January 2008 archives

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January 27, 2008 by Cyrus Patell

Stick Bug Envy

My older son has three stick insects (order Phasmatodea) living in a vivarium. He calls them “stick bugs.” They were given to him by his science teacher last fall. We figured they were going to part of some school science project, but so far there’s been no curricular connection. Meanwhile, the phasmids have grown. When we got [...]

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January 24, 2008 by Cyrus Patell

Imperial Follow-Up

A representative from Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield called today. Apparently, they need to be convinced that the use of the EBIce Cold Therapy Unit is not an “experimental” treatment.

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January 23, 2008 by Cyrus Patell

Empire Boo-Hoo

Finally, a glitch, though mercifully it’s bureaucratic and not medical. When we first scheduled the surgery, I’d been worried about bureaucratic problems, because the surgery was scheduled for early January, and we had switched our coverage from Oxford Health Plans to Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, effective January 1. I was certain that the necessary [...]

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January 21, 2008 by Cyrus Patell

Russian Stim and Leg Lifts

I had my first physical therapy session today. It lasted about an hour and featured “Russian stim,” electrotherapy with an icepack, and lots of leg lifts.

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January 20, 2008 by Cyrus Patell

Casino Caucus

This morning’s New York Times noted the oddness of conducting a political vote in a casino, which occurred during yesterday’s Nevada caucuses. A lawsuit filed by the state’s teachers union had challenged the legality of holding caucuses in casinos. One caucus participant told the Times: “I don’t want to say it’s embarrassing, because I’m here, but [...]

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January 19, 2008 by Cyrus Patell

Indiana Jones en de tempel der vervloeking

Sarah Silverman is right: the first half-hour of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) doesn’t suck. After reading the article in Wired magazine that I discuss below, I decided to watch the beginning of the film again. The first half-hour is a frothy, kinetic homage to Busby Berkeley, 1930s comedy, and Republic Pictures serials. It [...]

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January 18, 2008 by Cyrus Patell

First Post-Op Visit

I have a new knee brace. The old one (shown below at left) was put on in the operating room. It had stiff pieces of metal running along the sides and bottom, and it wasn’t very comfortable. The new one is much more comfortable — and much bigger. Manufactured by Donjoy, the brace runs from [...]

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January 18, 2008 by Cyrus Patell

Frankenstein’s Knee

If you have a taste for gruesome pictures, click the continuation of this entry. You’ll get two pictures: one of my right knee, unveiled for the first time after surgery, with the osteotomy incision prominently shown and staples still in place. The other picture is a close-up of the staples. The pictures are somewhat gruesome: [...]
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