Mind Probe

Today marks the one month anniverary of the surgery to remove the bone spur that was growing around my left Achillies tendon. The first week after surgery was rather uneventful. There was very little pain from the surgery; almost all of the pain was from my lower back because I could not find a comfortable position to sleep in and keep my foot elevated. The second week, was a bit more painful. Because my ankle was feeling so good, I was up and about the house much more than I should have. Plus we spent Thanksgiving with friends. So, on doctor’s orders, I was sent back to bed with my foot elevated. That eliminated most of the pain felt during the second week.

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This entry belongs under the Pet Peeve department. It was bad enough hearing about this product on the television and on the radio. Being spammed by their advertising department has pushed me over the top, especially now that I am receiving multiple spam messages from them per day.

The product, from the Star Council, is having a star named after someone. First, let me state that as far as I know, their advertisement is completely legal and contains all the information plus they deliver everything that they promise. What bothers me about this is the misinformation that is implied.

First piece of mis-information is that they give the impression that they, the Universal Star Council, has the authority to name stars. Their advertisement never states this and they do state that this is a novelty gift.

Second is the statement “the star name will be recorded in book form at the U.S. Copyright office.” that I hear on their TV and Radio ads. Again, this statement is absolutely correct. My question is how many people understand what they said. Basically, its states that they will write a book that states that the star’s new name and publish it. Self-published books get recorded at the U.S. Copyright office, fiction and factual books.

Now, to play the devil’s advocate, the Star Council delivers everything that they promise, a certificate, a star map, information about the start and instructions on how to find the star. The instructions can be considered educational.

All in all, I feel that this company and their product prove’s the famous statement “There’s a sucker born every minute.”

Last Friday, November 18th, my left ankle was opened up and a large bone spur was removed from my Achillies tendon. The surgery involved detaching part of the Achillies tendon, grinding, chiseling and cutting away all the bone that did not belong then reattaching the Achillies tendon with a pin. All this was performed as day surgery.

I was expecting to not notice the first week after surgery since I was expecting to be pain killers during that time. To my surprise, the level of pain has been low. Instead of popping the pain killer pills once every three hours, I have only needed them twice a day at most. I have been sleeping most of the time, this probably has helped keep the pain under control since my foot has been elevated when I am sleeping.

My left foot is in a plaster cast keeping the ankle immobile. I am not allowed to put any wait on that ankle for up to two months. The cast is the hardest part to get used to. This is my second time having to use crutches and my first time with a cast involved.

My wife, daughter and I enjoyed a short vacation in New Hampshire. We stayed at the Lazy Dog Inn in Chocorua, NH, just a couple of towns south of North Conway. Both of our dogs, Ada and Jack, stayed with us. The Lazy Dog Inn is run by dog lovers for dog lovers. During our vacation, we went to Story Land, drove up Mount Washington and spent lots of money in North Conway.