ProfessorTomoe

You said it, good sir. I even got it myself, since Mrs. Prof had to get on a conference call. Didn't trip on anything or pass out during the round trip!

11:53 a.m. CDT, Tuesday, May 9th, 2017. Mrs. Prof has managed to get off of her taskforce, for which I am grateful. I now have transportation to a 7:45 a.m. appointment set for tomorrow (Wednesday) with my primary care doctor. I'll be discussing, in the following order: Yesterday's fall, including a possibly broken bone in my left foot (not just in a toe), my injured knees, and my scraped arm. The sore throat I've developed since going on (and stopping afterward) the nebulizer, along with the change in the cough status (it only really acts up if I'm laying on my back). I'll also be discussing whether or not I should still see a pulmonologist or change that to an ENT specialist. A rash that has developed under my right arm (minor by comparison). The appointment nurse couldn't fit everything into the appointment box on her computer system. I warned her to just tell my doctor that I'm gong to be there for a while. More updates: My left foot (not the movie by that name) has swollen up tight. I've put ice on top of it and under it, but I can't elevate it since I'll start a coughing fit when I lie on my back. I woke up at 3:30 a.m. CDT having trouble telling which pains were being caused by what injuries. I took my hydrocodone 30 minutes early and went back to sleep, sort of. I woke up again around 7am or 7:30 a.m. in extreme pain from my right hip and my left foot. We're talking level 9.9 or level 10 pain here—it was that bad. Said "screw it" and took one of the extra hydrocodone pills that the spine doctor allocated me. 8:30 a.m. CDT. Woke up to the news that Mrs. Prof would be able to drive me to my primary care doctor. Made the appointment for tomorrow, since he's booked for today. My mind gets a bit fuzzy after that, thanks to the extra hydrocodone and the extra pain. I know Mrs. Prof cooked some frozen biscuits and dressed them up for me with some of the exotic jams I have in the fridge (wild blueberry, golden plum (Mirabelles)). I also know I took my 10am dose of hydrocodone, probably around the same time. I passed out again shortly afterward, then woke up just before I started writing this update. I almost fell asleep while typing, so if there are any major errors, blame the hydrocodone. I had coffee to try and fight it. In fact, I think I'm going to go get another cup right now. Bali Blue Moon is good stuff.

http://www.egscomics.com/?id=2345

Talk about off topic. This thread is intended for posting and discussing your favorite recipes. No limits on what kind of food, as long as it's edible and not a joke. However, I would be wary of posting copyrighted recipes verbatim, such as those from cookbooks, cans of soup, and so on. Really, it'd be best for posting stuff that you've come up with on your own. It'd also be ideal for anyone trying to cook said recipes to ask questions if they run into trouble while cooking.

11:32 p.m. CDT: another quick update. I have to put a hand on the outside of my left knee to keep it from buckling outward. Not a big buckle, mind you—just enough of an instability to cause a surprise shooting pain. Mrs. Prof finally got to look at my left big toe. She took pictures, which she hasn't posted anywhere yet. Her opinion is that I may have broken a bone higher up in my foot, not just in my toe. Swelling continues on both left and right knees, although I think the right knee has gone down a bit. The walker that Mrs. Prof ordered arrived. With all of the cat toys and computer paraphernalia/connectivity on the floor of a 1298 square foot house, we've decided that the walker would be better used outside of the house where I don't need the agility to dodge things. I'll continue to use the cane inside the house. Using the walker would be like using a steamroller through the house (add in the fact that we had no cat in 2010 and that Mrs. Prof had cleared paths through the house). I did manage to finally get a bit of sleep by lying on my left side instead of my right side. Can't watch the TV from that angle, so I may need to switch to the love seat and try to sleep on that part of the sectional tonight. No idea when I'm going to be able to get to a doctor for all of this. It depends on what Mrs. Prof can work out with her work taskforce Tuesday.

The oil doesn't splatter on the walls and "ceiling" of the oven? I checked with Mrs. Prof, and that's her biggest concern. Otherwise, she's intrigued and would like to try it.

As always, I am truly grateful for your support. Update as of 4:18 p.m. CDT: My left knee is a bit unstable, especially upon standing. It wants to buckle to the outside, which generates more pain. This is at the spot where the knee is swelling. The big toe of my left foot hurts worse to bend now, and if you could see it, you'd know why. It's turning purple on the top, side, and bottom, back to the ball of my foot. I'm suspecting a joint issue. The right knee still hurts where I skinned it (and where the swelling popped up beneath), but I'm having trouble separating that pain from the back/hip/leg/foot pain from the spinal nerves. The hydrocodone is relatively useless at this time. I've tried to "sleep off" the pain from the injuries, but I can't get comfortable enough to fall asleep. No nap for ProfessorTomoe. My lumbar caudal injection procedure is next Tuesday. I don't know how all of this will affect it. Anxiety and worry are starting to creep back into my brain. To add insult to injury, I'm getting a sore throat. I may have to beg Mrs. Prof to drive me to a CareNow urgent care clinic to get it treated before the procedure.

