I dance ballet. This is me OFF-balance.

As Samuel Clemens wrote in 1897, "The report of my death was an exaggeration".

Not that anyone was actually saying that, but who knows when I'll get an opportunity to use that Twain quote.

I'm not back in class yet, and I probably won't be until April. But the big, scary stuff seems to be behind me, and I'm starting to see benefits. Now it's just a long slog back to attempting my next double-pirouette.

I'm going to be intentionally quite vague here, mainly to avoid being inundated by spammers using keyword scanners. So I'll just say some crazy woman and her band of merry men had their way with me with scalpels mid-week. The one thing that really ticks me off about her is that her jokes are better than mine.

I've been home a couple of days, continuing my recovery. Every day gets a bit better. This afternoon I realized I'd done something I don't remember doing in a couple of months: I walked up a flight of stairs and did NOT feel out of breath afterward. Not even a little bit. That's what prompted me to resume this blog before I return to class.

That's not to say I don't have a lot of recovery ahead of me. For a couple of months this blog will be more about than than dance. I want to record good moments (and bad), like when the PT and OT staff were shocked at how good my balance was at +3 days: "Dudes, I dance ballet. This is me OFF-balance."

So stick around, there's more fun to come!