The Lascivious Biddies

The Lascivious Biddies do a most sensual number call Salt on their Get Lucky CD. I heard it on the Tango Eternal! Episode #13 podcast. I recommend you download this episode and give it a listen, Salt is 4:19 into the podcast.

Generally I don't listen to songs but these chicks tickle my ears. Check them out on MySpace.

Celtic Tribute to Led Zeppelin

Pete Grant turned us on to a new recording tonight during the AcoustiCelts practice; Celtic Tribute to Led Zeppelin: Long Ago and Far Away. Like Wake The Dead launching from the Grateful Dead's music, this group artfully sets Led Zeppelin tunes with trad Irish tunes.

Check out the various YouTube recordings from the album. Below is one of these YouTube "videos", very nice set with Stairway To Heaven and Star of Munster.

Speedway, Fast Fridays

I joined Dick and his motorcycle buddy at Fast Fridays, Auburn Speedway, last night for a few hours of short track motorcycle racing.

I really enjoyed myself and plan on going back. I was surprised how exciting some of the races were.

Recommend using ear protection. I used my taiko drum ear plugs, they worked great; knocked down the motorcycle roar while still being able to hear conversations.

Hip replacement surgery info

Starting to plan for my right hip surgery. Asking professionals I know to reach out to their contacts about pre/post surgery training and secondarily about surgeons/hospitals to stay away from.

Every person I have talked to raves about how great their hips feel after the surgery. I never hear anything negative ("I had the best surgeon."). I think that just about anybody doing a fair number of hip replacements a year is going to be fine.

What I am looking for the someone that uses the newer minimally invasive, 2 inch, technique (MIS). Not everyone has been trained and it may not be covered by insurance yet, all this needs to be investigated.

• Medical New Today for breaking news
• SmartBone.org
• DePuy Orthopaedics
• National Library of Medicine
• Hip Replacement Physical Therapy Tutorial
• Minimally Invasive Total Hip Replacement

Terms

• Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) with Computer-Assisted Navigation (CAN) allows the surgeon to perform the hip replacement through one or two smaller incisions.
• Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA); complete hip replacement surgery.
• Direct Anterior Approach (DAA)
• Venous Thromboembolism (VTE); potentially fatal blood clot, risk of occurrence is greater after THA.
• Short Term Recovery; patient no longer needs walking aids and can walk around the house without pain--in addition to being able to walk two blocks around the house without pain or resting. Short-term recovery also involves getting off major pain killers and having a full night's sleep without pills. (4 to 6 weeks)
• Long Term Recovery; complete healing of surgical wounds and internal soft tissues. When a patient can return to work and the activities of daily living, they are on the way to achieving the full term of recovery. Another indicator is when the patient finally feels normal again. (6 months)

Facts

• Patients who had complete hip replacement surgery, or total hip arthroplasty, had better success at preventing venous thromboembolism if they used extended duration rivaroxaban. From 9.3% down to 2% chance of death.
• Serious complications, such as joint infection, occur in less than 2% of patients. (Hanssen, A.D., et al., “Evaluation and Treatment of Infection at the Site of Total Hip or Knee Arthroplasty,” JBJS, pp. 910-922) Besides infection, possible complications include blood clots, lung congestion or pneumonia.
• Physical therapy within the first six weeks is also very important. Most of the exercises for hip replacement patients can be done at home. Patients are encouraged to see physical therapy as an integral part of their recovery and the more serious patients are about their daily exercises, the quicker they tend to return to their normal activities.
• Avoid bend the hip joint over 90 degree after surgery. How long it this going to be ill advised, what can I expect in terms of range of motion after complete recovery?
• Researchers...found that only five of the 124 cement-less metal Harris-Galante implants used to replace the bone that fits into the hip socket had failed over two decades in the patients under review...

Quilt in use

Beware the cat with a wolf's eyes.

I love to see my quilts used by the people I give them to. If you don't understand the quote, click on the picture.

Tango Eternal! blog

I just discovered this Tango music podcast on iTunes, Tango Eternal!

Primarily old recordings of the real stuff. Nice that she doesn't talk a lot so you can listen to the music over and over again.

This is what Dean and Marlyn gave me for Fathers Day this morning.

Street in Lucignano, Italy
Nancy Holtz

It is an ink and watercolor original by Nancy Holtz. I discovered her two months ago when the AcoustiCelts played for the Placer Arts Counsel Art Walk. This iPhone photograph doesn't do it justice, you'll have to come over and see it for yourself.

Storing Tomatoes

Storing a tomato stem-end down (room temperature is best) prevents air from entering and moisture from exiting its scar, prolonging shelf life.

We’ve (ATK) heard that storing a tomato with its stem end facing down can prolong shelf life. To test this theory, we placed one batch of tomatoes stem-end up and another stem-end down and stored them at room temperature. A week later, nearly all the stem-down tomatoes remained in perfect condition, while the stem-up tomatoes had shriveled and started to mold.

Why the difference? We surmised that the scar left on the tomato skin where the stem once grew provides both an escape for moisture and an entry point for mold and bacteria. Placing a tomato stem-end down blocks air from entering and moisture from exiting the scar.

To confirm this theory, we ran another test, this time comparing tomatoes stored stem-end down with another batch stored stem-end up, but with a piece of tape sealing off their scars. The taped, stem-end-up tomatoes survived just as well as the stem-end-down batch.