Derek went in for his second epidural this afternoon. The doctor used a little more local anaesthetic, and Derek said it was much less painful.
There was not much (if any) improvement in his back pain after the first shot two weeks ago, but the Doctor said this shot was a different steroid that works in conjunction with the first shot. He said it would take about 10 days to feel an improvement, but he sounded optimistic that it would definitely help.
Not me — Derek.
He’s been complaining about lower back pain for a while now, and finally it got bad enough that he went to see the doctor. An MRI shows that he has a prolapsed disc in his lower back.
You can see the prolapsed disk below the center of the picture, where the spinal cord is obscured.
He has an appointment next Monday for an epidural, a mixture of anaesthetic and steroids that sometimes help this kind of problem. If that doesn’t help, we’ll have to take it from there. Maybe he should get a rolling backpack to take his books to school. They’re not cool, but might be worthwhile…
Richard, it seems more reasonable to have back problems at 60, but he seems awfully young at 19. Hopefully his age will mean a quick recovery.
Derek starts at ASU tomorrow (Monday). I think his declared major is Pre-Med.
A few weeks ago I tried to take Apollo for a run on my bicycle. I had one hand holding the leash, and the other on the handlebars.
Everything went fine until he saw a cat (or dog, or bird — I never knew what it was for sure). He took off running, pulling me off flat onto the pavement. I held on, but paid for it with a skinned knee, elbow, shoulder and hands. It could have been worse, as my helmet bonked hard against the pavement, but the helmet absorbed the shock and my head wasn’t hurt at all.
That ended the bike-with-leash-in-hand experiment.
So I did some research on the web, and discovered “The Springer“. It’s an attachment that bolts on to the bicycle frame just below the seat. The dog is harnessed to this through a strong spring.
The attachment below the center of mass of the bike-and-rider, and the spring to absorb shocks, gives the rider complete control. I was quite surprised, but even if Apollo sees a dog or cat and lunges towards it, it’s just a gentle pull on the bike that I can easily control. The assembly just next to the pedal means that he can’t bump into my foot. He learned quickly to cooperate with me, and loves to go for a run.
Watch the Springer promotional video. The first part is exactly what happened to me when I was trying to hold the leash in my hand. The next part, where the German Shepard is lunging away from the calmly riding bike rider is accurate too.
Our electric bill for July was $417.10. This is the first time we’ve been over $400 for one month.
It’s been a hot, humid month, fuel rates are up, and somebody keeps turning the thermostat down…
Devon found an apartment in Pasadena, so Gisele and I (and Derek? He hasn’t decided yet!) are leaving for California this (Friday) morning to take a load of his stuff over and help him move in over the weekend.
We hope to be back on Monday.
I heard back from the court today, and as I expected they do not want me for the case. The case is described in the Tempe Tribune.
The defendant is charged with murder and the prosecution is seeking the death penalty. In Arizona (and I think every state after a recent Supreme Court ruling), the jury has to decide the penalty, not just guilt. A death penalty has to be a unanimous jury decision. I stated on the questionnaire that I do not support the death penalty and would not vote for it, so obviously the prosecution would reject me.
I can understand feeling so badly about a crime that you want the perpetrator to die, and if this guy is guilty he is a real scumbag. However, data shows that the death penalty is not a deterrent, and the only other reason would be revenge. To me, that results in the state itself committing murder.
Data shows that a large percentage of the people in the US feel the same way I do. When asked if they would support the death penalty when there was an alternative such as life without parole plus restitution, more people chose that alternative than the death penalty. That’s probably one reason why they had a pool of 80 people to select 12 jurors and 4 alternates.
So I still have never got to serve on a jury! Maybe next time…
Gisele is back from France! I picked her up from the airport last night. I don’t expect to see her much the next few days, as she will be sleeping while I am up, and up while I am sleeping.
Devon started his new job this week. He worked Monday and Tuesday, and now has two days off. He’s just learning about the company and their technology right now. He’s staying in a hotel until he finds an apartment. A friend has an apartment nearby, and they may have an empty unit to rent. He hopes he can get in there.
Devon left today about noon for his new job in California. This is his first trip to California alone — always before somebody was with him (usually either I or Keri). I just talked with him by cell phone and he is just over the border into California.
His new job with SECo starts tomorrow (Monday). The company is providing him with a long-term hotel room for two weeks until he can find an apartment. (We’re assuming the hotel room is a kitchenette.) Once he figures out his schedule moving into an apartment, we will know if he can come home for the graduation party on the 7th. But if he has to move in that weekend he won’t be able to come.
I’ve been summoned to jury duty tomorrow, Wednesday. I called in this evening, and was told that I should appear.
This will be the first time I have appeared for jury duty. I have been summoned 2 or 3 times before, but in the phone call the night before was always told that I wasn’t required.
It’s with the Arizona Superior Court, so it could be interesting. I’m looking forward to it, which some of my friends think is strange. I guess a lot of people work hard to get out of jury duty, but I’ve always wanted to serve.
I’ll report back once I am free to discuss it.
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