ProfessorTomoe

I've been spending the afternoon listening to the 1962 Indianapolis 500. Been napping occasionally while it's been playing. Quite interesting - the race only takes a couple of hours in modern times, at speeds approaching 230 mph. This broadcast is scheduled to run 4 hours, with speeds between 140-150 mph. The cars sound so different, too, as do the broadcasters - they're so much less chatty and less improvisational than current race callers.

Don't forget a little doodle of Chico Marx.

Salting this before cooking can draw out some of the astringency. Place chunks evenly spread in a tray, add a moderate amount of salt (not too much - just enough to start drawing out the liquid), and let it sit for a while (online recipes will tell you how long). Rinse chunks lightly and discard drawn-out water, then cook chunks as desired. EDIT: I stand somewhat corrected. https://www.myrecipes.com/how-to/cooking-questions/how-to-salt-eggplant

Savoritz "brand" cracked pepper & olive oil woven whole-wheat crackers (think Triscuits, but from Aldi). Actually, I've had to rescue the box from Mrs. Prof, who bought them this morning and has nearly emptied the box in one sitting this afternoon. She's quite addicted to them. Me, not so much, but I do like them.

My first computer was a mainframe of some sort at the Pasadena (TX) Independent School District, dialed into and connected to via an acoustic coupler on a TTY machine. We used BASIC - very basic BASIC - and I can still remember my login (HEL SOU A119). This was when I was in 8th grade, and it carried over into the 10th grade. Programs were stored on a roll of paper tape. God forbid it should rip or break

I think that's still how it is in Texas. Back when the drinking age was 18, that's how it was.

Taco Cabana had a deal on flautas and margaritas. Not bad on each. We know the margaritas weren't watered down because they gave us the tequila in a separate bottle to be added once we got everything home.

I feel right now like I could star in a movie called "My Right Foot." Last Saturday, I woke up with serious pain through my right arch, combined with major swelling. My pain level was an 8.5 on a 1 to 10 scale. This has persisted, although going down somewhat to a 6.5 as of yesterday when I saw my podiatrist. He did some poking and prodding in and around the area, then started pushing at the back left side of my heel. That bit hurt like hell. "Yep! New problem," he said, declaring that I now had "Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome" (like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, but for the foot). He's guessing it's due to all of the edema that I've had over the past months that's been putting pressure on the nerve, and he said an operation may be necessary if it doesn't improve. Joy. Anyway, he froze the area on the left side of my heel and injected a goodly amount of cortisone into it. Made a nerve in my arch burn like hell. I'm going to have to put up with this for a long while. My next appointment isn't until late May, at which point he's probably just going to do another shot if I'm not any better. Any operation he wants to do is going to have a waiting period, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. I feel like I'm on a stinking conveyor belt of problems here. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/tarsal-tunnel-syndrome

Bass guitarist Matthew Seligman, Thomas Dolby's longtime friend and bass player, passed away on Friday April 17th due to complications of COVID-19. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Seligman His bass lines were the #1 biggest influence on my writing, short of learning basic Bach chorales. I don't know how I'm going to be able to write again without him in mind. A tribute fund has been started by Thomas Dolby to help out Matthew's partner and two children, who are left in a bad way. Matthew had no other family. Please contribute if you can: https://www.gofundme.com/f/matthew-seligman-tribute-fund?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet https://www.gofundme.com/f/matthew-seligman-tribute-fund?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet https://www.gofundme.com/f/matthew-seligman-tribute-fund?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet https://www.gofundme.com/f/matthew-seligman-tribute-fund?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet https://www.gofundme.com/f/matthew-seligman-tribute-fund I lit a candle last night. At midnight, I blew it out. It was like saying goodbye to someone I'd never met.

Having a bowl of Ainomoto brand microwavable Yakitori w/fried rice & vegetables. Not bad as far as Costco fare goes. Could use a bit of soy sauce, but I'll save that for my next bowl.

This wasn't even in a big grocery store's parking lot! The store was called "Postal Depot" - a FedEx/UPS/USPS shipping outlet. Just a little hole in the wall store in a strip mall. Where's the reasoning for tossing gloves after going to that kind of shop?

