iPhone Regained
May112008
I found the iPhone. I was looking for my shoes which are always on top of a table or dresser since Milton has a major shoe fetish. I found five black shoes, no mates, on the floor, and I checked the top of a cabinet and there was the iPhone, its little black face blending into the walnut wood. I found my shoes later in the bathroom, but I had to dig out a different pair to give my class on scene at OVRWA so if anybody there looked at my feet and said, “WTF?” I had good reason.
I’m trying to stay off my knee, but I have to get this stuff shifted so it’s shift, lay down with some Aleve, shift, lay down again. Slow going. While I’m down, I’m looking at cabinets and countertops on the internet and wondering when it became impossible to do a kitchen at a reasonable price. As my pal Deb Dixon once e-mailed me, “What are cabinets made out of? GOLD?” So I’m going the reasonably priced route for the cabinets but I’ve fallen in love with a countertop that is only made in California. Recycled glass. It’s amazing. And evidently expensive; isn’t green supposed to be good for the economy or something? I would show you a picture but @#$^& Wordpress did an update and now I can’t figure out how to upload. So I’ll e-mail Lani and she’ll tell me. Stay tuned.
Then Bob e-mailed and said, “Happy Birthday!” My birthday is in September. His is October 21. Because I remember these things. After that he harassed me about the Supernatural DVDs. Then I talked to my daughter and my mother and shifted some more stuff.
Basically my life is shifting, wheezing, painkillers, e-mail, and writing books. But I’m thinking by June, I’ll have filled that damn dumpster and I can go back to just living and writing. Like a normal person. With an iPhone.
Must go shift some more. If I clear the hall, I can take a bath. It’s the little things that count.
Filed in X (Everything Else)
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62 Comments to 'iPhone Regained'
On May 11, 2008 at 10:26 pm CrankyOtter said...
I don’t know about your particular knee trouble, but after I had knee trouble from hiking that made me stop, I went to physical therapy. the PT lady said that 70% of knee trouble for women is when your outer quad gets too strong and dominates your inner quad and pulls our kneecaps off center, causing knee pain. Stairs and lifting things will do this.
To counteract it, sit with your legs out straight, and clench your inner quad muscles for 10 seconds, breathe more, and repeat a few times. When you’re good at this, start doing slow leg lifts with your inner quad still clenched. It helps. Icing can help too but I can’t sit still that long.
Good luck! I’m off to order my own gold plated kitchen cabinets…
On May 11, 2008 at 10:48 pm Gina Black said...
LOL. Bob announced to the whole group at OCC yesterday (where he did a day long workshop) that it was your birthday. There was easily a hundred people there. This is how rumors get started.
On May 11, 2008 at 10:57 pm Kyrathered said...
Hope the knee feels better!
On May 11, 2008 at 11:02 pm robena grant said...
That Bob! He’s a character, we all know Jenny is a Virgo. : ) Wish I could have come to Bob’s workshop, Gina, but I’m mirroring Jenny, I have a bad knee. And my $%*&( Cho Strap is on back order. It might take another week to get it. Meanwhile it’s hottubs and exercise and icepacks.
Glad you found the iPhone, Jenny. I was afraid one of the dogs had ingested it. Stay in the tub for a long time, you deserve it.
On May 11, 2008 at 11:03 pm cc said...
hope the knee feels better- I use a simple neoprene knee brace or sleeve when my knees start getting grumpy- makes the world a much better place
I wonder if the glass counters you’ve fallen in lust with are the same I’m drooling over- vetrazzo and I’m really thinking the millefiori or hollywood sage- but counters are low on my list, right now I just want a back door that keeps the cold out during the winter, on the upside I have so much ventilation at this place I don’t have to worry overmuch about carbon dioxide poisoning
On May 11, 2008 at 11:19 pm Jenny said...
CC, great minds. I want the Millefiori. Unfortunately, I’m not in California.
Gina, Bob also said that you all talked about the coffee pot, and that everybody there said he was right. I find it hard to believe that my OC sisters would betray me like that, but I know Bob can be persuasive.
And thank you all for the sympathy on my knee but I don’t deserve it. About half an hour ago I tried to move a box by pushing it with, you guessed it, my screwed up knee. Stupidity leads to pain. But I will try all suggestions. Eventually.
On May 12, 2008 at 12:11 am Gina Black said...
The coffee pot? Hmmm. I must have missed that part.
