and fought back against double teaming and a kid who played as dirty as I've seen a kid play. He was hanging on Sam like a window washer on a skyscraper. Sam pushed back and the didn't give any ground.

Players

...via PhotoToaster, using these settings.

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Boy Band

Some of Sam and Dylan's buddies after the big Winter Concert. The boys did well.

Not Bad

The scar ain't too bad. Just wish the knee moved a little more than it does but that will come in time.

Not Fair

Hanna didn't measure the range on my knee today because she, and the other PT's think I'm focusing on the number too much. Nicely played ladies but I will get that measurement sometime this week. It was 108 on Friday and I'm sure it would have been 110 today. Going for 112 on Friday if they let me do a measurement.

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Having Fun

The boys lost again today with a pathetic shooting performance being the main cause. They were down 30-7 at half and sunk less than 10% of their shots. They did improve in the second half, losing 41-30. Both boys played pretty well but with everyone on the team, including them missing 75% of their shots, there was no way we were going to win. Pickle should be paying attention to the coach but at least he's smiling.

Xmas Shopping

Well, for myself really. I'm using my birthday gift card to buy some winter wear at Tommy Bahama. I visit the store at Tysons twice a year. Spring and Fall. In and out, that's how I like it.

108 Degrees

That's not the temp, it's my knee motion. I was aiming for 110 this week but I got close. Besides my PT appointment, I also put up the outside lights today. These twinklers will be up until February some time. I leave them up a long time but I enjoy them so.

Fishy Tomato Car

I was treated to this tomato car on the way to work yesterday. Just thought I would share.

Six Weeks

To been a little over six weeks since surgery and things are slowly improving. The doctor visit yesterday went pretty well with him being happy to measure a 100 degree bend in the leg. He would like to see it at 120 but the 21 degree improvement over the last time he saw me made him fairly happy. I had a PT appointment later yesterday and while I was hoping for a 110 bend, it only went to 105, the same as the Friday before thanksgiving vacation. I'm going to get it to 110 be Friday one way or the other.

All and all, I'm not knocking recovery out of the ballpark, some people have gotten better faster but I'm making progress. In all honesty, it hurts a lot sometimes. Not sure why but it can really go to a bad place still and drugs are required. I know I will be happy I did this eventually but I still have some work to do.

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Next Holiday

Well, Hanukkah is next but we don't decorate so much for that. The tree is up and decorated and the house smells great. This thing should be in this spot until the second week in January. Fun time of year.

Big Screen

I think the camera was going for the wacky women behind me but I caught a picture of myself on the Madison Square Garden Jumbotron last night. We had a great time with Adam and Gil watching the Gophers beat Georgia and St. John's give #10 Gonzaga a scare. The Zags eventually won but the johnnies made it exciting.

Made it home in about 4 and a half hours today which is pretty good for a Saturday on the 95 corridor. We had a great time in New York but it's nice to be home in front of the fire again.

Gopher Win

Happy boys with a gopher win. Now watching St. John's giving Gonzaga a run for the money. Could be an upset.

Thanksgiving

Dylan wanted some more Rays Pizza for lunch so we strolled over to st marks and 3rd to grab a slice. This picture is the north side of Adam's building. Is's an old music sheet publishing company that was established in the East Village in the 1870's. Now it's a couple dozen condos and our thanksgiving home.

Matilda

Saw a great matinee production of Matilda at the Schubert then had dinner at Tavern on the Green. It was one cold and rainy day here in New York but things are supposed to prove tomorrow.

Freedom Tower

It seems you can see Freedom Tower from every street in the Village and SoHo. It's a new landmark and a directional beacon for those having a hard time determining north and south in the city.

Boys and Their Shoes

We stopped at a few stores around Union Square and the boys and I all got some new kicks. The is rare, but I out shoed them with me selection at Flight Club.

Pizza Boy

We made it to New York in 4 hours and 30 minutes which is a record for us I believe. We only stopped once for some food and a bathroom break and didn't run into any traffic jams. Dylan loves the pizza at the joint across the street from Adams place.

First Game

The Patriots lost 40-36 to Herndon but showed signs of gelling as a team. I think we need to be a little more aggressive around the hoop but a good effort all around.

Growing Boys

Dylan and shot up since this was taken July but Sam still have a an inch or two on him.  That probably won't last for long.

Sixth Grader #2

Sixth Grader #1

Scrimmage

No games this week but a scrimmage on a Friday night. It will be good to be game free for a weekend.

My Hero

I'm coming up on four weeks since my knee replacement and things are slowly improving and getting back to normal. I still have a rough road ahead to get my leg to a 130 degree bend but I know what I have to do.

I'm not sure I could have made it this far without the undying support of my incredible partner and love of my life. I appreciate the support from from my mom, Linda, Sam, Dylan and the daily supportive texts from my dad as well but Nicole showed me how much she cares about me in to many ways to count.

