yes, it's early, but thanks to alycen, a friend/colleague here at work, i've found a really cool one. check out this article on the palestra, where unc and penn played last night. the tar heels won 106-71, and remain undefeated at 8-0.
eleemosynary (adjective): of, relating to, or supported by, charity
etymology - medieval latin, eleemosynarius, from late latin eleemosyna alms, circa 1616
(merriam-webster.com/eleemosynary)
fun stuff. makes me want to take a road trip to see a game in this gym....anyone want to go?
anywho, in more random news: saw mute meth, against me!, cold war kids, and spoon at the orpheum last night. a great (and long) show. the lead singer for cold war kids is impressive, and can hold his own while playing live. not that i doubted them for a second.
friday brings another long show: cake's unlimited sunshine festival with agent ribbons, oakley hall, and the brazilian girls. alycen is bringing a few of her friends, and i'm still looking for one to go with me. hopefully, i'll find someone. : )
lots of music this week. but it's totally worth it.
no one is in charge of your happiness except you.
-me : )
December 05, 2007
December 04, 2007
word of the day #6
happy tuesday! it snowed yesterday, and today, boston is covered in ice. fun stuff. i've been fortunate enough not to fall yet, but i won't hold my breath. at least it looks like winter.
today's word is brought to you by an article in the nytimes about aaron sorkin's new broadway play, the farnsworth invention. it starts tonight on broadway, and i'm hoping to go to nyc to watch it this winter. i like this word because it sounds nice. haha.
euphonious (adjective): pleasing to the ear
date - 1774
(yes, that's all there is to this entry: merriam-webster.com/euphonious)
i've been productive today, and it's only 3:45. tonight, i'm going to see cold war kids (and others) at the orpheum. should be a great time.
in other news, i finished my first nytimes crossword puzzle last night. i feel a little smart. oh, and it was a monday puzzle. so, yeah. at least i finished one. : )
also, more random stuff: my demotivator for december is dreams: dreams are like rainbows. only idiots chase them. hee hee.
20 days until i'm home!
-me : )
today's word is brought to you by an article in the nytimes about aaron sorkin's new broadway play, the farnsworth invention. it starts tonight on broadway, and i'm hoping to go to nyc to watch it this winter. i like this word because it sounds nice. haha.
euphonious (adjective): pleasing to the ear
date - 1774
(yes, that's all there is to this entry: merriam-webster.com/euphonious)
i've been productive today, and it's only 3:45. tonight, i'm going to see cold war kids (and others) at the orpheum. should be a great time.
in other news, i finished my first nytimes crossword puzzle last night. i feel a little smart. oh, and it was a monday puzzle. so, yeah. at least i finished one. : )
also, more random stuff: my demotivator for december is dreams: dreams are like rainbows. only idiots chase them. hee hee.
20 days until i'm home!
-me : )
December 02, 2007
word of the day #5
word of the day: weekend edition makes it debut this evening. i'm catching up on weekend sports, and found this article on the bills/redskins game. sean taylor, the washington redskins' 24-year old safety, was shot in the a major artery in the leg, and passed away on tuesday. the buffalo bills beat the redskins 17-16 with a game-winning field goal with four seconds left in the game. it was an emotionally draining day for the redskins and their fans, and, as such, today's word isn't exactly a happy one.
disconsolate (adjective): 1 - cheerless; 2 - dejected, downcast
etymology - middle english, from medieval latin disconsolatus, from latin dis- + consolatus, past participle of consolari to console
good news: hawaii beat the university of washington last night 35-28. bcs bowl announcement is at 8 p.m est tonight....the warriors are 12-0 and the only undefeated team left in ncaa division 1 football this year. VERY exciting. hooray!
it's sunday night, and i'm looking forward to watching football, doing the crossword, and figuring out the rest of my week.
22 days until i'm back in hawaii!
