Its been twelve days since my epidural steroid injection and the burning question on everybody's minds: Is the pain gone?
Sadly, no, not completely. It is greatly reduced, though, and this is great news! Case in point, I am able to sit here and type without any significant pain. In fact, sitting down tends to be more comfortable than standing. I've been off pain-killers of any sort for ten days now and am hoping I can keep it that way. Things are usually still a bit uncomfortable at the end of the day and I try to spend that time laying down and reading if I can. I would guess this is the most pain free I have been since the injury; praise God!
That said, I'm still not able to bike or really have much of an active life. I can now walk at a normal pace and get up and down stairs easily enough but that's it right now. I'm still looking into getting another shot or two to see if that plus physical therpay can get us all the way there. IDD therapy is also a possibility but I'll only do that after the shot don't work AND I can figure out this insurance stuff. The other good news is that lately the pain has been more in my lower back rather than in my leg. This movement of the pain is a result the physical therapists have been hoping to see for a while. Apparently, when the pain moves to the point of injury, it is a very good sign that things are healing up. I'm continuing to do physical therapy regularly and am hoping and praying that this will heal on its own without much more hassle.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Beyond 35mm
To most people, film photography and 35mm are virtually synonymous, and for good reason. As many a photography historian has noted, "35mm won the format war". 35mm was and is the culmination of a long history of progressively smaller and smaller pieces of film used by photographers. And with digital, it could be argued that the trend continues as the cameras and their "film" (digital sensors) continue to shrink in size. It may surprise you to know that even though the mainstream has moved to 35mm and beyond (below?), there are still a significant number of photographers working in those historic larger pieces of film; this is the realm of medium- and large-format photography.
Now, you might have actually seen medium-format photography before and just not realized it. Many wedding and event photographers continue to use medium-format for prints that will need to be enlarged to 11" x 17" and larger. The larger pieces of film allow more information to be stored and for enlargements to be made with out graininess (resolution) bringing significant distortion to the image. Medium-format film comes in a variety of shapes and sizes with the two most popular being 6cm x 6cm and 6cm x 4.5cm (35mm film is around 36mm x 24mm). The film comes in spools similar to that of conventional 35mm film and is readily available in most photography shops. Medium format cameras come in many shapes and sizes the most common being the familiar SLR, yesteryear's TLR and not-so-compact rangefinders.
Large-format, though, is a different beast all together. The film comes in sheets that are individually loaded into the camera. Common film sizes are 4" x 5" and 8" x 10". Setting up a shot can easily take 30 minutes. The cameras themselves are monsters and look like some relic from the 19th century, and to some extent, they are. Take a look look. Hoods, bellows, wooden frames, the cameras in and of themselves tend to be works of art. Believe it or not, these cameras are still actively used by number of professionals that usually have unique requirements that can only be satisfied by this format.
One, if you need resolution, these are the cameras to use. Nothing, digital or analog, comes close. Imagine taking a picture where the negative is roughly the size of a sheet of notebook paper. There is a lot of information stored on that film and the enlargement potentials are incredible. Landscape photographers love these cameras for this reason.
Two, because the film comes in sheets, each individual image can be developed and processed uniquely. This is where the art of traditional chemical photography can shine, an art of which I have virtually no knowledge (more on that later). These first two reasons are what allowed many well known photographers (the most famous being Ansel Adams) to achieve absolutely incredible prints. That and they are all extremely talented artists.
Three, due to the ability to move the film with respect to the lens, to is possible to do some unique things with the perspective and focus of the image. Common applications are making skyscrapers stand up tall instead of bending to the center of the frame and allow long table to food to be entirely in focus. If this doesn't make sense to you or seem that impressive then don't worry about it. Suffice it to say, some photography niches have need of such things.
What does this have to do with me? Well, the other night I had a dream that I was using a large-format camera while in the mountains taking some pretty darn cool pictures. When I woke up and realized I had taken no such pictures now had I ever even used one of these cameras I got to thinking. Wouldn't that be cool to learn all this neat stuff about traditional black-and-white photography? You know, get a darkroom set-up, develop my own negatives, make my own prints. I could get one of these larger-format cameras and even if I didn't do any enlargements still have some great pictures. This would be a great way for me to learn a lot of the basic techniques that my modern digital SLR has allowed me to gloss over. At this point, the do-it-yourself in me was jumping up and down and was encouraging my artistic nature to get in on the fun.
Will this happen? Probably not. A new large-format camera costs $700 minimum. I don't have any place for a dark-room. Medium format, though, holds some potential, as older used TLRs can be had for $100. Not cheap, cheap, but not expensive, either. Seeing as how I'm in the midst of planning a wedding and all right now, I don't think it will happen anytime soon. I would relish the opportunity to live out some of the dream I had and maybe it will happen someday. For now, I read books about the old arts and pretend that someday I too will have images as striking and beautiful as the masters of yesteryear.
