Marching on

There’s snow on the cedars again.  After talking with Jay until about 7, I went out to shovel the sidewalks.  It was a beautiful morning.  I was tempted to go skiing, but the pull of routine kept me at home.  Mondays have become my time for housework and rearranging the clutter on my desk.  Also, I meet my iPhone teacher in the library this afternoon, and after a full week, I hadn’t done my homework.  Now I have, but it wasn’t easy.  I had to get a new email address through Shaw so that I will be able to use ‘Shaw Open’ in the local coffee shops.  Then I had to download the TD bank app in order to access my Easy Web account on the iPhone when I travel.  That was easier said than done because Jim had opened the original account, so, when it came to answering the question: “What’s your favorite charity?”, in order to enter the system, I couldn’t.  I’m not sure how Jim would have answered that question, but I am pretty convinced that by the time I had run through a few guesses, I would have been banned from TD Easy Web as a hacker.  Or at least I hope I would have been.  I’m leery enough about on line banking as it is.  Finally, I had to resort to my default solution for all such hitches.  I phoned TD bank’s 1-800 number and was guided through the maze by a patient young man.  My last task was to send my teacher an email with some crazy ‘emoticons’ in it.  I did that, and she replied by giving me an A+.  Now I’m done.  I’m tempted to agree with Thoreau’s comment on technology, that it’s, “improved means to an unimproved end,” but I can’t let myself because that way lies isolation.  The more I message and work with one thumb on my iPhone, I still haven’t mastered the 2 thumb technique, the more I accept the cryptic forms of communicating that I used to scorn.  At least they keep you in touch with those you like or love.  I am ‘Jan the thumb’ using ‘Jay the thumb’s’ iPhone, and I can save my wordiness for this blog and the few friends I have left who still email in complete sentences and paragraphs.

On Tuesday last week I was called by the Vernon Hospital to say that a date in March had been set for my operation.  I was pretty sure she meant the shoulder surgery, but as she didn’t specify, and as I have been waiting since May, 2011 for that and was also waiting to find out the results of my recent heart tests, some imp inside me made me say,

“Are you talking about my shoulder or heart?”  She hesitated a second and replied that it was for the shoulder.  For some twisted reason I told her that I was awaiting word about my heart and would like to postpone accepting the date until I knew about that.  She was very accommodating and agreed.  On Thursday, I heard that the test results showed that  my heart is fine (YAHOO).  I have slight blockage of the arteries apparently.  The internist called it a mild case of angina.  He knew that I would prefer to try handling it with exercise and diet if possible, so that’s what I’ll do for a few months to see what happens.  I’m also having some lung tests now since my main problem is shortness of breath.  I phoned the hospital to decline the shoulder surgery since I have complete movement of the arm and no pain and was told by a doctor whose advice I accepted that nothing would be gained by an operation. I already know how long it takes to recover from rotator cuff surgery; it’s not worth it if you know in advance there will be little or no improvement.  Now someone whose need is greater than mine will be taking my place.

The last ski of February.  It looks today as if there will be quite a bit of skiing in March too.