Lost Another Summer

Man, it sucks to get old, but it still beats the alternative.

For those of you so stupid that you belong to, "The Tea Party", the alternative to getting old is dying. That's the joke.

I have to have knee surgery on Thursday, and as much as that sucks, not having it sucks more! I have been in pain since April, and everything the doctor has told me to try (and in all fairness, he's also told me that if it didn't work, I'd need the surgery. So there was no false hope in his advice) has NOT worked. So, I have to go under the scope, and if it works out, I will be able to walk really well when we are in Greece in September. Otherwise? I'll keep limping.

Last night, I cooked a BUNCH of burgers for friends at our annual, "Parrot Head Party". We listen to, Jimmy Buffett music, eat, "Cheeseburgers in Paradise" and drink, margaritas. I was standing on the concrete patio, doing the cooking for, oh, I don't know, maybe two hours.

That was cool, I enjoy cooking for friends. Had a great night, everyone stayed until almost 11 and everyone had a great time.

This morning? Well, I woke up and wasn't hung over, so I didn't drink too much. I wasn't tired, so I got enough sleep. And was looking forward to playing 18 holes with my son at Murray Parkway as my last shot at golf before the knee surgery. Then, I stepped out of bed to go to the bathroom!

The pain was intense. When one knee is bad, you don't walk normally. So the other one hurts, and so did my right hip. I felt like someone had taken a billy club, and beat me south of what used to be my waist, for an hour and a half. I limped into the bathroom, and back out. And the throbbing in my left knee would not go away.

I limped into the kitchen, took my blood pressure pill and two, Aleeve and went back to bed. But that didn't help. The pain was TOO intense.

Deb said, "You know it's going to hurt for a few days AFTER the surgery?" No shit? Yeah, I know that, but after, "a few days" it should GET BETTER! THAT'S WHY I'M HAVING THE SURGERY! Now, I just stand around for a few hours, and I spend half the next day in bed because it hurts too much to stand up? I'll take the risk on the SURGERY!

Around noon, after she figured out that I was NOT hung over, and my leg's REALLY did hurt, she brought me a half a pain pill. You give me a whole one, and I'm out for hours. They knock me OUT! I have no idea why ANYONE would use codeine for recreational purposes. Being, "loopy" and constipated is a GOOD thing? I think not.

So, I had to cancel my golf time with my son, and I won't have time to do it this week.

Next summer? I'm going to do everything I can, to be healthy when it starts. And I'm not going to travel as much. I want to play more golf!

This week? I'm going to sit on my ass, drink ice tea, and READ! Catch up on my reading since after Thursday, I won't be able to do shit! Good thing I have two ice makers in the house. My knee is going to need it since I want to be able to walk in September when we go to Greece. And Paris.

Youth is, indeed, wasted on the young. But wealth is always, and most times, only granted to the old. I wish there was some kind of an exchange for that. But I have to admit that being wealthy now, is still a good thing. "The Blind Lady" I live with is getting to see the world. Could be worse.

I don't regret the soccer, football, skiing, ice hockey I did as a younger man. But now? I'm paying the price. And it's not TOO bad. Could be worse.