Finally catching my breath from a July that featured Kathy’s big birthday pre-retirement party and my 50th plus one high school reunion, I was ready to slide into that last month of summer, ready to cruise on into the new school year (hey, my wife’s a teacher, so I still feel it!). Yeah, there was that 10 day trip to California coming up, finally pulling it off after all those COVID cancellations, but arrangements had been in place for months and all we had to do was touch all the bases. But with a family health crisis in No Cal and some serious real estate shopping in So Cal (by Windnsea Beach), even a week and a half in paradise can start to feel stressfull.
Once home, things were hopping. I got my picture into my hometown paper https://southcountynews.org/2021/08/16/three-authors-with-local-ties-self-publish/, and got the Vicksburg District Library to put that book on their shelves (1). We got to two actual concerts, one outside (Grand Funk Railroad at Soaring Eagle) and one inside (Kalkaska String Quartet playing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at the Masonic by candlelight). Jimmy Harbaugh came to speak to us at Weber’s, getting us fired up for the season https://wordpress.com/post/theviewfromharbal.com/1889.
Home improvement is never ending, and we were invaded by electricians for a day replacing all our toggle switches with rockers. We lost our electricity for several extended stretches during the day, giving us glimpses of life without screens or stereo. Rather peaceful, in small batches. My living room was currently quite spacious for the better part of the last week as I sold both of our leather couches to make room for the new ones that arrived from Sykkylven today. With them came our matched blue leather recliners, which we had not expected till October. What a nice early birthday present. Oh, we may never arise from them!
I’ve published 2 instructional videos (2,3) and one book chapter (4) and have submitted 4 manuscripts to be considered for publication (5-8). I’ve gone many years back when I was working where I didn’t add as many chits to my CV as I did in this single month. This all feels very good to me.
Then there’s been the sturm und drang over Kathy’s final year of teaching, just half time these last 2 semesters. Will she get her office back or won’t she? Will she get to teach live and in person or is it back to the dining room table in the living room? Her school is hiring her replacement, a young woman with whom Kathy is quite sympatico, the two being both from Ohio, one-time dancers, and conservative, for starters. But the dean is pussyfooting, like usual, and Kathy worries she’ll screw the whole thing up. And of course the whole vax thing. Sheesh https://wordpress.com/post/theviewfromharbal.com/1875. Right now, as she’s set to undergo evaluation for allergies to vax components, Kathy’s been granted an exemption through October 20th. She’ll be considered “in compliance” till then. That’s plenty of time to get her retirement paperwork in. She’ll be required to wear a mask in the classroom, but then so does all the faculty, vaxxed or not. As I type this, she’s put in her first day, two classes, and everything went fine. Her office was undisturbed, and bore her name next to it, new since last year. No high profile jocks in her classes, tho’ she has a golfer. The swimmers and tracksters often lie in the weeds till they’re discovered.
Oh, and the UPS guy delivered our case of wine from Obsidian late this afternoon. Life is good. Tomorrow brings another month and more tasks. I have to write and submit several letters to the editors of journals tied to professional organizations, announcing Sara’s and my salivary gland biopsy videos to their membership. I have to get on the stick to Friends-in-Deed to come pick up our now obsolete and in the way blue La-Z-Boys. I have to make the sad entry on the Chicago Better Business Bureau web site regarding failure to provide service from a chika with whom I entrusted components of my treasured vintage Stressless chair for refurbishing in March of 2020. Despite several promises of shipment, the parts have never materialized. We even ventured to her place of business in NW Chicago during one of our trips and had some beers at the nice bar across the street, where the waitress vouched she was alive, tending to her business, and showing up for a beer from time to time. Who knows what happenned. Mental illness? But she has close to $1400 of my money and my chair parts and I want them back, at least the chair parts.
So in a few short hours, August will be behind us. I’m not sure I can keep up that pace. Like the French say, too much of that can wear you Août!
References
1. Ike R. The Accident. Amazon (Kindle) 2021. Available at: .https://www.amazon.com/dp/B095BS8VRJ
2. McCoy SS, Ike RW. Labial salivary gland biopsy demonstration. Posted to YouTube by RW Ike 8/19/21. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIFkBjKSxas
3. McCoy SS, Ike RW. Labial salivary gland biopsy workshop. Posted to YouTube by RW Ike 8/30/21. Available at: https://youtu.be/iHP58yNkhW8.
4. Ike RW. Review of benign subcutaneous emphysema following knee arthroscopy. In New Frontiers in Medicine and Medical Research.Volume 1. 2021, BP International, London
5. Ike RW, Kalunian KC. It’s time to bring back knee washout. MOJ Orthop and Rheumatol. (submitted 8/27/21; withdrawn 8/30/21 after they reneged on waiver of publication fees. To be submitted elsewhere).
6. Ike RW, McCoy SM, Kalunian KC. What bedside skills should the modern rheumatologist possess? Seminars Arthritis Rheum (submitted 8/31/21)
7. Ike RW, Kalunian KC. Regarding arthroscopy: can orthopedists and rheumatologists be friends? J Clin Rheumatol (submitted 8/31/21)
8. Altman RD, Ike RW, Hamburger M, McLain DA, Daley MJ, Adamson III, TC. Missing the Mark? American College of Rheumatology 2019 Guidelines for Intra-articular Hyaluronic Acid Injection and Osteoarthritis Knee Pain. Osteoarthritis Cart (nto yet submitted, but my comments are in!)
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