Yeah, they do. I'm officially an old fart and a fall risk. Lovely. Mrs. Prof's got to do cat volunteer stuff in about 30 minutes. I asked her if she trusted me alone. She half-jokingly said, "No." The walker is going to arrive from Amazon while she's gone, most likely. I don't know if I'll be able to lift it and bring it inside. The package in toto is always heavier than the walker frame itself, and with my back plus my new injuries, I'm not going to be able to wrangle the box over the doorstep. It'll have to sit outside and wait until she gets home. I'd laugh if I didn't require the hydrocodone just for my back and Chronic Pain Syndrome. Now it's got to serve a triple purpose.

I don't think I'll be repeating this elsewhere, for those of you who know the man behind the shadowy avatar, but I had a simultaneously scary and embarrassing thing happen to me about an hour and a half ago. I fell, and I couldn't get up. Hey, you! Yeah, I saw you back in the corner over there. Stop laughing. This was the real deal. I'd just finished a bowl of soup and got up to take it back to the kitchen. I caught a foot in the computer cables next to my coffee table. I had too much momentum going to stop myself, and nothing to grab onto to keep myself from hitting the floor. I went down, knees and forearms first. I tried to stand from that position, but my left knee wouldn't take the weight. (I've lost a lot thanks to the Topamax, but I'm still at 339.) My right knee hurt too much. Flipping over onto my back was no better. The only thing I could do was pull myself back into the living room with my arms and try to get to the phone, which I eventually did after what seemed like a lifetime. I called Mrs. Prof, who was working out of her office today. I apologized, then used the infamous phrase. Her response? "You're kidding." I said no, then explained the situation. She packed up and came home, to find me leaning against the sofa and in a lot of pain (my back issues weren't helping any). First thing I asked for was a hydrocodone pill, since it was past my 10am dose time. She checked out my injuries, asked me a few questions, and for the first few moments was generally unhelpful and still slightly pissed that I'd called her home. She came to the conclusion that I needed to call an ambulance, then she complained that it was going to be expensive if they didn't take me to the hospital. Gee, thanks. No way was I giving up that easily. I flipped back over on my stomach and crawled to the corner of our sofa (it's a sectional), then asked her to bring me something spongy for my knees. She brought towels. I managed to get my knees on top of them, grunting and screaming, but couldn't push off of the corners of the sofa. She finally jumped into action and extended an arm. I grabbed it with one of my arms and pulled. Together, we finally got me upright and off of the floor. I immediately slumped back down onto the sofa. Since then, we've gone over the details of my injuries a bit more closely. I skinned my right knee. There's a large bump forming beneath the skinned part, which is dead center above my kneecap. My left knee has a bump growing to the lower left of its kneecap, just slightly smaller. I also scraped a 1" x 3" area on my right forearm that brought blood. I also seem to have hurt my left big toe in some way—it's numb and it hurts to bend it, but I can't describe it beyond that. I called my primary doctor, but he's booked, and Mrs. Prof can't drive me to any appointments until Friday (and I've already got one then). The whole situation is FUBAR. However, partially to help with my back pain (which is still getting worse despite the hydrocodone) and partially to help with the injuries, she's ordered a walker from Amazon that will be here today (Same Day Delivery). This is going to be a continuing saga. Stay tuned for the next installment.

And what would Tedd's dad think? He already has a problem with how much time Tedd spends in female form. What would he do if he learned that Tedd was working on coming up with a way for transgender people to self-reassign themselves via the TF gun or some other way?

A different moral angle has been introduced to the story. Tedd has been concerned about giving everyone the ability to resist magic. What if he concentrated on giving everyone the ability to become the gender that best suits them instead? I can see f!Elliot talking about this in Tedd's basement. What would Tedd's reaction be, especially concerning the discovery of his own gender-fluidity and how the TF gun (and now his spell) facilitates what he feels?

This bit is more of a question for Mrs. Prof than it is for me: what kind of a mess does it make inside the oven?

Just remember to never cast your perls before swine.

What kind of oil do you use? Also, just salt and pepper? No rosemary or other seasonings? Still sounds good. I'm just a detail freak.

That's a rather high dose for them to start you on, yes. Be careful with it.

I thought they were bought out by Infinidim Enterprises.

Not me. I'm in a bad mood today. You could say I'm rather crochety.