Now, you might have actually seen medium-format photography before and just not realized it. Many wedding and event photographers continue to use medium-format for prints that will need to be enlarged to 11" x 17" and larger. The larger pieces of film allow more information to be stored and for enlargements to be made with out graininess (resolution) bringing significant distortion to the image. Medium-format film comes in a variety of shapes and sizes with the two most popular being 6cm x 6cm and 6cm x 4.5cm (35mm film is around 36mm x 24mm). The film comes in spools similar to that of conventional 35mm film and is readily available in most photography shops. Medium format cameras come in many shapes and sizes the most common being the familiar SLR, yesteryear's TLR and not-so-compact rangefinders.
Large-format, though, is a different beast all together. The film comes in sheets that are individually loaded into the camera. Common film sizes are 4" x 5" and 8" x 10". Setting up a shot can easily take 30 minutes. The cameras themselves are monsters and look like some relic from the 19th century, and to some extent, they are. Take a look look. Hoods, bellows, wooden frames, the cameras in and of themselves tend to be works of art. Believe it or not, these cameras are still actively used by number of professionals that usually have unique requirements that can only be satisfied by this format.
One, if you need resolution, these are the cameras to use. Nothing, digital or analog, comes close. Imagine taking a picture where the negative is roughly the size of a sheet of notebook paper. There is a lot of information stored on that film and the enlargement potentials are incredible. Landscape photographers love these cameras for this reason.
Two, because the film comes in sheets, each individual image can be developed and processed uniquely. This is where the art of traditional chemical photography can shine, an art of which I have virtually no knowledge (more on that later). These first two reasons are what allowed many well known photographers (the most famous being Ansel Adams) to achieve absolutely incredible prints. That and they are all extremely talented artists.
Three, due to the ability to move the film with respect to the lens, to is possible to do some unique things with the perspective and focus of the image. Common applications are making skyscrapers stand up tall instead of bending to the center of the frame and allow long table to food to be entirely in focus. If this doesn't make sense to you or seem that impressive then don't worry about it. Suffice it to say, some photography niches have need of such things.
What does this have to do with me? Well, the other night I had a dream that I was using a large-format camera while in the mountains taking some pretty darn cool pictures. When I woke up and realized I had taken no such pictures now had I ever even used one of these cameras I got to thinking. Wouldn't that be cool to learn all this neat stuff about traditional black-and-white photography? You know, get a darkroom set-up, develop my own negatives, make my own prints. I could get one of these larger-format cameras and even if I didn't do any enlargements still have some great pictures. This would be a great way for me to learn a lot of the basic techniques that my modern digital SLR has allowed me to gloss over. At this point, the do-it-yourself in me was jumping up and down and was encouraging my artistic nature to get in on the fun.
Will this happen? Probably not. A new large-format camera costs $700 minimum. I don't have any place for a dark-room. Medium format, though, holds some potential, as older used TLRs can be had for $100. Not cheap, cheap, but not expensive, either. Seeing as how I'm in the midst of planning a wedding and all right now, I don't think it will happen anytime soon. I would relish the opportunity to live out some of the dream I had and maybe it will happen someday. For now, I read books about the old arts and pretend that someday I too will have images as striking and beautiful as the masters of yesteryear.
Epidural
Well, this morning I had an epidural injection of steroids in attempt to reduce swelling of my herniated disc. I can't tell you much about the procedure since I was laying on my belly for all of it but here's what I do know. I was first injected with a local anesthetic that numbed my whole lower back. A fluorescing dye was then injected to aid the doctor in finding the effected vertebrae. The doctor then worked a needle into the epidural space in the herniated disc and one in position, gave it a direct shot of steroids. The only parts that hurt at all were the first and the last. I give blood regularly and manage to do OK with needles; the anesthesia injection was fairly painless. When the steroids were actually administered, that was something else. It wasn't too painful, just very different. For about thirty seconds it felt as if my leg was being slowly inflated. And then it was done. The entire procedure took about ten minutes.
The coolest part: they used one of these. You can learn more about it here but let's just call it real-time X-ray amchine to keep things simple. Like I said, I didn't get a chance to see much of it in use but the one quick glance I saw really impressed me. It was this tool that allowed my vertebrae to make sure he got the drugs in the right disc.
As far as results from this treatment go, well, I'll have to wait a few days to see. I'll keep you posted, for sure.
Oh, and I didn't need a sedative of any kind; all the nurses were VERY impressed by this.
No seriously, they were. I could tell.
