Date: October 5, 2017 Location: D.C. & Fairfax, VA
While rehab and a few other items have consumed most of my time of late, I have been able to further reflect on the first 8 months of the year and take notes on small victories in my first month post operation. I’m very proud to say for the most part life is trending upward.
The last week or so has been quite busy and it has kept me away from blogging some. Since I’ve fallen behind on posting, I figured I would deviate a bit from the theme of recent posts and skip ahead to the more recent past. This will mess with my overall flow of the blog posts though it’s worth a slight deviation to help show some positivity.
Washington, D.C. and the surrounding area possess endless ways a couple can enjoy themselves. Those of us who live here truly are fortunate to have an international city at the center of a region near the water and the mountains. Whether it is joining family and friends for boating on a Sunday (Sunday Funday) or attending comedy shows and concerts, exploring monuments and museums, food tasting, going to the theatre, hiking, skiing, etc, you name it, you can do all of that with no more than a couple hour drive from downtown D.C. Most native Washingtonians fail to fully experience all that there is to offer. I can’t speak for the transplant crowd though I’d wager they might appreciate it a tad more depending upon where they’re from.
Living with CRPS has certainly made my wife and me incredibly appreciative all of that D.C. has to offer. We always brag about where we live. Always. D.C. is amazing. All of that being said, I now think you cannot fully understand what you love about your social life until it is so greatly taken away from you. Prior to this year, we would get lost in D.C., dine at the latest hot restaurant, enjoy a hike, trips to the beach and so much more. We were even engaged at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. I proposed in front of 45 family members and friends.
Our “Must Do in D.C.” list is stocked with experiences we want to do and for the most part we haven’t done any of them this year. We chose to spend our free time with family and our closest friends. Begrudge us if you will. We put a check in the box for two “Must Do in D.C.” items in the past week.
Dave Chappelle is one of, if not my most favorite comedian(s). I didn’t need to hyperlink him did I? Oh well. I saw him live way back in college at what was the first comedy show I’ve attended. I have the Chappelle’s Show DVDs. There is a lot that has been typed about Chappelle so no need to go too deep. He is a comedic genius. This past summer, he announced concert dates in D.C. for the first time in over a decade. Chappelle was in his hometown (graduate of Duke Ellington HS in the District) for 10 days of shows at the Warner Theatre – sometimes playing two shows in a night. Each show was filmed as it will be the third of three Netflix specials that he was paid $60 million to perform. Tickets sold out faster than in an instant. We couldn’t get them even if I were the Flash. Feeling pretty well and up for it last Thursday afternoon, I decided to look at the second hand market for tickets and found 10th row seats a little less than face value. Chappelle was phenomenal. He was as funny on this night as I remember him from years ago. I would’ve snapped a pic from inside, but locking your phone in a pouch complete with an alarm sensor were conditions to enter the theatre. He directly addresses some criticism stemming from his first two Netflix specials. I will not say anything further. No more spoilers from me.
More importantly, I was able to enjoy all of Chappelle’s comedy show. As you might remember, we went to see Louis C.K. back when all of this started. I don’t remember that entire show because I was in so much pain as my hand exploded that night. This time, I had no such worries with my spinal cord stimulator (SCS) functioning as designed. Gone from 8 months prior was the excruciating pain and swelling. In was laughing so hard my abs got a light workout. It was a fantastic night and a perfect way to unwind for us both.
One quick anecdote about the Chappelle concert/show is we might show up in the crowd. Some guy in the row immediately behind ours got up and out of his seat to heckle Chappelle a little. Chappelle was using a vaporizer throughout his performance. The guy behind us assumed it was marijuana and not tobacco. At a quiet moment, he stood from his seat and began a dialogue with Chappelle showing his desire to “smoke” with the comedian. Chappelle remarked “this guy is going to make the special.” If you decide to watch and you see this exchange, there is a good chance we might make it onto the special ourselves.
Earlier in the week, we had dinner at the legendary Peking Gourmet Inn located in a small unassuming Falls Church, Virginia shopping center. When you visit this restaurant, you eat the Peking Duck. Many media outlets have ranked the duck as the best in the world and the restaurant as one of the best 25 Chinese restaurants in the country. One particular feature came by way of a 2017 episode of Vice Channel’s Huang’s World with host chef Eddie Huang.
A plethora of photos featuring politicians and celebrities decorate every inch of the 39-year old restaurant’s reception walls. You’ll find several photos of U.S. presidents and Chinese leaders. The restaurant’s windows are made bulletproof glass. Falls Church is by no means a high crime area so the glass is literally to protect dignitaries. Crissy’s dad and stepmother have been going to this restaurant at least once a month for about 10 years. Her stepmom is from Hong Kong and my in-laws travel to China every few years or so and they say the Peking Duck here is better than any place they’ve been to in Beijing. Crissy has been to Perking Gourmet Inn plenty and I had yet to go there once. We had yet to dine with them at one of their favorite restaurants. You will not find better duck of any kind anywhere. No seriously, it is the best duck I’ve had. Plus, they give you a really light tortilla (made out of rice…I think) to eat the duck. It was a great dinner followed by a Washington Redskins win in primetime on Sunday Night Football.
The time with family out to eat at a restaurant has not been frequent and it has seldom come mostly pain free. The latter happened on this night and it stands as another example of my upward trend. I think it is only the second time we have been out to eat since I had the SCS implanted and it is the first that I’ve been able to cut my own food. Regaining motor skills in my hand to cut food has not been easy and while I’m not quite cutting food with ease (I have some pain while doing so), I’m confident I’ll be triumphant. I’m hopeful that I’ll be back to normal by the end of October. We’ll see soon enough.
Beat CRPS!
Jason