-me : )
disconsolate (adjective): 1 - cheerless; 2 - dejected, downcast
etymology - middle english, from medieval latin disconsolatus, from latin dis- + consolatus, past participle of consolari to console
good news: hawaii beat the university of washington last night 35-28. bcs bowl announcement is at 8 p.m est tonight....the warriors are 12-0 and the only undefeated team left in ncaa division 1 football this year. VERY exciting. hooray!
it's sunday night, and i'm looking forward to watching football, doing the crossword, and figuring out the rest of my week.
22 days until i'm back in hawaii!
-me : )
November 30, 2007
word of the day #4
yay! another word of the day. brought to you by margaret talbot's profile of david simon, the creator of "the wire" found in the october 22 issue of the new yorker. check it out!
neologism (noun): 1 - a new word, usage, or expression; 2 - a meaningless word coined by a psychotic
etymology - french neologisme, from ne- + log- + -isme -ism
(www.merriam-webster.com/neologism)
i picked this word because it sounded cool....yes, i know, not a 'good' reason to pick a word. whatever.
hooray friday! end of november; welcome december! lots of things going on in the next three weeks, and i can start the countdown to my trip home!....25 days and counting!
my off-season non-active (in which i am not physically participating) resolution (similar to a new year's resolution....just ultimate-related, of course) is to keep up with 'sports' (to include college basketball, off-season baseball stuff, pro and college football, and, maybe pro basketball), and to attempt the daily nytimes crossword puzzle. with that said, i have a lot of work to do.
i got a few answers in yesterday's crossword. hoping to get an answer in today's issue.
life is too short for pity parties. get busy living, or get busy dying.
-me : )
neologism (noun): 1 - a new word, usage, or expression; 2 - a meaningless word coined by a psychotic
etymology - french neologisme, from ne- + log- + -isme -ism
(www.merriam-webster.com/neologism)
i picked this word because it sounded cool....yes, i know, not a 'good' reason to pick a word. whatever.
hooray friday! end of november; welcome december! lots of things going on in the next three weeks, and i can start the countdown to my trip home!....25 days and counting!
my off-season non-active (in which i am not physically participating) resolution (similar to a new year's resolution....just ultimate-related, of course) is to keep up with 'sports' (to include college basketball, off-season baseball stuff, pro and college football, and, maybe pro basketball), and to attempt the daily nytimes crossword puzzle. with that said, i have a lot of work to do.
i got a few answers in yesterday's crossword. hoping to get an answer in today's issue.
life is too short for pity parties. get busy living, or get busy dying.
-me : )
November 29, 2007
word of the day #3
back today because i found a cool word on jim caple's column on page 2 celebrating the 25th anniversary of "the play" in the cal-stanford game (it's actually located in the sidebar featuring an interview with robert smith, the stanford trombonist):
vitriol (noun): 1a - a sulfate of any of various metals (as copper, iron, or zinc); especially: a glassy hydrate of such a sulfate, 1b - oil of vitriol; 2 - something felt to resemble vitriol especially in caustic quality; especially: virulence of feeling or speech
etymology - middle english, from anglo-french vitriole, from medieval latin vitriolum, alteration of late latin vitreolum, neuter of vitreolus glassy, from latin vitreus vitreous
(all this courtesy of merriam-webster.com)
thursday is going well. new student ambassador badges arrived....they are beautiful (and i was lucky to get one)! just one day from the weekend, and two days from december! craziness.
in other (random) news: uh football hosts the university of washington on saturday for the last regular-season game. very very exciting. oh, and i'm going to disneyland with the family in january. hooray!
....really, i couldn't have shared more random news today.
very excited for home and time with the family.
-me : )
vitriol (noun): 1a - a sulfate of any of various metals (as copper, iron, or zinc); especially: a glassy hydrate of such a sulfate, 1b - oil of vitriol; 2 - something felt to resemble vitriol especially in caustic quality; especially: virulence of feeling or speech
etymology - middle english, from anglo-french vitriole, from medieval latin vitriolum, alteration of late latin vitreolum, neuter of vitreolus glassy, from latin vitreus vitreous
(all this courtesy of merriam-webster.com)
thursday is going well. new student ambassador badges arrived....they are beautiful (and i was lucky to get one)! just one day from the weekend, and two days from december! craziness.
in other (random) news: uh football hosts the university of washington on saturday for the last regular-season game. very very exciting. oh, and i'm going to disneyland with the family in january. hooray!
