Take my sinuses, please?

Back at the doc today. 10 more days on the strongest antibiotic known to man. Next step is an upper face removal. Good jesus, will I ever feel better?

Fever is back, tonsils are huge, face is sore and stuffed up like a mofo. I don't feel half as bad as I did last Friday, but add in the sick of being sick feelings, and it's worse.

I just want to exercise, for the love of god! I feel like I've been stagnating for a month. I have been. A month of what should have been solid training is gone. Dammit.

72 degrees in my brain

Oh, what a gorgeous day in Portland. I've been advised not to take pictures while driving, but it was SO gorgeous today. And I was almost at a complete stop on the bridge, I swear. And I'm so glad that I didn't wait until I was retired to buy a convertible. Youth will not be wasted on this youngin'.

I skated. I did it. I strapped on the sonics and went across the street. After 3 weeks of virtual inactivity, my wind is way down. My lungs are hurting, my shins are hating me, and my nose was running down my face, but it felt GOOD.

Back

Chicago is now a big blur of flights, work, meat on a sword, and meeting some great people.

I'm happy to be back home, with my dog and boy in my arms and my feet to soon be in skates. I'll be back to the gym tomorrow.

I didn't end up working out in Chi. It was kind of a pipe-dream anyway. I'm busting out 12 hour days when I travel, and I think I ran around like a crazy woman enough to work something off. Granted, I countered that with a 3 hour stay at a Brazilian steak house where meat-on-demand is a way of life.

I slightly miss my cushy king bed with fresh sheets daily, but I'll trade my dog on my lap and my boy laughing at the Simpsons any day.

Lack, thereof

My updates have been few lately. I've been focusing on getting better. My nose is almost mucus free. Quite lovely, as I'll be boarding a plane in a couple of hours.

I'll be doing my best to get in workouts before or after my long work days. And I'm staying right along the Chicago water front, so I might get myself out for a walk or two if weather permits.

Here's too a smooth flight, a great time in Chicago, good work karma, and back to a regular schedule next week!

Mystery Solved

My two weeks of sick finally came to a conclusion at Portland Clinic Urgent Care this evening. I am the proud owner if a full-on sinus infection. Head throbbing, sinuses full, body aching. And I also learned that it usually takes 2 weeks of feeling a little off before a full infection kicks in. My low grade temp and general exhaustion for the past couple of weeks is par for the course.

I have a regimen of antibiotics, pain killers and nasal spray to get me through the next couple of days. I fly out on Tuesday for a trip, so I'm hoping I'll be travel-ready by then.

And I'll finally be able to skate again next weekend.

Tonight I shall sleep

By day, I am an event manager. I have a big event half-way across the country next week. What does this have to do with roller derby, you say? Well, a little thing occurs one week prior to my departure where I can't sleep, and need to get up every hour on the hour to send myself notes to remind myself of just one more thing to do...

And, I still managed to drag my butt out of bed to work-out this morning. It had been a week. I was ready to go back. Luckily, it was a pretty easy walking work-out.

It was a gorgeous evening to skate, but by 4pm this afternoon my eyes were closing. I wanted to skate, but I know I need to rest. I'm too soon out of this sick period to push myself too much.

On a happier note, I put the top down on my car on the way home today. Sunshine on my face has got to be a cure for the sick. And when I put the top down, I totally forget that it has almost no back seat and a teeny weeny trunk.

I'm a liar and I'm crafty

I am finally fever-less today. I lied, it didn't break on Sunday. I jumped the gun and when to the Crafty Wonderland at the doug fir. It was hot, crowded and brimming with the PDX craft elite. I was a big old clammy mess. I ended up getting some cool stuff, but I collapsed into a 4 hour nap when I got home.

Since I was semi-bed ridden, I decided to do a roller derby related craft. Look at them leg warmers over there! The pattern is from Stitch N' Bitch Nation. I'm running out of pink yarn, so I might finish up with the black on that one that's started and make the other one black with pink contrasts. They're knitting up really quickly. I think every roller girl needs some rad leg warmers.

Broken

My fever, that is. I've been totally sidelined by a bad cold the last 2 days. I don't mind going to the gym to sweat, but when I'm making a desperation tomato soup trip I really don't like pouring sweat by merely going to the grocery store.

I think I might actually get out of the house for something other than soup today. I'm actually dying to put on skates and go outside. If the rain holds off, I'll hopefully get out there for a bit.

I actually miss the gym. I haven't been since Wednesday and I feel like I'm losing precious training time.

This fever has got to go.

Grosser?

I always start my semi-gross stories with "Do you guys want to hear something gross?" You know, about tooth extractions, giant blisters, scabbing and the like.

A co-worker told me that I've become more obnoxious and grosser since I started training for roller derby.

What a fortunate side effect. Who knew? I love it!

I heart my new pads

How I love my new Pro-Designed knee and elbow pads. Lovingly sewn by Wild Bill. So cushy and delightful. And hot dog, they fit! I can move, I can bend, I can get blood to my extremities.

I have to send a nice thank you note to Bill for making me feel human. I totally dig that dude. He's my hero.

You might ask, if you love your pads so much, why don't you marry them? You know, if it was legal in Oregon to marry inamimate objects, I just might.

If found, please contact me immediately.

1. My motivation to go to the gym. I can get myself there, but I'm not digging it right now.
2. The part of my brain that remembers to charge my camera batteries so I can take some good pictures.
3. My immune system. I am so sick of this almost-cold thing I've been fighting for a week (perhaps a factor in #1 above)
4. The ability to turn my brain off before I go to bed. I run through roller derby strategy and picture my first real bout. I get worked up in a good way, and can't sleep.
5. A calorie free Cadbury egg

Thank you for your consideration.

Time change is on my side

I've had junk to do after work the past few days, but I'm so happy for the extra hour of daylight.

I can boogie home from work now, hug the dog for a while, strap on the skates and hang with my 12 year old skateboard buddies. They've built a hell of a ramp that I will avoid like the plague.

I have my workouts down. I'm there 5 days a week. I think my new goal is to be on skates 5 days a week. Even if it's just a short spin, I at least need to get them on my feet and tool around a bit.

Rollergirls Marathon

After I left the house for an hour to go to the gym yesterday, I was down for the count. I honestly don't know how I got myself there, but I coughed and sniffled through an interval workout.

I spent 3 wonderful hours in the afternoon watching the final 3 episodes of the A&E show Rollergirls. I must say, I do get semi-sucked into the storylines, but I spend most of my time fast-forwarding and rewinding the bouts on the Tivo. Granted, it's on a banked track, but I love watching the strategy and the basics - the falling over, getting up and kicking ass. The athleticism involved continues to amaze me. Sister Mary Jane over yonder is such a great athlete. She is so driven and focused.

In my roller dreams, I am a combo of Sister Mary Jane and GoodyTwoSkates. Dreamy...

Another reason to turn your iPod down

I finally got back to the gym today after a couple of days off. I haven't been feeling great, but I had to get a couple more work-outs in this week. I went through my weight routine and felt great. I was listening to some great music on my iPod. Sloan, the Postal Service, The Shins, Parks & Recreation, and was finishing up on the Flashing Lights, the now defunct brother band of Sloan out of Canada. Really, you can't listen to this stuff and not dance.

I was listening to the music just a little too loud, because as I was shaking my big butt in the locker room, a yoga class let out and those ladies got a show. I didn't hear any of them come in. I wasn't singing into a hairbrush or anything, but they saw some pretty good dance moves. Lucky yoga class.