Projects, Politics, and Pedaling

I blinked and February was gone!

I have a confession: I've been watching an embarrassingly large amount of curling videos on YouTube. Now that I understand some of the strategies (there's still much that goes over my head), I find it fascinating to watch. 

I've been experiencing excessive knee pain lately. I know that curling doesn't help the matter but this began before I ever joined a curling league. I'm concerned it may possibly be related to the statin (Rosuvastatin, aka Crestor) I've been taking to manage my cholesterol level. There are reports of the kind of pain I'm experiencing as a side effect of the drug. My right knee has been a problem for me since high school when I tore the meniscus in it (twice in two months) but I've managed to keep it mostly healthy through exercise (and arthroscopic surgery in 1991). But back in December, before curling was ever a thing for me, I developed aggravating knee pain in my right knee that limited how hard I could push myself on my indoor bike trainer. And now the pain has begun to affect my healthy left knee. I decided to stop taking the statin one week ago and already I'm experiencing less pain in my knees. I'm still mostly soft-pedaling my rides but there's noticeable improvement.

I've been on Rosuvastatin for one year and I prefer to remain on it because it's done well at lowering my overall cholesterol value from 208 to 164 but being able to live my life actively is also a consideration of mine. I'll check with my doctor about an alternative med.

It's been a couple of weeks since I've turned out any new stained glass pieces. My Etsy site has some inventory once again so that's no longer my focus. I've been working on a design for the openings (15 total) above our kitchen and front room cabinetry. I've got some ideas I'm working with but I'm a little stuck. I would like to keep the design fairly simple, keeping in mind that less is sometimes more. They will be in the vein of Mission / Prairie Style. 

It's an election year and because I care about our form of democracy continuing, I'm anxious about the outcome of not only the presidential race but down-ballot races as well—even the Secretary of State races that nobody ever had to concern themselves about until election deniers began infiltrating our election process and before radicalized conservatives began issuing threats to election officials and volunteer poll workers as a way of intimidating them to give up their positions. It seems so strange to be writing about our democracy continuing but for those paying attention and not steeped in conservative propaganda, it's a real concern. 

The Supreme Court of the United States is going to take up the immunity case that Trump wants his lawyers to present; the one where he could literally have his opponent killed and not suffer consequences for his actions. But while many are upset (and rightly so) that this will cause even more delays in a case that needs to be heard before the November election, it's doubtful that it will. Rather than the case (referring to the federal elections interference case) being tried in court with facts and witnesses, it's going to be tried in a sea of conservative propaganda that bears no resemblance to the facts of the matter. Again, I have to ask: for a man who is clearly innocent of the "witch hunt" that this case and other cases against him represent, why is he so fearful of going before a judge and jury to clear his name?

Ukraine is losing ground in its war with Russia while MAGA Republicans in Congress withhold aid meant to help Ukrainians defend themselves. It's unbelievable watching conservatives not only side with Putin (by their actions) but also help in spreading his propaganda. It came out two weeks ago that the central figure in Republicans' impeachment case against Biden was actually a guy with connections to Russian operatives whose claims about the "Biden crime family" had no basis in fact—just Russian propaganda. Conservative media put this propaganda on blast to their viewers. If that’s what they rely on to be informed, they don’t stand a chance of knowing the truth. And for most, it’s willful ignorance.

One of Tammy's and my guilty pleasures this time of year is American Idol. This woman's performance recently stole the show. While some of the talent is exceptional, for us, it's also about the stories of the contestants and some of the hardships they've faced in their young lives to get to where they are.

Extra credit reading here, here, and here.

I made it out for a few hours on my gravel bike last Monday. It felt nice to be riding gravel again. I've also been getting out on lots of walks as our mildest of winters continues.

That's all I've got.