I drove

I've been making a lot of progress over the past couple weeks. In the past three days or so I have started walking without crutches at home. I still need one when I'm outside or elsewhere. I'm not quite able to navigate unfamiliar lands. I also need the crutch if I'll be walking for more than a few minutes. I still have no strength. I drove Mrs. LaBlog's car the other night. It was hard. The clutch was really heavy and sometimes I needed to use my hand to lift my leg off of the clutch, but I did okay and we made it to the grocery store without incident. I did have to reschedule my interview.

I had some test to see if there is some underlying cause for my slow recovery. My results are consistent with a degenerative joint condition. I have not been diagnosed with anything at this time. I'll see a doctor on Monday and he'll likely send me to a specialist. Hopefully I'll have health insurance before I am officially diagnosed. I don't want the dreaded pre-existing condition.

I'm sure I have some friends who are Health Policy people, so could one of them get to work on some universial health care. I had the audacity to move across the country to be closer to family and I'm rewarded with upwards of $2,000 in medical bills for a sprained knee, with more on the way if another specialist is involved. It's crap. People deserve better than that.

Thanks Rutgers

Well, every Texas fan should be happy right now. I don't think that Rutgers has any shot of playing for a national championship, even if they go undefeated. It's unfortunate for them that voters probably won't think as highly of a 12-0 Rutgers than they would have felt about a 12-0 Louisville or West Virginia team. For what it's worth, I think West Virginia will destroy Rutgers. I hope San Jose State beats Boise State this weekend. I would hate for them to end the year as one of two undefeated teams. That could make the Fiesta Bowl really boring.

I'm really frustrated with this knee problem. I talked with me dad tonight and he pointed out that it's really unusual for an injury to last this long, so maybe I should see my normal doctor to see if there is something else going on. I haven't been able to walk without crutches or drive my car in about a month. I may have to reschedule my Wednesday interview for later this month, although there's no guarantee that things will be better by then.

What an ass

If you weren't quite convinced that Marshall Wittmann, aka the Bull Moose, is a jackass, then read this post on the New Donkey. I should point out that the New Donkey post is supposed to be positive. Maybe it is if the reader isn't a Texas Ex.

Will the Dems try in Arkansas in '08?

As of right now, in the state of Arkansas three of the state's four representatives are Democrats. The Governor-elect is a Democrat. Both Senators are Democrats. The legislature is a large Democratic majority. The last Democratic President was from Arkansas. When I lived in Madison, some people would laugh me off when I complained about the lack of a serious presidential challenge by the Democrats in Arkansas, but the state is clearly a good state to target for the Democrats. It is clearly winnable.

I walked

The past few days have been exciting. I found out on Monday that nothing in my knee is torn, which is good. Unfortunately I also found out that there is fluid in my knee which is causing the pain and stiffness. A 28-year old shouldn't have fluid in his knee unless something is torn, say if I had bursitis. I had to go to a lab and lose some blood to see if we can figure out what's going on. On Wednesday I went to the grocery store with Mrs. LaBlog. That was the first time in nearly a month that I had been able to be on my feet for an extended period of time. I was on crutches, but it still counts. Today I went in for my first time of physical therapy. I've got some exercises to do at home, one of which utilizes a big latex strip. Now I'm able to walk with only one crutch. That's progress. The range of motion in my left knee is now two-thirds that of my right knee. That's also progress.