Friday . . . no, wait, Saturday Injured Random Ten

[collisionwork]

What the hell day is it?

Completely lost track of yesterday being Friday, and missed doing the Random Ten. Was at The Brick for a moderately early tech yesterday, then spent the rest of the day there helping other shows and trying to spend time on my lines for Ten Nights, without much success there (lots of distractions come up). Last night we rehearsed on the riverbarge itself, which was quite something, and today we go up at 4.00 pm.

We'll be good, I just have one problem - I really really REALLY hurt my ankle last night, and it's difficult to walk. Actually, for a couple of hours, it was impossible to walk. It felt like I dislocated it (is that even possible? it felt just like dislocating a knee, which I know all too well) - I just took a step to move a set piece, something went "pop" and then felt like it "popped" back into place, but it left me hopping. I spent the rest of rehearsal directing and throwing my lines in from a recumbent position in the first row. As when something like this has happened before, it becomes painful to try and direct while like this - I realize that I'm actually a pretty active director, and I want to be on my feet, moving around, gesturing, demonstrating, pacing. Sitting (or lying) down and trying to direct feels horribly, painfully restrictive. Still got it done, just with annoyance and imprecision.

Cold packs have improved things somewhat - actually, I just stood up to test it after writing that and I can now put weight on the foot without pain, I just can't move it much. I can now walk with a bad limp, which is better than the hopping and Igor-foot-dragging I was reduced to last night.

So, my character, Mr. Romaine, in Ten Nights walks with a cane now. Works just fine for him.

So, here's what's came up this morning on the iPod while checking blogs and icing the ankle:

1. "Rolf Torring" - Gert Wilden & Orchestra - I Told You Not To Cry
2. "Louisiana 1927" - Randy Newman - Good Old Boys
3. "Baby Workout" - Jackie Wilson - Land of 1000 Dances vol. 2
4. "Tar Kissers" - Throwing Muses - Limbo
5. "High Flying Bird" - The Ill Wind - Flashes
6. "Catherine's Wheel" - Denny Laine - Psychedalia: Rare Blooms from the English Summer of Love
7. "Lions After Summer" - Scritti Politi - Early
8. "Please Love Me" - Ike & Tina Turner - Bold Soul Sister
9. "Something Living Under My Bed" - Riot .303 - Crowd Control 7" EP
10. "Fish on the Sand" - George Harrison - Cloud Nine

Berit's still out cold, so I'll hop and cane myself over to Alice & Ben's deli next door for some breakfast and coffee fixins - we're out of everything here, been so busy with the Clown Fest and Ten Nights the home hasn't been maintained too well. It'll be a good test to see if I can pull off this "walking" thing . . .

Comments

[silverplate88.livejournal.com]

You can tear up an ankle ligament that way; you don't say how heavy the set piece was, but even a light one can throw you off balance enough that your body weight doesn't come down on your ankle the way it should --- sounds like a case of spontaneous dislocation. If you've torn off a piece of ligament, it's going to atrophy and cause joint trouble later on --- when I did that, they used some simple surgery. "Turning" your ankle means the weight has not come down onto it correctly, you temporarily lose your balance and skitter sideways, but there's no sound of popping in and popping back.

Sounds like you did exactly the right things: took all the weight off it and applied icepacks to reduce the swelling. A commercial elastic bandage might help support it for the show: they make form-fitting ones and longer, narrow-strip-type ones that you can wind yourself up with and position the pressure exactly where you need it for the support.

My RX would be [in all your spare time, I know !!] to rest it as much as you possibly can and even wear the bandage as a costume element tonight ...

The far-out option: you sit in the front row, applauding wildly, as you watch Berit doing Mr. Romaine in drag?

[silverplate88.livejournal.com]

And now that it's Tuesday, have you gotten your two ankles back?