....really, i couldn't have shared more random news today.
very excited for home and time with the family.
-me : )
November 28, 2007
word of the day #2
back again with the second installment of my word of the day.
accrue (verb/intransitive verb): 1 - to come into existence as a legally enforceable claim; 2a - to come about as natural growth, increase, or advantage, 2b - to come as a direct result of some state or action; 3 - to accumulate or be added periodically, to accumulate or have due after a period of time
etymology - middle english acreuen, probably from anglo-french *acrue increase, from acriestre to increase, from latin accrescere, from ad + crescere to grow
the holiday season is officially here (commercially, anyway). holiday music is playing everywhere, and people are often seen walking around with bags of gifts. i've started my holiday shopping, and am very excited about the season....and that i'll be home for two weeks (december 24 - january 3) enjoying the warm weather, family, friends, food, and relaxing! very very excited. hooray!
still trying to get my act together with the grad school application....maybe i'll work on that when i'm home? i'll figure it out.
oh, and one more thing: pandora is awesome. really enjoy the music i've been exposed to based on just typing in a song. fun times. if you haven't checked it out already, please visit pandora.
okay, so i lied. one more thing. bill simmons wrote a heart-warming article on his daughter's first nba game. it reminded me to continue enjoying the little things in life, even when innocence is lost. i highly recommend reading it. read it here.
with that said, here's a thought to end this post:
don't take yourself too seriously. no one else does.
-me : )
p.s. if you're reading this, cast your vote(s) in the poll below! : )
accrue (verb/intransitive verb): 1 - to come into existence as a legally enforceable claim; 2a - to come about as natural growth, increase, or advantage, 2b - to come as a direct result of some state or action; 3 - to accumulate or be added periodically, to accumulate or have due after a period of time
etymology - middle english acreuen, probably from anglo-french *acrue increase, from acriestre to increase, from latin accrescere, from ad + crescere to grow
the holiday season is officially here (commercially, anyway). holiday music is playing everywhere, and people are often seen walking around with bags of gifts. i've started my holiday shopping, and am very excited about the season....and that i'll be home for two weeks (december 24 - january 3) enjoying the warm weather, family, friends, food, and relaxing! very very excited. hooray!
still trying to get my act together with the grad school application....maybe i'll work on that when i'm home? i'll figure it out.
oh, and one more thing: pandora is awesome. really enjoy the music i've been exposed to based on just typing in a song. fun times. if you haven't checked it out already, please visit pandora.
okay, so i lied. one more thing. bill simmons wrote a heart-warming article on his daughter's first nba game. it reminded me to continue enjoying the little things in life, even when innocence is lost. i highly recommend reading it. read it here.
with that said, here's a thought to end this post:
don't take yourself too seriously. no one else does.
-me : )
p.s. if you're reading this, cast your vote(s) in the poll below! : )
November 19, 2007
word of the day
in hopes of getting into grad school, i'm going to compile a list of words i probably should know, but don't. yes, i know, i majored in journalism. here we go with word #1:
modicum (noun): a small portion, a limited quantity
etymology - middle english, from latin, neuter of modicus moderate, from modus measure
(thank you merriam-webster.com!)
speaking of grad school....i took the gre's on thursday evening. that was an exciting experience, and i'm very glad that i don't have to take them again. hopefully my scores are good enough for my program....
thanksgiving is on thursday. hooray turkey and friends! this year, i will return to the baumgartners' in topsfield for a day of friends, food, and fun (and bourbon). looking forward to hanging out and taking it easy for a day. : )
i don't have much else to write today. looking forward to a very short work week.
when in doubt, just take the next small step.
