Done yesterday (20110625 Su)

[mdlbear]

0625 Su
  * up 7ish; W=198.2; drugs, nose, teeth, laundry, dishes, coffee
  ! mood ok+, I think.  Improved some with the SAD light.  Happy light?
  @ Armed and Dangerous » The Smartphone Wars: Nokias fallback?
  @ elf: Free short stories by female SF authors who started in the 70's
  @ Readable / TastefulWords.com reformats websites to your spec.  Cool!!!
  * checked mail for Westercon info.  Should have been doing that daily, of
    course.  Dumb bear.  {Not dumb, but you do have a talent for not keeping
    an eye on things that later sneak up and bite you.}
  * 15min:  chord out Where the Heart Is
  * buy: bagels for brunch
  * buy: membership in RainFurrest for Colleen
  : Plink hangs very nicely from a full-sized music stand.  Hmm -- this would
    be the best reason yet to get the folding one I've been eyeing.  
  * 15min:  puttering with travel stuff.
    : the "electronics bag" is mostly empty; the only bulky item is the travel
      router, which isn't used anymore.  Could consolidate with the Zoom.
  @ Daily Kos: At 13, She Was Ruined (What happens when women vote Republican) 
  @ Elderly woman asked to remove adult diaper during TSA search
    Infuriating.  (Boing Boing)
  * 15min:  junk mail charity triage (< 1/4 of the box so far)
  * 15min:  garage cleanup, empty and put away Tuesday backpack.
  * Nice st/roll with Colleen.  2x Rose Garden.  Reading
    ! feeling somewhere between good and happy this time.  Nice.
    : then Colleen fell off the scooter turning off the sidewalk, and
      injured her wrist.  Made myself a quick egg&cheese, grabbed a water
      bottle, and synced Barnard.  Now writing in the ER waiting for x-ray
      and percoset.
  % Minnie makes a pretty decent lap desk, with her back pad up.
  : broken, as it turns out.  :( :(  Distal ulnar fracture
    & saw that the splint would have immobilized her elbow, and had them fix
  % Minnie is surprisingly comfortable close-hauled, with a water bottle,
    netbook, and a paperback.
  ~ lamb curry or lamb stew; maybe veg. korma?  Ravioli?
    -> salmon roll-ups, chipotle chicken skewers (frozen)
  : Colleen and I agree with N.: her scooter is too unstable to be safe.
    Pride Mobility Victory 9 looks possible, but we need to look around
    @ The Scooter Store - midsized scooters
    @ ScooterDirect has very detailed specs.
  * paid PG&E bill -- substantially lower.  
    last year:  29.3 KWh/day
    last month: 25.5
    this month: 22.4
  % 11:40 eyes hurt from reading too close to monitor looking at scooter
    specs.  Should take aspirin and go to bed.

It was almost a really good day. We had bagels and lox for brunch, and had a great st/roll around the Rose Garden. We sat and read for a while, having remembered to bring reading material this time.

Then Colleen took the corner from the sidewalk to our walkway a little too fast, fell, and injured her wrist. We called 911 for assistance getting her up and got an ice pack on it, then I had a quick dinner of scrambled eggs while Colleen called Kaiser; I knew it was going to be a long night.

This happened at about 4:15; we finally made it home about 8:30 with a temporary splint on what turned out to be a distal ulnar fracture. For those who can't instantly decode anatomical notation, that's one of the two long bones of the forearm, an inch or so short of the wrist.

It could have been a lot worse. She didn't hit her head, or damage a leg, hip, or something else, and I managed to prevent them from giving her a splint that would have imobilized her elbow. As it is, she'll be in a cast for 4-6 weeks, and have a lot of trouble doing day-to-day stuff.

It's become obvious that she needs a wider scooter -- this one is great for portability, but it's dangerously unstable. The base is only 19.5" wide, but the chair arms are set at 23.75, so it looks like we can go to a 24" wide scooter without too much trouble. It should give her a little more leg-room, too.

