Here We Go Again

Sunday I was driving the Mazda and I noticed that the tachometer was around 6000 RPMs. That's not normal, I turn of the radio and roll up the windows so I can hear what is going on. Well, ever time the car would shift into fifth gear the car would shutter a little and the RPMs would jump. As I kept driving I started to lose fourth gear, luckily I was near our church and nothing less happened. Church is over and I have The Wife follow me home to make sure nothing else happens. Of course, I now can't get the car to stay in third gear.

Monday morning comes around and we are going to take it to the shop and you won't believe what happened? I completely lost third gear and second was starting to act up. You may or may not remember, but I had the transmission on this car replaced in March. My level of frustration on a scale of one to ten (1 being calm 10 being an insane crazy person that has to have the cops called) I'm a 41. I walk in as calm as I can, I tell them the problem and the guy remembers my car and makes the comment "I hope for you that it is the transmission because that's going to be cheaper for you." I'm thinking two things here.

1. Something else is wrong and it's going to cost me.
2. I am going to get a free transmission.

Later on Monday I get a call and come to find out... it's the transmission. He doesn't tell me exactly what is wrong, but I'm guessing they got a bad transmission and the gear box went bad.

This is kind of a good thing, I'm getting all the work done for free, but I'm without a car for a week. I might get another lovely loaner, but that won't be until sometime on Wednesday. I'm just amazed that I am going to have my third transmission on a car that has 84,000 miles. When will all this end? I need some really good news soon.

Stupid Left Hand!

Until you loose the ability of you dominate hand, you do not realize how much you use that hand. Every day tasks now become difficult chores that take five times as long. Within the last two days here are the tasks that I now have problems.

Brushing me teeth- Try using you off hand for this. I have to lay the toothbrush so I can squeeze the paste. Then for some reason the normally fluid back and forth motion I use to brush turns into a herky jerky motion. I almost lost an eye yesterday.

Buttoning- Pants are the worst. Since I don't have a thumb, I can't really grab my pants to get them were I need them. Then it took me 10 minutes to button up my shirt today. I know I will get faster at this, but I have to train myself.

Silverware- Last night we went out for Mexican because I thought that would be easy to eat. WRONG, I could not cut my burrito and tamale. The Wife finally had to intervene because I was about to throw my plate... well attempt to throw since I probably can't do that as well. I finally had to turn my plate around and kind of half scoop half stab my now cut food and hope it will get into my mouth. Mexican food should never be that difficult.

Reclining in My Lazy Chair- OK where is the handle... go and look, it's on the right side. Every time I want to recline I have to try and use the club of a right hand to get the chair up. Usually this also creates at severe pain that makes this no longer a lazy enjoyment.

Laundry- I usually do the laundry and for the most part it's not that hard till I have to reach into the dryer with the opposite hand I'm use to.The first few times for some reason I stood sideways to reach in to get the cloths. The hardest part was folding. I gave up and now The Wife have 5 loads of clean cloths to fold.

Writing- Can't do it and I think that's enough said there.

Showering- Since I'm in a cast I can't get it wet, so I now wear a turkey base ting bag on my hand (I'm not kidding). Shampooing was not that hard, I turned the bottle upside down and squeeze a little till I have it my hand. The hard part is getting the bottle back on the ledge without loosing the shampoo. Washing was a little more difficult, I but the wash cloth on my right shoulder, grab the bottle of wash and pour some near the top and hope gravity doesn't pull most of the soap off. Put the bottle back and slide my hand underneath the cloth.

Shaving- I just keep praying that my hand goes up and down and not sideways.

Contacts- Nearly impossible, I wear my glasses at all times.

There are more tasks that trouble me, but my left hand is getting tired of typing. I miss my right hand and I want it back.

Only Typing With One Hand

No you sickos, it's not what you think! As you can see from the picture something is wrong with my hand.

Yesterday I was working with HyPClR yesterday on a story about teaching people English, by having them learn to read and write in their own language first, it's supposedly easier that way. I'm shooting away and I pick up my camera off the table and felt a sharp pop in my hand. It was one of the sharpest pains I have ever felt. My hand started to contort into a strange position. I find HyPCLR and tell him I need to go to the hospital. We inform the station that I'm done shooting for the day.I call The Wife and tell her which hospital I'm at.

About 3 hours later I found out that one of the tendons that goes over my thumb, somehow chipped off part of the knuckle bone in the thumb. I now have to go to a Orthopedic specialist and see what has to be done. Best case scenario is just a case for a while. Worst case...surgery.

I do get a few days off and will probably have to start editing, which will be hard with just one hand. It's taken me 20 minutes to just type this. At least this happened at work, so now I am suckling on the teet of Workers Compensation. Also NO IT'S NOT A STRESS FRACTURE FROM "DOING SOMETHING ELSE." I'm looking at you Wilson.