A Confluence of Events

1) My knee exploded last Monday.

It has never been the same after surgery. I accept 50% of the blame. I stopped exercising it as soon as it felt good. Should have just kept it up.

Since surgery, it cracks all the time - I have my own personal percussion section in the right knee. But the pain has been intermittant and minimal. Until Monday.

I was walking down the hall at work - during my most favorite work experience - all alone in the entire building. Bliss. And the knee just cracked. Loudly and painfully. It has remained painful and uncomfortable since. Fucking karma, man - bliss rewarded with punishment. This is the life equation I have created.

So I am back to the knee exercises, coupled with daily prayers that this is just a setback and not additonal destruction. However, I am working the knee with a vengeance this time. Not stupidly, but diligently. With grim determination. We'll see where it all leads.

2) FINALLY got the CPAP machine on Thursday. 

This ordeal began in February - February, for Christ sake. First met with Dr. Snooze then. Followed over the folllowing months by two overnights at the sleep center - one without CPAP, and one with the CPAP monster. The CPAP night proved inconclusive and disappointing - they did not get the readings they expected. This soured me on the whole process. But I went ahead anyway.

Used the CPAP monster last night for the first time. How bizarre, how bizarre.  At the sleep center I barely slept at all, so I wasn't expecting much. Had the monster glued to my face for 6 hours last night, probably got 4 hours of "sleep." Woke at 3:30 - the mask causing discomfort. I figured I'd give it another half hour to meet the requirements then take the fucking thing off.

Yes, there are rules. Medicare rules, I assume. I am so sick of rules. I have to use the monster 21 nights a month and 4 hours a night - minimum. I don't know what happens if I don't - they probably take the machine and foreclose on my house.

I was lying there in discomfort - (I am not familiar with the equipment yet, so I didn't want to mess with all the straps and wires and ropes and pulleys) - and I fell asleep. Until 6:30. I take that as a good sign. So I'll adjust the mask today and hope for better.

3) We are listing the house again. 

Meeting with a new realtor on Tuesday. Carol and I took a trip to look at a mobile home yesterday just to get a feel for size. Single wide. We could live in one without killing each other. Still, I had that uncomfortable feeling in my gut - a mobile home? My parents raised me in palatial splendor, I downgraded to whatever level I'm at now when reality grabbed me by the balls, but a mobile home?

Fucked up knee, CPAP Monster, selling the house.

And I have been doing so well limiting my whiskey consumption.