Big Invisible Gauge

I think that I may have figured out how to work this injury thing.  Not how the injury works, mind you.  That's way out of my league.  Just how I can work with some of the limitations given to me.  I see it this way.

Every day, I get a certain amount of what I call 'up time'.  This is the time available to me to be standing or walking around.  The time (as far as I can tell) follows a couple basic rules:

1. Time available each day is for that day only.  There are no rollover minutes.
2. There is no set amount of time for each day.  It's an injury, not an ATM that will automatically dispense a set number of minutes.
3. I have no idea how much time I will have each day, however I can try to influence the next day from today
4. My attempts don't always work
5. This time is undefinable.  There is no way of knowing how much exactly remains.

Basically it's this.  Anytime that I stand up or walk around I can feel and see this huge gauge above my head, the needle sliding so constantly towards empty.

Not Quite Confidence Boost

International Herald Tribune

January 13, 2009

GERMANY – Police say flames have torn through a firehouse in a north German town causing damage of €3 million ($4 million).

The fire broke out at 4:30 a.m. Sunday in the town of Syke and destroyed six fire trucks.

Authorities say the cause is not yet known and is under investigation.

Editor’s note: The Austrian Times reports that the group of firefighters have been branded the world’s worst after their own fire station burned to the ground.

All six of the station’s fire engines perished in the blaze in Syke and it took 250 fireman from neighboring towns to finally get the inferno under control.

Investigators believe the firemen could have triggered the blaze themselves in a training exercise accident or that faulty wiring was to blame, according to reports in the Austrian Times.

The weekend blaze was the second time the brigade has lost all its engines in a fire. The station was rebuilt in 1994 after being gutted by a fire.

One local said: “A fire service that can’t keep its own fire station and engines safe doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.”

©2009 Yellowbrix, Inc. 

Fracture Tramp Stamp -or- I Promise I'm Not Into Pain

Transverse spine fracture in the L2 & L3 vertebrae 

That's what I did today.  Basically it went like this.  It was raining this morning, and a little bit chilly.  Last night S told me to be careful when walking outside because the rain was freezing on the grass.  So when I was walking out of the house this morning I checked the stairs for ice.  'Nope' I thought to myself, 'its just wet from the rain'.  WRONG WRONG WRONG. Of course, I didn't have time to think that to myself as I went flying down and back on to the three concrete stairs.  It was chaos.  My jacket was in one place, my backpack another, my iPod a third, the concrete graciously caught my coffee for me but the yogurt I would be finding all over everything for a large part of the morning.  I had managed to roll myself to my hands and knees without crying too much somehow when fortunately a co-worker came out of the house (without falling) and helped me up.  So I go to the Emergency Room, hang out for a couple of hours (all the cool kids were taking falls today), get looked at, get some great painkillers, get a CT Scan, hang out some more.  When the doctor finally came back he said.  "I don't want to tell you that you broke your back, but you did fracture this".  I think it's a pretty rare injury too, the home care instructions aren't even for my specific injury, just one that's close.  So yeah.  On Friday I get to see an orthopedist.  I'll keep everybody posted, but in the meantime, I have visual aids for everybody.

This is the spine.  As you can see the lumbar region is also known as your lower back.  

My ouch points are specifically the L2 & L3.

(This picture is an above view of a vertebrae.  The spinous process is what you feel if you're feeling up somebody's backbone.)

From what I understand, fracturing your transverse process doesn't really somehow count as 'breaking your back'.  I don't know why, don't ask me.  The transverse process is the shark fin looking thing on either side of the vertebrae.  I broke the left hand side ones.

This little bruise is located right in the middle of my back.  I'm currently referring to it as the fracture tramp stamp.

New Couch and a Nice Walk

It's been a really good weekend around here.  Camp decided to make S's apartment a 'furnished' place and replace the couch.  I know that this one looks pretty amazing.  You might even be asking yourself, why does she need a new one?

Well, this is why a new couch is really important.  See, the couch used to be a pull out, it used to be kind of comfortable.  Then little critters invaded the apartment and instead of taking any risks S decided to trash the pullout mattress.  Leaving the couch looking a little something like this.  

WARNING: THIS COUCH EATS PEOPLE

So camp, having recently received a very nice gift card from a furniture store sent us to check out a couch.  This isn't the one we got, but I'll post a picture for you as soon as we get it later this week.

The other thing we got to do this weekend was take a nice hike with Aspen.

This view is one of my favorites, a great view, wide open spaces.  Almost reminds me of home.

Awwwwwww...

2008 Wrap-Up

Last year I did the same survey.  Maybe it's becoming a tradition?

Yearly Wrap-Up Survey

 

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?

§    Traveled to 3 Natl. Parks: Yellowstone, Grand Teton & Glacier

§    Lived in Montana

§    Moved to New Jersey

§    Joined a church

 

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolution?

I don’t know if I had a new years resolution.  Soooo…..maybe?

 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

§    My sister Vicki, Mackenzie Kate Sullivan

§    My cousin Heather, Graham Snow

 

4. Did anyone close to you die?

§      No, fortunately.

 

5. What countries did you visit?

§      Jamaica

 

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?

§      Health insurance

§      Work classified as more than seasonal

 

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

§      May 10^th- Graduated college

§      November 4^th- Election of Barack Obama to the Presidency

 

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

§      Helped create and put in place the Campus Programming Grant

 

9. What was your biggest failure?

§      I still haven’t bought a motorcycle…

 

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

§      Who hasn’t?

 

11. What was the best thing you bought?

§      The plane ticket back to Colorado for Christmas

 

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

§      Sara’s new bold approach to work

 

14. Where did most of your money go?

§      Probably to fuel for the vehicle, or Jamaica

 

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

§      Finding and working at my dream job.

 

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?

§      ‘The future has arrived’ from Meet the Robinsons

 

17. Are you...

A. Happier or sadder? Happier

B. Richer or poorer? I dunno

 

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

§      Responding

 

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

§      Reacting

 

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

§      With my family in Colorado.  Unfortunately sans girlfriend.

 

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?

§      Ooh yeah, fly fishing baby

 

23. What was your favorite TV program?

§      Probably a tie between Bones and House

 

25. What was the best book you read?

§      Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

 

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?

§      Ozomatli

 

27. What did you want and get?

§      Living close to my girlfriend instead of several states away

 

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

§      Meet the Robinsons

 

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

§      I went bowling with friends from Camp Bernie.  26.

 

30. What would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

§      The traveling adventures I had

 

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

§      Will it annoy my mother?  Yes? Then it’s great.

 

32. What kept you sane?

§      I’m sane?

 

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

§      CA’s prop 8

 

35. Who did you miss?

§      My family and friends in Colorado

 

36. Who was the best new person you met?

§      Ryan D. – Thanks for keeping me sane in MT and quoting the late great George Carlin

 

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:

§      It’s never too late

 

38. What travel plans do you have for 2009? Which ones are you the most excited about?

§      None yet.  I am excited about the possibilities though

 

40. Which season are you looking forward to the most this year? Why?

§      I’m looking forward to summer.  My first year at a mixed gender camp.

 

41. What are some things you'd like to do in 2009, but haven't officially planned for yet?

§      Sea Kayaking trip

§      Backpacking trip

§      Hopefully go home for Cherica’s graduation

 

42. Do you anticipate any major changes in 2009, such as a new home, job, family life, etc.?

§      Possibly a new job.  But we’ll see how the economy holds up.  Maybe going to grad school?