Dislocation

     As I mentioned in my last post, Nan suffered a knee injury last Thursday while jogging.  She spent most of last weekend virtually immobile.  On Tuesday we visited the Duke Sport Medicine Clinic for a doctor there to look at it. The doctor's initial feeling is that Nan had suffered from a dislocation of her patella.  When the patella becomes dislocated it means that the tibia and fibula rub together and may even produce bone chips.  In addition to this possibility, tendons and ligaments may have been strained or torn.  As a result Nan has an MRI scheduled for next Tuesday with a follow-up appointment with the doctor on Wednesday.  In the meantime her movement has been restricted.  The dogs and I have been seeing a lot of trail time together.
     One of the interesting thing about the Duke Sport Medicine Clinic is that it is located in Wallace Wade Stadium on the Duke campus.

      This is the view from the windows of the waiting room.  I wonder if they let patients watch the football games from here?
      Nan was in the examination room for almost 2 hours.  The magazines were kind of picked over, but I found one called "The Week".  I'd never seen it before.  It was a year-end review of media stories from all over the world.  My favorite story was on about a Florida man who was arrested with a bag of cocaine in his buttocks.  It seems that he was stopped for speeding and the police found two plastic bags wedged into his rear end.(The article did not explain the grounds for a body cavity search where the only probable cause appeared to be a traffic violation)   One of the bags contained a "green leafy substance" and the other 27 pieces of crack.(Cocaine that is) Anyway, the man explained and took responsibility for the pot, but claimed that "the white stuff isn't mine." It takes "I was just holding it for some else" to a whole new level.
      There was also a story about an Italian women who called the police to report that virtual burglars had broken into her virtual home she was maintaining in an on-line game and stole her virtual furniture.  As crazy as it sounds, I actually think she may have a case.  She claimed to have paid the on-line website $140 to furnish her apartment.  If the furniture is now gone, she's out the $140. Besides the possibility of a criminal action, she may have a cause of action against the website for failed security.  At the very least, I think she file a virtual law suit.

Avoiding the Cold and Snow

      I start every day by reviewing some of the northern papers - The New York Times, Times Union, The Bennington Banner, Berkshire Eagle, and even the Eastwick Press.  It keeps me abreast of the happenings in the old home area.  This past week it has made it very clear what a tough winter y,all have been having.  Between the snow storms, storms with a "wintry mix", and bitter cold; it's been a tough week up north.  The weather here is like mid-to-late March.  It's very tolerable.  Walking the dogs is not a bone chilling experience.
      Last weekend was a busy one.  We had the pleasure of dining with Nan's friend Joanne and her family.  We had a nice time at a Thai restaurant.  Turns out that one of Joanne's daughters is married to Linda Lavin's step-son.  They shared some great stories about her and her still very active career.  The next night I went to a Carolina Hurricanes hockey game at the RBC center.  Joanne's other daughter's son plays junior hockey in Canada.  As result the boy's father got some tickets to the Hurricanes game against the Tampa Bay Lightening.  It was my first trip to the RBC center and was very enjoyable.  Hurricanes won 6 - 3.

      As you can see we had pretty good seats and a lot of the action was right in front of us.  The arena is state-of-the-art with a very impressive video scoreboard.

      Got in a couple of runs and a trip to the gym before Nan suffered a leg injury late in the week.  I had to take over walking not only our dogs, but Melanie's as well.  Melanie is a friend of ours who adopted our first foster dog.  Unfortunately, Melanie's sister suffered a serious stroke and Melanie has been at her side for almost a month now.  Remember Melanie's sister in your prayers if you can.  Although she has hired some dog walkers, the dogs are otherwise alone all day.  Nan went over before her injury and just spent some time with the dogs as they were showing stress.  Well since the injury, I've been over a couple of times.  On top of those dogs today I did my first session of training to be a dog walker volunteer at The Animal Protective Society of Durham.  Phil Lance: B.A., M.A., J.D., and APS dog walker.  

