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shadowkatUpdates...
* Sciatica - it still hurt today, but not quite as badly as yesterday, and mostly when I went down steps. Less so - up steps. But down steps was excruciating. And...well, NYC Transit and I are going to have words about their alleged accessibility endeavor. Frigging hell - there's a lot of steps.
I came home and did more stretching exercises, and was finally able to yank the right hip back into alignment, which helped (not completely - it's a cocktail and it was bothering me before that). But yes, it was partially an alignment issue. The hip no longer hurts at least. Just the back and knee.
I know how to re-align the hip from when a physical therapist did it for me over ten years ago. No, hanging from the top of the door won't work - I'm six foot, I can reach the top of the door frame standing on the ball of my foot. Plus what is needed isn't traction in my case - my hip was out of alignment not my back. I basically lifted the right hip and leg across my upper body to my left shoulder - while lying down on my bed with my neck and head supported (or I'd get vertigo), until I felt/heard a little pop or crack in the hip, meaning it had popped back into alignment. It doesn't hurt. I think it got pulled out of alignment while I was sleeping on Wednesday night. I sleep on my side, and toss and turn, with a pillow between my knees (as suggested by physical therapists). So it wasn't my fault per se, it just happened?
The knee is still bothering me - nothing new there but not as badly. If it hadn't worked - I'd have scheduled an appointment at Massage Envy for stretching - I might still do that.
This was not helped by digestive issues - which exacerbated the problem and are still causing issues. My medication results in bloating and digestive issues, pressing against the lower back and nerves in hip and butt. I've reduced it, which has helped a little? But not completely. That - and I have a sedentary job, which in turn compresses the spin and places undue stress on the hip, lower back and knees. Today, I tried to walk around more, and stand more - also heated and iced my back, and brought cold therapy rub to work. This also helped. So, I might be able to have an actual vacation next week - and you know, do stuff?
I've learned all of the above via multiple physical therapists, orthopedists, gastroenterologists, and massage therapists over the years, also yoga teachers. Yoga helps a bit. So I'm going back to that - but chair and bed and standing yoga. I can't do floor exercises - for one thing I can't get up and down from the floor easily - it's six feet away from me. Also my neck and head require support, I can't lie flat without getting vertigo.
* Getting a Pair of Sneakers Delivered Shouldn't be this Difficult?
I'm reminded of why I hate FedEx or having to sign for anything. Also why I attempt to get everything sent by Amazon Prime or USPS.
Long story short - despite my best efforts, the package was not delivered. Instead they left a slip in front of my sign. Why wasn't it delivered?
Super texts me today while I'm at work: I read your sign. And this is to inform you I won't be here all day - I'm busy with three different apartment buildings, and 200 people.
Me: Uhm, how are the fedex packages getting in there?
Super: It's your package, you are responsible for being home to retrieve it.
Yes, apparently the requirements of being a Super are lost on both the management company and the live-in Super.
So, I'm trying again - with a new sign, a request to ring my buzzer three times, and if there are issues to call me. I'm home tomorrow. Fingers crossed that they comply.
* Omni Subway Pass
So, my "free" transit pass didn't work today - I swiped it, it didn't go through, my hand shook when it tried again, because my leg was killing me from going down the steps. Then it said "just used" and I can't use it again - for another fifteen minutes - because they don't want me giving free rides to others. As a result, I was out a ride and had to purchase one.
This is how I discovered that all you need to do to get the OMNI - is tap your credit card against the turnstile. You don't need a card. You don't need the app. You don't need a cell phone. Just a credit or debit card - tap and go, like you do at the grocery store. It will only charge you once.
If you have a credit card on your phone - you can use it.
I can't wait to get the "One Pass" - which will take the place of the annoying transit pass that I currently have - and I can tap it, as opposed to swiping, and also use it to swipe in and out of work.
Gotta love technology. I remember when we had tokens, and they were heavy and took up space in my wallet. I even had a separate change purse for them.
* Jury Duty
They found me. I need to move again. I'll do it when I turn 60, and I'll find a building with central A/C and central heat, screens on windows, plus a door man. And a walk in shower. Good size kitchen and fridge. Plus shelving. And a balcony or outdoor space.
This may well be impossible without going broke, winning the lottery, getting a lucrative book deal, or inheriting over $2M. So never mind.
It's just the questionnaire. I have 10 days to answer the questions and send them in - either by postage or online or phone. I'm in no hurry. It's not a summons as of yet.