-me : )
modicum (noun): a small portion, a limited quantity
etymology - middle english, from latin, neuter of modicus moderate, from modus measure
(thank you merriam-webster.com!)
speaking of grad school....i took the gre's on thursday evening. that was an exciting experience, and i'm very glad that i don't have to take them again. hopefully my scores are good enough for my program....
thanksgiving is on thursday. hooray turkey and friends! this year, i will return to the baumgartners' in topsfield for a day of friends, food, and fun (and bourbon). looking forward to hanging out and taking it easy for a day. : )
i don't have much else to write today. looking forward to a very short work week.
when in doubt, just take the next small step.
-me : )
August 21, 2007
august is awesome
to keep with my alliterative ways, i had to title this entry, "august is awesome." because it has been an amazing month. highlights include:
- saw glen hansard and marketa irglova LIVE at brattle square theatre (after waiting for four hours!);
- interviewed with AND hired in the mit alumni relations office (start date: september 4!);
- traveled with buda's girls ycc team (blue crush) to blaine, mn; the team finished 3rd AND won the spirit award;
- traveled with brute to ecc in burlington, wa and finished 3rd (with lots of great memories and highlights)
things to come:
- moving to jamaica plain sometime next week with x, simon, and spoony (hooray for early move-in!);
- traveling with brute to labor day in santa cruz, ca during labor day weekend;
- starting my new job (hooray!);
- traveling to philly to watch miki play soccer
lots of things for which to be grateful, not to mention the progress with my knee and pt. it's been a great summer so far, and i'm really pumped for the things to come. i am finally starting to see that light at the end of this really long tunnel. word.
so, where to start....not much to say about the swell season show except that it was totally worth the wait. four hours on an august evening were well spent. and, if you haven't seen 'once' yet, i recommend that you do as soon as possible, or at least rent the dvd when it comes out. not to worry, though, i will have it in my dvd collection. : ) so, you're more than welcome to borrow it.
next, new job. very excited. quick story about this: after waiting for four hours to see the swell season, then seeing the AMAZING show, i went home with a huge smile on my face and went to bed. the next morning, i got to work and received not one, but TWO phone calls for job interviews....and that was the beginning of the good things to come this month. : ) all the waiting is beginning to pay off.
okay, back to the details: my official title will be administrative assistant of student programs. basically, i'm going to be the liaison between mit student clubs/groups and their alumni. i'm really excited (i don't think i will use the word enough in this post) to return to a student-driven environment, and actually work towards my career goal. never thought that would happen. : ) among those main responsibilities, i will be the go-to person for the administrative work in the office. it'll be great to get all of these experiences in one job! yay! the museum has been a great place to me, but it is time to move on. my last day at the museum is august 29, and then i'll take a couple days to finish packing and moving before i'm off to california for the weekend. then back to start my new job!
in between the job interview and waiting to hear from the alumni relations office, i traveled with and coached the buda's girls ycc team. blaine, mn, hosted, yet again, the ycc (youth club championships), and it was a very positive experience for the girls and for me. it made me realize how AWESOME ultimate is, and how much i'd like to be involved at the youth level. the girls are an impressive bunch, and i only wish i had more time this summer to better prepare them for the tournament. oh well, maybe next year? : ) anywho, 3rd place was GREAT, but winning the spirit award was amazing. not that i didn't doubt that these girls played spirited ultimate all weekend, but the girls did have the goal to win the spirit award, and they demonstrated it both on the field and off the field. i am VERY proud of them. : )
and on to this past weekend....brute squad competed in its first pre-season tournament in burlington, wa. it was a fabulous weekend for the team. hooray! : )
we played against fury, viva, zeitgeist, and backhoe on saturday; and rounded up the weekend by playing gb, traffic, riot, and traffic (yes, again, for redemption) on sunday. we went 5-3 on the weekend with losses to fury, riot, and traffic (the first game), and learned a lot about us and our potential in each game. very exciting. the trip was worthwhile, and it's a great way to compare ourselves to the west coast competition. now, we have two weeks to prepare for labor day, and bring our level of play up even more!
besides the competition, i got to see a few friends i haven't seen since....nationals in october. i love pre-season elite tournaments, and friends who play on these elite teams. seeing and talking with them keeps me motivated to continue pushing through with pt so i can play ultimate again. next year. for sure. my personal deadline for this. i can't stand on the sidelines anymore. but, yes, i do remember that being patient and diligent for this long has paid off. but it's time to really get going. i am going to play ultimate again. and that day is going to come sooner than i know it. and i am excited. : )
i guess i should get back to work. wrapping up things here at the museum. and packing up stuff at the apartment. lots of new beginnings to come in september. and i couldn't be more grateful for all the wonderful things to come my way, and for the fantastic friends who have been supportive through every endeavor. thank you. i couldn't have done it without you.
new beginnings are exciting.
