On most days when I unplug my laptop to take it for a change of
scenery, the little battery icon at the bottom tells me it can manage
about two and a half hours before getting back on the juice.
Today, to my surprise, it offered me four hours and 29 minutes. I
figured I must have done something to please the Computer Gods.
Perhaps they were grateful for the delicious strawberry pie
recipe. So I sat at the kitchen table with the laptop and my
lunch and commenced my usual email/news/xanga circuit. 20 minutes
later, the battery read two hours and 23 minutes. Apparently the Gods
don’t approve of broccoli.
First thing this morning I went back to bed, because shortly after
getting up I developed a hideous sharp burning pain in my abdomen that
roared at me when I moved. It felt like the muscle had torn,
though I could not imagine why. I haven’t even been to the gym in
over a week.
“Do you want me to take you to the emergency room?” my husband asked, clearly hoping I would say no.
“No!” I’ve been the the ER a number of times, and on no occasion would I call it a pleasant experience.
The pain abated somewhat over the next hour, and I took myself to the doctor’s office, though my regular doc was not available.
The Unknown Doctor apologetically asked me questions about potential
STD exposure and the spectre of ectopic pregnancy. He poked and
prodded me, finally agreeing with my assessment: I’d strained or torn
the rectus abdominus.
I told him I didn’t need any narcotics but he prescribed some
anyway. Who am I to argue? Alas, I can’t take any yet,
because I need to operate the heavy machinery known as the minivan.
Now I’m home with my mystifying computer, and soon I will depart for the Opera.
Every year the Seattle Opera comes to our school and works with the 4th
graders. After an intensive week or two of rehearsal, the kids
and the S.O. people put on a performance of Wagner’s The Ring of the Nibelung. I have no idea what a Nibelung is, but I’m glad I’m not too debilitated to go see it.
Happy Birthday, Barn_Bear! And Happy Groundhog Day to all!
UPDATE
The opera– wow, I was blown away. The Seattle Opera folks did a
spectacular job, not only in performing the show but in wrangling 45 or
so nine and ten year olds through their supporting roles and holding an
audience of kids from pre-k through 8th grade (and parents) utterly
spellbound for over an hour. Tigger tells me she wants to go see
the entire Ring Cycle performed. All 14 hours of it.
Couldn’t she just watch all the Lord of the Rings movies and call it
good?
My dear husband felt maligned by this entry, because I suggested that
he would prefer not to spend the bulk of his day thumb twiddling in the
ER with me. He was, of course, mostly concerned about my well
being. In fact, Technogeek gets quite twitterpated when I
am ill, because he loves me. Then he came rushing home early this
evening because I wasn’t answering my cell phone and he feared I’d
taken a turn for the worse. I’d turned the phone off for the
performance, that’s all. Sorry honey.
Birthday boy Barn_Bear, who turned (coughahem*70*cough) today, informs
me that the groundhog failed to find his shadow today. I’m pretty
sure that means it’s going to rain here in Seattle tomorrow.
Transvestite Rabbit 
Hope that muscle stops mystifying you ASAP. 🙂
My iPod does that funny thing with the battery timing. It seems that it is full, then half full, then 3/4 full. I wonder if its just a big joke by Steve Jobs.
Rectus? RECTUS? Damn near killed us. (We used to tell jokes like that when we were teenagers).
I want some of that pie.
So what good did the dr. trip do you? No narcotics, just the knowledge that you were indeed right?
So how does one repair a torn rectus abdominus? Duct tape?
And happy Groundhog Day to you, too! Remind me to tell you some day about my fell-flat GH Day joke (the audience was a livingroom full of Hispanic people- it’s an AMERICAN holiday, I know realize…) I hope you feel better soon- that sounds terribly painful. Lisa
surprises abound don’t they?…
Are you sure you’re ok? A “hideous” sharp burning pain in the stomach doesn’t sound like something that’s ok. If you don’t feel a whole lot better by now, please see someone other than the substitute doctor.
