I'm always injuring something

Finally gave in and went to the doctor to get a PT referral for my left shoulder. In October I injured it in such a way to make certain motions and activities painful. I had been delaying going to the doctor in the hope that either the shoulder or Covid would get better. Yeah, neither of those is happening. Had my first PT appointment on Monday. Got the requisite "it really would have been good if you'd showed up sooner" from the therapist. This week it's all about icing to reduce inflammation and a few stretches to try to increase mobility.

I have been trying to do as little as possible with my left arm all week. I can still type at the computer as long as I maintain good posture, take breaks, and don't keep at it too long. But other stuff around the house I've been pretty useless. I also haven't been using the treadmill because of the whole swing the arms thing. Maybe in another week the pain and twinges will be gone enough that the treadmill will feel mostly harmless.

I am having fewer instances of pain shooting down my arm and I'm no longer forced to sleep in one position all night, so the program is working. Still have a certain amount of persistent dull ache. Progress, but slow progress.

The lesson that I re-learn from this: If it hurts ice it. Three times a day ice anything that hurts, odds are it's going to get better or at least not get worse as a result.

reading

9. P. G. Wodehouse "Bertie Wooster Sees It Through"

I finished up "Bertie Wooster Sees It Through" this morning. This was novel #2 in the collection of five novels in one volume. This was a solid Bertie and Jeeves story with all the bits you would expect: aunts in need, country houses, unwanted engagements, romantic entanglements galore, and characters generally in the soup. There wasn't a lot of Jeeves action in this one, generally Bertie muddles through in his offbeat way. I thought this one was stronger than "The Return of Jeeves" with characters consistent and the plot twisty enough to carry the day.

Like any Wodehouse book I ended up with words I needed to look up. The man must have had an incredible mind to sprinkle in the obscure vernacular the way he did. He also makes references to culture references instead of making the direct reference. So if he were to wish to refer to Bob Geldof he might say "that guy who drummed up that charity gig for feeding Africa." It's a fun bit of redirection, makes you puzzle it out, and avoids the whole name dropping thing, all in the guise of Bertie not being able to remember the details but having some vague idea.

reading

10. Stephen King "Umney's Last Case"

This little book had been sitting around on our bookshelves for years. It was one of those counter by the cash register impulse purchases, I believe at a bookstore in Brookline. It is a really short read, less than 100 pages in small format, so one day or maybe one sitting for a fast reader. The story is fun, starting out as noir and going from there. King does a good job of playing in the noir tropes. I haven't read a lot of King (The Stand, Tommyknockers, Carrie), but so far this is my favorite. If you want something quick and not too serious, it's a fun read.