-me : )
- saw glen hansard and marketa irglova LIVE at brattle square theatre (after waiting for four hours!);
- interviewed with AND hired in the mit alumni relations office (start date: september 4!);
- traveled with buda's girls ycc team (blue crush) to blaine, mn; the team finished 3rd AND won the spirit award;
- traveled with brute to ecc in burlington, wa and finished 3rd (with lots of great memories and highlights)
things to come:
- moving to jamaica plain sometime next week with x, simon, and spoony (hooray for early move-in!);
- traveling with brute to labor day in santa cruz, ca during labor day weekend;
- starting my new job (hooray!);
- traveling to philly to watch miki play soccer
lots of things for which to be grateful, not to mention the progress with my knee and pt. it's been a great summer so far, and i'm really pumped for the things to come. i am finally starting to see that light at the end of this really long tunnel. word.
so, where to start....not much to say about the swell season show except that it was totally worth the wait. four hours on an august evening were well spent. and, if you haven't seen 'once' yet, i recommend that you do as soon as possible, or at least rent the dvd when it comes out. not to worry, though, i will have it in my dvd collection. : ) so, you're more than welcome to borrow it.
next, new job. very excited. quick story about this: after waiting for four hours to see the swell season, then seeing the AMAZING show, i went home with a huge smile on my face and went to bed. the next morning, i got to work and received not one, but TWO phone calls for job interviews....and that was the beginning of the good things to come this month. : ) all the waiting is beginning to pay off.
okay, back to the details: my official title will be administrative assistant of student programs. basically, i'm going to be the liaison between mit student clubs/groups and their alumni. i'm really excited (i don't think i will use the word enough in this post) to return to a student-driven environment, and actually work towards my career goal. never thought that would happen. : ) among those main responsibilities, i will be the go-to person for the administrative work in the office. it'll be great to get all of these experiences in one job! yay! the museum has been a great place to me, but it is time to move on. my last day at the museum is august 29, and then i'll take a couple days to finish packing and moving before i'm off to california for the weekend. then back to start my new job!
in between the job interview and waiting to hear from the alumni relations office, i traveled with and coached the buda's girls ycc team. blaine, mn, hosted, yet again, the ycc (youth club championships), and it was a very positive experience for the girls and for me. it made me realize how AWESOME ultimate is, and how much i'd like to be involved at the youth level. the girls are an impressive bunch, and i only wish i had more time this summer to better prepare them for the tournament. oh well, maybe next year? : ) anywho, 3rd place was GREAT, but winning the spirit award was amazing. not that i didn't doubt that these girls played spirited ultimate all weekend, but the girls did have the goal to win the spirit award, and they demonstrated it both on the field and off the field. i am VERY proud of them. : )
and on to this past weekend....brute squad competed in its first pre-season tournament in burlington, wa. it was a fabulous weekend for the team. hooray! : )
we played against fury, viva, zeitgeist, and backhoe on saturday; and rounded up the weekend by playing gb, traffic, riot, and traffic (yes, again, for redemption) on sunday. we went 5-3 on the weekend with losses to fury, riot, and traffic (the first game), and learned a lot about us and our potential in each game. very exciting. the trip was worthwhile, and it's a great way to compare ourselves to the west coast competition. now, we have two weeks to prepare for labor day, and bring our level of play up even more!
