Azoturia

 

I am tying up a lot of loose ends today, with the hope/plan/belief that I will after today.... be back on track for a "normal" week next week.  

• All the letters of recommendation I needed to complete at the moment ARE finished. 
• 90% of the big rodent uses in the classrooms are finished (I have one more bout on Monday, but then will be completely done helping in that regard for quite a while).  
• I also have all of my LMSes (the gizmo-ey electronic classrooms that I use for storage) all set up so students can access things for next week, 
• And I have all the NEXT SET OF EXAMS written and sent to the secretary for printing and sorting.... even though NEXT WEEK is the timing where I have the FIRST EXAMS in most of my classes.  
• Additionally, I have stayed on top of the needed research work with my rodents, my flies, and my worms.

Yesterday's Retiree's Cigar Group.... was not all I had hoped for.  Surprisingly most of the fellows HAD stayed far later than usual.... which WAS wonderful.... but, for some reason I am still not sure about, there were a significant BUNCH of additional folks (that are not regulars) who were there too.  That is of course, ok too.  But, there were so many that they had out many folding chairs too to accommodate folks, as all the comfy chairs were all taken.  It was jam-packed at the place.  So, as is typical when the group size gets larger, I tend to get far quieter.  But also, one of the never before seen before fellows who showed up was a rather "extremely boisterous" fellow who did most if not all the "talking" and most of the talking he did was in the form of a continual stream of very overly bawdy jokes.  This fellow occupied so  much of the air space, that pretty much he was the only one talking 90+%  of the time.  Still, even though the jokes were not really of a type I prefer to listen to..... it was still nice being able to enjoy a cigar and to see (but not hear much from) my friends.  

"Azoturia" is an "old-timey" phrase that was, I believe mostly used in the 1800s to describe a condition of horses that causes stiffness and pain in the muscles of all four legs simultaneously but the pain is more noticable and focused in the hindquarters and back.  Way back in the day when I was an undergraduate contemplating attempting to pursue Veterinary Medicine as a possible career, I remember hearing an older gentlemen use this term.  This fellow was a person I was working with while volunteering at a horse stable to obtain some large animal experiences.  I had also seen/read this term somewhere before that in some cowboy-based Western novel I had read in junior high or high school.  Words tend to stick with me, and this is especially so for interesting sounding words, so I always remembered the word after seeing it in that novel.  When I heard the older gentleman say the word while at the stable, I surprised the heck out of him by defining the word.  He laughed and then said that most folks just say the horse is "tying up" instead of the old, formal word.  

In some ways, I have felt I have been "tying up" or having Azoturia during the last several weeks dealing with my own leg pain while running.  I have ran each day this week, however, so I am pleased that I am progressing back to a more normal state.  I still do not fully understand why this happened.  I do think that the damn plantar wart played a significant role in it, though.  As I mentioned several days ago, I developed a plantar wart well over a year ago dead center on the heel of my right foot.  What I did not tell you, was that:

• Unlike the one I had back in graduate school for a brief time, this one.... because of its location, was painful as hell and annoying because I would put pressure on it with every step.
• When it first developed, I dutifully went to a podiatrist, hoping he would freeze the damn thing and it would fall off.  BUT NO, he did not "believe" in that sort of thing, and instead decided to use some "mystical fluid" of his that he very genially and lightly dipped the end of a Q-Tip (cotton swab) into, and then ever so lightly touched the tip of the damn plantar wart with a miniscule amount of that fluid.  He then put a bandaid on my foot and sent me on my way with a follow-up appointment in what amounted to three weeks.  
• In my graduate school version of this many decades ago, the medical support at student services instructed me to use salicyclic acid on the thing.... and it fell out after a few weeks of daily application (it fell out while I was in Nova Scotia, but that is a different story for another time).
• I was skeptical of the treatment I received for my heal, but I tried to reason through in my mind that this fellow was a "medical professional" and knew what he was doing.
• But.... seriously.... not a damn thing changed.  In the subsequent appointment, he did the same damn thing with his little Q-Tip, and then at a third appointment he did the same damn thing again..... and NOTHING had changed.  I questioned him about this, and again asked if he would freeze it (common practice) and he said no, and then mentioned this could take "several months or more" to treat.  
• I grew extremely tired of his antics, which I now believe were simply to string me along so he could repeatedly charge my insurance for a visit.  I did not go back to him after the no progress third visit.  
• So, I decided to take measures into my own hands at this point.  
• BUT, in these many weeks, running was a bit "uncomfortable" but WALKING was actually rather painful almost every step because of the location of this damn wart.  
• So.... I believe that while I treated myself with salicyclic acid patches (in much the same way I did in graduate school) and eventually got rid of the damn plantar wart.... during the many weeks of it being painful..... I think I started to adopt a change in gait for my affected leg while running and while walking that had me walking more with pressure on the paddle of my foot (effectively decreasing the pressure on my heel) which then resulted in my shortening of various tendons of the foot and ankle region.... causing the development of the plantar fasciitis I have now been dealing with using the foot gizmo you saw in an earlier post.   

Overall, my legs are improving and I hope to be trotting, if not galloping soon as I hoof around the track.... in a manner like I had normally been before the plantar fasciitis flared up..... very soon.  The damn wart has been gone for ~3 months, but the after effects on how I subconsciously adjusted my gait to make walking less painful now are what I am battling to bring back to homeostasis.  

I DID run today, and I CAN say it is getting better.  I just want it to be like it was before.  

Yesterday, I also found a long missing pipe that I had lost track of as well.  I must not have worn the particular sport coat I wore yesterday in quite a lot of time, for inside the left hip pocket, I found a beautiful pipe I had been missing.  Now, it really isn't a particularly "special" pipe as it was a basket pipe I picked up long ago... but to my own eye, I thought it was/is rather beautiful.  the color of the briar is distinctly brown.... but there is some aspect of it that has a bit of an olive green cast to it which I always liked and felt was rather unique.  And, it is a full-bent billiard shape, which I always have liked.  It was always a very COMFORTABLE to grip between my chompers as I smoked it, but also the pipe was beautiful to my eye.  I was happy I found it again.  

PipeTobacco 

Just Old

Feeling blue this morning.  

Not motivated.  But, trying to do what I need to do to get through the workday.

February, to me, is the harshest month of the year.  

January has the residual remembrances of the holidays, and the start of a new semester.  

But, February has no hope of any warmth or Spring weather.... it is still too far down the road.  It is Winter at its most bleak.  

March is not really any better weather-wise.... but there is at least a start of HOPE that Spring MAY happen in early April and not late April..... and April will then only be several weeks away.

A friend who retired back in ~2007 from the Department.... a blustery fellow.... we received notice that he had passed away out West where he had moved to be closer to family.  He was only 77 years old.  But, diabetes ravaged him, especially in his later years.   No disease is good.... but damn, diabetes is so harsh.  He, like my SIL had amputations as a result. 

I fear for my wife.

We went to a "Wine & Cheese" discussion group at our Parrish last night.  As an academician, I think I always end up having too high of expectations for these sorts of things.  I am used to things to be presented or discussed to be focused, linear, and structured.  As is typical at these things at our Parrish, it very rapidly devolved into simple chatting of whatever popped into people's heads.  

I ate some grapes that were provided and had two glasses of wine.  

I rarely drink wine, and really know nothing about "it".  A few of the ladies at the counter were asking me all sorts of questions about what I like in wine, so they could steer me to a particular set of bottles.  Basically, I explained to them that I am a neophyte and a wine "rube".  To me, the choices are Red, White, and the chimera called "Rose'".  I then mentioned that I am not fond of white wine (to me, unflavorful..... and for the most part, rather "sour" if there is any flavor), nor am I fond of Rose' (to me, also unflavorful, and in my imagination I think of it as white wine where someone added a very small droplet of red food coloring).  I told them that when I have wine, I inevitably have red as it has (to me) a recognizable flavor that is pleasant. 

