Rant #3,251: Welcome To My Nightmare

Well, I done did it again.

On Friday afternoon, I just finished some things with my computer, and I got up to put something away in the closet.

I opened the closet, opened a drawer in a unit that we have in the closet, and the contents of that drawer fell on me with such force that I fell over and was pushed to my bed--

But I knew that I had damaged my left knee again, because I couldn't move my left leg without intense pain.

No one was home--my wife had gone to.pick up my son at work--and I called her to tell her about what had happened, and she got him out of work a little esrly and rushed home.

I called my doctor, who told me to get over to his office ASAP, and when my wife and son got home, we rushed over there.

I knew the diagnosis right away: I had torn my quad once again, and after looking at xrays, the doctor concurred about what I said and he pretty much laid it on the line.

My knee can be fixed, but it might be more extensive surgery, and he could make no further guarantees.

I later scheduled an MRI for Wednesday morning, so we won't know much of anything before that.

There is really nothing more to say about this situation, other than to say I am upset, frustrated, and flummoxed about my incredibly bad fortune.

I will never give up on myself--it is simply not my nature--but I honestly don't know why these things are happening to me, and why "The Nightmare of 2023" continues without end.

If anyone has any explanations, I am willing to listen--

But is somebody sticking a voodoo doll of myself with pins?

I am willing to believe anything at this point.

I will be back on Thursday with the latest chapter of this saga. 

Stay tuned.

Rant #3,250: Hanukkah Rocks

Well, it is finally here!

The first night of Hanukkah came last night at 4:28 p.m. Eastern Standsrd Time, and I look at that as an omen.

I was born on April 28, which is 4/28, so while it might be only a coincidence, I am looking for good things from.here on in, and the light coming from the menorah might be a good sign, or beacon, for the future.

(And yes, our menorah is burning brightly in our newxresudence's kitchen window.)

Maybe things ARE  actually looking up for myself and my family.

At my physical therapy session yesterday. I learned that I am already way more advanced in turning around my condition than I had any reason to hope for.

As part of each session, the therapists measure how much I can bend my.left knee.

I am up to.a measurement of 72, and at this point, I should only be at 60. Within a few weeks, I should be at 90, so I am way ahead of the curve.

Going to PT three times a week, I was also told my positive attitude about all.of this is helping me win this battle, and I know I will succeed in kicking this within time.

The light of the menorah will guide me through the darkness I have been through.

I believe thst everything is going to be good in 2024, because ... well ... I do believe myself and my family hit rock bottom through 2023, so it won't take too.much to make 2024 better.

And each night, as we light another candle on the menorah, that positive path simply gets brighter.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday, and as we move right into Christmas and the New Year, I hope that 2023 ends on a positive note for everyone.

Have a great weekend, and I will speak to you again on Monday.

Rant #3,249: Light Sings

The time is nearly here.

Tonight at sunset, Hanukkah will begin, and this eight-day celebration has so much meaning, in particular, in 2023, both personally and worldwide.

Personally, Hanukkah not only represents that 2023 is coming to an end, but that there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel.

2023 was the most horrid year for myself and my family. This year featured more personal tragedies and more turmoil than any yesr I can ever recall.

I lost my mom this past year, and then what followed followed ... having to sell the house, having to move from the house, and my injury.

That isn't even accounting for so many other things that happened prior to my mother's passing--like my wife's head injury--and so many other things that I have never told you about.

Now, my family and I are in our new apartment, and when we put up our menorah and light the first lights of the holiday, it will signify rejuvenation and a bounce back from a terrible year in 2023 to hopefully a better year in 2024.

And yes, the unrest in the Middle East--and the rise of anti-Semitism here and sround the world--certainly concerns me.

Our menorah will shine brightly in our kitchen window, and I do believe thst any Jew celebrating the holiday who doesn't put up his or her menorah for all to see is playing right into the terrorists' hands.

Our menorah will be up and burn brightly throughout the holiday, and quite frankly, if anyone has anything to say about it, let them say it directly to my family and I.

Some non-Jews are even showing solidarity with their Jewish brethren by putting up photos of a menorah as part of their Christmas displays.

We, as the Jewish population, and we, as a civilization, cannot bow down to those who threaten the very fabric of our being.

Light up that menorah, have fun during Hanukkah, and never forget, and never deny, who you are.

Have a great holiday.

Light sings ... forever.

Rant #3,248: Another Rainy Day In New York City

Not really, but it might as well have been raining yesterday.

More about that later.

As for me ...

I am doing pretty well, considering what I have been through.

I went for physical therapy yesterday, and they ere quite pleased as to what I could do versus what I can't do.

I will be going three days a week for this series of PT, and hopefully then, after a couple of weeks, I can move on to another level, and then to another.

I know I have a long way to go, but today is the first day of all of this, and while I was quite tired after thos first round, I now have a game plan to success.

And now to other business ...

As I watch New York State Governor Kathy "The Yokel" Hochul gleefully hold a pep rally for congestion pricing--when was the last time this woman ever got into a car and drove it--it simply dawned on me that after many years of being on life support, New York City is officially dead.

It has been on life support for decades, but I do believe it has hit rock bottom as we end 2023 and churn into 2024.

The "Right To Shelter" problem has allowed New York City to become the nation's cesspool for every supposed asylum seeker who wants to come here.

And these illegal aliens have actually been empowered by certain groups to make demands as if they are citizens and actually belong here.

ThIs, in turn, has put the final dagger into, among other things, the New York City school system, which is now forced to teach thousands of students who cannot speak a word of English.

And this once great school system cannot control.its students, who take over schools and commit anti-social acts, including those professing allegiance with terrorist causes, without punishment.