besides the competition, i got to see a few friends i haven't seen since....nationals in october. i love pre-season elite tournaments, and friends who play on these elite teams. seeing and talking with them keeps me motivated to continue pushing through with pt so i can play ultimate again. next year. for sure. my personal deadline for this. i can't stand on the sidelines anymore. but, yes, i do remember that being patient and diligent for this long has paid off. but it's time to really get going. i am going to play ultimate again. and that day is going to come sooner than i know it. and i am excited. : )
i guess i should get back to work. wrapping up things here at the museum. and packing up stuff at the apartment. lots of new beginnings to come in september. and i couldn't be more grateful for all the wonderful things to come my way, and for the fantastic friends who have been supportive through every endeavor. thank you. i couldn't have done it without you.
new beginnings are exciting.
-me : )
July 05, 2007
brute squad v.6.0....and other random thoughts
another july, another season of brute squad. this is the sixth year of brute, year five of my existence as a brute. it's exciting, yes, but i will spend another season on the sidelines calling subs, cheering, and doing whatever i can to support the team.
knee rehab is going well; i'm making progress with physical therapy, massage therapy, and psychological therapy....just kidding, i am not seeing a shrink. i've started seeing a chiropractic phsyician to do active release therapy to my formerly-idle left quad and hamstring. it's basically 15 minutes of massage designed to release scar tissue from these muscles, and begin to stretch them out so i can function normally. it hurts sometimes, but it's worth it for the increased range of motion. hooray! : )
i can't believe it's july already. it doesn't seem like half the year is over, not to mention that another season of ultimate is around the corner. brute tryouts went well this year; we had to make many tough decisions along the way, but i do see great things happening with this team this season. brute is traveling to seattle and santa cruz this season to see top competition in preparation for nationals, and i'm looking forward to it....only wish i were playing, though.
right....in other ultimate news (as i doze off at my desk): i am coaching buda's girls ycc team this summer. basically, i'm responsible for coaching and preparing a group of high school girls for national-level youth ultimate competition. the team is traveling to blaine, mn, for the 2007 ycc, and i'm really excited for them. we've had two practices so far, and they've learned a lot about positioning on defense. hopefully, we'll have more than seven this weekend, so we can scrimmage and put these skills to actual use. most of the team (all but two) hail from amherst, and they're a great bunch. i'm really excited for them, and i know we're going to have a great time representing buda and new england at ycc.
outside of ultimate, i've been working at the red sox team store. it's been great to be around fenway and all of its craziness, and i've also been able to hang out with the red sox store gang more outside of work. more work has added more craziness to my life, but i wouldn't have it any other way.
more random thoughts....x and i are moving in with spoony and simon this fall. we found a really sweet place in jamaica plain, and are moving in at the end of august. yes, this takes me further away from work and (most of my) friends, but it should prove to be a good change of pace. we're really excited, and i'll be sure to post pictures once we move in. we will have a stoop, a small backyard, a huge eat-in kitchen, a huge living room, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a small basement area that we will turn into a dart room. hooray!
i think that's all i have to write about for now. sorry that it's random and unorganized, but my life feels that way right now, and i don't think i could explain it any better.
"the good life, as i conceive it, is a happy life. i do not mean that if you are good you will be happy - i mean that if you are happy you will be good." - bertrand russell
-me : )
knee rehab is going well; i'm making progress with physical therapy, massage therapy, and psychological therapy....just kidding, i am not seeing a shrink. i've started seeing a chiropractic phsyician to do active release therapy to my formerly-idle left quad and hamstring. it's basically 15 minutes of massage designed to release scar tissue from these muscles, and begin to stretch them out so i can function normally. it hurts sometimes, but it's worth it for the increased range of motion. hooray! : )
i can't believe it's july already. it doesn't seem like half the year is over, not to mention that another season of ultimate is around the corner. brute tryouts went well this year; we had to make many tough decisions along the way, but i do see great things happening with this team this season. brute is traveling to seattle and santa cruz this season to see top competition in preparation for nationals, and i'm looking forward to it....only wish i were playing, though.
