So i hope that u all get one heck of a chuckle out of this picture and if u DON'T kno it is in fact a gremlin i am sending u a cyber scowl! this awesome design is by Ben Schwartz who i gave a shout out to a few days ago, and he's going to be designing comics for Marvel very soon, but until then u have to see the crazy cool stuff going down on his blog. we are both admitted 80's/90's movies and cartoon dorks and so in talking about the various movie staples of our youth of course Gremlins came up, and then anyone who is anyone will then state The Goonies, there is also one of my personal blood sucking favs The Little Shop of Horrors...who didn't go beg their parents for a Venus Fly Trap after that?! okay, so i'm a bit off topic, but the cartoon cheered me up so i thought it would put a smile on ur guys' faces too...what u don't know is that at the end of the movie one said gremlin cuts off that leg's bandage and chases down a shady looking car and shows them a thing or two! ;)

okay, well onto the days' events, it was actually another full day after a bit of a rough nite. two times there were people who needed defibrillators done to and there is still this woman missing, i don't know if she keeps leaving each night or is just not back and her family keeps complaining? it's just noisy out there, but at least on my end nothing too crazy. pain was better controlled with different meds, and i'm still forced to take the ones that make me nauseous and headachey, but it's better than feeling like my leg is burning off.

did a TON of physical therapy today and i was wiped...it's actually a bit embarrassing huffing and puffing back to my bed after one loop around the ward. it was my first time ever on crutches, and anyone who knows me also knows of my lack of coordination...i was just waiting to make a face plant and then scream out in pain as my leg gets all broken again! but i somehow stayed vertical and did a second loop in the afternoon with al toting my disgusting blood sucking machine. it's crazy to think that last week on this very day i ran over 12 miles, did some strength exercises and was still nowhere near as tired as after PT. we then did some muscle building moves with what kind of equipment we have around; we did modified tricep dips, bicep curls and upper back/shoulder pull ups with this trapeze device hanging over my bed, and then a few others. did a series of leg lifts and movements to keep building up strength there, and also used one of those resistance bands for some chest and shoulder moves. it was nice to almost break a sweat, even if a week ago i would have laughed at how wimpy i looked, but it really did get me working. and most of all it made me feel at least i'm using my body and moving in the right direction. i'm NOT going to be a couch potato forever, and sometimes in the darkest moments when i hurt bad your mind jumps to the worst case scenario.

tomorrow i go into hopefully one last exploratory surgery; they will just take out what bren, al, and i have become to call my blood sucker friend, and see if the wound is still healing as it should and staying clean. cross your fingers, if all looks good then that will be it, and i'll be FREE! well, of the sucker anyway, and then done for surgeries for now. they will give me a definite answer as to the skin grafts and bone graft also. i'm REALLY hoping i can dodge those...they are pretty painful i have heard, and the doctors agreed. if all does look like it's going well, they will then start talking discharge, and that will depend on how well PT is going. they are surprised how self sufficient i am already, i no longer have to call anyone for the basic stuff like going to the bathroom or little tasks; i know it's a little thing but i'm proud to be one of the more 'mobile' or independent gimps on the ward! so i hope everything looks good tomorrow, if not they will just do what they need to then and the surgery will be a whole cleansing thing and they will just plug back in my little 'buddy.'

well, i'm off for now, hope everyone out in the 'real world' is doing well. oh, and a quick shout out to the star visitors that have now become staples in the hospital...hehe! i luv ya bren, talia, al, and tracey...u guys are the best, even if i obviously BORE you to tears al...sheesh. make me feel like lame company! ;)