Recipe: Pita Pizza

I've tried making my own pizzas using various things, but one thing that stands out is making it using pita bread after using flatbreads. You tend to fill up on the bread rather than the toppings.

- hummus or regular sauce
- cheese (soy, veggie, or regular)
- 4-5 toppings, spread around evenly
- top cheese

Heat up the oven to 350 degrees and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted enough to your satisfaction. The pita bread will be a little soft or crunchy, depending on how long it was in the oven. I've put the pizza on foil squares. When removing from the oven, put it on newspaper so you don't lose it on the floor if the foil tears.

For a variation, open up the pita and put in some cheese and/or a topping.

Post-surgery Knees - Part 3

I'm feeling a bit more improvement here and there. We have an electric mower and there were some technical problems here and there in trying to mow the somewhat overgrown side of the house due to another mower that kicked the bucket. Normally, I don't do much except to make sure that the extension cable doesn't get mowed and damaged like it did one time, me sitting off to the side.

In this case, I was out there for about 20-25 minutes after resetting the electrical breaker box. Then I started mowing a few rows. No pain, just some stiffness on the left knee, which was expected. Later on, I used the edger in places.

Looks like I could get back to doing at least some mowing next year.

I did some grilling in the back yard's small brick grill with the help of Jamie's young son. He did a nice job in flipping some of the burgers and hot dogs and helping out in taking in the cooked items.

While watching the "See What I'm Saying" documentary at MSSD's Malz Theatre, I didn't use the wheelchair. I walked in, standing part of the time before the show, and standing much of the time afterwards, talking with others. That's pretty much another milestone right there.

"See What I'm Saying" Review

Last Saturday afternoon, I saw Hilari Scarl's "See What I'm Saying" documentary at MSSD's Malz Theatre. Many short films by other deaf have been done, but a documentary? It was pretty nicely done. So's the introductory music video by Powder. We see Robert DeMayo going from having an apartment to homeless to having a home, shared with the homeowner. It's a common theme we see throughout the movie, that it's much more difficult for a deaf actor to get jobs in the hearing world. We see CJ Jones, Robert, and TL Forsberg try to "invite" the hearing people into their world, but very few take up the invitation. It was especially disappointing for CJ to play at a hearing black-oriented convention in the theatre. Less than 20 people showed up total for 3-4 shows.

The most heartbreaking scene was when Robert's mother was in the hospital for the final stages of cancer which spread to her brain. Despite all the attempts with and without interpreter to communicate why he has an interpreter and his attempts to communicate without, he leaves the hospital. His mom passes away without even learning sign a few weeks later, despite him giving her a book on signs some time earlier.

The best parts were watching them perform including audience reactions and interviews. The Beethoven's Nightmare guitarist with the light gray top hat was kinda like a cross between AC/DC's Angus Young (without the extreme antics) and former Guns N Roses guitarist Slash (without the long hair), including other male rockers. TL had her own style that used elements from various female rockers. You have to give her credit for going so far as to make her signing more understandable with GLAD's help.

The post-show Q&A period was interesting, though a little hard to understand in places. It was an interesting treat to see Robert come on stage with Hilari. Outside the theatre, they sold tshirts, and there was mention of the DVD coming out.

Watch this documentary if you can. It's not just ASL-focused, but also has sound and subtitles for those who don't know sign.

Update: They've got a Facebook page!

See What I'm Saying on Facebook

Post-surgery Knees - Part 2

It's getting easier for me to do things here and there. I'm able to walk a bit further than before. It'll be a bit of time before I can walk to the store just up the road as it's a one-way walk at the moment. The contracture is still there a bit, but I'm hoping to have it resolved within a couple of years.

I was out at an ASL dinner not long ago and was in line for about 15-20 minutes. I couldn't stand that long before the surgeries.

I also had to help out in getting a new electric mower working properly since it kept blowing the fuse. When I finally got everything working, I even went so far as to do some mowing, thus being outside and mowing some high grass for about 20 minutes. I was beginning to hurt a little and the left knee was stiffening up a bit. I'm hoping next year I'll be able to mow longer.

Will I be able to get to classes without using the wheelchair, just using the cane? I should know sometime soon.

Funny Moment 3: Oh How Waffle!

There's always going to be days that someone forgets the basic rule of physics when heating up things in the microwave. Never keep a container tightly closed. I just had to make that mistake when I was in the kitchen alone late night some time ago. 30 seconds later after putting a closed and upside down bottle with the last of maple syrup, there's a puddle underneath. All I had to do was open it slightly over the pancakes.

*POP!* Impressive mess.

I just had on shorts and tshirt. I got it all over that plus my legs, the counter, and the floor.

Fortunately, it was an easy 5-minute cleanup and one minute change.

Exercise and the knees - Part 2

There is a park in northern Virginia called Clemyjontri that is designed to be accessible to children of all abilities to play together. Even the adults play as well. I've visited before and after my second knee surgery. It's had around 200,000 visitors a year, making it a very successful park in its own right. People from miles away, even as far away as New York State and Delaware have visited.

