My Grandmother

Dear friends, I wanted to let you know that my grandmother, whom I called Amma, passed away today. I promised my grandmother, years ago, that I would officiate at her funeral. This brought her great peace. It is one of those promises that you hope never to fulfill.

I have been given permission from my doctors to fly, though I am not looking forward to it. I have made all the appropriate "handicapped" provisions: wheelchair on departure and arrival, special seating on the plane, note on my ticket. I hope all goes well, physically, so that I can be present, emotionally.

Illinois friends, I wish I could see you on this trip! Will have to be sure to come out again, soon, for a good reason.

Wishing you all the best, and hoping that you had good memories with your grandparents. Now that my Amma is gone, I have no more living grandparents. Yet, I am confident, they will always live on, in my memory, in my heart, and in my soul.

The Aformentioned Red Toenails... Of DOOM!!!

By special request (that's you, Zilla!), here is a photo of the luvely toenails, so innocently painted before my less-than-graceful fall at the salon.

(plus, I get to live out my lifelong dream of being a foot model....)

The best laid plans...

Hello, friends! As I got up this morning, I decided that I wanted to get out of the house and do some walking (an important part of my recovery). I live less than a mile from a mall, so I decided to drive there, have lunch, and walk around slowly. I was even looking forward to blogging about my adventure when I got home!

Well, after I gave into my Arby's craving (what I wouldn't do for a Beef and Cheddar!!!), I decided to treat myself to my first mani and pedi, post-surgery. Considering that I cannot reach my feet as of yet, I was really excited!

I got my toes done in a BRIGHT red - one of my favorites. I got up off the chair and walked over to the manicure station, turned around to sit down properly... Started to sit down.... And the chair rolled out from under me.

And I wound up on the floor. On my tush.

It took me a while to get back up. I sat down, with help, and slowly relaxed. At my sister's insistence, I called the doctor to ask if I should be worried. The nurse told me to ice constantly for the rest of the day and drink lots of fluids. The area may get swollen, but I am not allowed to take any advil or aleve because they interfere with the bone fusion process. If I don't feel okay in the morning, I will have to go in for an x-ray.

So, for now, I will ice, take my painkillers, drink up and rest. I will keep you all up to date.

At least my fingers and toes look MARVELOUS!!! :)
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Song Sequels

Okay, folks - need your help with this fascination of mine:

Song Sequels.

I mean, what a cool concept! For whatever reason, the original artist, or even another artist, decides to continue the storyline of the first song. I am thinking of a few right off the bat:

Metallica - "Unforgiven" and "Unforgiven II"
This one might be obvious, particularly due to those roman numerals at the end of the second song. There are even some lyrics repeated in the second song that were from the original.

Lesley Gore - "It's My Party" and "It's Judy's Turn to Cry"
This is one of my most favorite examples - the story from the first song, in which Judy steals her boyfriend, thus causing Lesley to cry at her own party, continues in the second song. Now, it's Judy's turn to cry! So there! Interesting Trivia - Lesley Gore was originally Lesley Sue Goldstein, and she came out as a lesbian in 2005. Thanks, Wikipedia!

David Bowie - "Space Oddity," and Peter Schilling, "Major Tom"
Well, this one just blew me away. I thought that these were the only two songs that dealt with Major Tom, but, boy, I thought wrong! It turns out that there is a whole world of songs that further along the mythology of the Major Tom character. David Bowie added the song "Ashes to Ashes," and then other people from all over the world have written other songs. What a phenomenon! Check out the Major Tom article on Wikipedia for the whole list of songs and artists, and examples of the lyrics.

So, what Sequel Songs are you aware of? They can be by the same artist, or a response from another artist.

Six-week Check-up

Well, folks, I got a great report at the surgeon's today. I had my six-week (can it already be six weeks since my surgery?!??) check-up today, which included an x-ray. All is well! So far, my spine is healing, the screws are where they should be, and the bone is fusing properly. I am right on track for my healing process.

I told them about the increased pain I have had over the past few weeks, and they said that is, indeed, a very normal phenomenon. As I get better, I unintentionally do too much, and thus set myself back a few days. This happened two weeks ago, and again this past week. Apparently, once you hit the four week mark, you have a greater risk of pain. Guess it is human nature to get all excited about feeling better, and go wild (wild being - sitting for a WHOLE HOUR at once - isn't that CRAZY BEHAVIOR?!?!?). Teehee!

Most people do not start physical therapy until 3 months after surgery, but the surgeon said that I am doing so well that I can start now! He prescribed gentle massage (no complaints here), gentle isometrics, and modalities (heat, STIM, etc.). I hope to start that up next week.

It is so reassuring to be told that, a) it is normal to be in pain right now, and, b) I am really getting better. My doctor also said that it might take me longer to heal from all the pain because I was in pain for so long (three long years). My body has a lot of catching up to do.

Thanks, as always, for all of your support and encouragement!!

NKOTB Reunion Tour?!?!?!

Could it be true? Are they really getting back together?
Oh, 12 year old Marci, calm yourself!!!!