Tuesday, November 30, 2010

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

While the carpet guys were here today installing the last of the carpet, Judy and I were decorating our Christmas Tree.  I forgot how long it takes to make a tree look pretty.  And it sure is that...

Had the home theater sound system playing Christmas music all day.  White Christmas must have played fifty times. 

We're busy preparing for the Coop Christmas Party on December 18th.  Quite a few of our Egghead friends and a few non-Eggheads will be dropping by throughout the day, mostly to say hi to our friends from Mexico, Beli, Loren and Valeria.  They are spending the night here and leaving the following day on a cruise out of Galveston.

It'll be fun seeing them again, along with all those stopping by.

By the way, if you didn't get a chance to see the video I made of the Plano Egghead Gathering a couple of weeks ago in Plano, Texas, take a look...  http://planooutlawgathering.blogspot.com/

Yes, we had a lot of fun.

More Remodeling

We finally got our new carpet installed, then the new wall unit for the Home Theater System, then the Home Theater System stuff itself.  Then today the carpet guys came back to install in the guest bedroom.

That should pretty much do it for flooring for now.  There is no more flooring to do.  Looks good. 

We will have to purge ourselves of some items.  Already sent the 50" Mitsubushi TV to New Orleans, along with our favorite coffee table and end table.  At least we can go to New Orleans to see if if we get lonely for it.

There's other stuff to get rid of too.  Nothing valuable but it works and is in good shape.  Judy thinks of it as 'thinning down' our possessions.  Probably a good idea.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Remodeling Continues

Two things really stand out when remodeling a home: it's expensive and it's not fun. Not to mention it makes a mess.

But as of today, we're progressing well. In fact, the installers will be here shortly to replace the carpet in our master bedroom and living room. We had to disassemble our bed because it is a bit complex. It has a Select Comfort (numbers bed) mattress system. Took us about an hour to totally disassemble it. The guys can move the head board the foot board.

Meanwhile, yesterday our tile guy finished installing the new tile in the foyer and wood flooring in the dining room. Then he textured the wall in the guest bath. He will finish up there today.

Then on Monday the new wall unit for the TV will arrive and be set up. It is almost the same size as the one we had before. We sold it on Craig's List to a nice couple who just happen to live nearby.

On Tuesday, Best Buy will deliver the new Sony TV and install it in the new wall unit. We upgraded our home theater equipment to the latest digital technology and paid for them to hook all that up too. By Tuesday night we should be able to watch TV for the first time in over a week.

Yes, Judy and I are tired, sore and sleepy but everything will soon be over. I'll show some photos then.

Monday, November 01, 2010

Bath Remodeling

The painters and tilers should be finishing up today on our master bath remodel.  It already looks better than it did before. 

The next step is to call the glass people to come measure the shower enclosure.  Then it will take a couple of weeks to build and install the enclosure.  Only then can we use it. 

Meanwhile, we are operating out of our guest bathroom.  It's a bit awkward, that's all.

Here's some before and after photos:





Starting tonight we will be doing a thorough cleaning of the entire house and most of the items in it.  Construction generates dust, lots of it.

Pain Block Injection

Shortly after my knee replacement surgery in June, I developed a strange but painful burning sensation on the top of my foot.  In as much as it was the same leg as the knee replacement my first thought was that the two were related.  Apparently not so, and it took a few months and a lot of tests to determine that it was a nerve issue, probably resulting from a slight bulge near L5 and S1.  I could just put up with it or they could try something.  Putting up with it was not an option so they scheduled me for pain block injections last Friday. 

Although these injections are sometimes performed in the examining room, my doctors prefer that it be done under surgery conditions: fasting, hospital gown, surgical center, anesthesia, and recovery room.  I was home later in the day but limited as to what I could do due to the anesthesia.  Definitely no driving.

The injection is to deliver an antiflammatory drug directly to the point where needed.  The doctor actually utilizes an X-ray to position the needle.

I was in hopes that the results would be immediate but so far that hasn't been the case.  They said it may take a few days and possibly additional injections, but they feel this treatment will solve the problem with minimal disruption.

Oddly, the burning sensation comes about within minutes after lying in my bed to sleep.  If I am not asleep when it starts I will have to get out of bed.  The burning goes away almost immediately and remains clear until I return to bed.  However, once asleep, I can awaken during the night and not experience the sensation. 

There never seems to be an end to the complexities of an aging body.