The coolest part: they used one of these. You can learn more about it here but let's just call it real-time X-ray amchine to keep things simple. Like I said, I didn't get a chance to see much of it in use but the one quick glance I saw really impressed me. It was this tool that allowed my vertebrae to make sure he got the drugs in the right disc.
As far as results from this treatment go, well, I'll have to wait a few days to see. I'll keep you posted, for sure.
Oh, and I didn't need a sedative of any kind; all the nurses were VERY impressed by this.
No seriously, they were. I could tell.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Sunday Night
This past Sunday night was an incredibly wonderful time for me. After helping out with youth group (not necessarily fantastic but it has been a lot worse) I headed over to a prayer meeting for our church's members who were overseas. The meeting started at 7pm and I didn't make it until 7:45 or so.
I don't know why, but I think showing up late put me in a frame of mind where I felt I was coming in after-the-fact, trying to catch-up and seeking to integrate with others. They had started down the path of worship and were well on the way towards getting their hearts in the right spot; I was going to have to be intentional and focussed if I was going to get in-step with them.
Maybe it was the setting of a simple, small gathering. Perhaps it was our unified and clearly defined purpose of praying for the parts of our body that were overseas. I honestly don't know but in only a few minutes I felt that this was going to be a encouraging evening for me, one that I had not experienced in such a way: I was feeling a growing sense of connection with the body of Christ here in the living room.
My time here in Wichita has been like my move to Boise in some ways (and very different in others). One of the most difficult struggles for me in any move is making new friends and it always takes a long time for me to feel like I am connected and a part of the lives of others. Well, not always. Both in college and eventually in Boise God has provided a significant friend who, after interacting for just a few minutes I knew would be somebody with whom I was going to have a significant bond. It is much more usual, though, for me to struggle forming new friendships and this lack of close relationships to be a discouraging and difficult long-term part of my transition.
Within a few minutes of showing up and joining in the singing, though, I knew this evening would be different. In a sense, it felt like finding that significant friend, but having that person be a people. This was the body of Christ, gathered here in praise and united with a common desire to support our friends throughout the world as best we could . Maybe it was realizing my concern and personal responsibility I felt for a specific couple that had recently left River to go overseas was being actively affirmed and echoed by this group. Maybe seeing and hearing the prayers of our people for these two people I dearly love and who need our support demonstrated in a tangible way that I was not alone and had a team in this. This group cared too, and in that we had a true heart-bond. I knew most of those who had gathered decently enough and some I knew fairly well. It didn't take long to realize these were my brothers and sisters.
I was so encouraged and energized. I wanted to go around the room and meet those I didn't know at all. I wanted to express thanks to the young lady who set this up and provided this opportunity. I felt empowered and living by the Spirit; for a brief period of time I was a part of the Body of Christ in a tangibly-realized way.
How I long to make such a connection a regular part of my life. May God do His will with me and make this a reality.
I don't know why, but I think showing up late put me in a frame of mind where I felt I was coming in after-the-fact, trying to catch-up and seeking to integrate with others. They had started down the path of worship and were well on the way towards getting their hearts in the right spot; I was going to have to be intentional and focussed if I was going to get in-step with them.
Maybe it was the setting of a simple, small gathering. Perhaps it was our unified and clearly defined purpose of praying for the parts of our body that were overseas. I honestly don't know but in only a few minutes I felt that this was going to be a encouraging evening for me, one that I had not experienced in such a way: I was feeling a growing sense of connection with the body of Christ here in the living room.
My time here in Wichita has been like my move to Boise in some ways (and very different in others). One of the most difficult struggles for me in any move is making new friends and it always takes a long time for me to feel like I am connected and a part of the lives of others. Well, not always. Both in college and eventually in Boise God has provided a significant friend who, after interacting for just a few minutes I knew would be somebody with whom I was going to have a significant bond. It is much more usual, though, for me to struggle forming new friendships and this lack of close relationships to be a discouraging and difficult long-term part of my transition.
Within a few minutes of showing up and joining in the singing, though, I knew this evening would be different. In a sense, it felt like finding that significant friend, but having that person be a people. This was the body of Christ, gathered here in praise and united with a common desire to support our friends throughout the world as best we could . Maybe it was realizing my concern and personal responsibility I felt for a specific couple that had recently left River to go overseas was being actively affirmed and echoed by this group. Maybe seeing and hearing the prayers of our people for these two people I dearly love and who need our support demonstrated in a tangible way that I was not alone and had a team in this. This group cared too, and in that we had a true heart-bond. I knew most of those who had gathered decently enough and some I knew fairly well. It didn't take long to realize these were my brothers and sisters.
I was so encouraged and energized. I wanted to go around the room and meet those I didn't know at all. I wanted to express thanks to the young lady who set this up and provided this opportunity. I felt empowered and living by the Spirit; for a brief period of time I was a part of the Body of Christ in a tangibly-realized way.
