O is for Operation Oblivion.

These are my feet. Were my feet. About a 17 days ago. In the sand of the Pacific is where my feet seem to look the happiest. Although, right now any sea will do just fine. Having said that, this is also the last picture of the original gnarly Joy feet.
My left foot remains, unhindered by knife and thread at the moment. My right however, well, lets just say its had better days. Although, fingers crossed, it will be having better days in the future because of the removal and rearrangement of some bones and tendons.

Having surgery for the first time puts a lot of things in perspective. Also, gives me a multitude of time to contemplate Life.
Great.
Having too much time to do this is always causes me some emotional upheaval. If I get all tangled up in the big mess of, 'what and I going to do with my life' thoughts I end up making rash decisions. Apply irrationally to programs I can't get into. Impulse buy things on the internet or, my new thing,  crutching around in circles to tire me out. Kind of like a child. Playing with it in order to help tire them, until they are so sleepy you have to put them into their PJ's at night. I am now purposefully treating myself like a 4 year old.

Great.
I have all this ambition and drive. A steaming pot of pent up energy and compulsion to create. I now have no where to channel any of that. Firstly, I cannot stand up on my left foot for at the most 10 minutes, without my right foot throbbing like a pulsating orb in a science fiction movie. Subsequently making my toes look like little vienna sausages. Secondly, because my creativity is normally channeled though food, cooking and the use of my hands while standing on my feet, well, all of that has come to a jarring hault.
Soon, I know, I will be able to stand, able to do, able to create. But right now, all I feel is restless.
Additionally, painkillers aren't super helpful for the creative process. I take that back, I guess they are in some ways, but not when you can't stand up (on both feet) and instantly spring into creativity. My opinions and mind flow much more freely than normal (that's for sure) when taking them, but otherwise, I'm really just swirling from thought to thought.

I am easily side tracked. For example, I am reading Blood, Bones and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton, which is fantastic throughout, as I am reaching its end. I am enjoying every page and relate to her voice and style of prose. Read it.
So I am focused in, reading intently, and she begins to describe watching Andre Soltner, a chef, whom I had the honor of interacting with a few times at my recent job, make a beautifully delicate, perfectly soft omelet at her stove. I mark my page, and pick up my computer and look up how to make a perfect French Omelet. Although I have seen Jacques Pepin make one, even though I should know how to do it well, and I have tried, but never been adequately judged on its result; so then from there I get side tracked by an article about organic, free range eggs and misleading labeling, but I turn to thinking about buying chickens, and how to raise them humanely; at which point I go out in the garden and stare at the flowers and vegetables my mom planted; I begin to think about what I could make with the huge leaves from the red cabbage, if they would be bitter, if I could juice them and make pasta from their vibrant deep purple red, then and my foot starts to throb distractingly. I crutch back inside nearly falling up the steps, and see on the counter an apple; wash it, carry it under my chin back to my room where I elevate my foot and realize that 5 hours have gone by since I first picked up the book. Now I'm back in my room, and can't hardly remember why I had gone outside in the first place. Chickens? Take another pain killer realizing that I needed to do so an hour before hand, and go through another very similar sort of process of distraction, interest and confusion.

Crimini Mushrooms for Garnish. Earthy, firm, fantastic.

Pain, quite distracting. Staring at toes lack of movement. Distracting.

Never the less. I wrote a 'real' post about Oatmeal for my O entry, which I will post(haste). But, since I could barely form a well structured sentence when I first began writing said post, it needs to be edited a little further, perfected a little more, and  become a polished gem of fun fiber facts. Unlike this post,which, I send out into you, great internet universe, knowing full well this is a rant of grand proportion. But just wanted to fill you in on the goings on. Because right now, I could ramble for hours.