Monopoly

I loathe this game.  I will never play it again, ever, in my entire life.

Don't play Monopoly with Claire Adele.  She will win.  In the last 35 games of Monopoly played in our home or on vacation, she has won.  I am not kidding.  In a game a few weeks ago, Pedro and I were playing with her and compared her to Donald Trump.  She said she was more like Putin.  I am not fully sure what that means -- does she think Trump is worse than Putin, or Putin worse than Trump?  I didn't ask.  Yesterday, she said she was like Donald Trump, minus the racism.

The goal of Monopoly is not to accrue the most money, but rather to drive other people into bankruptcy. She does that quite well.  Anytime she has $100 in her pocket, she buys houses or hotels. Today I landed on her hotel on Baltic and was driven in bankruptcy by the $450 rent as the second most humble property on the board had a hotel.  I landed in it three times.  What are the odds of that? Seriously. Either the dice are rigged or the Monopoly gods are out to get me.

Pedro has some kind of death wish with this game.  He keep wanting to play even though Claire Adele wins every game. Why does he want to continue to play? Seriously, I don't get it.  It is always his idea to play, even though no one ever beats Claire Adele. Ever. I need to throw this game in the garbage.  Maybe playing Monopoly is my maternal punishment for not getting my kids an Xbox or getting Pedro a smart phone.

We are on vacation in Bend, Oregon. As I am in a leg brace and on crutches, I cannot ski at Mt. Bachelor with the rest of the family.  When the kids are around, I feel like I should spend some "quality time" with them. This evening, Jack had the good fortune of making dinner so he didn't have to play Monopoly with the kids.  I had some perverse maternal guilt that if I don't play with my kids--especially while on vacation--that I will burn in some special kind of hell for bad mothers.  Even though I know this isn't true, I still feel this way.  My kids are fed, have clean clothes, etc.  They will live if I don't play with them.  But this is vacation. I feel like this makes up for the rest of the year where I have to nag them to do their homework, practice their musical instruments, etc.  Vacations are special, where we should spend time together as a family, interacting and talking. Yet, playing Monopoly isn't a game of kind and gentle conversation.  It involves Claire Adele whining about wanting Boardwalk and Park Place and pitching a fit when someone else gets it. And Pedro flips off his sister every time she collects rent from him. This is family fun? I should sue Parker Bros. for false advertising.

Hearing the game from his perch in the kitchen, Jack made a recommendation: why isn't there an altruistic game where you get points for being kind and generous, not screw them into bankruptcy?That is a good idea, and a game I would play.  But would my kids?

Skiing Accident, Part 4 -- Life Around the House

As I hobbled around the house, Jack googled ACL injuries. Lindsey Vonn, the Olympic skier, had a torn ACL.  She recovered and continued to ski at an elite level. I also think of FRD and all he accomplished from his wheelchair.  A man who at the time would have been called crippled saved the world from Hitler. While it is nice to see these successful people manage and recover from illness and accident, I'd rather have my whole knee. I am still hoping it is just a sprain and not something worse.

Part of my challenge is managing life around the house.  FDR was raised in a wealthy family, and I doubt he ever had to make dinner or do the laundry. The kids are helping out -- the Boy learned how to use the washing machine and drier.  I am learning a few new things, too, like I have to be very specific about where things are when I ask my family to find things for me.  I can't say something is "on the table" because we have three tables. I can't say "In the dining room" when I think it could also maybe be in the kitchen.  Part of this is my family's inability to look beyond their noses. They are learning. 

I was just getting use to putting more weight on my left leg and using one crutch when my knee slipped while I was getting into the car last night.  We live on a steep hill, and as I was getting in the front seat, the door began to close as gravity pulled it down.  My weight automatically shifted to my downhill hill leg--the injured one--and my knee slipped.  Now it is tender and I am afraid to put more weight on it. Argh. I was hoping my knee was just sprained and getting better.  With this slip, I've lost a little faith in my sprain theory.

My poor right leg is having a hard time, too, as is my right shoulder and left wrist.  I am doing my range of motion exercises with my left leg, but my right one doesn't get to stretch because it has to bear my weight.  I am thinking of going to one of those Silver Stepper classes at the YMCA with the seniors who exercise while sitting on a chair.  There used to be a television shows with exercises for shut-ins.  Maybe that is next on my agenda.

Another challenge is clothing.  My doctor said to wear my new break next to my skin. This is fine, except I have so few clothes that fit over the brace.  I have one baggy pair of cords, and two pairs of fleece sweatpants.  I have dozens of skirts, but this is not the right season for those.   I have old style baggy yoga pants, too, but those are too loose in the hips. They might slide less if the brace helps hold them up.  Maybe I'll head to Pacific Fabrics and make my own baggy pants, or pants with a larger left leg.  Surely, someone must have thought of this!

A few years ago, the Boy's Lego team had to work on Senior Solutions. The idea was to come up with an idea that would help people over the age of sixty stay connected, independent and engaged.  Why not come up with clothing ideas for people who are on crutches or use a walker? I've seen the little bags women put on walkers. What about when people need crutches? What about having little attachments to the crutches so people can carry things around?  Just a thought.

Skiing Accident, Part 3 -- Recovery

It has been more than a week since my skiing accident, and I am still on crutches and wearing a leg brace.

The day of my accident, a man died off the same lift.  The newspaper reported the location of the man's death as near the pass at the "Silver Fir" resort.  The Summit at Snoqualmie is the only ski resort at the pass, and Silver Fir is one of their chair lifts.  I wonder if the same Ski Patrol team who took me off the mountain had to recover the man who died in the tree well. Was it the same sled that held my warm body hold his cold one just hours later?

