Reason #1412

Why my mother is always right.

For weeks she's been telling me to get an ankle brace to help with the pain and swelling and to stabilize it while I walk. Today while I was in the pharmacy for my fifth (and final! DAMNIT!) round of bronchitis/sinusitis, I poked around the braces and they had a large-sized ankle brace.

Best $5 I've spent in a long time. The pain is gone when I'm sitting, and greatly diminished while doing other things--like the all-important walking! It's been seven weeks or so since I got the cast off; I probably would have been happier succumbing sooner. :)

In other news, I think America is the greatest country in the world, and really, what more would you expect from a countryman? I would never, ever expect a Brit to say, "Oh, the U.K.'s great, but it isn't the best." I also don't expect anyone from another country to say, "Oh, you're right, the States are the best!" But living in Korea has given me respect for the progress that has been made in our country. I'm proud that we think for ourselves and don't give into socialized medicine, and I'm proud that we come back stronger after every set back. It means that our market history is volatile at best, but steady over the long haul. It's possible that what America has going for it is its own self-confidence. I've heard it said over and over again that confidence is sexy; confidence in and of its own right gets things done. This is starting to ramble, but I sort of get that way anytime I hear a country song celebrating our liberty and the red, white, and blue.