There's an interesting side effect to my last visit. It's a rehab facility in a way for me. A seesaw with springs becomes a knee stretcher with someone on the other end. A balance beam with handrails on each other allows me to do a little moving around and stretching my upper leg muscles as well as my being able to move along a narrow path. Another piece of equipment with alternating heights of steps allows me to work on my ability to step up and down on higher/lower steps. A couple other sets allow me to do other exercises.

Sometimes even the right type of playground can become a rehab facility, provided you're there at the right time and kids haven't quite taken over the place.

Post-Surgery Knees

I'm seeing improvements here and there on the right knee and it's nearly there in being straightened. The left one still has the muscle contractures, but is straightening out here and there in little bits.

Two milestones came up...

I spent two hours each on a Saturday and a Sunday with Jamie in the back yard doing some planting. While I was sitting at least part of the time, I was helping out here and there in digging holes with something called a garden weasel and removing rocks as I broke up soil chunks. I was able to do more than I could before and just a little pain.

My sister visited with her family and we walked to the building next door which has a playground in back then back to the house. It was a little difficult, but no pain. I probably could walk around the building quite soon.

Hearing Aids vs Humans

I had to laugh when I read Eh? Huh? What?'s blog on What Not To Do With Your Hearing Aids.

I've had my share of broken tubing including ones that just plain split. In the split case, I was in class in high school and it was whistling the entire time. At the end of class, my interpreter told me. I wondered why no one told me at all.

Whatever happened to saving the dead batteries for recycling? Just fill up a small jar or something like that and go from there. Just don't toss it in the fire. I did that once at this camp and the resulting little explosion was interesting. For years I was wondering how big an explosion a 9V battery would have, as well as the big lantern batteries. A fireplace isn't the place to do it. Then i heard about this deaf camp where a couple kids tossed a couple dead batteries into the fire. Then there were the other kids who threw their batteries into the fire, even though they were still good.

Even I'm guilty of putting my hearing aid(s) into my pocket. I had a fairly good excuse when I was going to a local amusement park. It's great for when you're on the roller coaster. But I'd forgotten the plastic baggie and had to get a bag from a food counter when I was going to get on one of the wet water rides... Heck, best to double-bag just to keep the hearing aids dry. Most ride attendants won't even know what to do with them if you give it to them. It's rather easy to put them on the shelf, where a rider could easily toss something there, thus get crushed or dropped into the water...

Cleaning your earmolds with unconventional tools? What's wrong with using a pin (sewing or safety)? Sometimes even I've had to blow the tubing clear in some public places, hiding it in my hands and make it look like I'm blowing into them.

Post-Surgery Right Knee - Part 5

A lot has happened since I posted Part 4. I'm done with physical therapy and the right knee has improved quite a bit, but isn't quite completely straight. I still use the local rec center's pool and hot tub with some stretches in and outside the hot tub. I still use the heating pad as well.

Walking around the house has improved, though I'm still a bit off-balance due to the left knee. That should improve over time as it straightens out. The surgical scar's still a bit red, but that will improve.

I got some walking challenges ahead of me... There's a building nearby that has some seats outside that I've walked around before the second surgery. I'm hoping that by the end of summer, I can walk around it without too much trouble.

The snow piles we had from that big snowfall last month are mostly gone. At the local metro/subway stop, there was this large pile that reached up to the second level of the parking garage. It's now about half that size. There was this big snowfall in Illinois around 1982 that had a large snow pile about 12-15 feet high. The local kids dug a cave at the bottom and a tunnel at the top.

Exercise and the knees

Another thing Marie of Booktoots's Weblog posted was Don’t Stop Exercising After A TKR. I'm still going through physical therapy, and may go through it for another 2-3 months. I should be able to walk around the building next door maybe around 3 months if not sooner with the assistance of a cane. I can see her point in saying that we shouldn't stop exercising. Walking is probably the best thing to do after this and even way afterwards. I had arthroscopies some years ago, and was a delivery driver around that time. That meant a lot of walking and using steps. That probably helped me out in getting back to walking quickly.

My doing water walking and using the hot tub at the local rec center before the second surgery most likely did a great job in my being able to walk further than I did the first time and head on home. After the first surgery, I couldn't even go far out of the hospital room and went on to a rehab facility for 3 weeks.

Either way, one thing that's been recommended by doctors and therapists is a heating pad. Wrap it around your thigh in a way that even the knee joint will get the benefit of warmth. Use a medium heat setting for about 30 minutes, then start doing stretches and other exercises. Using a hot tub or similar can have the same benefits. Electric blankets may sound like a good idea, but they most likely won't do as good a job as the pads. The ones measuring 12 x 24 are an excellent size. I use the medium setting for 20-30 minutes. This would be the second setting in a 3- or 4- setting control. Any higher and burns may occur in the surgical area.

I'm still not quite there in terms of pedaling a bike. I tried at therapy, but wasn't able to do the full cycle on a stationary. I'll try again, this time adjusting the seat higher.

Related post - Post-Knee Surgery Exercises.

I'm using a leg press during therapy, using 60 pounds, doing 3 sets of 15 repetitions. Check with your therapist if you're allowed to do this and what to use.