The Ski Patrol people were very friendly, warm and calming. They all smiled a lot. They must be trained to be kind to people who are in distress.  Do they teach doctors, nurses and paramedics the same thing? Those professions see difficult stuff on a daily basis, where I imagine the Ski Patrol folks might have day jobs that might be far less exciting than professional skier, like accountant and marketing manager.  I am guessing the Ski Patrols are chosen first on their ability to ski, and then on how well they take care of people. Half of the challenge is being a good enough skier to go down any hill under any conditions and bring people down safely.  Maybe these people were ski team people in their youth, or maybe just missed the bar to make it to the Olympics, although speed and agility are somewhat different skill sets.  Fast skiers I am sure are as agile, but an agile skier isn't necessarily fast.

One of the Ski Patrol women said her daughter asks every time she comes if she helped anybody.

"Today I can tell her 'yes'!" she said.  What would she tell her daughter last Saturday if she were on the team who recovered the man who died?

Skiing Accident, Part 2

It has been one week since my accident.  I have gone to two doctors and when I return from vacation, I will have an MRI to see if I have a torn ACL.  My knee is still swollen, but I can move it and bear a little bit more weight.  I have a new leg brace which bends at the knee.

Crutches are a pain in the ass. While they help me amble about the house, I have traded use of my hands and arms to walk.  The first morning after the accident, it took me what felt like forever to have a cup of tea, a bowl of yogurt with granola and an orange for breakfast.  That is it took forever to get to the table to sit down before I could eat.  I couldn't just carry the bowl with yogurt to the table.  I have to get the yogurt our of the fridge, put it in my bag, get the granola out of the pantry, put it in the bag, get a spoon, put it in the bag, until I had every thing ready.  Then I could go to the table and finally eat. The hardest part was making tea. I have to get water in the kettle, and then bring the kettle to the heat.  I also had to clean my travel tea mug.  I have to use my travel tea mug as I cannot place a regular ceramic tea cup in my bag without it spilling and making a ginormous mess.

The best Christmas present I got this year: a gift bag from my neighbor Ashley. I've been using the bag to carry things (food, books, my travel tea mug, etc.) around the house. Yay!

I am still using crutches, and I have not managed the art of climbing stairs.  These are the bane of my existence.  As much as I'd like to go outside, I am having to climb up and down the stairs on my butt, using a reverse push-up. It is even worse when it is raining and the steps are wet.  Yesterday, I tied one of Jack's old jackets around my waist so my bottom wouldn't get wet as I bounced up the steps.

Seventeen of these bad boys plus an extra five to get up to the porch.

While I am feeling rather useless not having full use of my arms as well as one of my legs, I am grateful that my disability is temporary and not permanent one. I am also grateful for everyone who helped advocate for the Americans with Disabilities Act.  My disability may be temporary but I am really grateful for ramps and elevators.

Skiing Accident

We took the kids skiing Saturday and I had an accident. I fell and I felt my knee pop. I got back up to ski down the hill, and as soon as I put all of my weight on my left leg, I fell again. Some people stopped, and I still couldn't put weight on my left leg. They called the Ski Patrol and they took me down the hill in the sled. The best part of the day was when the Ski Patrol asked Jack how old I was, and the ski guy said "She's twenty...." Jack said they couldn't tell because I was wearing a helmet and goggles. 

At the bottom of the hill at the end of the sled ride, I still couldn't bear weight on my leg. The Ski Patrol put me in the sled again and took me to the car. It was the second run of the day. Ugh. The snow was pretty fresh and fast, and it had a ton of moguls. I got going too fast and crashed. 

The bizarre thing is that my knee doesn't hurt. It is getting a little stiff and swollen, but that is about it. We went to the UW ER. They took an x-ray, which was fine. They don't do MRIs on the weekend. Another good thing is that I was wearing brand new underwear! This was good considering I had to get wheeled around the hospital in a hospital gown. 

The worst part was figuring out what I was going to do with our crap load of steps to the house. We have 17 steps on the first flight and five on the second. I always told the kids if I get hurt that I'd have to spend the week at the Silver Cloud Inn and they would have to fend for themselves. I called Ashley, our neighborhood, to see if I could use their apartment with no steps. They are in the process of renovating it, so I thought I might be able to crash there. She said it only has a bed and a tea kettle and that I'd be better off at home. She might be right. I had to sit on my butt and hoist myself up the stairs. I made it. I have no idea how I am going to get down, or out of the house. I hope I don't go crazy. Winter Break started today, so the kids will be home to help me out. Jack is working at Harborview starting Monday through Sunday. We are supposed to go to Bend, Oregon to ski the week after Christmas. Oh well. I'll probably be sitting at the house with the dog reading a book, watching movies or doing crossword and jigsaw puzzles. 

I have been taking yoga lately, which has been a good thing. I've been having to do lots of tree positions and standing on one leg, even some "Warrior 3" (I think it is "Warrior 3") to pick up things up that have fallen on the ground. 

The Boy said he wished that he was the one who got hurt instead of me. "I am young and you aren't." It is the thought that counts. I am glad he didn't get hurt. He has been really helpful so far, especially since I can't carry anything. I was shopping with my friend Lucy Thursday and I bought a cute little shopping bag. I was going to give it to someone for Christmas, but I might use it to carry things around the house since I am on crutches and don't have free hands.

Post-Production Blues

I went out with my friend Ashley for coffee this morning.  She used to be in theater, and it still active as a Board member on the Seattle Children's Theater.  We were talking about my election and her experience in the theater.  After a show, the cast and crew often get a case of the "post-production blues." She wondered if I had that after the election.  Yes, I do. I am glad there is a name for it, and I am glad this is normal in other parts of life, not just elections.

I don't want to give the impression that I am sitting around moping, but I have seen better days.