(Knee) Joint Ventures

by Lillian Csernica on February 13, 2017

Finally scheduled the physical therapy for my sprained knee. Here is yet another excellent example of “Be careful what you wish for.”

Those of you who have had physical therapy will know what happens first, especially with a joint problem. The physical therapist (PT) works the joint to see where the mobility issues are and just how serious your discomfort levels may be. In short, you spend the first fifteen minutes being tortured while your PT gets the lay of the land, so to speak.

My PT explained and demonstrated the exercises she wanted me to do in order to help heal the ligaments and get the knee cap realigned. No problem there. One exercise involves a rolling pin. That one I really must use in a story somewhere.

Now for the weird part. A nice young man wheeled in a machine on par with a fast food cash register that included an ultrasound gadget and one for infra red light. Ultrasound can break up scar tissue. I had no idea. The infra red light promotes healing. Don’t you just love science?

For me, they brought out the electrodes. One pair above my knee, one pair just below. This is where my anxiety spiked. I know what those kind of electrodes do, and I wasn’t looking forward to it. As much as the tech assured me this procedure was designed to reduce my pain level, I wasn’t buying it. Sure enough, Step One would be “adjusting the level to suit my needs.”

Translation: Finding out how much I could take before my muscles spasmed and I started swearing.

Ever seen Showdown in Little Tokyo? Dolph Lundgren, Brandon Lee, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and Tia Carrere. WARNING: Our Heroes do start swearing.

You see where I’m going with this, right?

It got even weirder when my PT wrapped my knee in an ice pack. So first it feels like I’ve got all these little needles jabbing me, then the ice pack helped numb the area. Even so, when the tech tinkered with the voltage I freaked out, laughing like a maniac. It TICKLED. Sounds funny? It wasn’t. I kept doubling up, working my non-existent six-pack, laughing until I thought I’d have an asthma attack.

My PT said to the tech, “I think she’ll be low level.” Gosh, ya think so?

The tech adjusted the voltage, then set the timer for about ten minutes. My PT told me to yell if I needed anything.  Then the tech offered me this silly piece of comfort:

“Now remember, this machine cannot hurt you.”

Really? Tickle torture, muscle spasms, and making it hard to breathe? All that didn’t count as “hurting” me?

I survived the ten minutes without too much discomfort. To be fair, for the rest of the evening my knee did feel better. My PT said she expects to see improvement in six weeks, so I’ve got six more sessions. I confess I’m hoping I can do without the electrodes VERY soon!

 

They Blinded Me with Science!

by Lillian Csernica on November 19, 2016

 

Today I took my son John and his two best friend to the Museum of Technology and Innovation in San Jose, CA. This was John’s big birthday wish. Despite lack of sleep, heavy rain, and my general preference for sparing myself the ordeal of driving over  Hwy 17, we arrived only a little while after the museum opened at 10 a.m.

Oh my stars and garters. We did everything there was to do, and some of it twice!

The boys built a catapult for firing a small wooden ball across the model of a river. That particular activity comes with a tool kit and a wall of supplies, which including PVC piping, thin wooden dowels, fat plastic screws, and all the blue or green rubber bands you could possibly need.

Once the catapult was built, the boys carried it over to the river, fired it successfully, and received the “I’m a Mechanical Engineer” magnets awarded to everyone whose device was successful.

The general theme of John’s birthday this year is Superman. With this in mind, the trio of teenage mad scientists built a robot that stood about three feet high. It had colored lights that rotated through the spectrum. It had a shield on the front that spun around, along with two smaller shields, one on the end of each arm. It had infrared sensors and a motion detector. It even had a cape!

Once they’d finished building the robot, the boys recruited a staff member to help them attach the electronic brain. With that in place they could begin programming the robot. This took some trial and error, some experimentation. I am proud to say Team John got the superhero robot working!

Another high point included each of the boys designing a roller coaster. Once complete, the video equivalent of the design played on a large screen. The really great part was the four seat ride car equipped with a low grade version of DBox. Each of the boys’ designs managed to make me want to throw up, so I pronounced them all a success.

The Gift Shop is full of amazing educational toys, science experiments, books, jewelry, and a great space-themed “ugly Christmas sweatshirt.” John chose a gyroscope, which he’s learned to operate quite well.

The Gift Shop included one of those bins of red jasper, moss agate, tiger’s eye, and the usual quartz and agate dyed a hideous blue or pink. I can’t resist rocks, so I was digging through the bin looking for something worthwhile. A young man (in his teens) happened to be interested in the rocks as well. We got to talking about various stones. He kept asking me questions. I know enough to identify many of the more common rocks, along with the more popular semiprecious stones. I also know a fair amount of folklore regarding the properties of stones.

The young man listened in apparent fascination. Every time I apologized for going on and on about a lifetime hobby, he wanted to know even more. We must have been talking for a good fifteen minutes when I finally had to excuse myself to go find out what John and his friends were doing. It’s wonderful to meet someone hungry for knowledge in a subject that also fascinates me.

Tomorrow we have John’s official birthday party with cake, ice cream, and presents. On the anniversary of his actual birth, we plan to see Fantastic Beasts. And then comes Thanksgiving!

 

See Me Live and In Person!

by Lillian Csernica on May 27, 2016

Come one, come all!  See me make a public spectacle of myself in the best sense as I talk about writing and history.  I’ll be demonstrating the making of Victorian yarn dolls!  Looking forward to seeing you there!

 

BayCon 2016: It’s All About Space!

Magic Vs. Religion

Friday 13:00 – 14:30, Collaborate 2 (San Mateo Marriott)

Does it matter to the characters? Does it matter to the readers?

Jay Hartlove (M), Lillian Csernica, Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff, Maria Nieto, Teresa Edgerton

Monks in Space

Saturday 10:00 – 11:30, Synergy 5 (San Mateo Marriott)

Many monastic traditions stress the importance of silence and solitude. Leaving behind all the material comforts of Earth for the “final frontier” of dwelling in a monastic community or as a hermit in space would take on additional significance and spiritual impact. Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism all have monastic traditions. The First Nation Peoples the traditions of solitude, fasting, and appealing to the spirits to grant a vision of that person’s purpose in life. The mission into space could be a vision quest, or the result of it!

Lillian Csernica (M), Mrs. Laurel Anne Hill, Jennifer Nestojko, G. David Nordley

Autograph Session: Csernica, MacEwen and Wade

Saturday 14:00 – 15:00, Convene Lobby (San Mateo Marriott)

Juliette Wade, Lillian Csernica, Patricia H. MacEwen

The Space To Move Forward

Sunday 16:00 – 17:30, Connect 1 (San Mateo Marriott)

Using creativity to counter depression, PTSD and survivors guilt

Steven Mix (M), Lillian Csernica, Margaret McGaffey Fisk, Fr John Blaker

So You’re Ready to Publish

Monday 13:00 – 14:30, Connect 1 (San Mateo Marriott)

Do you Self-Publish or Traditiional Publish? Get an agent or try to go it alone?

J. L. Doty (M), Lillian Csernica, Teresa Edgerton, Kyle Aisteach

 

Clockwork Alchemy: The Arts of Steampunk
The Undiscovered Countries

Saturday 7pm – 8:50pm Location: The Academy (San Martin Room)

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DIY Victorian Yarn Dolls

Sunday 10am – 11:50am Location: The Workshop (San Juan Room)

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The 3 Rules of Writing Historic Fiction

Monday 11am – 11:50am Location: Author’s Salon (Monterey Room)