Another Day Another Death

     In the musical A Little Night Music one of the characters, I think it's the wife of the colonel who is having an affair with Desiree, sings a song entitled "Every day a little death".  Since the middle of December it seems that I can't get through a day without hearing about the death of someone who was part of my life.
     It started with Katherine Wells of Berlin.  Katherine had been a client of mine for years, but over the past few years we became close. She was waiting to die.  Her health had deteriorated to a point where she couldn't move without help.  She couldn't see well enough to read or write.  And she felt like she had no purpose and had out-lived her usefulness.  It was sad to see her that way and I spent most of my visits trying to convince her that she was loved and still had alot to contribute to the people who knew her.
     Members of my extended United Methodist family have suffered many losses in the past month or so.  Bob Trost died back in October or November.  He sang with me at Church of the Covenant, but knew Nana(my grandmother on my mother's side).  He was a connection to that generation and his death feels like it severs that tie somehow in that regard.  Bill Barney was a District Superintendent I dealt with when I was Chancellor for Troy Conference.  He died around Christmas. Nice guy with a jovial and loving spirit.  Finally, Roger Underwood Day died a little over a week ago.  Roger was pastor at West Sand Lake Methodist Church when I was a teenager.  He was a funny and warm person.  I remember MYF meetings, trips to the RPI carol sing(when they still had it), and him trying to promote a romance between Dorothy Jean Halligan and me. He also was a big RPI hockey fan and continued to attend games even after he moved from West Sand Lake. His wife, Mary Lou, was my math tutor(a lotta good her hard work did, he said sarcastically.  Roger was pretty conservative politically which I didn't know until I went to him at one point to discuss the possibility of being a conscientious objector over the Vietnam War.  I was pretty much summarily dismissed from his office.  Of course later I found out that he had been in the military - opps - wrong church wrong pew.  A good guy though.
       Just before we headed back to Durham, I received news that Willie Jones's wife Gracemary had died.  Willie is one of the stalwart members of the Oldcastle Theatre Company in Bennington and Gracemary was a very gracious and faithful member of our audience.  She always found something nice to say about our productions. She had been ill for quite awhile and Willie had spent considerable time carrying for her.  He had to give up the grandfather's role in "Awake and Sing" because of the time requirements of her care. 
      My high school friend Eunice Rescott, hereinafter referred to as The Angel of Death, had notified me of Roger Day's illness and death.  Yesterday she forwarded a death notice concerning a classmate of ours from Averill Park High School - Mark Hammer.  I remember him a a bright quiet guy who also joined us for MYF in West Sand Lake.  He still lived in AP.  I wished I had looked him up.
     Today, my son's mother forward a death notice for Ivan Purdy, a fellow I used to teach with at Berlin High School.  Ivan was a science teacher and basketball coach.  As I remember, he worked Bob Knight's basketball camps when Knight was at West Point.  He left BCS suddenly and I never really heard what became of him.  It appears that he moved to the Syracuse area and spent all his career there.  Ivan sometimes operated in a slightly different time zone than the rest of us.  A bunch of us went to a Yankee/ Washington Senator double-header(that shows how long ago this happen -Washington Senators? - doubleheader?) Anyway after we found our seats and Ivan disappeared.  For over 7 hours and God knows how many beers, we didn't see hide nor hair of Ivan.  When he finally returned, he said that he had been wandering around the Stadium and spending time in the Yankee Hall of Fame.  Who knows.  He probably didn't want to be around 5 rowdy drunks.
     I can't say as I was close to any of these people, except Katherine; yet their collective passing saddens me greatly.  It's probably because it reinforces my own mortality and brings back the sadness surrounding the loss of my loved ones.  There's so much I wish I had shared or could have shared with my parents and relatives and friends who have died.  To have been able to tap into their knowledge and their experiences would have made me a better person.  But life does move.  So goodbye and thanks to Katherine, Bob, Bill, Roger, Gracemary, Mark, and Ivan.  Be at peace.

Movies, Movies, Movies

      For those of you who don't know me that well, I don't go to the movies very often.  So, the fact that I've seen five films in the past week is quite a series of events.  Four of them I actually went to the theater to see, with the other being pay-for-view.  The first one we saw was The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  Nan is a big fan of the Narnia books.  We had seen the opening film in the series and thought very highly of it.  The second film did not get very good reviews, so we skipped it.  I read an article that The Disney Organization which had produced the first two film had decided not to continue the series and a new set of producers took over.  The biggest complaint about the second film, according to the article, was that it was geared for teenage boys and featured battles and had alienated the family-oriented audience that had supported the first film.  Although the present film does have some battles and sea monsters, there is a heavy emphasis on relationships and growth, making it an enjoyable and more diverse story.  It gets 2 1/2 stars and it was worth paying for it.
     A film starring, written, and produced by Emma Thompson can't be all bad.  And it isn't.  We watched Nanny McPhee Returns on movies  farm children trying to fill their father's shoes, spoiled rich urban cousins who are sent to the country for their safety, a scheming brother-in-law, run-away pigs, and Nanny's magic which transforms all.  The story is trite and predictable, but any film with Emma , Ralph Fiennes, Maggie Smith, and Maggie Gyllenhaal gets an extra 1/2 star.  It gets 2 stars, but was worth what we paid for it.
     As the Harry Potter series has gotten darker and darker, Nan has dropped out as a member of the Potter fan club.  The Deathly Hollows Part One does an adequate job in setting the stage for the ultimate film coming this summer.  It is interesting to watch the interplay between actors who started this series as kids and are now young adults and have learned their craft.  I can't help but think how impossible it would have been to bring these films to the big screen without the growth in computer graphics.  They are such an integral part of the story and the effects are marvelous.  The plot follows the novel closely, which is a luxury the other films did not have since they didn't have part twos.  It gets 3 stars and it was worth what I paid for it.
     I saw the original True Grit, which starred John Wayne, Glen Campbell, and Kim Darby.  The current version is better on all counts.  I love the fact that the film has a much grittier(pun intended) look than the original.  You couldn't help but watch the original and feel that John Wayne was, well,  John Wayne. It was difficult not to say "Oh. it's a John Wayne character except he's drunk."  Glen Campbell's character is played in the current version by Matt Damon.  Well, there is no comparison.  For those of you who don't remember Glen Campbell was a singer.  There is a huge difference as well in the way the third major character is presented.  In the original, Kim Darby a 20-something plays the daughter of her murdered father who is seeking revenge.  I remember the hint of a romance between Campbell and Darby.  Hailee Steinfeld plays the role in the present version, and she is terrific.  Consistent with the novel upon which the movie is based, in the current movie she is a precocious 14 year old.  Ms. Steinfeld does a wonderful job balancing the precocity and yet showing at times the little girl hiding behind the woman-in-waiting.  It gets 3 1/2 stars and a well worth what I paid for it.
      Finally, Monday last we went with David and Jackie and Tom Citriniti to see The King's Speech.  Based upon a true story of a speech defect suffered by King George VI, it is a well-acted and moving story. An article I read mentioned that the screenplay was written in the 1970's by David Seidler, who had interviewed George's speech therapist.  Seilder had gone to the Queen Mother asking for permission to make the movie.  She asked that he wait until after she died as the whole issue had been so very painful.  Since she lasted until 102, Seidler has to be both patient and outlive her.  The wait was worth it.  Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush are tremendous and had a terrific acting rapport.  You get not only a well arched story which takes its time and a very good representation of the class conscienceness still alive in England in the middle of the 20th century.  Even David liked it, and there were no battles or sex scenes.  I give it 4 stars and a well worth what I paid for it.