On May 12, 2008 at 12:38 am Gayle Hoover said...
Two things for your knee…chiropractor and Bio-Freeze. First is for long-term relief, second, short-term.
Bless all of our bones. Ain’t aging recreational?
Warmly,
Gayle in Longview, WA
Black Cherry Kisser
On May 12, 2008 at 12:43 am ArkansasCyndi said...
Me, the Queen of Bad Knees, swear by Aleve. A true miracle drug! Of course, the total knee replacement in October helped too.
On May 12, 2008 at 7:28 am Susan D said...
Jenny. Stop. Moving. Things.
I’m saying this on behalf of your mother, who perhaps doesn’t read this blog, or at least apparently doesn’t post to it.
(But then, I move things when I shouldn’t too, and I don’t tell my mother about it.)
On May 12, 2008 at 7:52 am Cathy S. said...
Jenny, WHEEZING? Did you realize that as an asthmatic, certain pain relievers are NOT recommended? Like Aleve or ibuprofen? Aspirin falls into this category as well.
The only really “safe” otc pain reliever for we asthmatics is Tylenol or it’s generic cousins.
It’s not fun.
If Tylenol, heat and ice (and patience!) aren’t enough, it might be time to check with your doctor. Maybe some tylenol 3 (Codeine is my friend!) will help. That’s what got me through my sprained ankle.
Please, take care of your lungs as well as your knee!
On May 12, 2008 at 8:28 am Cathy S. said...
One second thought, Jenny does not drink. Not that the two are DIRECTLY related, but I find that Codeine does relax my inhibitions a little. Maybe Jenny on Codeine is not the best idea…
On May 12, 2008 at 8:31 am Mary Stella said...
I redid my kitchen a couple years ago. Benefit to a small kitchen — I could get the stuff I really wanted without driving myself into debt. I love my counter tops — quartz which, for me, is prettier than granite.
On May 12, 2008 at 9:02 am Melissa Blue said...
I’ve got bad knees from running track when I was a lass, which wasn’t that long ago sadly. So, yeah stop moving things.
Really it’s okay to use your female status to get help. I’m sure you know this, but it’s all about how you make them believe it’s their idea. You get to keep your dignity by not fluttering your lashes and whoever you get to help feels like a manly man. Win-Win.
On May 12, 2008 at 10:19 am inkgrrl said...
Writer down!
Bad knee, no donut! Or muffin!
Ice first 24 hrs or so, elevation, rest, compression with an ace bandage if it makes it feel better.
NO MOVING HEAVY THINGS.
Hitch that herd to whatever needs shifting and let them earn their keep.
On May 12, 2008 at 10:21 am inkgrrl said...
Oh and if it’s still sore tomorrow AFTER you’ve NOT MOVED ANY. THING. go see your doc.
On May 12, 2008 at 10:50 am Slave Driver said...
I see all of this as a win-win. Knee pain? Sympathy…MILK IT! Yay! And with a birthday in September AND May people with short term memory problems will double-gift you. YAY! Especially if they think you are all crippled up…I see an expensive counter top in your future.
Nothin but a nice kitchen ahead!
Glad you relocated the iPhone. But, with your birthday yesterday and all, you coulda had a shiny new one…
See? The glass is always half full ( mine’s always half full with wine.
On May 12, 2008 at 10:59 am wendy roberts said...
Knee pain is the worst so big, gentle hugs!
Can’t wait to see pics of the countertop. We went the cheap route and painted our cabinets but a year later they need to be done again *blech*
On May 12, 2008 at 11:34 am Louis said...
Keep track of those “little things”
They get you every time.
Take care of that knee.
Oh, and “Happy Birthday”
On May 12, 2008 at 11:46 am MJ said...
As yet another Bad Knees Woman, I second (or third, or sixth) the ice and quad sets recommendations. It’s amazing what a difference just 15 or 20 quick, correctly performed leg lifts can make.
And as soon as I saw “recycled glass,” I knew you were talking Vetrazzo. Even though it’ll be years before we can remodel our kitchen, I have the site bookmarked. The company says they’ll work with local stone/granite/tile fabricators to help them become authorized Vetrazzo makers – so, because I apparently have time to waste, I googled “granite tile fabricator ohio” and came up with a place in Bedford Heights called Stoneworks that’s touting its new concrete division. Worth a shot!
On May 12, 2008 at 11:51 am Becky said...
Is Bob confusing your birthday and Mother’s Day again? At least he remembered it was an important day!