They then tried to help me further by asking if I preferred this or that type of red wine (words like Chardonnay, and other "varieties" were bantered about.... none of which I knew or understood.... only really remembering "Chardonnay" not because of what "type" of wine it is.... but because one of my nieces had named her cat "Chardonnay" and I thought it was a cute name).  

Do not get me wrong.... I do recognize the various terms of all of these varieties.... as being descriptors of some form of red wine.  But to me, they are truthfully meaningless as I do not know anything about any of them.  Red = red.    So, after they described the name for each bottle of red that was before me, I simply grabbed the first open one that looked like it had enough for me to pour a full glass, and then went back to my seat.  

When I later in the evening, eventually went back to acquire a second glass, I saw several bottles of red wine with only a 1/2 centimeter or so of wine in each.  I briefly considered seeing if I could flabbergast the the wine ladies by pouring the dregs of several different bottles of these varieties of red wine into my glass to fill it.  I chuckled as I imagined in my mind the look of shock this might have produced from them for such an "unrefined" maneuver.  But, instead, I just grabbed some other bottle that looked like it had enough for a full glass, and proceeded back to my seat.  I have no idea if it was the same red wine I had initially or a different one.  

But.... it did taste like red wine to me. :)

I hope I get to go to the Retiree's Cigar Group.  And, I hope it is jovial and helps pull me out of my mood.

PipeTobacco

Mini- Post

 

I apologize..... the week is turning out far busier than I had anticipated....with many more letters of recommendation due, a few unexpected "emergency" glitches arose that I am trying to fix within a science organization in which I am on the Executive Board, and two collaborations I am involved in with colleagues have needed an extra burst of attention as well.  

So, I have only "mini" posts for the next little while.  I will get back to my  more normal posts as soon as this tidal wave of "business" passes... and will get to my comments on comments too.... I promise. 

• Ran every day so far!  And, I feel pretty damn close to normal..... other than by the end of the teaching day, I do FEEL a slight tenderness in my one foot.... but that is after hoofing around a track in the early morning and stomping around lecturing for most of the day.  I consider this progress!
• I am trying my damndest to STILL be able to go to the Retiree's Cigar Group tomorrow too.  If I have to.... I may work deep into the wee early morning hours overnight tonight, to at least allow me to eek out the ~3 hours for the Retiree's Cigar Group (this includes travel time).  
• Another confound for this week is that in SEVERAL classes (mine, and ones I am also "coordinating" as well)..... this is a really big rodent week in teaching.  And as I am the "rodent guy" I am responsible for those needs as well.  This is a wholly different "add-in" and not at all associated with  my rodent research.
• Pipes and memories of their beauty and the various beautiful pipe tobaccos lull me to sleep every night, and help quiet my overly active mind during these busy days.  

PipeTobacco

•  

Plans vs Realities

I had planned on answering comments here today.... but I am at a time in the semester where there is a large crunch of pressure from a cadre of students who are needing a letter of recommendation from me for their applications to medical school, veterinary school, ophthalmology or dental school, or some such similar venue.   I want to get the whole array of these many letters done today, so.... only a brief post.  

My current plan is to try to answer comments on TUESDAY this week.  

