shirley - behind the lens: P365+1 Week 15

A creature of habit who loves all things routine, planned and executed as such, I really don't like change. The slightest altercation from the normal routine schedule can throw me into a funk for days. I feel as if this whole year has been a big change from what I originally planned and I had to deal with more changes this week....

Saturday: Morning Swim

A positive change - I started swimming laps and I've come upon the first strenuous physical activity where my knee doesn't hold me back. I don't have to worry about tweaking or hurting it and that is a welcome feeling.

Sunday: He is Risen

This is a shot from our church, taken two weeks ago, but when I saw the clouds and sun that Sunday morning, I knew it would be perfect for Resurrection Sunday.

For our formal Easter dinner, we enjoyed Prime Rib, Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Salads, Rolls and Limoncello Cake.
The Salt Rub for the Prime Rib:

To prepare the Prime Rib:
I seared the roast in a hot pan coated with olive oil, probably 2 minutes per side. Then placed into a roasting pan, fat side up. Sprinkle the salt rub on the fat. Roast for 20 minutes in a 500degF oven, then turn down to 325 degF. Roast for another hour - 90 minutes, depending upon the size of the roast (20-30 minutes/pound). We had a 3 pound roast, and I cooked it for ~ 70 minutes at the 325. The internal temperature when read with a quick read thermometer was around 150-160, which is a little on the well done side (very little pink, but still really juicy - we don't like bloody meat). After roasting, remove from oven and let it rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.

Monday: Remains of the Day

Another beautiful sunset at West Wind. We are visiting Caesar since we won't be able to get back to the stable until Saturday.

Tuesday: New Growth

What happened today? Change one - a weird-ish PT session with different therapist, the guy who runs the PT department. He explained that my insurance wanted an assessment and my normal therapist didn't have the proper qualifications. As part of this assessment, I had my quads measured (yeah, every woman's nightmare - to know how big your thighs are). But seeing progress on my knee flexion - I can comfortably bend to 120 degrees - two weeks ago, that was really uncomfortable. After that, I had a violin lesson and originally planned to go out to dinner with my girl friends then a change two - dinner cancellation - oh well, we'll reschedule.

Wednesday: The Promise of a New Day

I'll admit the day started out nice but soured by the afternoon. I received word that, due to my insurance, I would no longer be working with my original therapist on my ACL Rehab. It turns out that Rick is not a certified PT - he has a bunch of other certifications, just not the PT certification. This pissed me off on several levels - one, he's probably the most experienced therapist there; two, he was strongly recommended by my doctor's office; three, he's the main ACL rehab guy there; four, I've been working with him for the last eight weeks and making good progress. Then there's that "I don't like change thing". I spent an hour on the phone with my insurance company, and realized I had no recourse, so I had to reschedule the next four weeks of appointments. The final kicker was an insurance notice I received in the mail after dealing with all of this - a denial of a sizable charge from my ACL surgery. Yep, not feeling any love for the insurance company...

Thursday: It gets better and I celebrated with a martini....

I cleared up the insurance denial regarding the charges associated with my ACL surgery and then was invited out for a last minute business dinner, where I enjoyed a green tea martini (or two!).

Friday: "Weird" PT Session number two.

The analogous scenario - you go to a beauty salon and have a particular stylist. Then you change stylists, but your original stylist still works at the salon. You go for your haircut appointment and you're with your new stylist and your old stylist is there too, and they all know that you used to get your hair cut with the old stylist. It feels uncomfortable, right? That's what it felt like to me during today's session, but maybe I'm being over sensitive. Oh well, I guess that feeling will eventually pass - I'll just focus on getting my knee back to full function.

Here's hoping I don't receive anymore unexpected news next week....