March 2024 Newsletter Edition
Overall the month of March was much better than January and February. I am starting to figure out the practical part of living with an artificial hip that is frequently malfunctioning. I have been able to establish some what of a routine so life isn't just passing me by. This isn't easy. But at least life isn't passing me by.
I now have a new hamster. His name is Gary. He was 5 weeks old when he moved into my home. I am really glad he is here with me. I am hoping within a few weeks that Gary will be comfortable being held by me and that I will be able to show him that I love him and will provide for his needs.
The troubles with my left artificial hip have continued. When a month passed without getting an appointment with my surgeon I reached out to him. It came to light that my referral got lost. Advocating for myself has been really positive. In early April I will have the first appointment with my surgeon.
My shoes needed to be replaced. As my knees worsened I began buying shows that use Velcro for laces. This is really helpful on account of the struggle I have bending and reaching. I am glad I was able to find another pair of shoes with this feature. It tends to be a bunch of small things that come together to makes living my life easier.
During the third week of March my rice cooker broke. Some how water got inside the low voltage circuit and the control panel was flashing like a Christmas tree. I had owned the rice cooker for less than a year. The Hamilton Beach customer service really came through for me. Their warranty doesn't cover shipping. But in this instance and with the explanation of how I use the rice cooker in relation to my physical disability they waived the shipping charge. This really made me feel great. For several years now I have relied on a rice cooker suitable for 1 or 2 people. It works out really well to put a 1/4 cup of rice, either 3 or 4 pre-cooked meat balls, frozen mixed vegetables, curry powder, parsley flakes and onion flakes to cook together. About 35 minutes later my meal is ready to eat.
With my artificial hip malfunctioning so frequently I have changed the order of my goals to what is practical. I have been thinking a lot about how to track the ideas I have for expanding my web site. My friend Joel did me a very big favour. When he was out shopping he purchased a really nice binder for me. Going forward this will be my system for storing my ideas. This is instead of trying to keep mental track of my ideas mentally or on my "to do" list. It isn't near as fatiguing having all my ideas stored in a binder.
We had another movie night on my Discord. I really enjoyed this. With the way my artificial hip is creating uncertainty in my life I really enjoyed this. It was great being with a group of people doing this.