* Breaking Bad and I discuss everything but work
Found out Breaking Bad's family is from Bretagne or Brittany quite by accident today. (I thought he was Italian). He's French/Italian. I got him beat - I'm French Belgium, German, Eastern European, Swedish, Irish, Scottish, English, Welsh, and Spanish (according to Ancestry.com, so...whether that's reliable or not is another discussion. Oh - as an aside, I'm apparently "distantly" related to a famous person - 10th cousin. Who is it? Dwight D. Eisenhower, of all people. Sigh. We were also for a bit distantly related to Prime Minister Lloyd George, but somehow that got debunked. Now it's Dwight D. Eisenhower, so we kind of graduated from an obscure British Prime Minister to a WWII General and President of the US. My grandparents would be impressed, so would my father, if he were still alive. I keep forgetting to tell my mother about it and I forgot to tell Breaking Bad, which shows how impressed I am about it?)
We were talking about languages. (Neither one of us are linguists or good at languages or we'd be doing anything else.) I told him about how I attempted to immerse myself in the French language by visiting France in high school back in the 1980s, but alas, ended up in Brittany - and they spoke Gaelic French. "Wait this isn't the French I learned in high school! What is this?"
Breaking Bad: Yup, it's Gaelic. My family members are from there - somewhere near Ren, all the towns are in Gaelic.
Me: Going there to learn French, would be like someone trying to learn English and going to Ireland.
Breaking Bad: Yup, that's not English.
We got on the topic discussing all the various versions of Hebrew, and Jewish languages, and ancient languages. And how in order to understand the Bible and the ancient texts - one would have to learn about 100 different ancient languages, and where to even start. And how Yiddish was in fact slang and the working people's language, and not associated Hebrew at all.
It was a interesting and layered conversation that covered politics, languages, prison reform, history, and wars, and testament to the fact that we're both bored at work, and under utilized.
*****
I'm currently flirting with Quadaphrenia - a Rock Ballet at NY City Center. Prices are between $185-$45. It's ballet - so you kind of need good seats, or it's not worth the bother. Still cheaper than Broadway though.
I love ballet and dance. I took ballet as a kid and in college. I sucked at it. I can't do anything choreographed to save my life. But I have to admit I stuck with Ballet longer than most. So, I understand it. It makes sense to me. I speak its language. Also I get wanting to move to music.
Also, it's to Pete Townsend's Quadaphrenia...so wicked cool.
I kind of missed the window for David Byrne and Hugh Jackman at Radio City Music Hall. Which is okay.
* Sciatica - it still hurt today, but not quite as badly as yesterday, and mostly when I went down steps. Less so - up steps. But down steps was excruciating. And...well, NYC Transit and I are going to have words about their alleged accessibility endeavor. Frigging hell - there's a lot of steps.
I came home and did more stretching exercises, and was finally able to yank the right hip back into alignment, which helped (not completely - it's a cocktail and it was bothering me before that). But yes, it was partially an alignment issue. The hip no longer hurts at least. Just the back and knee.
I know how to re-align the hip from when a physical therapist did it for me over ten years ago. No, hanging from the top of the door won't work - I'm six foot, I can reach the top of the door frame standing on the ball of my foot. Plus what is needed isn't traction in my case - my hip was out of alignment not my back. I basically lifted the right hip and leg across my upper body to my left shoulder - while lying down on my bed with my neck and head supported (or I'd get vertigo), until I felt/heard a little pop or crack in the hip, meaning it had popped back into alignment. It doesn't hurt. I think it got pulled out of alignment while I was sleeping on Wednesday night. I sleep on my side, and toss and turn, with a pillow between my knees (as suggested by physical therapists). So it wasn't my fault per se, it just happened?
The knee is still bothering me - nothing new there but not as badly. If it hadn't worked - I'd have scheduled an appointment at Massage Envy for stretching - I might still do that.
This was not helped by digestive issues - which exacerbated the problem and are still causing issues. My medication results in bloating and digestive issues, pressing against the lower back and nerves in hip and butt. I've reduced it, which has helped a little? But not completely. That - and I have a sedentary job, which in turn compresses the spin and places undue stress on the hip, lower back and knees. Today, I tried to walk around more, and stand more - also heated and iced my back, and brought cold therapy rub to work. This also helped. So, I might be able to have an actual vacation next week - and you know, do stuff?
I've learned all of the above via multiple physical therapists, orthopedists, gastroenterologists, and massage therapists over the years, also yoga teachers. Yoga helps a bit. So I'm going back to that - but chair and bed and standing yoga. I can't do floor exercises - for one thing I can't get up and down from the floor easily - it's six feet away from me. Also my neck and head require support, I can't lie flat without getting vertigo.
* Getting a Pair of Sneakers Delivered Shouldn't be this Difficult?
I'm reminded of why I hate FedEx or having to sign for anything. Also why I attempt to get everything sent by Amazon Prime or USPS.
Long story short - despite my best efforts, the package was not delivered. Instead they left a slip in front of my sign. Why wasn't it delivered?