Take care of that knee. Think of it this way- what’s cheaper? Hiring someone to come in and haul stuff, or paying to have the knee fixed once it’s really messed up?
On May 12, 2008 at 12:58 pm WapakGram said...
“Basically my life is shifting, wheezing, painkillers, e-mail, and writing books.”
There has to be some dog loving in there somewhere?!! Are they more help with the shifting or the painkiller/resting part? They have to be confused by now.
Glad you found the iPhone. It is too great of a toy to stay lost.
Go with what you really want for the kitchen. You will NEVER EVER do it again. Unless you go insane first.
I don’t know about knees but kitchen remodels- oh I know way too much…sigh…
On May 12, 2008 at 4:48 pm Patrice said...
Shift happens.
But some knee pain can be avoided!!!
Maybe we should all wish Bob a happy birthday on June 15th?
On May 12, 2008 at 5:35 pm Jenny said...
Cathy, thank you for the heads up on the Aleve. I’m takign Tylenol now. And seeing the doc on Wednesday.
The dogs are perking right along. They’re used to the ripped up house now–until there’s more ripping or the new doors go in, and it’s summer so they’re all over the back yard which now looks like a meadow because nobody’s mowed it. I’m thinking of having the whole damn thing paved, except for Joni Mitchell guilt.
Mollie’s figuring out why Wordpress won’t let me post photos here (since I can on D&G) so with any luck, we’ll get that soon.
On May 12, 2008 at 7:12 pm talpianna said...
Jenny–seen this headline?
Mayer, Bikini-Clad Aniston in Pool Romp
On May 12, 2008 at 10:09 pm Jenny said...
I’m not at all surprised.
On May 12, 2008 at 11:52 pm robenagrant said...
Uh oh. YOU are in deep serious trouble.
On May 13, 2008 at 8:21 am Jill said...
Cleveland Clinic. arthroscopy.
http://cms.clevelandclinic.org/ortho/body.cfm?id=31
On May 13, 2008 at 12:26 pm Slave Driver said...
Short dogs romping in a meadow…hmm… I imagine they look like dolphins, breaking through the surf.
Hey, it’s Tuesday! I need to find my passport and visit Bobistan!
Oh, wait, I don’t have one. Maybe I can sneak across the border…There’s only 1 dog in Bobistan, right? Maybe I can toss Hannah a frisbee, distract her. A meat filled frisbee.
Slave Driver hopes Hannah has’nt been through the SF training at Fort Bragg…
On May 13, 2008 at 12:55 pm Absolute Cherry said...
I’ve had osteoarthritis in both knees since I was in my 20’s, and Gayle is right: Bio-Freeze is truly amazing. But you should try to remember to get it from your doctor tomorrow since it’s not sold in stores, except hospital pharmacies. Gentle but regular stretching exercises will also be very helpful, and don’t go up and down the stairs any more often than absolutely necessary, and find some large hulking person to move your furniture for you. For all of your medical needs, just ask Dr. Cherry.
On May 13, 2008 at 1:58 pm Bob said...
I had good intentions. My iCal told me it was her birthday. I believed it. I still believe it. I think she’s fibbing. My iPhone agreed with my iCal. So. Psshww.
On May 13, 2008 at 2:00 pm Bob said...
Wait. I missed that romp.
On May 13, 2008 at 2:10 pm Becky said...
You should be able to find Biofreeze outside of the hospital. When I was a massage therapist, the school where I trained sold it. I think I’ve seen it for sale at Whole Foods, and I just spotted it for sale on Amazon.
On May 13, 2008 at 2:57 pm Slave Driver said...
I have to agree with Bob on this one. iPhone said birthday, birthday it is. After all, we all know technology is infallible. It’s not like that stuff is programmed by people, or anything…
So, Bob, what’s Jenny getting for her iBirthday, anyway? Countertops, maybe?
On May 13, 2008 at 4:39 pm Jenny said...
I’m getting a visit from Bob at the end of the month. Who could ask for more?
I hope he likes constructions sites.
On May 14, 2008 at 2:31 pm Lisa said...
Ooh, the glass countertop sounds gorgeous. And here I went with plain old granite. Thrilled with my remodel though, worth feeling like a refugee for a couple of months. I’ve seen the recycled glass (in a sort of sea green) in wall tile in a kitchen and it is gorgeous. I hope it’s all you hope for!