How I long to make such a connection a regular part of my life. May God do His will with me and make this a reality.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
2:88?
Very much by accident, tonight I discovered my microwave considers a 2:88 a valid cook time. I meant to punch in 2:00 but managed to miss the zero and hit eight twice instead. Without even thinking I hit the "Start" button and watched in amazement as a totally nonsensical time counted down. The oven behaved just as you might expect: it counted down eighty-eight seconds before decrementing the minutes from two to one; 2:88 lead to 2:00 lead to 1:59. Growing up, we would routinely heated water for ninety seconds (instead of 1:30) but I honestly never though of trying something like this.
How about you? What does your microwave do if you try 2:88?
How about you? What does your microwave do if you try 2:88?
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Moving
Sorry for being, uhmmm, well I was going to say "abnormally absent" but I fear my posting-absence is a bit more normal than I would care for it to be. The cause for this latest outage......moving.
All of my Wichita possessions are now at our new address 1028 W Murdock. Most of it is still in boxes and I am slowly working on finding things permanent homes. Well, maybe not permanent; more like temporary homes until Katie moves in and we re-arrange everything again. Oh, here's the obligatory Google maps satellite photo: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Wichita,+KS&ll=37.697294,-97.350942&spn=0.002712,0.006856&t=k We're in the brown house on the corner in the dead center of the map. As if that will help. Just smile and nod.
This new duplex in which Katie and I are going to be starting our married life out, well, it has some character. It's definitely an older house, probably built in the 40s or so definitely during a time when houses were built a bit less cookie-cutter style: no hallways, really, non-standard door sizes, things like that. One of the coolest things, though, is the stairwell:
The landing splits both directions! You can hang a left into the living room or go right into the laundry/pantry area. I don't think I have ever seen a stairwell like this but I've actually had a dream about something like this before. Actually, the images I remember from my dream (it was a number of years ago) are eerily similar to what we have here.
The only downside to the stairwell is that it is a tunnel; the ceiling is a fixed height from the stairs the whole way down. In general, I consider this another fun bit of character. The one downside we've discovered so far, though, is that it makes for a tight fit when it comes to furniture. We found out that we couldn't fit the box-springs for our new queen-size bed up the stairwell AT ALL. (Fortunately, they actually make a split box-spring for queen-size mattresses, just like the do for king-size. Thank God.)
Other cool things: old school heater vents, stacked washer and dryer, basement (usable as a tornado shelter and not much else), large living room, dining room, and master bedroom, and an extra guest room/office. The rent is right at the upper-limit of our budget but for one year, we can swing it. We are quite thankful to have this place; its very close to where we live now (second obligatory Google maps satellite photo: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Wichita,+KS&t=k&ll=37.694089,-97.344586&spn=0.002712,0.006856&t=k Large brown apartment buildings in the center of the maps.)
All of my Wichita possessions are now at our new address 1028 W Murdock. Most of it is still in boxes and I am slowly working on finding things permanent homes. Well, maybe not permanent; more like temporary homes until Katie moves in and we re-arrange everything again. Oh, here's the obligatory Google maps satellite photo: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Wichita,+KS&ll=37.697294,-97.350942&spn=0.002712,0.006856&t=k We're in the brown house on the corner in the dead center of the map. As if that will help. Just smile and nod.
This new duplex in which Katie and I are going to be starting our married life out, well, it has some character. It's definitely an older house, probably built in the 40s or so definitely during a time when houses were built a bit less cookie-cutter style: no hallways, really, non-standard door sizes, things like that. One of the coolest things, though, is the stairwell:
The landing splits both directions! You can hang a left into the living room or go right into the laundry/pantry area. I don't think I have ever seen a stairwell like this but I've actually had a dream about something like this before. Actually, the images I remember from my dream (it was a number of years ago) are eerily similar to what we have here.
The only downside to the stairwell is that it is a tunnel; the ceiling is a fixed height from the stairs the whole way down. In general, I consider this another fun bit of character. The one downside we've discovered so far, though, is that it makes for a tight fit when it comes to furniture. We found out that we couldn't fit the box-springs for our new queen-size bed up the stairwell AT ALL. (Fortunately, they actually make a split box-spring for queen-size mattresses, just like the do for king-size. Thank God.)
Other cool things: old school heater vents, stacked washer and dryer, basement (usable as a tornado shelter and not much else), large living room, dining room, and master bedroom, and an extra guest room/office. The rent is right at the upper-limit of our budget but for one year, we can swing it. We are quite thankful to have this place; its very close to where we live now (second obligatory Google maps satellite photo: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Wichita,+KS&t=k&ll=37.694089,-97.344586&spn=0.002712,0.006856&t=k Large brown apartment buildings in the center of the maps.)
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