Just my luck… a big toe. The knuckle has swelled up to the size of a chestnut and it stings.
It’s too late to go to the Immedicenter with an Xray machine today ( hospitals cost $1000 more ). Let’s see what the morning brings.
I have broken both my big toes (on separate occasions) and each time I was given a kind of slipper with a very stiff sole. Wearing that ensures that you don’t bend your toe when you walk. It helped a lot. No cast or boot necessary.
If you don’t do anything to immobilize it as you walk, I don’t think it will heal properly.
oohj can we get a pic?
I broke a toe years ago when I still sought medical care for minor situations. The doctor, for whom English was a second language, kept telling me I needed my buddy’s help.
I had no clue what she meant until she got a roll of tape and secured the injured toe to the one next to it (the buddy).
It took months, but eventually healed. My son, who was 5 at the time, climbed up on the back of the couch and jumped off, intentionally landing on my healed foot, causing outrageous pain.
Someone had told him that a healed fracture was stronger than before the injury and couldn’t break again. He bruised my metatarsal area, but gotta hand it to him, the previously fractured bone didn’t break!
I just got AI’ed. I tried using the HRBlock chat tool to find out about where to enter pension/social security info in their tax planning tool, and got this response:
In the tax planning tool, the specific location to enter pension and Social Security income may vary depending on the tool or software you are using. Generally, you should look for sections or fields related to income sources or retirement income.
In most tax planning tools, you will likely find a section for entering retirement income, which may include pension and Social Security income. You can typically enter the amounts received from these sources in the relevant fields provided.
If you are using a specific tax preparation software or tool, I recommend referring to the software’s user guide or reaching out to their customer support for specific instructions on how to enter pension and Social Security income.
It’s important to accurately report all income sources, including pension and Social Security, to ensure proper tax planning and calculation.
To which I replied:
Unsurprisingly, I’m using the HRBlock tax planning tool that came with the HRBlock software I purchased, which is why I am in the HRBlock chat tool asking for help.
I’m assuming the tool can’t handle this, but to his credit, Dominic may be actually looking for an answer. Although he seems to think it is a question about 2023 actual taxes as opposed to 2024 estimated taxes.
My one little rant for April (so far).
Back in November I dropped $200+ for a pair of tickets for Mrs. D and myself to go see John Cleese, who was in Portland last night.
Wouldn’t you know we both ended up sick, couldn’t go, couldn’t even find anyone who wanted the tickets.
Of all the things to lose out on.
That sucks! and it was the last chance to see him before he dies!
At least you weren’t pinin’ for the fjords…
I flew to JFK on Monday night to visit Kayla in Brooklyn (or I would have taken those tix off Doggonit’s hands 
). Landed at 0800. Our original plan for the day was to take her roommate’s doggy to the park, go for drinks to the bar where her roomie works, and have dinner in Williamsburg. But on Monday afternoon, the roommate came down with appendicitis, which resulted in trips to urgent care, the ER, and the hospital for an appendectomy. The surgery took place Tuesday afternoon, and it being too rainy to go to the dog park, we napped for a bit, then went to the hospital to collect roomie. Got out of there at 11:15 pm, got him home and ordered Chinese.
His dog was being too rambunctious to safely interact with a recent surgery patient, so roomie wandered over to spend the night with a friend, while I watched Kayla play on her Playstation until past 2:00.
Next day: my first subway ride! Also lunch at McClaren’s (actually, the pub that inspired it), the Ed Sullivan theatre to watch Stephen Colbert, and dinner at Carmine’s, just off Schubert Alley. Pretty good experiences all around, except for all the rain.
I THOUGHT with my artificial hips, walking would be easy. About halfway through the day, it occurred to me that at home, I rarely do any significant amount of walking, especially in the rain. Time to recalibrate my expectations for this trip. At least the rain has stopped.
(More of a grumble than a rant)
People in the eclipse thread are poring over and analyzing weather reports. I’m not going anywhere for the eclipse, but weather has screwed me just the same.
