In article >,
"Steve Freides" > wrote:

> > How are you doing?
>
> Group, excuse us while we catch up.

I think they are used to it by now. <g>

>
> I'm doing pretty well. Speaking of A/C joints, my shoulders kept me in
> rehab mode for about 18 months but it was worth it, and I'm actually
> back to doing quite a bit of overhead work, including pressing.

Gods. I wish I could press! It's great for the rotator cuffs.
It seriously hurts just to press my own weight out of a chair.

> Also
> regularly doing weighted pullups now, even gooseneck pullups (see
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDVK4HwmdM0 for me doing a couple - you
> make a fist and place only your wrists over the bar, and then you do
> pullups.) All this with a diagnosis, confirmed with a contrast MRI, of
> a torn labrum in my left shoulder.

That is awesome Steve! I don't have a torn Labrum even tho' that was
Dr. Perry's initial impression. My MRI showed a complete tear of the
Supraspinatus tendon in the right shoulder with contraction of the
muscle in to the rotator cuff, and a partial tear in the left shoulder.
Surgery, unfortunately, is no longer an option for the right. It's a
must if I ever want to get the strength back.

As for the bulging disks at C7 in my neck and the weakness it caused,
Dr. Thai's steroid injections helped with that as long as I keep up the
Mackenzie exercises.

>
> The Party promoted me to Team Leader, which means I'll be teaching at an
> RKC certification weekend at some point in the future, responsible for
> deciding pass or fail on a group of candidates - pretty awesome stuff
> for me. I haven't been to any DragonDoor events in the last couple of
> years but I'm going to the CK-FMS this coming weekend and then to the
> Denmark RKC to be an assistant instructor the weekend after that.

Are you interested in Kinesiology tape? I'm fixin' to import some from
China for a good price and the Chiropractor I'm seeing (and the PT's
that work with him) have already checked it out and approved it. It'll
be far less expensive than the stuff coming in from Amsterdam. I should
have inventory by the end of June if you want to play with it.
It's helped my shoulders a lot and I wear it pretty much constantly, and
have done so since October 2009.

>
> My parents are definitely aging. I think you know I take my 86-year-old
> mother out for coffee 2 or 3 times a week - it's her only exercise. We
> park about 2 blocks away, walk to coffee, sit outside and watch the
> world go by for half an hour or so, then walk back to the car - takes
> her about 15-20 minutes to walk 2 blocks but, as long as she's willing,
> I'll keep her company.

I remember, and I totally understand. I had dad out for chinese today,
and he helped me drag some small tree branches out of the yard yesterday
morning. I had to carefully encourage him to finish. I feel things
like that are good for him and they were light in weight.

>
> Well, a few days ago, I talked to my father on the phone in the morning
> and he told me his doorbell was ringing at 3 AM - turns out my mother
> had let herself out of the apartment, out of the front door, and was now
> unable to get back into the building. Pretty scary stuff, likely a day
> we'll look back on as the beginning of the end for her. My sister and I
> are now going to need to resubmit her application to the VA home near
> here - my Dad is a WW II veteran. Sad that, because of things like this
> (this wasn't the first mental type of thing we've had with her) she'll
> end up in a different unit than he will - there are, in this VA home,
> couples who actually live in the same room, but my folks will not be one
> of them.

It's scary taking care of one's older parents. I bought dog tags from
Wal-mart recently. They have an etching machine you can pay for with
debit cards. Dad's tag has his name, physical address, a "call to" my
name and both my cell phone numbers on it. He understood the need and
wears it constantly. Plus I carved two more sets in case he loses it.
He has done so once. <g>

It eases my mind that if he does get lost when I am at work, at least
someone finding him can contact me!

>
> I gave up my college teaching job - long story made short, they don't
> treat the part-time faculty welll, I didn't really need the pittance
> they pay part-time faculty, so I told them to shape up their institution
> or I was leaving, and you know how that turned out. I'm plenty busy
> teaching music lessons from home and the occasional personal training,
> and that's why I"ve made my way here - I'm Mr. Mom, doing almost all the
> grocery shopping (and laundry, etc. ) and more and more of the cooking.
>
> Those are the highlights from here - this is a real email for me, so
> please feel free to continue the conversation that way.
>
> -S-

That would be great. :-) Just understand tho', if you e-mail me, you
will find out that I am a girl if you don't already know that... This
e-mail is also real!

Cheers!
--
Peace! Om

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>
*Only Irish *coffee provides in a single glass all four *essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar *and fat. --Alex Levine