I had to get out with Mrs. Prof and do a large-ish FedEx return via a small "Essential Business" mail shop. We wore masks while out of our car. As we left the shop, we saw proof of the sad rumors: discarded gloves on the ground in the parking lot. Disgusting. Who the fark would do such a thing? Take your own medi-trash home and discard it there, people! You probably didn't touch anything inside the store except your own package and your own credit card, so what's the deal with leaving the gloves behind? Sheesh! Gross.

OK Goldilocks

My second album, Derivations, has been submitted to CD Baby for digital distribution and physical duplication! I did the uploads yesterday. Right now, the scheduled release date is June 5th. However, if you have iTunes, you can pre-order the album on May 22nd and get an "instant gratification" track to listen to until the full album comes out. The album will be automatically deposited in your account on the release date. Please spread the word, if you can! Derivations, June 5th!

Left voice mail for my podiatrist today at 8am, got a call back around 5:30pm from one of his medical assistants who I didn't recognize. It was pretty clear that they didn't understand what I was going through. They kept saying the problem was with my "neuropathy." Trust me, this is not neuropathy. It's starting to feel like I've got arthritis acting up from the bottom of my arch to the top of my foot through the bones that make up that part of the joint. Anyway, I managed to get an appointment for next Monday (the only day he's open) at 3:15pm. Until then, I'm advised to contact my pain management doctor if things get worse.

I was going to write that "if I'd still been a JW, the prohibition against transfusions would have killed me 10 years ago during my gastric bypass disaster," but then I doubt I'd have been allowed to get a gastric bypass. I probably would've committed suicide before I made it out of junior high school - the ostracization was that bad.

Yeah, one day a week - Monday. My pain has gone down to around a 6. It's more diffuse now, still centered on my arch, but it radiates to the rest of my foot when I put weight on it. I'm taking oxycodone approximately every 4 hours and elevating my feet (right one for this problem, left one for the continued swelling problem). The oxycodone at this rate knocks me out for a couple of hours every cycle. I need to use my cane for support around the house. Prior to this, I only needed my cane outside the house on rough surfaces. No longer. I think I still need to make that call to my podiatrist, first thing in the morning.

I woke up in the middle of the night and tried to get out of bed. I put weight on my right foot and felt a shooting pain come from my arch, bad enough to knock me off balance. I almost fell over. I've been having trouble walking on my right foot ever since. There's no pain when I'm just sitting down with no weight on my right foot, but my pain level goes up to 8.5 when I try to put weight on it. I hope it clears, because if it doesn't, I'm going to have to call my damned podiatrist Monday.

My late mother dragged my unwitting ass through that cult from second grade through fifth grade. I was made a pariah by the rest of my school as a result. Anyway, I had to do the door-to-door shiat. I was brought along as well-dressed, well-behaved, cute "bait" for the victims potential members. My job was to stand put and shut up. I hated it.

I ordered a set today. Let's see how they work.

Mrs. Prof misplaced her credit card again. She does this on occasion, and it's a pain in the arse when it happens. It's probably buried under a stack of something left from the construction going on in our house, and she just can't find it. What's frustrating is that she's not going all-out to look for it. I'd be panicking, looking for it and calling my bank if I couldn't find it. Then again, I don't lose my credit card on a whim like she does.

What about the wafer taste? Is it palatable? I'd say why, but I can't figure out how to do the "hide contents" TMI bit.

Follow-up on the edema/swelling in my legs/feet/ankles - my doctor and his medical assistant diagnosed things over the phone. They've doubled my Lasix dose from 40mg to 80mg a day. I predict much outgoing water in my future.

It's only waffer-thin ...

Baker, one of our cats, has not adapted well to the sounds of renovation construction going on in our home. He's taken to crawling under the covers of our bed in the master bedroom - both sheets and comforter - and hiding from it all. Our other cat, Loudmouth, is equally stressed out, but I believe he's just hiding under the bed itself like he usually does. The end is not yet in sight. We've got floor replacement beginning on Monday, which should last about 3 days. I wish there was an easy (emphasis on "easy") way to give both of them an anti-anxiety medication.