Roger’s Random Ruminations

I’m comfortably ensconched in The Valley Guesthouse in Kathmandu, Nepal. Caren Ewart and I arrived yesterday. Caren is Eric Triebelhorn’s mother; Eric is due out of a 3-year retreat at Bokar Monastery in Mirik, India on September 9th.

We’re in Nepal to see a school that Caren is helping to build through the Room to Read Program.  Unfortunately, we’ll have to settle for a visit to a similar school, nearer Kathmandu, where we’ll visit on September 2, the day before we leave for India.

If you’re ever in Kathmandu (don’t laugh, I never thought I’d be here once, and this is my second trip) I highly recommend The Valley Guesthouse. We each have a suite with adjoining balconies for about $35 per night, including breakfast. There is a spectacular view of the Boudha stupa and the mountains from the rooftop dining and reading area. The guesthouse is located right behind Thrangu Monastery, so we’re awakened every morning by the monks’ chanting.

The Valley Guesthouse suite

Ana and Matt got married August 8, 2008 (08/08/08), but not at 8:08 AM thankfully. I took some pictures and Jim and Heather Edwards took pictures and video. My pictures are in a gallery intended for friends and family. Please feel free to download them and print them, or do whatever you wish. They are also available on the Tendrel Photography site for sale at reasonable prices.

Jim and Heather’s video of the ceremony will be available soon. I need to edit it down from its current 1.5GB size.

I encourage you to also view Trevor’s images (the official photographer for the wedding). I’ll post the location as soon as I know it.

I hope you enjoy the pictures and video. Please leave some comments if you attended the wedding.

Thanks,

-Roger

Got an iPhone and installed some really cool, free apps, including WordPress and Twitter. I am writing this post on my iPhone using the WordPress app.

We’re getting a fence installed around the meditation cabin in the backyard. I’ve included a picture I took with the iPhone.

May 17 marked the celebration of the completion of the north wing of the Ser Chö Ösel Ling Retreat Center near Goldendale, Washington. I’m posting some pictures from that event. Hope you enjoy them. View the pictures.

I got out of the hospital December 14th as planned. Our good friend Liana from Canada is taking great care of me; fixing all the meals, cleaning the house, etc. This allows Char to continue her 3-year retreat.

We had a wonderful turkey dinner on Christmas day, thanks again to Liana; but I did supervise.  We have plenty of left overs.

A few days ago I started having sharp pains in my left leg and the Doctor has advised me to take a rest from physical therapy. Rest, now there’s something I think I’ve mastered. Indeed, the pain has subsided quite a bit so I think I’m on the right track.

I’m doing very well, recuperating from a total knee replacement of my left knee. My numbers aren’t quite as impressive as my first surgery; I can flex my knee to 104 degrees and extend it to 3 or 4 degrees after 5 physical therapy sessions. Last time I created quite a stir as I was able to flex my knee 110 degrees right out of surgery; and extend (straighten) it to 3 degrees.

I’m also needing less pain medication, so I’m more alert and feisty.  Last time Char called me “Roger lite”.

I’m due to escape tomorrow, Friday at 11 am. I have a subtle plan. Then it’s back home to Char and the cats.

I have another total knee replacement operation scheduled December 11. This one is for the left knee. The right knee was replaced in August. So I’ll probably not be blogging for a few weeks. Or maybe I’ll do more if I’m feeling up to it.

If one knee replacement made me bionic, will a second one make me bi-bionic? I’m sure looking forward to walking around with less pain. Slowly increasing pain over many years can make one really grumpy, without realizing it’s happening.

So for those who’ve experienced the grumpiness, I’m sorry; and I’m about to run out of excuses.

I’ve moved all my Web sites to Blue Host, including this blog. Due to a loose nut behind the keyboard, this blog has a new URL: www.tendrel.net/blog/wordpress/. Sorry for the inconvenience. I’ll add a redirect so the old URL will work, but please update any links from your blog rolls and favorites.

Blue Host offers an unlimited number of domains to be hosted for $6.95 per month (not per domain), so it seems like a good deal considering I have several domains. Instead of paying $10 per domain at my old hosting site, I now pay just $6.95 total per month.

I’ve transfered my photoblog, Pixelated Postings, to SmugMug. To view it click on Tendrel Photography in the right hand navigation or click here. You can view my images and even order copies for yourself or have them printed on a coffee mug and other products. Ordering pictures will help support my photography habit.

SmugMug is a great way to share photos online and they offer several levels of membership. If you are interested in getting a SmugMug account, you can register at smugmug.com. Receive a $5 discount if you enter my email address (roger.edwards@mindspring.com) or my personal coupon (p1NU79rSuq4SE) in the ‘Referred by’ field on the sign up form. Full disclosure: I get $10 if you do this. Thanks for considering it.

I was listening to This American Life this morning which had a segment on mapping. One of the segments was about the background sounds we all experience, but most often fail to notice, in our environment. The thesis of this segment of the program claimed that these sounds form chords that affect our moods or feelings. Visit the This American Life Web site for this program.