People are like that, Hil. I travel now with a blown out knee and no cane, and people aren't nearly as understanding. And I have a limp to show--you have nothing.

I need to bitch--Lunesta is just the nothingest sleep aid. If it is helping, I'm really badly off, because it takes an hour to get to sleep, and it's terribly shallow sleep. I'm awake before 4 am and forcing myself to keep lying down almost every morning.

Oh ita, I know that pain. Many peaceful sleep vibes coming your way.

Bartleby ran into traffic during our first year together. By the grace of God, I remembered what I had learned to do...turn in the direction I wanted him to go, cheerfully called his name, clapped and ran.

This frozen calm came over me as I ran and a voice said, "Either I won't see him die, or, when I stop, he'll be right behind me." You know the end of the story. In the ensuing years, I've taught perhaps a hundred pet people that simple rule. It always works. Thank God.

Usually, smiling and asking cutely helps a bit with not getting glares. Today, by the time I finally got on the planes (long story, and about to go to bed -- will tell of my ridiculous travel day tomorrow), I was just too tired for anything beyond, "Excuse me, could you help me get my bag, please?" (I figure the "excuse me" and "please" are the bare minimum of politeness required there.)

Ack - fie upon these unhelpful people! WTF?

(ita, is a cane too cumbersome? Because I could totally see you wielding some kind of cane-shaped object of doom - I mean, it's practically a free pass to carry a weapon!)

Ultram is my painkiller of choice. It doesn't make me nauseated or as loopy as percocet or darvocet or even codeine. I loves my tramadol.

Cashmere is me! Tramadol has saved me on more than one occasion!

In the ensuing years, I've taught perhaps a hundred pet people that simple rule. It always works. Thank God.

This is a serious question, not a snotty one...have you ever worked with Terriers? Because I've tried that rule, and it doesn't work with Toto...especially when he's in the middle of one of his hysterical barking fits, which was the case yesterday. He was going to GET that car, and nothing was going to stop him.

Oh, Hil! I'm glad your presentation went well but so sorry that people were not as kind as they could have been.

Statistics makes me feel stupid. I just had to google the order of operations, to check myself on something, and I'm still not sure of that if I did it right.

As for Not Helping Others, why yes, and plenty of them. Only when I were outboard I noticed how much more helpful strangers seemed to be. That's not to say that you won't get help if you'll ask for it (and look fragile while doing so), as much as the notion that you have to fight even through the procedural process of secure your sit on the bus.

vw, that's scary as hell.

I'm trying to explain my musical fandom why I keep replacing AW (Afghan Whigs) and AU (Alternate Universe), AI (American Idol) and (Angel Investigations) and slash (what we love) with Slash (dude with creepy sense of style), and they don't understand. It's frustrating.

And now, to Statistics, and the OED.

I just had to google the order of operations,

Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally! (Parentheses, Exponent, Multiplication/Division, Addition/Subtraction.)

You're useful and I like you.

(Parentheses! It's the damn parentheses! I knew it couldn't be right, not with the minus I had in them!).

Also, wow, lots of dictionary usage in math terms.

First night I made it through without waking up and on only one Percoset. It's a start, although I was really sore when I woke up first thing.

VH-1 still shows videos. Who knew? I think I'll be watching movies today. I have Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day and Bull Durham at the top of the queue.

And Hil, I'm glad your presentation went well and that you made it home okay. Also sorry that people suck so about simple human courtesy.

Miss Pettigrew is fun, Barb!

As far as PK's go, I took Lortab/APAP for about 3 weeks after surgery; I have a pretty high med tolerance. Ultram is a good suggestion -- it might make you a touch sleepy, but not so looped. I can take TYlenol with codiene all day long and have nothing but a mild bennie over plain Tylenol.

Either option might be worth trying. Don't be shy about trying to make it through, too. My doc was all "Sure!" when I refilled mine the 2nd week.

ita, HAVE you tried Ambien? Will it not go with your meds. I know quite a few people for whom Lunesta has been of the laugh. Only sleep med that is worse is Rozeram.