titanium

I managed to get this outdoor lamp installed in the front yard over the weekend. The old one rusted out and fell apart (at least the laws of thermodynamics remain unbroken) and I got the new one up in about an hour. I wouldn’t make note of this completely mundane and beginner-level DIY task except to point out that doing it with one working triceps and five functioning fingers across both hands was really upping the difficulty level. You’d think that would make it more satisfying to achieve, like beating a game in expert mode. Didn’t really work out that way, though. Just kinda pissed me off.¹

I did see the neurosurgeon about The Neck Issue last week. While I was describing the symptoms and how they had particularly impacted my musicianship, his expression changed rapidly, and he suddenly interjected. “Are you also a singer?” Just then I knew his plan, even before he had laid it out. “So you want to come at it from the front, then.” Indeed he does. I’ll spare the gory details of the surgery for now, but we’re looking at a fusion of the C5-C7 vertebrae. I’m still processing it—weighing the risk/reward curve, thinking about the lengthy recovery, and trying to get a second opinion before I let him put a couple ounces of titanium into my neck. More to come on this.

Relatedly, if you recall the story from last week where I decided to pay $345 out of pocket for a lumbar spine MRI rather than go through six weeks of fruitless PT so my insurer would pay for it, it turns out I played myself there. Unbeknownst to me, my provider had appealed that ruling on my behalf, won, and now my insurer has changed their mind and is willing to pay. I don’t know if I can do a take-backsies on that trade with the imaging place and the insurer, but I’ll give it a shot.²

As we count the days back up from the depths of the winter solstice, we’re about at the point where the sun’s daily arc has moved far enough northward to be in my eyes when I’m working in my east-facing home office. I closed the southern blind which will stay that way until about Halloween. I’ll need to close the northern one in another few weeks. The laws of celestial mechanics will also remain unbroken.

I met a really interesting guy on a flight this week. Mark is a semi-retired psychologist who was connecting through Chicago on his way back to his home in Seattle after visiting his dying brother in Cleveland for what he said was probably the last time. Heavy stuff. We got pretty deep into a conversation about pre-grieving the death of a loved one, as he is now, and as I did not too long ago. I’m sure he’s a really good therapist, one of those people who naturally connects with others. He told me he spends ten days a month near the ocean, every month, without fail. It’s how he recharges himself, and releases the burdens he absorbs from his clients.³

I know it’s a scheduled thing on the calendar and obviously not personal, but it sure feels like the county has some sense of when I’m at an especially low point emotionally, and that’s when they send the property tax bill. I don’t mind paying it; never have. I get a lot in return, especially in the form of a couple of truly exceptional school districts in which my kids thrived. But we’re in the final months of that now, and it won’t make sense to keep paying that freight (or having so much house) after Leah moves on. It’s time to think about downsizing. On the other hand, moving is an eldritch horror, and who knows what is about to happen to the real estate market and interest rates when the economy is euthanized in the coming days. Might make more sense to sit tight a while.

I quit Facebook years ago, but I didn’t actually go all the way to deleting the account. I just deactivated it. Apparently I have to log back in one more time to reactivate it before I delete it for good. I have no particular emotions about that; it’s as relevant to my life now as Lincoln Logs. I am going to take that logged in opportunity to note the birthdays of as many of my friends as I can still get.⁴ As the social media era of my life has mostly come to an end, I feel like one way to try to stay connected will be to reach out on people’s birthdays. I always liked that tradition there. So if I have your number, don’t be surprised to hear from me on the occasion of your next completed solar tour.