Iron Fist

Okay, so long story short, I grievously injured my knee at work last week, which is pretty sad considering I work an office job, and I’m going to skip over the how of me wrecking my knee because even though that story takes place on Take Your Child to Work Day and involves me getting injured while competing with a ten-year old girl, it’s actually a far less entertaining story than that brief synopsis might suggest. Anyway, I at least had the good fortune to bend my leg in a completely unnatural direction while on the job, which means my doctor’s visit and the rehabilitation of my MCL get covered by the company.

So today I went in for physical therapy, which I expected to be no more than a nurse applying some hot compresses to my damaged tissues, but OH NO, medical science has advanced quite a bit since the days when my high school P.E. teacher told me to “just suck it up already”, and I discovered that I was going to be hooked up to a machine so advanced that no one actually knew what it did. I deduced this from the medical assistants’ bedside conversation, which went more or less as follows:

Medical Assistant 1: …and then you put the pads on his leg like this…

Medical Assistant 2: Okay.

MA1: And once they’re stuck, then you take the wires and plug them into the electro-unit.

MA2: I see.

MA1: And this is what heals the tissue.

MA2: Huh. How does it do that? With heat?

MA1: Uh…

MA2: …

Me: …

MA1: Actually, I don’t know how this machine works. But you switch it on here.

MA2: Right here?

MA1: Yep! Just turn it on and keep increasing the power until the patient asks you to stop.

MA2: They’ll tell you when?

Me: H’rkk.

MA1: Oh! Do you want us to make it higher or lower?

Me: Down. H’rk. A notch. Please.

I’m pretty sure this device didn’t actually serve any medical function. And when they had me roll over on my side and slopped a handful of warm goo on my leg without any warning and then spent five minutes poking me with an ultrasonic wand, I don’t think that does anything either. Really, the purpose of all this treatment is to humiliate the patient into healing faster. I think it must work, because I’m already feeling well enough to not want to go back for the rest of the sessions.

Comments(14)

I found myself thinking about simpler times, when news good or bad traveled across the sea only as fast as the wind could bring it, crawling across the ocean accompanied by a hold full of spices or tobacco. The speed of grief had an upper limit in those days, borne by canvas sails and then by beast of burden, and a loved one might linger like Schrödinger’s Cat for weeks, either dead OR alive, either in sickness OR in health, superpositioned to be either when a clatter of hooves would announce the arrival of a wax-sealed message, waiting for the observer to read of their fate on ink-stained parchment.

I thought of this as I discreetly checked my phone underneath the conference room table for the tenth time in as many minutes, because in this modern age, I need to know now, I need to know what’s happening this very minute, and we’re done with the slideshow and why are people still talking? I focus my mind into diamond-tipped needles bearing the simple message STOP TALKING and launch one fusillade after another at the other attendees. They give way, finally, and I’m already pushing away from the table and walking out into the hall, gripping the devil’s own handheld device, this thing wrought of copper filament and crystal that has brought me only bleak news lately, first the cat and then my grandfather, and I must be some sort of glutton for punishment because there I am pressing the speed-dial button to see what it will whisper to me today.

Hello?

Mom? Talk to me. How’s my sister?

Oh, honey. I was just getting ready to send you a text message. She’s out of surgery and in the recovery room. She’s doing fine now.

I let out a breath that I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, must have been holding for, what — hours? Days? Since the beginning of the previous week, at least, when my sister had called to tell me her checkup showed she hadn’t quite healed right, and they were going to have to take her in to operate.

No complications, then? She’s still going to go home today?

Yes. They’re going to get her some painkillers and keep her in the observation room for a little while longer, but then we’ll take her home.

Well, then. Well. (Relief, fortunately, also travels at near-lightspeed these days, although upon arrival it slows down considerably as it percolates through the knotted muscles of the receiver, each fiber whispering to its neighbors it’s okay now, did you hear? It’s going to be all right.)

She’s going to take it nice and easy today, so don’t you worry. How are you? Everything okay at work?

Yes. Everything’s fine here. Listen, just…tell her I called, please. Tell her I love her.

I will. You take care, honey.

I will, Mom. You too.

I click the phone shut. I stare at it for a moment before I put it in my pocket. I have a feeling it’s done with bringing me bad news for a time, these events receding now like this winter that has overstayed its welcome.  I’m ready for the sun again.

Comments(7)

This week over at The Collective they’ve been running a book meme, so I thought I’d talk a little about the enormous stack of books that is slowly building up on my desk. I love to read, but it also seems that I love to buy books faster than I can get through them. Part of this, no doubt, is due to living in Portland and having a giant independent bookstore like Powell’s within walking distance. I’m there nearly every Sunday, often just browsing but I do bring home new books pretty frequently.

Here’s a quick rundown of recently acquired books that I’ve either just read, am in the process of reading, or will read very soon.

• The Lost Books of the Odyssey: I spied this one on their ‘Upcoming Readings’ shelf and bought my copy after hearing Zachary Mason read a few of the passages. The premise is that the book is from a recently deciphered document that has foiled scholars for ages, and that it’s a sort of apocryphal compilation of stories surrounding Homer’s The Odyssey. The writing is exceptional, the stories fascinating. This is one of the smartest books I’ve read so far this year.
• The City of Saints and Madmen: I first heard Jeff VanDerMeer’s name dropped by one of my favorite authors at another reading I was attending, when a member of the audience asked Richard Morgan who he was reading these days. I picked up the Veniss Underground novella and absolutely loved it. I grabbed this one recently and have only had time to just start it.
• Three from Richard Brautigan: I know that Brandon had mentioned Brautigan more than once, but usually this would be after I’d had a few drinks and so would promptly forget about it until the next time he brought it up. After our most recent meet-up I decided I wasn’t going to forget this time, so I pulled a pen out and scribbled ‘Brautigan’ on my hand. If I had to be honest about which book I’m actually ‘currently reading’, it would be this one.
• The War of Art and The Artist’s Way: Both of these were on the same endcap, and both were mentioned in a post by the Communicatrix. I took that as a sign and picked them both up.
• The Great Gatsby: Kat sure seems to like this book. Also, I was able to get a used copy for, like, five bucks.
• Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days: Alastair Reynolds is currently my favorite science-fiction author. I grabbed this one the other day and added it to my queue because I have to have at least one awesome sci-fi novel going at all times.

Like books? Head over to Phone It In Friday and let the Collective know. Also feel free to friendify me on GoodReads.

Comments(11)

Like a few other older cities, Portland still retains the metal rings on its sidewalks that were used early last century where people could hitch their horses. A few years back, a local artist began hitching tiny horses to the rings around town. I found this one on Saturday morning as I made my way around town during the brief respite from our mid-spring hailstorms.

You can read more about the Horse Project here.

Comments(9)

It’s too nice a day out for me to write a blog post. So, have a picture instead, from my bike ride this morning.

Comments(7)