After Christmas, we bought a bread machine. Sometime in the fall, our KitchenAid mixer started having trouble handling dough. We took it in for service, and it needed several gears replaced. I checked forums and reviews online, and the consensus was that older KitchenAid mixers did a better job handling dough but that for the past 10 years or so they have not been so good. Apparently once they break, they just keep breaking. I decided at that point that we needed something else for making bread and pizza dough. So with the after Christmas sales combined with an unpopular color (white as opposed to the more desirable stainless steel), I was able to get a good deal on a good bread machine. However it apparently takes some learning to get a good loaf of bread.
The first loaf I made turned out solid as a brick, likely because I
didn't follow the recipe (I made up my own) and didn't measure the
ingredients very carefully. I followed all the instructions on the
second loaf, doing everything you're supposed to do to get it to rise
better. Apparently I did too much, because it rose so well it ended up
baking to the top of the lid of the bread machine. When we opened it up
to try to get the loaf out, the top crust came with it.
I have since successfully made dough for whole-wheat rolls baked in the oven, and tonight we had a yeast-dough cornbread baked fully in the bread machine that turned out great. It just took a little trial and error.
I feel like I am constantly engaging in trial and error these days. With my physical recovery, trying out new things here in Regina, and getting back into academia, I never quite feel like I know what I'm doing. And just when I think I figure it out, the target changes.
I'm typing this blog post using Dragon, the dictation software I gave up on back in August or September. I had an appointment with an occupational therapist in December, and she pointed out to me that although I am able to type, I am very slow compared with what I used to be able to do. Right now I only type of about 10 words per minute, and now that I am back into teaching and more engaged in my job, I need to be able to type more quickly. Dragon is working much better for me this time around, partly because I have some support from my occupational therapist, and partly because my voice is more consistent. There is still a lot to learn, but I think once I get used to it it will really help me go more quickly with my work.
Today I also tried walking with forearm crutches for the first time in about a month. Last time I tried it was very difficult and effortful, but today it was actually much easier. The forearm crutches are not very functional for daily use, because I can't carry anything when I'm using them and they are hard to stand up against things so they fall to the floor a lot. However, they are much better than using the walker for approximating normal walking, so it is good to practice with them and encouraging that I'm getting better at it. Jeff took a video of today's walk:
So much trial and error can be frustrating and exhausting, but it does feel good when things start to go right!
Yesterday Jeff and I went for a walk on a path that is just across the street from our building at the university. It was a beautiful day, sunny and not quite as cold as it has been.
In front of Wascana Lake, all covered in snow, with Regina's only hill in the background.
I foolishly decided that "not as cold" meant "not so cold," and dressed for fashion (having brought the camera) instead of for warmth. It was -11C (12F), and it turns out that even if it has been colder than that most days, and even if the sun is shining, that is still really freaking cold. Our walk was cut short not by my mobility limitations, but by my lack of understanding of cold temperatures. I understand thermometer readings down to about 25F, as that is really the lower bound of normal northwest weather. Anything below that is just "really cold" in my mind. So I'm having to get used to the fact that there are many degrees of "really cold."
Jeff, on the other hand-- who had trouble adjusting to the subtleties of northwest weather (he never quite believed that in the mountains it could be 80F in the afternoon, then drop to near freezing when the sun went down, or that you need to bring a jacket to the coast no matter what the forecast says)-- dressed sensibly in long johns and his warmest coat and hat.
Along Wascana Lake, in the tracks of the path's snow plow
Jeff says this picture reminds him of pictures people would take of him when he was four years old. Just imagine that those snow plow tracks are regular tire tracks, and you can almost see it :)
A lot has happened in 2012. The biggest event being of course my brain surgery, closely followed by our move to Regina. One year ago, I definitely would not have predicted either of these things, and they have changed my life so much. It is almost hard to reflect on the past year as it seems like I've been through three lifetimes in that span. But I will try (and will attempt not to re-use too many photos I have already posted, though some will be repeats).
January gave us snow in Seattle, back when snow and cold weather were rare events in my life.
Jeff in front of our house stepping in my footsteps so as not to disturb the snow too much.
Then February brought spring-like weather:
Kite-flying at Gasworks Park
In early March, I had a new brain bleed, and was not feeling so well. Despite my symptoms, I was able to keep doing my normal activities.
