Bi And Large

Well, sometimes they do. Sometimes they're awfully crabby. But whatevs. I like working with them anyway.

On that line, I have to link you to an amazing video that I am tagging c/o Matt Algren's amazing blog Asterisk, which I have linked to before. It is a speech given by Philip Spooner, an 86 year old lifetime Republican and WWII vet, to a ME senate committee hearing on marriage equality. I would love to embed the video, but this being blogspirit, I can't, so poo. You'll have to follow the link over to youtube if you want to watch it. It's quick I promise - 3 minutes and change - and very moving.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrEbJBFWIPk&feature=pl...

Hope that works! Continuing the overarcing theme of this blog and really of my life: We all, fat or thin, tall or short, rich or poor, gay or straight, whatever color, whatever ability or disability, man or woman, deserve a fair go. Everyone. Period. Well, ok, maybe everyone except stupid people, by which I don't mean those who are naturally slow but those who just choose to act stupid. Those people kind of dig their own hole and deserve to sit in it. But everyone else.

I myself am more or less recovered from my lung diseases. I have a residual cough but I am fine. I did see some data from Australia and NZ (whose flu season was 6 months ago) saying that this flu causes pneumonia in obese people more often than in others, which is odd. I wonder why? Whatever. I'm done.

I had an appointment with an "endocrinologist" at the university a couple of weeks ago, and yes I put the term in quotes. Our U is world class in the medical field, one of the best in the nation, and I had high hopes. I left so devastated I couldn't talk about it, couldn't blog about it. The phrase, "Haven't you ever heard of weight watchers???" was used. I cried. I don't cry very often, except at my poor husband. I did get a laugh the next day when my mom called to ask about it and I told her and started to cry, again, and I wailed that I don't actually eat that much. And she got all upset and she started ranting and came out with, "Honey I have seen you eat, I would stand on a stack on TEN Bibles, on my ONE good foot, and swear to the supreme court that you don't!" Which still puts a smile on my face, it's such a funny mental picture. And when did my mom go from so critical to so supportive? When I had kids? When she got sick? It's such an amazing change.

She's lined up for - wait for it - ANOTHER surgery the week of Thanksgiving. This is a last ditch attempt to save that leg, and it will involve bone grafts from her hips and a couple fusions, if I am not mistaken. If it doesn't work, or if the infections that she has dealt with forEVER now can't be controlled, they will move quickly to just amputate the leg finally. Which on one hand is a pity after all we have gone through to save it! I mean seriously! But on the other a prosthetic leg doesn't require any more surgeries... we would be done at last. We're hoping she and dad will be able to come out and stay for a while before the surgery in cancelled to celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving, and an early Christmas.

The only other thing that's going on? Don't hurt yourself when you fall down laughing now but, this year I have promised myself that I am going to take up cross-country skiing. I still have strong knees and pretty good ankles, it's just my plantar fasciaitis that bothers me when walking because of the impact. And swimming / yoga are GREAT, I love them, but too expensive. God knows we have snow abundantly already here. So I am going to borrow or rent some skis and poles and get someone to teach me, and I am going to do this. If I like it, I might even do a race. I'm really excited :)