Now that scrambled eggs have been mentioned, I've got a way of making them based on Jacques Pépin's style. He and Julia Child had a scrambled egg cook-off on their TV show once, and they had their methods printed next to each other in the joint book they put out. I liked Jacques's style better, but I fiddled with it and came up with something I like better. I can't make them anymore because of my chronic pain, and Mrs. Prof isn't quite as adept with a whisk (and doesn't like my style eggs anyway). I'm hoping someone else out there will at least try them and pass the recipe on. Cooking time: approx. 10 minutes (maybe less) Ingredients: Three to four large eggs (add extra cooking time for four eggs) Milk, Half-and-Half, or Cream (almost a tablespoon's worth) One pat of butter (you choose the size) A small amount of salt, pepper, and chervil, ready to toss in all at once (substitute chives for chervil if you must, but it really tastes better with chervil) Cooking Instructions: Crack the eggs into a bowl and add your milk/half-and-half/cream. Cream works best, but milk will give edible results if you're counting calories. Whisk together the eggs and the dairy until blended, but don't overdo it. Keep the whisk—you'll need it. Melt the butter over medium-low heat (closer to medium heat, but not quite at it) in a small sauce pan. When the butter almost stops foaming, add the egg mixture and begin whisking steadily. Don't stop, but don't go so fast that you wear out your arm. Continue whisking, getting every corner of the pan, until the mixture starts to thicken and turn a brighter shade of yellow, like a custard. Add your spices all at once and continue whisking until fully incorporated. Whisk faster at this point to keep the eggs as smooth as possible. When a small, smooth curd forms, empty the eggs onto a plate. They should still look smooth and custardy, but should not run. (If there are too many large curds and they leak water, you've overcooked the eggs.) Add extra salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Enjoy.

Some sort of roast beef (I think?) sandwich Mrs. Prof brought back from Jimmy John's. She's been out and about, doing "cat roundup" stuff for the T-N-R program today. More roundup stuff coming after she gets in a short nap. /* cue the "Herding Cats" Super Bowl commercial */

This sounds interesting, indeed. @mlooney? If you're reading, would you care to share your 500° roast recipe? I'm intrigued every time I see it mentioned.

Yes, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I was just playing off that, wishing that the Guide were a real book and not something Douglas Adams invented.

What dosage have they got you on? Mine's 5mg. I can't remember ever experiencing dizziness from it.

Okay, here's why I started this thread. Someone on Facebook asked for chile con queso recipes. I've spent years trying to perfect my own. Here's a version you might want to experiment with: Ingredients: One tablespoon vegetable oil One medium jalapeño or regular serrano pepper, diced small Cumin powder, about a teaspoon Chili powder (Gebhardt preferred), about a teaspoon Garlic powder, just under a teaspoon (or use one smashed & diced clove fresh garlic) Adobo powder, 1/4 teaspoon (optional) One 4.5 ounce can chopped green chilies, mild (Hatch preferred) RO*TEL Mexican style tomatoes, one can One brick Velveeta (regular, not low fat or Mexican), cut into approx. 1" chunks One to two cups of Kraft Mexican cheese blend, to taste One to two cups of milk as needed Preparation: Heat vegetable oil in a non-stick two quart or larger saucepan over medium heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Saute' the pepper until fragrant and very slightly browned. All at once, add the powdered spices and briefly saute'. WARNING: this will release a kind of "pepper gas." DON'T DO IT FOR MORE THAN A COUPLE OF SECONDS! Dump in the chopped green chiles and stir. Saute' until they start to slightly lose their wetness. Add the can of RO*TEL Mexican style tomatoes and simmer until slightly reduced. Cheeses: Add the Velveeta chunks to the liquid in the saucepan, then add the Kraft Mexican cheese shred blend on top. Using a strong spoon, stir the contents of the saucepan, scraping the bottom frequently, until the mixture looks less stringy and more cheesy. Add at least half of the milk. Continue stirring, scraping the bottom and walls of the pot, until the mixture starts to look more like smooth queso. Add just enough of the remaining milk as needed to adjust thickness. Stir until incorporated. You may need to adjust the heat to keep the cheese at the bottom of the pot from burning. Continue stirring until no chunks of Velveeta are left. Keep warm and serve with your favorite chips.

It's a fast-food chain based out of Oklahoma City.

As long as I'm keeping the forums better and not worse. Thank you. I found the following on Facebook yesterday: 19 Posts People With Chronic Pain Want to Write on Facebook, but Don't (If you go there, the X to close the pop-up should be in the pop-up's top left corner, not the top right. Sorry.) Number two really applies to me: tOH, you and the others who support me here are the epitome of the words at the end of the paragraph. I am thankful beyond words to have people who actually care. You help me get through each day like no pill or shot ever could. Seriously—thank you.