I literally was washing the cookie sheets from the double batches of oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip cookies I had just finished, after starting yesterday afternoon, when Mr. Rilch came in and informed me that due to flood warnings, the Event I was making the cookies for is cancelled. Besides the fact that the road/s to the venue might be closed, one of the speakers is currently at the creek, sandbagging, along with his neighbors, many of whom would have been in the audience. The Event has been rescheduled; I can freeze the cookies. Still, I felt like I was in a cartoon.
(I used eggs from my neighbor’s chickens. This was supposed to prove a point about market prices.)
My elderly MIL is living with us now - not unexpected and not that big a deal… EXCEPT the woman is trying so hard not to be a bother that she’s driving me crazy. A simple question “Do you want raisin toast or wheat toast for breakfast?” gets the answer of “I don’t care - whatever you have.” Um, I have both - that’s why I offered the choice.
Similarly “Do you prefer to shower in the morning or the evening?” “Whatever’s easier for you.” That’s not an answer. I need to plan my time so I need to know what you need. Yes, I tell her that, yet she continues to give non-answers. On rare occasions, she’ll ask for specific things, but mostly, it feels like she’s constantly apologizing.
I know it’s hard on her having to depend on us. Up until a year of so ago, she was pretty much independent, except that she couldn’t drive because she’s going blind. But she could get around and make her meals and all that. Unfortunately, she’s had a rapid, massive decline that includes falls and almost constant fatigue due to a failing heart.
I feel like I’m a horrible person because I feel like yelling “Just give me a straight answer!!!” But I don’t. I just wish she’d relax, accept that things have changed, and try to adapt to her new life and routine. And I hope I remember this when I’m 90 and relying on my daughter and grandkids to help me.
Meanwhile, I bitch on line to my imaginary friends. < deep cleansing breaths >
How many Jewish mothers does it take to change a lightbulb?
Never mind. I’ll just sit here in the dark- I shouldn’t be a bother.
True story- My own Bubby once said to me “Not now, but when you get up, please get me my nitro. I think I’m having a heart attack.”
We’re still waiting to find out whether my wife actually has cancer or not. The biopsy results came back as basically “this was a terrible sample, we can’t tell what this mess is you sent us.” So she’s got an appointment with a different doctor to try to get a better biopsy sample, but that’s still two weeks away. Fuck, it’s not like this is urgent or anything… 
I think she’s saying, “Whatever you’re having”.
Similarly “Do you prefer to shower in the morning or the evening?” “Whatever’s easier for you.” That’s not an answer. I need to plan my time so I need to know what you need.
Maybe it really doesn’t make a difference to her, so she wants to work around your schedule.
I broke down & made an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon in my plan; I’ll see her tomorrow. FTR- the pain was getting pretty intense.
Yeah. Cancer is brutal.
Second week of February. Sat by the hospital bed of my closest friend advocating for him and trying to keep him comfortable for his last days. Watching him suffer and waste away. It wrenches my heart.
Maybe 2 1/2 weeks from realizing something was wrong to gone. 54 years young.
God I miss him.
Each foot has 26 bones all connected, and when you stand and walk all of your weight is on them. It’s no wonder it hurts so much. Foot injuries are no joke.
The last toe I injured badly, my left big toe, is still not fully fine years later and probably never will be. If I push on parts of it, it hurts like crazy, and every now and then it aches just in general. I’m not a kid who can fully heal from stuff anymore. 
{{Hugs to all}}
We have a good friend whose daughter is in the hospital. Seemed like it’d be a quick stay, but now it seems much more serious.
On the other end of the spectrum, I just went to the doctor for my my annual physical. I’d saved up a year’s worth of health concerns, which I thought might scare him, but noooo: “Ehh, I’m not going to worry about that…”
Well, geez, doc, it’s not your body that’s getting old too fast!
His prescription for my wheezing and lack of stamina: “So get in shape! You’ve got a month before your next trip, join a gym and take some long walks and bike trips.”
I remember when I had a list of aches and pains that I recited for my doctor at one of my annual physicals, and he just laughed and said “Yeah, sucks getting old.” Gee, thanks doc.
South Eastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (or Septa) is what happens when incompetence marries corruption. I waited at the bus stop for my bus. It passed right by despite my frantic waving. If the bus stop was taken out of service, there was (quite literally) no sign or notice. I HATE Septa!