•  Running was actually PLEASANT this morning.  That damn foot contraption is (I am growing more convinced) actually helping me!  I am going to try to again run each day this week, since it felt so normal!  I hope it stays so.  
• My Mom's birthday is coming up pretty soon.  If she were still alive, she would be 98 years old in just a few days.  I have been thinking of her a lot lately.
• My wife and I were able to see a play together yesterday and we ate dinner afterward at a fancier multi-Asian cuisine restaurant.  I had a wonderful, pleasantly spicy Korean style Curry Noodle dish (sort of a soup).  My wife had a similar (although less spicy) Japanese Curry Udon Noodle dish.  Each curry was distinctly different from each other and both were wonderful (although I liked mine the best).  
• Even though I do VERY MUCH look forward to going to the Retiree's Cigar Group each Thursday, I do not imagine nor dream about indulging in a cigar (I do enjoy doing so at the Group, however, do not get me wrong.).  But, when my mind wanders into its imagination, or when I have a dream related to smoking... it is always pipes or pipe tobacco or both. I suspect that may be forever so.

Well, off to writing letters to hopefully help these kids capture their dreams!

PipeTobacco 

Health Concerns

I am not sure how much of this may be a repeat of things I mentioned before, or if much of this may be new.  But, here it goes:

As you know, I have been dealing with Plantar fasciitis that arose in my HEEL tendon that moves towards the paddle region of my foot.  This bout of Plantar fasciitis is awfully damn different than the mild bout I had a year or two ago in my other foot that was focused fully in the arch of my foot.  That earlier bout was alleviated in about a week with simple stretching.

My current situation is vastly different.  This heel tendon variant of plantar fasciitis has been wiping me out.  I have been experiencing considerable discomfort from this for roughly 6 weeks now.  It has DRASTICALLY diminished any joy or positivity I have towards running.  I have been running somewhat sporadically of late (something I had never done during the several years I have been running.... I was always happy and content with my consistency in running).  

The foot/tendon stretching machines I wrote about in the last two weeks.... I believe the pair of them have been EXTREMELY HELPFUL for me.  I am finally noticing what appears to be consistent, LASTING improvement.  I have found it relatively easy to sleep with them too.... for about 4 hours a night that is.  Usually about 3:00-4:00am I end up waking up to have to urinate.  But now, when I wake up at that time, as these devices are not able to be walked in.... I unstrap them from my feet so I can walk to the bathroom.  I do admit that they feel rather uncomfortable when I wake up to go to the bathroom.... but not because of the stretching which actually feels helpful.... but because I have damn hot feet, and I am used to sleeping bare footed, and typically with my feet OUTSIDE of the blankets, quilts, etc. as well.   But, the myriad of straps and platforms and foam and fabric associated with these stretching machines basically entombs my foot while I wear them at night.... and they get hot as hell... even if I stick my feet outside of the blankets.   

So.... I am happy to report that I have had thus far this week FOUR running days now with SIGNIFICANTLY less discomfort in my foot.  I think the machines are helping.  

BUT.... this process of using these stretch machines had me thinking about how and why this has occurred.  I am running out of time to try to flesh it out here this morning, but I will talk about it further in another post soon.  WHAT I BELIEVE ultimately was the culprit of this whole mess, which would extend back to a bit further than a year and a half ago is that I had developed for only the SECOND TIME in my life.... a Plantar Wart.  

I developed a Plantar Wart once as a very young graduate student many decades ago.  That plantar wart was on the ball of one of my feet, close to the big toe.  Through health services of the U I was at for graduate school, it was able to be treated and destroyed over the course of several weeks.  

But, this plantar wart I acquired about a year-and-a-half ago was a damn site different.  It was on the heel of my foot.  And I firmly believe this ultimately is responsible for the damn plantar fasciitis I am working through now.  

I unfortunately need to get to my U work, so I will stop here for now.  I will try to pick up on this story in the next few days (probably next week) to explain my thoughts and reasoning.  It is an annoying story, so I am not sure I will be in a mood tomorrow (probably not as it is the weekend) to flesh it out.... or if I will pick something else to write about.... but I will get back to this as soon as I can.

PipeTobacco 

Going to Scoot....

