Therapy

I went to the doctor yesterday for my 4 week check-up after the removal of the splint. (Friday will mark the 6 week after surgery, 7 week after fracture anniversary).

The good news is that the titanium plate and 10 screws, and bottled bone graft didn't move and did the job in holding together all broken parts. They have healed just fine and I can lift up to 50 pounds (if I had the strength in that wrist to do that, right now I can barely lift a glass of water.) The bad news is that I'm not really moving my wrist like I should be so I need to get my range of motion back before I lose it forever.

So, I am scheduled for 6 weeks of hand therapy, twice a week, starting tomorrow.

My first thought was, "This sounds great, hand therapy, how soothing."

I had visions of soaking my wrist in warm soothing whirlpools, massages with soothing oils that smelled of fragrant perfumes that would have been fit for Queen Esther, followed by massages with soothing lotions, and then a manicure. (You should see the nails on my left hand, they have never been so long!)

I received the "order" for hand therapy from the doctor followed by the question, "Do you have enough Percocet? You will probably be needing to take it in the evening following therapy."

I said I had 25 left and she wrote me out a prescription for 30 more!

I am thinking that this means soothing might not be the word to use to describe physical therapy and I probably won't be getting a manicure there either.

Big Mac vs. Duchy Cornish Organic Pasty

Prince Chuck has a line of organic products under the "Duchy" label. Check out the nutritional comparison between his organic pasty and a Big Mac.

Looks like he and Al Gore share a common hypocrisy gene!

And the Oscar goes to...

Just can't resist sharing this tidbit from the Tennessee Center for Policy Research. Enjoy!

Al Gore’s Personal Energy Use Is His Own “Inconvenient Truth”

Gore’s home uses more than 20 times the national average

Last night, Al Gore’s global-warming documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, collected an Oscar for best documentary feature, but the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has found that Gore deserves a gold statue for hypocrisy.

Gore’s mansion, located in the posh Belle Meade area of Nashville, consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year, according to the Nashville Electric Service (NES).

In his documentary, the former Vice President calls on Americans to conserve energy by reducing electricity consumption at home.

The average household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, according to the Department of Energy. In 2006, Gore devoured nearly 221,000 kWh—more than 20 times the national average.

Last August alone, Gore burned through 22,619 kWh—guzzling more than twice the electricity in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a result of his energy consumption, Gore’s average monthly electric bill topped $1,359.

Since the release of An Inconvenient Truth, Gore’s energy consumption has increased from an average of 16,200 kWh per month in 2005, to 18,400 kWh per month in 2006.

Gore’s extravagant energy use does not stop at his electric bill. Natural gas bills for Gore’s mansion and guest house averaged $1,080 per month last year.

“As the spokesman of choice for the global warming movement, Al Gore has to be willing to walk the walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to home energy use,” said Tennessee Center for Policy Research President Drew Johnson.

In total, Gore paid nearly $30,000 in combined electricity and natural gas bills for his Nashville estate in 2006.

Person of the Week - Bert Brady - Welcome Home - ABC News

Jean Miller sent this in an e-mail.

I found it on You Tube so I have posted it here.

Take the time to watch it, then, think about all the soldiers you know (and those that you don't), and pray for them and their families.

Point to Ponder

Jesus is not a polygamist.

John Piper mentioned that in passing during a service a few weeks ago as he made the point that there is only ONE church, not lots of little local churches/brides, but just one church/bride.

To view each local church as a separate bride would make Jesus a polygamist. So, whatever your view of your local church is, you had better not think of it as a separate bride or you are calling the Groom a polygamist.

I thought it was an interesting point that I needed to hear to confirm one of the things that God has been teaching me in the past two years.

Denied: Part Two, TCF Fraud Prevention

First of all, the good news.

I got back on the horse, so to speak, and tried my TCF check card at Lund's last Thursday. Worked like a charm.

Now for the rest of the story.

About two years ago, I had a few errands to run. Three errands in fact. A trip to the gas station on the way to Southdale where I purchased a wedding present at Crate & Barrel (if you have ever received a wedding present from us you will know what I purchased...a picnic basket...much to my dismay C & B no longer carries their classic Picnic Basket, but I have digressed...), and a $20 purchase at the Gap next door. Three charges on the Visa Check card.

When I arrived home about 5:15, Mr. D. smiled, gave me a peculiar look, and said, "You must have been having a fun afternoon."

I said, "Huh?"

Mr. D. said, the TCF check card fraud people called about some unusual purchases on your account and they wanted me to call them back. I told him about my three not so unusual purchases and called the Visa people.