I managed to stay calm and even cheerful through the whole thing, which was good if a little surprising. There were a couple of times when I overloaded, all when Colleen was trying to tell me something while I was concentrating. Minor, and I got past them easily. Colleen did ok modulo a couple of spots where the pain got to her; we came home with a prescription for percoset.

I found that Minnie makes a decent laptop tray, and that if I tighten up the strap she's actually pretty comfortable even with the addition of a water bottle, netbook, and paperback book. I've started unpacking my old luggage and redistributing their contents; I discovered in the process that my "electronics bag" is mostly empty except for a handful of cables and the travel router that I haven't used for a long time. So that can probably get consolidated with the Zoom H2.

I've discovered that Plink (the travel guitar) hangs nicely from a full-sized music stand; that suggests that it's probably worthwhile getting the folding one I've been eyeing for years at Guitar Showcase.

Some links up in the notes.

Comments

[rowanf.livejournal.com]

Oh man, so sorry to hear about Colleen's mishap. My scooter has four wheels. I know someday I will have to get a "modern" 3-wheeler but they just don't seem stable to me. Please offer my concern & hugs to Colleen.

[mdlbear]

Almost all modern travel scooters come in both three- and four-wheeled versions. The three-wheelers turn more sharply, which is both useful and (as Colleen occasionally discovers) dangerous.

[chipuni.livejournal.com]

Heavens; I'm sorry about Colleen's fracture.

I hope that she gets well quickly.

[mdlbear]

Thanks

[hvideo.livejournal.com]

Best Wishes for a speedy recovery for Colleen. And I can just imagine how much more difficult life would have been for her with the elbow immobilized. Good thing you were there to prevent that!

[mdlbear]

Thanks! I have no idea why they just assumed that the elbow needed to be immobilized; it was nowhere near the fracture. But it seems to be SOP.

[willowisp.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry Colleen was hurt; here's hoping the recovery will be uneventful and (relatively) quick.

[mdlbear]

Thanks!

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. Wishing Colleen a swift, complete, and pain-controlled recovery. And I hope she finds the perfect scooter in the meantime. And *hugs* to both of you!

[mdlbear]

*hugs* Thanks!

We may be able to get by with lowering the seat on the present one -- we'll see.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

Depends on whether lowering the seat (and thereby lowering the CG) makes it easier or harder for her to get in and out of it.

[mdlbear]

:) That was one of the first things we checked. It's about the same as long as we remember to tilt the tiller-post a little further forward.

[judifilksign.livejournal.com]

Oh no! I'm so sorry that Colleen fractured her arm. I hope you are able to find a more stable travel or walking scooter to avoid such troubles in the future, and that Colleen's recovery is quick.

[mdlbear]

Thanks!

[phoenixpdx.livejournal.com]

Oh dear! purrs, hugs and healing thoughts headed Colleen's way. Falling, or overturning the scooter, is a very scary thought for me, and I sympathize greatly. I hope that she heals up quickly and easily. And good for you for staying calm.

[mdlbear]

Thanks! We lowered the seat; hopefully that will increase stability enough for most purposes, because I have yet to see a wider travel scooter.

[mdlbear]

"And good for you for staying calm."

Thanks again. I seem to have more cope these days; a lot of it's probably the Good Drugs, but some is just finally being able to identify where the stress is coming from.

[chaoswolf]

I'm sorry, Mom!!! Get well soon!

Dad: *HUGS*

[mdlbear]

*hugs* Thanks!

[jilara.livejournal.com]

Ouch. Hugs and healing thoughts to Colleen. It's the stupid little things that get you hurt, I fear...

[mdlbear]

Yeah. Thanks!

[randwolf.livejournal.com]

My sympathies to Colleen.

[mdlbear]

Thanks!

[joecoustic.livejournal.com]

Healing thoughts to her!! I'm glad it wasn't any worse than it turned out to be! *hugs*

[mdlbear]

*hugs* thanks!