Cartier-Bresson Exhibit

The SF MoMA is currently hosting an exhibit of the photography of Henri Cartier-Bresson.  If 

I had two working legs I would definitely find a way to go to this by January 11 - the day it ends.

Instead, I made do with this lovely internet exhibit.  A nice spot of inspiration in an otherwise 

frustrating day. On the bright side - it;s the last day of this year and this decade.

From the SFMOMA site:

“An innovative artist, trailblazing photojournalist, and quintessential world 

traveler, Henri Cartier-Bresson ranks among the most accomplished and 

original figures in the history of photography. His inventive images of the 

early 1930s helped define the creative potential of the medium, and his 

uncanny ability to capture life on the run made his work synonymous with 

"the decisive moment." 

Ankle Anniversary

Today is the one month anniversary of breaking my ankle.  My ankle was both dislocated and broken 

in three places, making it a trimalleolar fracture.

To clarify:

The big bone on the left ankle on the left side of the foot is the lateral malleolus. The big bone on the 

inside of the left ankle is the medial malleolus. Malleolus is singular (one); malleoli is plural (two or 

more); malleolar means pertaining to the malleolus/malleoli.

 -unimalleolar pertains to one malleolus;

 -bimalleolar pertains to the two malleoli, the lateral and medial;

 -trimalleolar pertains to three malleoli. Technically, there are two 

  malleoli, and the big bone at the tip of the tibia counts as the third.

So I go back to my OP (Orthopedic Surgeon) next week and hope to hear more about how my 

recovery will progress at that time.  My OP says that it is hard to predict: my injury is complex and 

everyone heals differently.  My internet research however has me thinking that this is a long slow 

process taking anywhere from 6 - 24 months with some people never getting 100% back to normal.

I have no insurance, but I spoke with a physical therapist when I was in the hospital and he said I 

could come in for one visit and he could teach me things to do at home on my own.  Physical therapy 

seems to be critical to a full recovery.  Here are a few sites I looked at today which I found to be helpful 

regarding therapy/exercise and a broken ankle:

Chair yoga

Suggestions for ankle exercise

More exercise ideas

Yoga poses with broken foot

It's been very hard having this injury at Christmas time.  No Christmas tree this year.  No lights

up anywhere.  I greatly miss walking.  And taking my dogs to the park.  Even things like

grocery shopping and cleaning house sound good to me now.  My sympathies go out to

anyone experiencing a similar injury.  

Etsy Taste Test

I haven’t been on Etsy for a long time. Low budget for one thing, but the main problem 

was the vast collection of items and artists that were just plain overwhelming.

Etsy must have realized the problem because they have come up with a new tool that 

allows you to browse items that fit your taste.

Etsy Taste Test!  You select from a few rows of items and it narrows down your particular 

sensibilities quite well.  You can take it a few times to hone things even more sharply.

So many pretty things make for nice daydreams.

Broken Ankle Update

So I haven’t been doing much writing OR photography lately.  Having a broken ankle

really affects so many areas of one’s life.  In addition to being painful, limiting my mobility,  

affecting my emotions and putting a huge obstacle in my job hunting path, it has also 

seemed to dampen my creativity.

Here’s a short overview of my broken ankle so far:

Nov 22 - Fall on the street near my house due to snow and icy conditions. 6 PM

My daughter, Delaney, gets our neighbor to drive me to the hospital.  I am told I have 

dislocated my ankle and broken it in three places.  The orthopedic surgeon (who looks 

like Dr. Oz’s cuter, younger brother) tells me I need surgery which has been scheduled 

for the next day.  I’m worried about money (no insurance), my job interview next week, 

Delaney (18 and a bit shaken) and how the heck I will be able to function for the 

next few weeks.

Nov 23 - Surgery (see photo  here).  I love morphine.

Nov 25 - I get to leave the hospital.  I have a walker rather than crutches due to the huge 

amount of snow.  Very nervous about getting home but I make it ok.

Nov 26 - Delaney cooks her first Thanksgiving dinner and it turns out amazing!!  I am 

spending most of my time in bed with occasional trips to the bathroom.  

Dec 6 - Appointment with Doc goes well.  He says I am healing faster than anticipated given

 the complexity of my injury.  Cast removed, boot added.  It’s all still a little scary.  I have my 

next appointment in three weeks.  Doc asked me if I was able to work something out with 

the job interview and I am amazed that he remembered that.  What a nice guy.  (The job

 stared Dec 15th so I remain on the eligibility list but missed out this time).  

Today I did a bit of searching on the internet to see what others have experienced and 

found this site  and this one and here's one more .

They have different recovery experiences but all have one thing in common: it takes a long 

time.  I have been unemployed for almost six months now.  I really need to be able to

walk NOW.  

Musical memories

Catching up on some of my favorite blogs today and found some stunning music 

courtesy of Dangerous Minds.  The post is on the Georgian singer Hamlet 

Gonashvili and DM includes three songs in this post, all beautiful but the first 

one - transcendant.

At first it reminded me of an old album I had in college of the USSR soldier’s 

Chorus - an album of rousting spirited impassioned singing which led me to take 

two years of Russian in college.

But the more I listened the more it taunted me with another musical memory - a 

band from Norway that I used to play many years ago when I did a lot of radio.  

Pulled out my old cd case and found them again - Bukkene Bruse.  Here’s a sample.  

This clip contains three different pieces.  My favorite begins around 6:50.  

Perhaps their singer, Arve Moen Bergset, was influenced by Hamlet.


NOTE: I wasn't able to find Hamlet's CD anywhere but he is available on iTunes,
as is Bukkene Bruse.