They said that using a card at a gas station followed by a trip to a Mall kicks out a fraud alert. Apparently, people use the card at a gas station to see if it will work before they head to C & B to buy picnic baskets and The Gap to buy socks. I asked them why they just didn't have the Gap people ask for an ID and they had no idea. Instead, they let me use the card and called home to see if I was there and alert my husband that I was making purchases!

A few months later, I had made my annual trip to Papyrus at The Galleria for their day after Christmas deals. I purchased $100 in useless stuff that collects in the garage. When I arrived home, my TCF Visa check card friends called to ask about my $1000 purchase at Papyrus. I said, "What?"

Sure enough, the girl had keyed in an extra zero and MUCH TO MY DISMAY, I HAD SIGNED THE PAPER WITHOUT LOOKING CLOSELY!

The manager had caught the error and corrected it. However, instead of voiding the transaction and putting through the correct charge, she had put through the correct charge and treated the wrong one as a return. When you do that, the money comes out of your account that day (so we were out $1,100) for a few days. Then, they refund the $1000 a week or so later. Seems like a scam to me and fortunately, there was enough in the account to cover the error, but the bottom line is to look at the amount when you sign (that's the obvious, but when I am in a hurry, I forget).

Then there's the story of the potato ricer at Williams Sonoma...I'll give you the brief version. Don't use your Visa at the airport trying to make a long distance call (this was before cell phones) to Appleton to someone who is on the phone. Every time you swipe your card, the Visa people know it even if the call doesn't go through, so if you try 10 times, it looks fishy. But, they just asked me if I had swiped the card at the airport and believed my story and I went home with a lovely potato ricer and can now make creamy mashed potatoes.

Denied!

Yep, that's what the lady at Lund's said to me last night after she slid my TCF check card through the machine. I said, "What?" And, she said, "Your card has been denied." And, really she didn't have to say it so loudly.

This was puzzling (not to mention embarrassing) to me since I had just checked my balance yesterday afternoon after Terry made a large (the kind that covers the house payment) deposit. Plus, at the time of Terry's deposit there was enough already in the account to cover another house payment.

Terry and I had purchased some Valentine's yesterday and I had used the card a lot, but still, all totaled, I think my purchases were under $200 and that included lunch and a treat at Caribou where we stopped by to see Katie who was working there yesterday.

So, I looked at the lady (as I noticed all the others in line irritated that I was taking so much time and wondering about how out of control my life was that I couldn't purchase a lemon, a small personal size heart cake for my mom, and a heart gift bag without being denied...I'm not paranoid or anything!) and I said, "What does it say?"

She said, "It says blocked." I said, "Blocked?" At this point the not so helpful bagger girl says loudly, "Oh, you have probably gone over your maximum purchases allowed in a day." I said, "I don't have a maximum amount in purchases per day."

Then, I said to the lady, "Can I write a check?" She said, "Sure." So, I wrote out a check for $8.79 (out of the same account that was denied!), came home, and called TCF to see why my account was blocked. I told her that my card had been denied and she looked at my records and said, "No, it wasn't. Nothing was showing as having been submitted even. If they had submitted it and it was denied, she would be able to tell me why, but they hadn't even submitted it."

Puzzled, I said, "But, she told me it said blocked." Oh, said TCF lady, "Blocked is a totally different thing. When it says blocked, that is a problem in the Lund's system that is preventing the purchase from even being submitted for payment."

It did explain why the bagger girl also told me not to worry, this had happened to a lot of people today!

Someday, I will tell you all my exciting adventures with the TCF check card fraud people....who like to put holds on your card after you use it because they are not sure you are you!

Princess Nancy

The article begins: "Feb. 8 (Bloomberg) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she might decline the use of Air Force planes to travel from Washington to her San Francisco district because the Pentagon won't guarantee her an aircraft that can make the trip non-stop. "I have said that I am happy to ride commercial if the plane they have doesn't go coast to coast,'' Pelosi said today."

I say, excuse me? Nancy won't take advantage of a free plane ride if she has to make a stop to refuel? "Nancy" the ride is free (for you). Free, Nancy. The proper response is to say, "Golly, that's nice of you to offer me a free plane. I think it will be great to stop in Peoria (or wherever) to refuel and don't mind one little bit."

Isn't this Stealing?

Things I Can Do By Myself

I can:

Put on my socks
Tie my tennis shoes
Button my shirt
Do the princess wave (sort of)
Make a fist (almost)
Lather a bar of soap with two hands
Type with punctuation and capital letters