The Final Countdown

My knee operation is one day away now. I’ve been avoiding writing about it because I’ve not really been thinking about it. Not too much, anyway.

It’s odd to think that my knee is in bad nick at the moment, but I can get about, bend it normally, kneel down, stand up and all that without much of a problem. I’ve even played football and basketball on it without realising that I shouldn’t have been. This time tomorrow, the operation to make it better will have finished and I’ll barely be able to move it at all.

That reminds me. Must cut my toenails while I still can.

The recovery’s going to be an interesting old process. Ella’s away, so I’ll be on my own. Solitude sometimes sends me a bit funny. Solitude plus painkillers will probably even things out a bit.

My doctor’s told me that I’ll need to rest for at least two weeks after the op. This means that I’ll need to find things to do while I sit with my leg up. Of course, there’s the World Cup, so I’m expecting to get into a routine of going to bed at about 5am, which is when the late kick-offs finish. There are still plenty of non-football hours to fill, though.

I’ve bought loads of CDs and DVDs to keep me entertained. While I’m writing about that, if you like American lo-fi noiseniks (whatever that means) then Sonic Youth’s new album, Rather Ripped, is a little gem. Listening to Rather Ripped brought back memories of listening to Daydream Nation when I was about 15. I was briefly transported back into my 15 year old self. I managed to escape.

The last Sonic Youth album I listened to was Dirty in 1992, which had some brilliant songs on it. Perhaps I need to buy the ten albums I've missed since then. Snow Patrol’s new album is possibly even better than the last one. Gnarls Barkley is also top notch, although I expect you’re all a bit sick of him in Britain.

There are loads of black and white films out on DVD here with Chinese subtitles for about the equivalent of one pound fifty. I’ve got a few Hitchcocks – I’m building up quite a collection now - and some famous films that I’ve never seen like “Brief Encounter”, “Goodbye Mr Chips” and the original “Mr Deeds Goes To Town”. I got a couple of Sherlock Holmes movies from the 1940s with Basil Rathbone playing Holmes too. Winner. I’ve also bought some more modern stuff that I’ve never seen like Scarface, Garden State, Chinatown and The Merchant of Venice with Pacino.

However, what with the football and the fact that I’ll be editing another film for work while I’m at home, I don’t think I’m going to have much time to watch many of them. I’m being sent some marking to do as well. Hurrah!

I’ll be writing a fair bit, I’d have thought, and I’ll probably do a video diary. That’ll be a laugh. I have about six books to read.

The furniture has been rearranged because of my lack of mobility. I’ve made lots of meals which I’ve frozen. The fridge has beer in it.

As you can see, I’m determined not to be idle. At least, not mentally. It’s all very well to make these plans, though, but various people who know people who know people who’ve had the same operation as me keep talking about pain and drowsiness and things. At the moment, though, I’m being positive. I’ll get loads done.

My first goal is to be home 24 hours later, which will enable me to watch the England v Sweden game which kicks off at 2am my time. Again, people who know about things like operations think I might not be able to wake up for it. They keep suggesting that I’ll be groggy and sleepy and tired and miserable. Which is how watching England makes me feel, actually, so I definitely have to get up. Two minuses equal a plus, right?

On Friday, my colleagues were asking me about the op. When I said it was taking place early evening, one of them made that sucking in of breath noise that mechanics always make when they open your car bonnet. I ignored it for as long as I could. She tutted and shook her head a couple of times.
“Alright, what?” I asked.
“Evening operations,” she said.
“What?”
“Tired surgeon… lower hygiene standards…”
Another colleague chipped in: “I’d get a marker pen and draw a big cross on the bad knee if I were you.”

It’ll be fine.