It is a pleasant feeling that it is Thursday.  In the pattern that I have adopted, Thursdays tend to be exciting days for me because:

• by mid-afternoon I will have accomplished the last of the "big voicing" lectures for the week (although it is a rather tough 4.5 hours of big voicing today as usual this semester.... including the one class I only teach sporadically.... and always have a bit of nervousness about because with it being sporadically taught... I do not as easily remember my segues between topics, so I "feel" less ready to "weave my story" to the students.... I worry my lectures in this class feel less "invigorating" to them as a result)
• late in the afternoon I can traverse the land to my weekly rendezvous to the "Retiree's Cigar Group".... and the anticipation of a grand time of talking, joking, commiserating...  and enjoying learning about a new cigar.... make the overall day more pleasant
• swimming with my wife at the pool.... and Thursdays have become a day where there are relatively few swimmers, so my wife and I typically have a rather quiet, relaxing pool environment and we can talk, laugh, and chat all through our water walking.... it almost always feels like a "date" with my beloved wife when we get to do this... she walks forward in a lane to get exercise and I walk backwards (while facing her so we can chat and talk) to reverse stretch my legs from running
• and this evening is our TACO DAY this semester.... and I am already looking forward to a GIGANTIC taco salad in an 8x8 cake pan bigger than my head, my TWO delectable tostadas, my two delectable burritos, and my one "Mexican Pizza" (basically a toasted corn tortilla with a bit of cheese, and lots of onions and peppers on it.... roasted)

I am hopeful the day will proceed in the very happy way I am anticipating!

P.S.  I would greatly enjoy having a scooter like the image I used on this post for use scooting around the U.  But, in my climate it is not useful nor safe for 1/2 the year, and I am just too damn clumsy anyhow and would likely not survive my clumsiness.  I had a moped-version (with bicycle pedals to start the damn thing) briefly in graduate school, but my klutzy nature had me sell it off after a few months.  

PipeTobacco

Is It All Psychology?

I am a biologist, but I have had long-standing contact, interaction, and even collaboration with a bunch of psychologists.  My specializations in neural and endocrine physiology is at a juncture of science that considerable integration with a variant school of thought of psychologists who focus on neural and endocrine psychology.  So..... I have known and have worked with a boat load of psychology folks over the decades.  They are great folks, and it is enjoyable to have them as colleagues and friends.  

I bring this up because I was thinking about how last Friday, when I was home working, I NEEDED to put the pouches of pipe tobacco I had opened about me.... AWAY.  I had to do this because I experienced an extremely, and I mean truly extreme desire/craving to pick up one of my pipes, fill it and have at it.  If I were to use my sometimes used PCS Scale (Pipe Craving Score Scale) of 0 - 10 as an indicator.... last Friday, I had what feels like it was a 12.... literally off scale.  If I would not have packed up the pouches, stuffed them back into various drawers in my office.... and taken a walk from my home office for a while.... I do not think I could have mustered the fortitude to refrain.  

But the question of the day is "WHY?"  I mean.... seriously.... I never have had this sort of experience related to the weekly Retiree's Cigar Group.  And, biologically.... tobacco is tobacco is tobacco.  It makes no damn PHYSIOLOGICAL sense.  

It must ALL be PSYCHOLOGY.  

Some folks dismiss psychology as a "fluffy" science.  I know this is so, because a fair number of folks in the "hard science" disciplines I interreact with at the U routinely dismiss the psychologists as "fluff" routinely.  This is nearly universal amongst the chemists and the physicists at my U, and in fact many of those folks suggest biology itself is sort of "fluff" in comparison to their holy grails.  But, a fair number of the other biologists I work with also view psychology as a bit "fluffy" as well.  

But, psychology IS REAL.  It is not fluff.  I have known this through the decades with my collaboration and camaraderie with these folks... but the point was driven home again from my experience last Friday. 

Most lay-folk think of psychology only in the aspects of counseling and therapy.... but the research in psychology is a facet of the science that often times is overlooked.  But, psychology RESEARCH is quite beautiful, elegant and important.  

I need, if I ever get the time, to try to reason through they psychology more of my pipe smoking.

PipeTobacco