After finishing the Mercer Island half-marathon
In April, all sorts of things were happening. I was waiting on second opinions about surgery, Jeff was negotiating one job offer and waiting on a second. Then when we were at a friend's wedding in Las Vegas, Jeff got his official offer at University of Regina.
At the wedding
In early May, I was sitting on a job offer in Honolulu, interviewing in Regina, and getting more doctors' opinions about surgery. By late May, Jeff and I had both accepted jobs in Regina, and I had a surgery date. We visited Oregon over Memorial Day weekend, as we weren't sure when we'd have another chance.
At the Oregon coast.
June is when things got crazy. We went hiking on June 10th knowing that this would likely be our last northwest hike before moving to the flat prairie, and needing to do something distracting and relaxing.
On the trail to Lake Serene
Then three days later I had surgery, and I woke up feeling like my life had completely changed. Before surgery I was afraid of the unknowns, but after surgery it felt like there were even more unknowns. I was physically pretty bad off, and I had no idea what problems would remain and what would get better.
After surgery
Through June and July my recovery began, and I worked hard. There were many ups and downs, and my initial recovery was emotional, frustrating, and slow, but it also felt good to be making progress. By the end of July I could walk about 400 feet with my walker.
My last PT session before going home
Then in August, I was discharged from the hospital and a week later we moved to Regina. At that time I still needed a wheelchair to get around, even in the house, and I needed help to get dressed, get to the bathroom or shower, or even get from the wheelchair to the couch. With all that, it's no wonder I have a hard time remembering our first weeks in Regina.
At Kiwanis Park, a few blocks from our house
In September, I started settling into my job, and tried to get a feel for my new town, but my memories of that time are still a blur. I started venturing out of the house for short trips with the walker, trying to rebuild my endurance. This picture is a bit misleading, because at that time I wasn't actually walking without someone right there ready to catch me. I was able to stand still on my own long enough for Jeff to get a picture.
At Kinsmen Park, a few blocks from our house in the opposite direction
In October, I started feeling a bit more like myself. At work, I was actually starting to do some work, and by mid-month my walking had improved enough that I was mostly leaving the wheelchair at home and just using the walker. I was finally back in physical therapy, and seeing that it was making a difference. My vision suddenly improved, which was a huge relief, and made a lot of things easier.
Celebrating the return of my vision with a brownie sundae at Dairy Queen
November came with continued physical improvements, more engagement at work, and energy left for occasional fun times.
With Jeff's siblings and their partners
In December I have felt more and more like myself. Walking gets easier and
easier, and while it may still be a while, I can see that one day I will
be walking without assistance again. Jeff and I went to Eugene on
December 21 and returned last night. We enjoyed visiting with friends,
eating some of our favorite foods, and holiday festivities with my
family. I also successfully completed my 5k, and was even much faster
than I predicted, finishing in 1 hour 21 minutes.
Eugene Holiday Hustle 5k at the finish line
And tomorrow starts a whole new year. Of course we can never predict the future, but if I were a betting woman, my money would be on better health and calmer times ahead. Happy New Year and best wishes for 2013!
I am always a big fan of Christmas, and this year I am especially looking forward to it. Going home, seeing my family, visiting friends, and being in a familiar place are all sounding really nice right now. Not that there is anything wrong with things here, just that there really is no place like home for the holidays, and this has been a particularly difficult year!
Jeff and I have finished all our shopping, put up our tree (even though we will be leaving, I've enjoyed having it up for the past two weeks), and baked cookies. For no reason that we could figure out- we followed the recipe, and that recipe has been in use at least since I was a small child- our first batch of cookies turned out so dry that the dough just crumbled. After doing some investigation, I discovered that Canadian all-purpose flour has a higher gluten content and lower moisture content than American all-purpose flour. Who knew? Also, the climate here is much much drier than anywhere on the west coast (where I have previously baked cookies) so that is also likely contributing. I adjusted the recipe slightly for the next batch, and they turned out perfectly. Knowing is half the battle.