right....in other ultimate news (as i doze off at my desk): i am coaching buda's girls ycc team this summer. basically, i'm responsible for coaching and preparing a group of high school girls for national-level youth ultimate competition. the team is traveling to blaine, mn, for the 2007 ycc, and i'm really excited for them. we've had two practices so far, and they've learned a lot about positioning on defense. hopefully, we'll have more than seven this weekend, so we can scrimmage and put these skills to actual use. most of the team (all but two) hail from amherst, and they're a great bunch. i'm really excited for them, and i know we're going to have a great time representing buda and new england at ycc.
outside of ultimate, i've been working at the red sox team store. it's been great to be around fenway and all of its craziness, and i've also been able to hang out with the red sox store gang more outside of work. more work has added more craziness to my life, but i wouldn't have it any other way.
more random thoughts....x and i are moving in with spoony and simon this fall. we found a really sweet place in jamaica plain, and are moving in at the end of august. yes, this takes me further away from work and (most of my) friends, but it should prove to be a good change of pace. we're really excited, and i'll be sure to post pictures once we move in. we will have a stoop, a small backyard, a huge eat-in kitchen, a huge living room, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a small basement area that we will turn into a dart room. hooray!
i think that's all i have to write about for now. sorry that it's random and unorganized, but my life feels that way right now, and i don't think i could explain it any better.
"the good life, as i conceive it, is a happy life. i do not mean that if you are good you will be happy - i mean that if you are happy you will be good." - bertrand russell
-me : )
April 05, 2007
so i should have posted this weeks ago....
i'm lazy and i totally forgot to write about my surgery and the two weeks following it (while i was in my apartment, and commuting to physical therapy every day). so, i'm cutting and pasting the e-mail: knee update #9, here.
Happy March (and the Year of the Pig)!!!!
I will be punctual with this e-mail since I spent four long days in the hospital after surgery. Nothing was wrong with me, the doctors from Anesthesia wanted to keep me in to monitor my pain once I was off the epidural....pain schmain. Anywho, four days in a hospital is no fun, so I'm going to recap the week's events and share my hospital fun times with all of you. (Bear with me, I think this is going to be a VERY long e-mail)
Wednesday, February 21: pre-surgery doctor's appointment
Visited the doctor one last time before surgery, went through the basic checkups on the knee....I'm healthy, knee is ready to go, and we're all set, right? Not exactly. Doctor tells me that there is a shortage of allografts, and we may have to postpone my surgery. (I called it being on the donor tissue transplant list....I'm on "hold" until Monday morning, and the doctor will call to tell me if there are tendons for the operation....or not).
Monday, February 26: day of surgery?....YES!!!!
6:30 a.m.: I wake up to my alarm, hit snooze, and fall back asleep
7:15 a.m.: I wake up in a small panic, realizing that I need to be at the hospital at 9, but haven't heard from the doctor....So, I jump out of bed and work on the last cleaning tasks in my room while I wait for the doctor to call....and it's snowing. I guessed I missed the weather forecast.
7:40 a.m.: Doctor's office calls....and there are tendon grafts for my surgery! Hooray!
I pack a bag of books, magazines, and music, continue with the trash collection/cleaning
8:30 a.m.: Hooray for friends with cars! I get a ride to the hospital from Danny, since I didn't want to trudge it through the snow.
8:57 or so: I arrive at Boston Medical Center....let the day begin!
First, I report to the doctor's office for pre-surgery x-rays (in case the doctor has to move my patella to align with the right knee). I take the x-rays to surgery registration, register for surgery, and wait for the nurse to come and get me. The nurse arrives, and I am swept into the pre-op room....again. There are three nurses who have seen me at least once before, so I say, "Hi!" and we proceed with the pre-op rituals....When all is said and done and signed, I am rolled into the operating room at 11 a.m. In the operating room, the anesthesiologist places the epidural in my back, and gives me sleepy-time gas to breathe....and I am out for the count.
4:00 p.m. (or at least this is the first time I can remember): I wake up in the recovery room, have really groggy conversations with the two doctors who operated on me, and then am wheeled up to my room (for the week): 8 west, bed 22a (near the door). I quickly text a bunch of people with my whereabouts and then fall asleep.