And then you have congestion pricing, which will keep thousands of visitors from Long Island, Wesrltchester, New Jersey and elsewhere from coming into Manhattan, and for those that do, it will cost them a ridiculous amount to come into the Big Apple.

There is no grace on those who absolutely need to drive in, like truckers and cab drivers, and you just know that their prices will go up exponentially, and these extra costs will be passed down to the general public, which will put many local businesses out of business.

This once great city has finally died, and as someone who grew up in Queens, I do mourn its passing ... and applaud my parents, who got us out of there more than 50 years ago when the city was only on life support.

I feel terrible for the good people who live in New York City, who have had to weather horrid leadership for st least since the 1960s, and it has taken all of this time to finally break this once great city into pieces.

So sorry that it had to come to this.

i feel better, New York City is dead, and 2023 is just about over.

Good riddance.

Rant #3,247: i Believe

Today is the day.

I begin my rehab today with my first of many days of physical therapy.

Four to six weeks right away, who knows what follows, and I am greatly anticipating getting this started.

And that is for a variety of reasons.

First, I want to get better. I want to get back to where I was before my accident happened.

That is the most important reason, dwarfing whatever other reasons I will talk about here.

But another reason I am glad that physical therapy begins tomorrow is clearly a mental thing.

I am bored ... bored beyond my wildest dreams ... or nightmares.

I am stuck on my bed watching television for a majority of the day.

It is broken up by work, and in the evening, I go.into our living room and eat dinner, then later, I watch TV with my son, but out of a 168 hour week, I am sitting in the bed with my left leg in a heavy brace and on a pillow for like 160 hours.

I read the newspaper, pretty much stringing that exercise out for almost an entire morning, only reading the paper during commercials.

But there is only so much TV one can watch, and I have pretty much reached my limit.

I have always been a person who does what he wants to do when he wants it, but my life was turned upside down by this terrible injury, and my entire mindset has had to change.

I know I have to ne patient, but patience has its limits.

I know I have a long way to go to get back to where I should be, but looking at the months it will take, it is making me crazy.

But I also know that the process will only work if I fully buy into.it, and I have done just that.

I pretty much don't have much of a choice.

It is all very frustrating, but today is the day thst i might get a better read on all of this.

I can't cross my legs, so let's keep our fingers crossed.

I need all the luck I can get.

Rant #3,246: I'm On the Right Road Now

Friday was a big day in my path to rehabilitation.

I finally was seen by my dictor/surgeon for the first time after.this major quad surgery i had, and the doctor gave me a green light to go right into.physical therapy.

But it took.him a few minutes to get to thst point.

His first response to viewing my leg was, "Why is it bent,?" basically meaning thst with the brace in place, my leg should have been as straight as an arrow.

But I demonstrated to him that I could make my leg as straight as could be, it was just the way I was sitting that made it appear thst the leg was bent.

To further convince him that I was OK, he asked me to raise my leg up straight to the sky from a lying down position, which I did quite easily, even moving it back and forth a couple of times.

He was convinced!

The doctor removed a few sutures--which didn't hurt in the lesst--and he then gave me the material to set up an appointment st the physical therapist, in addition to setting up another appointment with him for late December.

So on Tuesday, I will begin my.physical therapy ... and I can't wait!

I also took my first shower since the accident on Sunday morning.

My wife helped me, and I have to say I was quite a bit nervous ... compounded by the fact that I had a nightmare on Saturday evening about me falling while walking with my crutches.

But I persevered, and I feel so good about it!

I know I have to be patient, but I am now one step closer to my goal of recovery.

I realize I have a long way to go, but at least I am on the right road now.

And with the help of my family, I feel confident that within time, I will be where I need to be.

And thanks for everyone for sticking with me.

This has been an extremely difficult time for my family and myself, but with your help and belief in us, we will get through all.of this.

Onward and upward!

Rant #3,245: Wonderful

Today is a big day for me, as I have an appointment to visit my doctor/surgeon for the first time after my surgery of more than three weeks ago.

I was supposed to go on Monday, but my wife had her mishap, so I could not go.

She is fine, thank God, and now it is time to see how I am doing ... and I think i am doing well.

I am bored with this situation, and even though I am trying to be patient, it is getting more difficult by the day to sit in the bed virtually all day and watch TV.

I do have my work, which does break up the day a bit ... I read the newspaper ... I go through the mail when my wife gives it to me ... and I write this blog, but it is getting monotonous, to say the least.

Heck, this leg brace that I have to wear 24 hours a day has almost become my anchor to the bed!

Today, I will at least get a better read on how I am doing and what the near future holds.

I am bored, watch more TV than I have watched since I was a little kid, and I guess it is better than not having the TV to pass some of the time.

I watch a lot of local and national news, and to digress a wee bit, let me tell you something that I have noticed on these news shows, in particular the local news shows.

Has anyone in the New York Metrpolitan Area noticed that at least on New York television news shows, when the 10-day weather forecast is shown, there is absolutely no mention of Hanukkah starting on the evening of Thursday, December 7?

No mention, no decorative add ons on the visuals for that day, no nothing.

Sure, we are still a week away from the start of the holiday, but I have noticed a complete lack of mention that Hanukkah is a week away--and that goes for ALL of the local stations, including News 12.

Why is that?

I know why, I just want to hear what others have to say.

And yes, my family's menorah will be proudly displayed in our front window for the length of the holiday.

Just let's say thst it is something that I have noticed, and I hope it dissipates and becomes a non-issue as we get closer to the holiday.

So as I sit here thinking about all of this, have a great weekend, and I will speak to you again on Monday ...

Hopefully with a good report on my condition, and the condition of New York TV, to tell you about.