Last week was full of medical appointments. I had an evaluation with an occupational therapist (now that I have a routine down with work, PT, and everything else, adding in OT sounds less overwhelming), an appointment with a physiatrist (rehab doctor), and an appointment with a neurosurgeon, in addition to my regular PT appointments. These appointments highlighted a few things for me. First, I have come such a long way in the past 6 months (Thursday was exactly 6 months since surgery). Second, all the doctors are optimistic about my recovery, and in another 6 months it is likely that I will be doing way better than I am now. And third, I have a tendency to "fake good" in my day-to-day life, such that even Jeff doesn't realize how impaired I still am in some areas sometimes. Experts doing evaluations are able to force me to show my deficits, whereas most of the time I am able to hide some of them by using compensations and work-arounds.
There are pros and cons to faking good. On the plus side I am doing my job, keeping an upbeat attitude, and making it so that others are not so uncomfortable being around me. On the downside, very few people in my daily interactions realize how hard I am working or how difficult it is for me to accomplish seemingly simple tasks. And by avoiding doing some of the things that I have the most difficulty with, I don't get practice with them, so they improve more slowly. I am also able to trick myself into thinking I'm doing better than I am sometimes, so this week's appointments were a little rough because there are many neurological tests I still fail, which is discouraging. It's hard sometimes to strike the right balance between acknowledging what's wrong and recognizing what's going well or improving. Too much focus on either side is a problem. I think I generally do a pretty good job walking that line, but it is hugely challenging.
Over Christmas, my plan is to focus more heavily on how much I have improved. My family hasn't seen me in over four months, and they were around to see how bad off I was right after surgery. They will likely be impressed by the difference between then and now, and I will do my best to show off all the positive changes :)
Earlier this week I was extremely annoyed by the fact that some people are just not that smart. And I don't necessarily mean that these people have low IQs, just that they have very narrow views of the world, and assume that there is only one way to think or do things. It is seeming to come up more in this relatively insulated Canadian town than it ever did anywhere on the west coast, which is understandable (most of the people who live here have never lived outside the province), but there are certain people and agencies that I expect to do better, and I get irritated when they don't.
I am running up against a ridiculously annoying problem (series of problems, really) related to my application for licensure/registration as a Psychologist in Saskatchewan. I will not bore you with the details, but the issue is basically that there is a set of rules to follow that only really makes sense for a person fresh out of grad school (especially a person who completed grad school in Saskatchewan). There is another set of rules for psychologists who have previously worked in independent practice somewhere else in Canada. In both cases, it is expected that the applicant is currently seeing clients. The response I got when explaining that I do not fall into either of those two categories, and I am not currently seeing clients, was basically "I don't get it-- you should fall into one of the categories, and be practicing, otherwise why would you be applying for registration?" When I insisted that this was not the case, but that nonetheless I am required to register as a psychologist in order to supervise and teach graduate students in clinical psychology, the response was basically "you must be wrong." After a 30 minute conversation I finally convinced this person that I was right, but she was utterly unsure what to do with me regarding a couple of key issues. The conversation ended without any of my questions being answered.
I was so annoyed! But then I talked to one of my colleagues who explained that no one expects me to figure all this out before I send in my application. I am just expected to do my best, leave things blank if I can't make sense of them, send a cover letter explaining my situation, and expect a phone call later on from the person in charge if she has any questions. Basically, just don't worry about it, someone else will figure it out. Apparently that's how things work in this province for a lot of things-- it is small enough that people can take time to look at things on a case-by-case basis. My annoyance immediately turned to a much kinder, better feeling.
In other news, I am training hard for my upcoming 5k walk. The past few weeks I have been doing a variety of different types of walking with my walker-- fast walks, long walks, easy walks-- similar to what I would do in the past if I was training for a long run. It's paying off-- I seem to improve in some way each time. Today I went for a 1 hour and 45 minute long walk through the university buildings (7 consecutive laps around the whole indoor loop) and it wound up also being a fast walk. Faster than I have ever gone, partly related to a suggestion from my PT to make a playlist of songs with a rhythm that matches my walking speed. So I figured out that a perfect cadence for me is music that is 100 beats per minute, and made a playlist of about 60 songs that matched that. I estimate that I went about 5 kilometers, a new record for both distance and speed. That was indoors on a smooth surface, and walking on uneven outdoor surfaces will be considerably harder (the 5k will include roadways, gravel, and grass-- which may also mean mud), but I'm fairly confident I will finish!
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