Sleeping in my hospital room in a chair for two nights, advocating for me with the medical staff, pushing the pain med drip button when I dozed off, making sure I had all my meds and medical equipment, bringing me breakfast in bed, filling my ice machine, messaging my knee, completely rearranging her schedule and providing moral support and water during some tough PT sessions.

All this on top of doing all the kid stuff we used to split on any given week. I truly got lucky when she agreed to marry me 13 years ago and I just want to say thank you for everything. I love you.

Victory Cake

Nicole went all out for the season ending party last night. The boys had a great time celebrating their championship season.

Snap, crackle, pop

It's been a little over three weeks and I'm falling behind in the bend department. I don't have the range of motion that I probably should have at this point and it means some really painful PT sessions for the next few weeks. The routine is basically to pull/stretch the knee beyond is current limits to break up the scar tissue which you can hear pop in the knee. It's hard to describe how uncomfortable that is. I don't have much of a choice but I'm a little dismayed at this point. One day at a time but I have some tough days ahead of me.

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Champions

The little Ducks won a huge game today by getting a 110% from all the kids. I'm pretty sure every kid scored points in a 44-22 drubbing of the iNiners. Dylan scored two beautiful rushing touchdowns and Sam had one rushing TD. The team scored 3 safeties and had the iNiners on their heels the whole game. This was a much needed win after falling in the playoffs the last four years. They worked their butts off and came up with a game they will remember forever.

Championship Moms

These ladies have a lot of flair going on.

Cake Boss

They both consumed a quarter of each cake. I didn't think they could but they did. It was Mom's idea to let them try.

Birthday Boys

A couple of 12 year olds today. Love these guys.

The Bend

The Physical Therapist really started to work the knee to do stuff it doesn't really want to do. I need to get it to bend about 130 degrees and at the moment, it's at about 85 degrees. A person needs about 110 to walk up steps, one foot after the other and to ride a bike. It seems I have some work to do and it ain't all that pleasant.

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Just Another Day

The knee continues to improve, slowly. I ran out of the longer acting narcotic yesterday and while I believe that's the plan to get me back to no narcotics, it did mean some extra pain the last 36 hours. I still have short term pain meds but I realize now that the long term stuff is better. All in all I'm doing well but the days are adding up and improvement is slowing down. I have another pt session in the morning then a day of more exercise and the continuous motion machine. It's hard to tell which day of the week it is at times. I'm getting there.

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Two weeks Home

My in home PT has run out and it's out to PT early tomorrow. I'm fearing they may kick my ass a little but I've been keeping up with the exercises at home so hopefully I'll be ready for them. The knee does continue to improve and sleeping is a little easier. I think getting out of the house tomorrow will be good for me. I need to see some different turning leaves than the ones I can see from my window.

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All Hallows' Eve

The kids are out trick or treating with friends and I have these spooky dudes looking at me. The house smells like pumpkin guts and burning wood. This what fall is all about.

Halloween

The Fantastic Mr. Fox and Fantasy Football on the way to school this morning. On another gruesome note, I just got the staples on my knee out. It was annoyingly painful but it went pretty fast for having 38 of them.

Fiddling Fox

Sam played at Edison High in the greater Springfield area orchestra this evening. I think the football and basketball coaches would have rather seen at practice but Sam wanted to be part of this multiple grade school orchestra concert. He had been practicing for it all month. It's good that he likes things beyond sports, keeps him well rounded. His ears are part of his Halloween costume, TheFantastic Mr. Fox. A Roald Dahl book.

Two Weeks

With two weeks almost behind me, I'm starting see some faster improvement in my leg. I've graduated from a walker to a cane and the swelling is going down quite a bit. The whole thing is still a little painful but that's to be expected. My Pt session on Wednesday was pretty brutal. She had me doing some things on my feet that was causing some severe discomfort but I went back at trying them again today. I know this is a long process but I'm getting through it step by step.

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House Arrest

The knee is improving a little everyday and I'm getting more and more energy. It's amazing how a little surgery can knock you out for a while. Everything seems to be going how it's supposed to be going while I did expect to have more movement in the leg by now, I'm not terribly disappointed. My big activity this week will be getting the 30 plus staples out on Friday. That and a couple more PT sessions.

The biggest problem with doing this surgery this time a year is that I'm missing all the good leif turning action. Their are a few spots on the way to work and school that are pretty spectacular and I'm going to miss those spots at peak. Maybe I'll get out and see something this weekend.

One week home

It's been a week since leaving the hospital and while I've had some better days than others I'm still experiencing some good pain. I did more moving from upstairs to downstairs and spent more time on the motion machine than past days but that sucka is still really stiff. I know everyone's knee is different and healing times may vary but it's clear I won't be in the early healers club on this one. More PT and exercise tomorrow.

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Bed - Chair

And back again. Same old routine around here the last week and while I don't really feel like running around in the leaves, the same thing, day after day is kinda a drag. The knee is still really swollen and the pain is still high but I have good parts of the day. Hanging with the kids in bed before their football game as fun.

