the best worst idea ever.

Life's been lacking in the adventure department these days. For the time being, traveling is not in the cards, nor are long forest rides and hikes. I finally managed to fill my adventure tank just a bit with a little winter camping this past week.

Leroy was in town this week and that meant
a) good times with the SC party crew
b) winter camping / backpacking.

We filled out packs and set out in the dark on the coldest night this week - to camp in the forest. Given a still gimpy ankle, we didn't hike in far - hiking up north meadows to the bear meadows trail and into the woods to find a perfect spot under some hemlocks.

Sure, it may seem like a truly bad idea to sleep outside in the snow under the stars and hemlocks without a tent or high tech bag in 15 degree weather. But really, there isn't a better "bad" idea! I have missed the forest and immediately felt at home once i hit the trail.

a sweet fire, snacks, whiskey, a bunch of warm layers and a few sleeping bags, plus good peoples & conversation; good friends, good times.

baby steps

Sometimes the best way to forget one injury is with another. In my case, i traded in bruised ribs for a broken ankle, both of which are healing quickly. I can now walk up stairs - and down slowly. And for the first time in weeks, I road my geared bike outside. No single speed commuter action just yet, but soon I think. I can ride inside on the rollers and I am back to pullups and abs and stretching.

Granted I'm missing out on some sweet snowy forest hikes and xc skiing... BUT maybe this is OK. After working my ass off for the past three weeks, my 3rd round proposal revisions are done and submitted. And now - it's time for girls weekend!! Jess is coming back to hang for a few days and we're kicking the weekend off with an indoor trainer session with DC.

It's all about taking baby steps - patiently healing, making the best of circumstances even if less than opportune and moving forward.
Life is good. Real good.

Broken - pii

Well doc says I broke my ankle. it's my first fracture so I think it's deserving of a cake. If you're reading this feel free to indulge me. I'll think about what I want and post accordingly.

it's a hairline splinter type deal where the bone has tiny breaks at the joint from impact... there's blood and swelling and lots of other goodness... like pain when i forget and put weight on it. bottom line is... i'm kinda gimpy. and grumpy - although i'm trying my best to fight the grump and laugh at the gimp. Is that PC to say? I mean after all this means I have lots of time to work on my proposal with little distraction. it needs to be reorganized. The good news is I have a brand new set of tupperware with color coded, matching lids so i'm thinking that will help. right?

Today i went to work as remote login and being house bound for two days was a bit isolating. I put flat pedals on my rockhopper since it has lots of gears and padding via knobby fat tires and road all the way in climbing alan street with my right leg. Call me a one-legged beast. Ok... on second thought please don't. that's a totally weird thing to say.

Stop it.
thanks.

It only took twice as long to get to work with the added satisfaction of doing something outside - that was alright. I made my way into campus as I wanted to talk to my advisor / boss about my proposal since he'd read it and had asked to meet; this worked out well since he decided not to come in today.

So i hung out with Val in the lab, and fielded all of the questions, comments and concern I was hoping to avoid like "oooh, looks like that hurts", "what did you do", and my favorite " you need a wheelchair to walk around". And then came the stories of other broken bones and accidents. Totally awesome. After a day of fun and games, i got on my bike and road / rolled home.

But the good of today: Gdogg hooked me up tonight though with a fork mount for my rollers. This is pretty awesome as getting out tomorrow may be a challenge if it snows. Thanks GDOGG!!

Plus this. I can't stop laughing every time I read it. (read the right hand side below the letter from the apartment manager). They are very small ducks.

it's just been that kinda week, but hopefully, i'll heal fast. it can only get better... right?

broken... or not.

seems like a lot of stuff is breaking these days and well, since my pup isn't giving me much sympathy, i figured i'd get it all out via blog. first it was the fridge in my kitchen. then... my ribs (bruised)... then.. the leaky sink... and then the garbage disposal. Then... the light goes out in the kitchen just after i sprained my ankle and can hardly walk.. and now - now nemo, my favorite cichlid has kicked it. RIP. yes, it's been that kind of week...

last night, i fell - traversing on the wall. the crash pad was just far enough away from the wall to allow my foot to plant firmly on the hard gym floor. uncomfortable to say the least.

i iced it down and elevated it only to wake up to a foot that is less than accepting of the weight of my body. this presents a problem since i enjoy the freedom that mobility offers. i hobbled my way downstairs and called the doctor (i'm not a fan of the doctor but a huge fan of walking). my appointment was with a general doctor type at the new, geisinger facility which is not unlike a shopping mall and everyone knows how much i dislike shopping. I jerked my way to the office in the subi as depressing the clutch sent pain up my leg.

upon getting to the office, i realized i had to get IN and all the way to the check in desk which was on the other side of the building. I was cruisin down the hall at a speed that allowed atleast 5 senior citizens to pass me. one had a walker.

this is where the real fun begins. i hobbled into see the doctor and he looked at it, asked why my toes were red (it was cold out, i reminded him of that fact), asked me about a bone on my foot (which was fine and as it always had been) and suggested i needed an xray without even checking for mobility. better yet is the fact that the xray facility was downstairs on the other side of the mall. he asked if i was with anyone who could help me get there?

ha!
i said no and he looked at me and suggested i use the elevator.
right.
off i went - all the way back down the medical super highway, to the enormous elevator to get an xray being passed by a few more hobbling senior citizens. post-xray, the tech, who was actually pretty cool, insisted i use a wheelchair to get back up stairs. i fought it but before i knew it, i was cruising down the hall on 10" rims. oh yea high roller! badass.

back up in the doctors office he contemplated my xrays seeing just a small fuzzy area that may or may not suggest a fracture... then he referred me to an orthopedic doctor. once again not checking the actual foot. no painkillers, no wrapping of the foot, no nothing... just a possible broken foot... or not. i'm convinced of the not part.

so off i went down the hall, rolling on 10" rims, which i had to drop off at the door and then hobble my way to my car.. and jerk my way home.

so alas, i sit here on my couch... next to my tank with the dead fish and the kitchen with multiple broken appliances and faint light, with a discomfort in my healing bruised rib and a swollen foot.

i guess it could be much worse... it's just that kind of week.