On May 14, 2008 at 9:51 pm Jenny said...
Well, so far, only Californians can get it, so I may have to go without.
And yes I went to the doctor today. And if I stay off it and ice it and take advil, I should be fine. Except I’m in the middle of a freaking remodel here . . .
But it hurts so I’m going to be good.
Mollie’s still trying to fix the blog so I can upload pictures again. And I’ll blog again when my knee stops screaming.
She said, pathetically.
On May 14, 2008 at 10:22 pm JulieB said...
Don’t you mean “She Hissed?”
But seriously, I’m sorry about your knee. I hope you get some relief soon.
I Googled the Vetrazzo site and saw they have dealers all over — did you mean that they don’t sell that specific counter outside of CA, or are they not selling any at this time?
I’m really rooting for you to get that counter and post pictures. I love glass. If I could figure out how to fuse you one myself, I’d send it as a belated birthday gift, from me and Bob of course.
On May 14, 2008 at 11:05 pm JulieB said...
Oh, strike the “all over” part. I don’t know what else I was looking at, but it seems the Midwest choices are either Nashville or Minneapolis/St. Paul.
On May 14, 2008 at 11:48 pm Marilyn K said...
Recycled class counter tops. Don’t know anything about it but if you can’t get it, what about glass tile for a back splash.
Hope the knee gets better. Like yesterday.
On May 15, 2008 at 12:16 am robena grant said...
So here’s the plan, I get the glass counter tops because I’m in California, Bob drives the Jeep down here, picks them up, drives them to Ohio (he’s going there anyway so geez, it’s just a small side-trip) and then you’ll be deliriously happy and your knee will heal because of the sheer pleasure sensations that glass counter tops can give a woman and Bob will be happy because he couldn’t think of what to get you for your birthday and–
On May 15, 2008 at 3:36 am Strop said...
You’ll be fine. Write something. And then go out in the garden and take pics of what’s growing.
On May 15, 2008 at 10:06 am Slave Driver said...
Robena, it’s Jenny’s iBirthday. An iBirthday is to a Birthday what Sweetests Day is to Valentines day, or Pringles are to Potato Chips…
And I have a Jeep Wrangler, no way will a countertop fit in it. I know, I brought a pool home in mine once, and boy that was an event I’d only seen at Cirque De Soile.
There must be a better solution…
On May 15, 2008 at 10:09 am Slave Driver said...
“I hope he likes constructions sites.”
Well, he likes war zones, right? Same thing. Kind of.
On May 15, 2008 at 3:40 pm lilyblues said...
Totally off the topic of knees and construction stories, but fits very nicely within the topic of community:
I ran across a new word in a newspaper column this week,
ubuntu, an African word meaning “you can’t be human alone.”
The translation reminded me of why I keep returning (or re-lurking, I should say) to the books and blogs that you and Bob have created. I enjoy the humor and the intellectual/social commentary, but I’ve discovered that in other books and webgroups and gradually drifted away.
And you both entertain me (I’m one of the Cherry bombs who would ready your grocery list if you provided it.)
But what keeps bringing me back, to reread your books, and to visit various blogs, is that tangible sense of community.
On May 15, 2008 at 4:26 pm hope said...
Hello and you don’t know me from Adam, but that countertop you wanted sounds like the one a friend has. It stains. If you are a tidy person, as you may well be, it’s no problem. But if you’ve been known to leave a tomato on the counter to ripen(for too long), it can be a drag to pay all that money for a formerly lovely, now slightly splotchy look. Of course, if you’re like me . . oh, is that a stain? No problem. It is pretty. My friend put in a white tile backsplash with little glass tiles for trim.
On May 15, 2008 at 10:24 pm Egads said...
I ran across a new word in a newspaper column this week,ubuntu, an African word meaning “you can’t be human alone.”
lilyblues, I love that. Thank you for posting it.
On May 16, 2008 at 9:06 am Jenny said...
Ubuntu. Love that.
On May 16, 2008 at 12:06 pm Susan/DC said...
While we were remodeling our kitchen there was an article in the home section of our paper about a house that had, among other things, a kitchen floor with glass block insets with neon lights under them. The overgrown 8 year old in me who loves glittery things lusted after that floor — or did until I read that it cost $40,000. Gold-plated cabinets are nothing compared to a floor that cost more than all the cars I’ve purchased in my lifetime combined (and I’m a baby boomer, so there have been many cars). Not to mention imagining the conversation with my youngest about why we couldn’t afford to send him to college but his inheritance included a great floor.