The boys lost their game today but combined for 6 touchdowns. Sam threw two TD passes to Dylan, ran a TD and had a pick 6. Dylan also had a pick 2, he intercepted an extra point conversion attempt by the other team. This is the team they will see in the championship game in two weeks. I hope their defense improves a little by then.

It's been one week

The knee might actually hurt more a week after surgery than it did last week at this time. I have been shedding the effects of the injected pain blockers all week and have the night sweats and chills to prove it. The oral pain meds continue, as does the continuous motion machine, walking and stretching. Mom left yesterday and she was a huge help getting through a tough week but the boys are starting to pitch in more to help out.

The PT says the amount of stiffness and pain at this point is a little odd but as we talked today we realized that my knee was such a twisted mess for so long, the soft tissue is having a hard time adjusting to the new "straightened" knee joint. She thinks once the swelling goes down, I will start to see significant improvement quickly.

I'm going to miss another boys football game tomorrow which sucks but if I'm lucky, I will catch the playoffs.

A Stitch at a Time

Well, staples really but as nasty as this looks, it's in good condition. Got back from the hospital at around 6:30 last night, ate some cereal, took some pain meds then went to bed for almost 12 hours. Mom and Nicole are making sure I've got everything I need and while it hurts a bunch, it seems to be getting a little less painful and slightly looser every day.

D-Day plus 1

The surgery went well yesterday. In the operating room at 7:30am and out by around 10am. Mom and Nicole hung out and met me in my room. The pain was pretty extreme last night but it has subsided quite a bit today but it still smarts. I got up and walked 80 feet on Friday, 130 feet and stairs this morning and a nice 400 foot trip around the ward this afternoon.

Having Mom and Nicole staying with me in shifts has been fantastic. I believe Nicole is staying with me again tonight. I've also spent most of my time in a chair today, which is better for my body than stretched out on the bed. Baby steps.

Checked In

My left knee lasted me a little over 50 years. It's time for the upgrade.

October Sky

The light is fading fast for weekday football practices. Only a couple more weeks until it will be dark at 5 and we will not have practice.

Fox Business

Nicole helped the Fox News people understand how the affordable care act is working. They add some truthyness every once in a while.

Tick Tock

That's what a knee is supposed to look like, mine, not so much.

Ward Fest

Our friends Larry and Kate Ward (far right) moved to Boston last summer but returned for a visit this weekend. We had 20 people over to celebrate the visit. It was kinda a mini Halloween party since we are not having one of those this year. 5 days and counting.

It's starting to look...

As seen at Market Street Bloomingdales yesterday. Seems a little early but I liked it.

Bay Bridge

On the plane on the way home from another Council meeting in San Francisco. It was informative and fun as usual. I've been fighting a cold so my only night out was Tuesday which was a lot of fun. Went to bed at 8 last night and feel much better today. I'm right over Denver right now so about 1,300 more miles till I'm home.

Shoe Fetish

The boys and I had a good time shopping for shoes today. We ended up at World of Hoops store at Pentagon City mall where Dylan scored the black Micheal Jordan "29's" and Sam got really bright Nike's. They both seem like good shoes and they fit well, Sam with an 11 1/2 and Dylan in a 10. These kids love shoes and know a lot about them. It was fun watching them try things on and the excitement they get from walking out of the store, bags in hand. We also pick up some fancy USA socks that match their LMVSC Patriots uniforms. We picked up new football gloves and had a late lunch at Fiona's as well. It's been a fun boys weekend but we are all looking forward to Momma coming home tomorrow.

Yes I Did

The temp is 59 degrees at 7:30pm so it's time for the first fire of the season. It's getting down to the mid forties tonight and I've been itchin to light one up for the last few weeks. Nicole is in California so the boys and I are watching Irish football and Nats playoff baseball. Good times.

A Beating

The little Ducks were firing on all cylinders today in a 45-0 drubbing of the Vipers. While the Viers played poorly, the ducks came out on fire. Dylan intercepted 3 balls and returned 2 for touchdowns, he also caught a long pass from Lucas for a TD. Sam intercepted 1 ball but went to his knee immediately because we were winning by so much, Dylan did the same with his third interception. They both could have easily scored on those picks. Sam scored on a long throw from Nick as well. Mick scored twice, a pick 6 and a long pass from Lucas, Nick scored on a pick six as well and Lucas scored a safety. It as an all around beating.

Sick Sam

Dylan went to basketball tryouts tonight but Sam stayed home with strep throat. He's pretty sick but in a good mood. Dylan was really solid once again at the tryouts and the new recruits look really good. Not sure who's on the team yet but the boys look good for making the roster and with some new blood, we are bound to have a pretty good year.

Mmmmm Wine

I'll have one of each I believe. Grandma brought me this from Santa Fe. It may be my new hanging around home and drinking wine shirt since it probably won't show red wine spills, being burgundy colored and all.