A Busy Holiday Week

     Back when I was working for the state court system the week between Christmas and New Year was pretty low key.  The courts were technically open but for all practical purposes not many cases were handled.  We used the time to get caught-up on decisions and orders and socialize a little.  This laid-back atmosphere has disappeared with retirement.  Nan and I now use this week to meet with people, socialize and have mini-Christmas celebrations with close friends, and play a little.
     We started the week with dinner at Helen and Larry's house(although Larry was sick).  Joining us were two of Nan's friends.  We spent the evening chatting and sharing our year's worth of experiences.  During the day we had used the fresh snow to snowshoe on the back trails behind our house.  I forgot how tiring it can be to break trail in two feet of fresh snow.  The snowstorm also gave me an opportunity to visit my old friend Walt Kersch at Pineridge X-country Ski Area.  When I started teaching at Berlin Central back in 1970, Walt was the principal.  Three of my years at BCS were in a position called Head Teacher(really Assistant Principal). Walt was my boss.  Walt's always had his hand in a variety of projects.  He used to buy houses, rehab them, and then rent or sell the properties.  I worked for him occasionally during summer breaks while teaching(He hired me until he found out my carpentry skills left a bit to be desired.)  He's grown and sold X-mas trees for as long as I can remember, and finally developed property around his house as a X-country ski area.
      It was good to see and talk with him.  The conditions were great, and I skied for 3 hours, probably 5 or 6 miles.  Walt is about 10 years older than I, but is still extremely active(running Pineridge takes alot of energy).  Of course, not having skied in awhile, I developed some nasty blisters. (Sorry Nan I can't walk the dogs, I got these blisters - they really hurt)
     Thursday night we went to Curtain Call Theater in Latham to see "A Tuna Christmas".  I've seen the original. "Greater Tuna" a couple of times. The format of the holiday show is similar to the original - two actors play a variety of roles.  The plot is pretty thin, but actors did a great job and there were plenty of laughs just the type of holiday show you want to see and the house was packed.
     Yesterday Chase and Mac joined us for lunch and one of those mini-Christmas celebrations.  Nan met Chase while acting and they have been fast friends since.  Chase was one of Nan attendants at our wedding.  They are enjoyable and itelligent companions.  It's fun and enlightening to spend time with them.  They are great models for us.  We can only hope to be a fit and vigorous as they are when we reach their age. (One of us will be their much sooner than the other).
     Last night we brought in the new year attending Savion Glover's "All FuNK'D UP" at The Egg.  For those of you who don't know, Mr. Glover is the greatest living tap dancer.  He is truly a force of nature and a creative genius.  He's a percussionist with his feet as his instrument.  I'm not sure the band that played for him knew what he was going to do half the time, as so much of the show seemed improvised.  But for almost two hours, you couldn't take your eyes off him, particularly his feet.  After 10 weeks of tap lessons in Durham, I feel embarrassed that I can barely do a "flap" and a "shuffle".  I'll be signing-up for my second 10 weeks when we get back to NC( maybe I can learn to due a step-ball-change flap).
     In addition to Savion, the warm-up act was Daniel Bernard Roumain.  DBR is an electronic violinist.  He did an electic set in which he used the violin as a percussion instrument and then did a sweet soulful rendition of My Country Tis of Thee."  It was a great night - closing the old and ringing in the new.
    Note to Dick Clark - we still love you, but. . .