Ross McElwee Soothes the Ankle

I managed to get to work today for a couple hours, even though I woke to alot of pain. My foot has swollen even more... my toes look like little purple vienna sausages. I can't really drive with my foot & ankle like this, but work is only two blocks away, so I can manage. It's no more painful than trying to hobble to the kitchen and it's alot less painful than trying to take a shower.

I found someone at work to drive me back to the urgent care clinic to pick up some crutches since putting weight on my foot has become more difficult. I thought I was just going to run in and pick up the crutches, but the doctor wanted to see my foot again. She seemed even more concerned about it and was relieved to hear that I actually made the appointment to see an orthopaedist. Apparently, there had been alot of discussion among several doctors about the bones in my foot. It seems like there may be another trouble area. Who knew that tripping on stairs could cause so much damage?

But she said that in all likelihood that the treatment for the fracture(s) would be wearing this ankle brace for a longer period of time or getting a cast. Let's hope that's all it is. Tomorrow, my dad is coming to take me to the orthopaedic clinic and then we are going grocery shopping. Woo hoo!

I have been confined to this polka-dotted chair and ottoman on which I have four bed pillows stacked in an effort to get my ankle elevated over my head. My doctor said that I am supposed to be lying flat on my back and have my leg elevated with pillows. Uh... no. So, instead I sit in my new favorite chair watching TV, working, sending emails, and reading. But the most exciting activity during these ankle days has been watching Ross McElwee's films.

On Sunday right before this happened, I passed Ross McElwee who was napping in the hotel lobby of the Marriott. He was awarded the Full Frame Career Award and during the ceremony, I became more and more fascinated with him. Michael Moore said that there would be no Roger and Me if he hadn't seen Sherman's March first. When I discovered McElwee napping on Sunday, I was dying to take a picture of him with my camera phone. But since I still don't know how to use my phone, I thought if I tried to figure it out, McElwee would probably wake up and tell me to get lost. I keep thinking about McElwee napping on that couch and how funny it would have been for me to capture it on my camera. So I have been going through my DVD box set of his documentaries.

Right now, I am about halfway through Time Indefinite. He is such a brilliant filmmaker. Today, I feel inspired by the way he seems to find beauty in the everyday. I find myself getting lost in his films because each shot seems deliberate yet subtle and contains some sort of beauty or emotion whether it's Charleen describing her house or a shot of the trees above a hammock.

The color of the sky across my street above the Mexican restaurant just now was very beautiful. And the vibrant green of the overgrown bushes outside my bedroom window is one of my favorite things these days.