On May 16, 2008 at 11:39 pm robena grant said...
Ubuntu. No man is an island. I like that.
On May 17, 2008 at 12:17 pm Absolute Cherry said...
Jenny, much sympathy on the screaming knee, is it getting any better, and are you managing to stay off of it? Becky, thanks for the tip about finding Bio-Freeze on Amazon, I’ll try that, since I’m running low. Not that it will help me at the moment… a few hours after I posted, I wiped out at work and fractured my kneecap. The gods laugh. And I need a poor baby – life on crutches in a second story walkup apartment is pretty much wiping out a lifetime’s worth of accumulated bad karma!
On May 17, 2008 at 7:32 pm talpianna said...
Absolute Cherry: Take two of these every four hours.
http://orecatay.com/images/photos/balinesebasket.jpg
On May 17, 2008 at 10:16 pm JulieB said...
UHG! Ab Cherry: Poor Baby!!
On May 17, 2008 at 10:43 pm Jenny said...
Oh, poor baby.
My knee is now kinda okay. There are times when I go to move it and I know it’s going to pop and that’s not pleasant, but basically, I just have to rest and not lift heavy things or climb stairs. Ha.
I have perfected the way to move a lot of yard though: put it in contractor garbage bags, drag it to the stairway, and throw it down. This does not work with cans of paint or china, however. Still, that’s a lot of yarn I didn’t have to carry.
Still no pictures. I’m annoyed with Wordpress. The thing is, I have enough of them that I could do a picture blog since all I have to say is, “Knee is better, still remodeling, still writing, still . . .” But no, Wordpress has to fail me totally.
Although not as bad as Absolute Cherry’s knee failed her. Really, poor baby.
On May 18, 2008 at 3:59 am Yvonne Lindsay said...
Ah, Wordpress. Yep, gotta love “improvements.”
AC, hope your knee is better soon!
On May 18, 2008 at 6:48 pm Chelle said...
Oh,Absolute Cherry, Poor poor baby!!
{{{{{{BIG BIG Hugs}}}}}}}
I’m recovering from a Baker’s Cyst and an unhappy IT Band, but that’s nothin’ compared to a fractured knee cap.
Try to stay off it and ASK FOR HELP!!
(I know, pot calling the kettle. But still.)
Hope you feel better soon.
Poor poor baby!
On May 19, 2008 at 3:52 pm Carolyn B. said...
I get the biggest kick from your creative storylines and the general tone of your writing — either in your books or on this blog. That’s why I wanted to let you know that I linked to your blog recently from my amateur fiction-writing blog.
I wrote a fairytale meme (explained here: http://snurl.com/29mi7) and included your blog’s name in what I wrote for that meme, posted here: http://snurl.com/29mie. Just for fun — enjoy!
Best regards! – Carolyn Bahm
On May 20, 2008 at 11:33 pm roben said...
Awww! Absolute Cherry, hope it isn’t too painful and you’re doing okay on the crutches now. How is your knee doing, Jenny?
I decided to quit playing Doctor. My knee is getting worse, I’m having an MRI on Thursday. I’m betting it’s a torn tendon or ligament, keeping fingers crossed it will not require surgery.
On May 24, 2008 at 6:01 pm Barbara Martin said...
Five black shoes with no mates? What did Milton do with the other ones? Does he hid them in his favourite places? My old mini poodle used to cart whatever it was that caught her fancy into the back of the bedroom closet to curl up and sleep with: socks, shoes, pants, sweaters, jackets, you name it, she snuck it there. Sometimes they ended up with chew spots if I didn’t rescue the item in time.
On May 26, 2008 at 12:43 am WapakGram said...
Now we’re getting worried. No blogging.
Knee problems?
Attacked by crazed contractors?
Bob in town?
Killed the people at Wordpress and need bail?
Lost in house under books too heavy to move?
No shoes to wear, can’t blog?
Writing? (we hope!)
Bueller? Anyone?
On May 26, 2008 at 2:51 pm Diane (TT) said...
Over at D&G Jenny said she was just swamped. And, occasionally, enjoying the sunshine.
So – still alive and free of restraints except those self-imposed ones. But she said there’d be posts someday…
On May 26, 2008 at 8:58 pm talpianna said...
As for Bob, this headline just in: Aniston May Have Kept Mayer a Secret