Super texts me today while I'm at work: I read your sign. And this is to inform you I won't be here all day - I'm busy with three different apartment buildings, and 200 people.
Me: Uhm, how are the fedex packages getting in there?
Super: It's your package, you are responsible for being home to retrieve it.
Yes, apparently the requirements of being a Super are lost on both the management company and the live-in Super.
So, I'm trying again - with a new sign, a request to ring my buzzer three times, and if there are issues to call me. I'm home tomorrow. Fingers crossed that they comply.
* Omni Subway Pass
So, my "free" transit pass didn't work today - I swiped it, it didn't go through, my hand shook when it tried again, because my leg was killing me from going down the steps. Then it said "just used" and I can't use it again - for another fifteen minutes - because they don't want me giving free rides to others. As a result, I was out a ride and had to purchase one.
This is how I discovered that all you need to do to get the OMNI - is tap your credit card against the turnstile. You don't need a card. You don't need the app. You don't need a cell phone. Just a credit or debit card - tap and go, like you do at the grocery store. It will only charge you once.
If you have a credit card on your phone - you can use it.
I can't wait to get the "One Pass" - which will take the place of the annoying transit pass that I currently have - and I can tap it, as opposed to swiping, and also use it to swipe in and out of work.
Gotta love technology. I remember when we had tokens, and they were heavy and took up space in my wallet. I even had a separate change purse for them.
* Jury Duty
They found me. I need to move again. I'll do it when I turn 60, and I'll find a building with central A/C and central heat, screens on windows, plus a door man. And a walk in shower. Good size kitchen and fridge. Plus shelving. And a balcony or outdoor space.
This may well be impossible without going broke, winning the lottery, getting a lucrative book deal, or inheriting over $2M. So never mind.
It's just the questionnaire. I have 10 days to answer the questions and send them in - either by postage or online or phone. I'm in no hurry. It's not a summons as of yet.
* Breaking Bad and I discuss everything but work
Found out Breaking Bad's family is from Bretagne or Brittany quite by accident today. (I thought he was Italian). He's French/Italian. I got him beat - I'm French Belgium, German, Eastern European, Swedish, Irish, Scottish, English, Welsh, and Spanish (according to Ancestry.com, so...whether that's reliable or not is another discussion. Oh - as an aside, I'm apparently "distantly" related to a famous person - 10th cousin. Who is it? Dwight D. Eisenhower, of all people. Sigh. We were also for a bit distantly related to Prime Minister Lloyd George, but somehow that got debunked. Now it's Dwight D. Eisenhower, so we kind of graduated from an obscure British Prime Minister to a WWII General and President of the US. My grandparents would be impressed, so would my father, if he were still alive. I keep forgetting to tell my mother about it and I forgot to tell Breaking Bad, which shows how impressed I am about it?)
We were talking about languages. (Neither one of us are linguists or good at languages or we'd be doing anything else.) I told him about how I attempted to immerse myself in the French language by visiting France in high school back in the 1980s, but alas, ended up in Brittany - and they spoke Gaelic French. "Wait this isn't the French I learned in high school! What is this?"
Breaking Bad: Yup, it's Gaelic. My family members are from there - somewhere near Ren, all the towns are in Gaelic.
Me: Going there to learn French, would be like someone trying to learn English and going to Ireland.
Breaking Bad: Yup, that's not English.
We got on the topic discussing all the various versions of Hebrew, and Jewish languages, and ancient languages. And how in order to understand the Bible and the ancient texts - one would have to learn about 100 different ancient languages, and where to even start. And how Yiddish was in fact slang and the working people's language, and not associated Hebrew at all.
It was a interesting and layered conversation that covered politics, languages, prison reform, history, and wars, and testament to the fact that we're both bored at work, and under utilized.
*****
I'm currently flirting with Quadaphrenia - a Rock Ballet at NY City Center. Prices are between $185-$45. It's ballet - so you kind of need good seats, or it's not worth the bother. Still cheaper than Broadway though.
I love ballet and dance. I took ballet as a kid and in college. I sucked at it. I can't do anything choreographed to save my life. But I have to admit I stuck with Ballet longer than most. So, I understand it. It makes sense to me. I speak its language. Also I get wanting to move to music.
Also, it's to Pete Townsend's Quadaphrenia...so wicked cool.
I kind of missed the window for David Byrne and Hugh Jackman at Radio City Music Hall. Which is okay.
no subject
Date: 2025-10-11 04:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-10-11 06:39 pm (UTC)My Uncle is into it - and has researched and matched various relatives dating back to the 1600s.
How accurate all of this is? I don't know.
no subject
Date: 2025-10-11 05:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-10-11 06:41 pm (UTC)