Wagner? They’ve got those innocent little kids singing Wagner? Most professional opera singers can’t make Wagner sound good!
Head straight for the narcotics, that’s my advice! May all your mystification be cleared up before the commercial break..
Life is interesting isn’t it? Keep an eye on your tummy – I hope you feel better and it really chalks up to nothing.
Hi – stumbled across you diary, hope you don’t mind. I laughed and laughed about what you wrote regarding your computer – they mystify me too!
tehehehehehe! Rain in Seattle….!
Rain in Seattle can be predicted with or without the quadraped rodent, am I right?
On days like today you make me really miss my mom. And home. Thank you.
“the Gods don’t approve of broccoli.”That made me do a Danny Thomas spit take.Thanks for the Saturday chuckle.
PSI don’t know if I told you, but I recently finished editing a show called “What Makes Seattle Tick?” which will air on the Fine Living Network sometime this year. I know what makes you tick now. (:
Thanks to all the loyal Groundhog followers for your good wishes. The Bear has decided to stop having birthdays that count but the alternative seems rather unappealing as well. Hope your rectus whatever is ok…I’d get rid of it or at least change its’ name.
Just get Tigger Bugs Bunny on Broadway. In “What’s Opera Doc?” Bugs and Elmer go through the Ring Cycle in under ten minutes.
Coffee it’s all related to latte’s and soy milk. Just don’t drink any more coffee… Hehehehehe
Oh. My. God. You used the word ‘twitterpated.’ The only other person I’ve ever heard using that word was my grandmother. Of course, she used it to mean ‘infatuated.’
So I wonder what sort of treats the Computer Gods really like. Now that I’ve reloaded my OS and software for the third time, I suspect I’d better make an offering to keep the new machine working properly.
I need to get cultured. There are two types of music that I have seriously tried to understand and appreciate even if i don’t like it that much. They are not rap and heavy metal. I have no desire to understand those right now. Maybe later,when I’m old and on heavy medication.The ones I mean are country and opera. I think perhaps I might like them better if I saw a live performance.
RYC: I was thinking more about Thatcher’s politics than her personality. Republican women (slightly less than 50% of all registered women) view folks like Hillary as shills for the bigbox Women’s Movement (TM). If you want to draw the right-leaning swing voters you’ll need a woman candidate who distances herself from the NOW hive mind. Hillary also suffers from the hard-to-refute accusation that she used her husband’s position to launch her own political career. (Never mind that she was always the moneymaker in the family while Bill schlepped around in public sector jobs)
But point taken – there is no maternal equivalent on either side of the fence. The closest the Republicans have come to a serious candidate is Elizabeth Dole. Christie Whitman (mother of two, husband not in politics) could have been the Maggie Thatcher president but a Republican-bashing book in her past makes for an unlikely Republican candidate.
My vote’s for Kay Bailey Hutchison, (adoptive) mother of two and stepmother of two others.
Wagner’s my favorite operatic composer. I would encourage Tigger to see the entire Ring cycle if she wants to. It’s great music.
The last two times I went to the ER I was very very glad I did.
Broccoli is supposed to give on gas, so I would thingk the computer would run longer hummm. I hope your torn not sounding good thing heals soon. We know the hubby cares, he needn’t worry. I hate the ER more than almost anything. Glad you could make the show.
RYC: Could it be all the pond water?
Good music, a husband who loves you, and happy kids–what more could a bunny ask? Possibly a heavy equipment operator so you could take your narcotics? We were laughing about the Ground Hog this morning at work. Several of the young’uns were disappointed that he had seen his shadow here and thus we would have six more weeks of winter. Being the brat that I am, I said, “a shame that. Had he not seen his shadow it would only have been six more weeks til spring.” My entertainment value to that? The fact that some of them did not get it. LMAO!!!
Happy Birthday, Barn_Bear!
HUGS!!!
At least you have an answer for one mystery. Perhaps the computer has a similar torn muscle somewhere?
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