4:45 p.m. (maybe?): The nurse arrives and introduces herself....and then asks me, "Weren't you here before?"....yes, more people who recognize me! Well, it's not that exciting....until she asks me, "Where's your catheter? You do have an epidural, right? And your CPM machine?" I tell her that I was barely awake in the recovery room when I was then rolled up to the room.
Basically, the doctors forgot to place a catheter in me prior to the end of the operation, and they forgot to get me a CPM machine for my in-house post-op recovery process. Good times. She gets to do both. And I'm awake. I'll just leave it at that. : )
Thank you to the friends who stopped by on Monday evening. It was good to see you, and I'm sorry I didn't have more energy for conversation. It was a long, but successful day.
Tuesday, February 27: day 1 on the road to recovery
I woke up feeling a little better than I did the night before, but was still very tired from Monday's events. I spent the day eating, napping, getting my vitals taken every four hours (because I was on the epidural), bending my knee in the CPM machine, and sleeping. The rest really helped as I was able to eat my first full meal on Tuesday night (stuffed chicken with mashed potatoes and butternut squash)! : )
I don't remember much from that day except that my roommate/neighbor was discharged and went home. She was a nice old woman named Rita, who had brain tumor surgery sometime the week (or two....I didn't ask) before. She was up and about in her own pajamas at night, and definitely made herself at home during her stay at the hospital. Her departure created a vacancy in my room....which made it VERY easy for friends to stop by after visiting hours and not get into too much trouble. : )
Wednesday, February 28: day 2!
Felt much better when I woke up on Wednesday morning. I ate a day's worth of meals (yes, breakfast, lunch and dinner!), slept, stared at the walls in my hospital room, and almost fainted while standing before I took another short nap into the early evening when friends stopped by to hang out and watch the Maryland/Duke basketball game. It was very important that I did not have a roommate because the game was on late (9 p.m., ESPN), and I wasn't sure that they would be able to stay for the entire game....but they did! The nurses didn't say a word when they checked on me, and after the game ended (Maryland beat Duke) at 11:15, they left without a word. It was REALLY awesome.
I received not-so-awesome news on Wednesday: I wasn't going home until Thursday/Friday. My doctor wanted to keep me in the hospital for one more day, and the anesthesia doctors wanted to keep me in for TWO more days. Ridiculous. Pain tolerance ridiculousness. Obviously, I don't know anything about my pain tolerance after having an epidural in me. Grr. I was really sad/upset because I was tired of being in the hospital, and just wanted to be home. I guess that in exchange for my extra nights, I was given two nights with a hospital room to myself. Not too shabby. : )
Thursday, March 1: day 3! (and the first day of the best month of the entire year!!!!)
I felt spectacular when I woke up on Thursday morning. So much so that I read, Book the Tenth from Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events" called, The Slippery Slope. If you ever want to read a clever and funny children's series, you should read this one. I have books 7-12 here in Boston, and am trying to figure out how to get books 1-6 from home-home. Fun times. : )
More friends stopped by during the afternoon and evening, and it was nice to pass the time talking, playing Uno (thanks Erin!), or reading through celebrity gossip magazines. I also had a neighbor join me in the room for the night, which quieted things down a bit (not that we were being rowdy, but just aware that there was another patient in the room). But it was okay....just a few more hours until I was home!!!!
Friday, March 2: day 4 and freedom day!
I didn't sleep well on Thursday in anticipation of going home. Oh well. And when I did finally wake up, it was raining. Yuck. At least I was going home!
Chrissy came by at 10:30 a.m. to get me and my stuff, and I got into a wheelchair and left 8 west, room 22 for the last time....hooray! The wheelchair attendant wheeled me downstairs, and Chrissy and I drove off into the....rain. The prescriptions were dropped off at the pharmacy, and Chrissy and Jasper helped me settle in at the apartment.
SUCCESS! I was finally home.
The stuff you really want to know (surgery):
The doctors performed a patellar tendon graft repair and removed scar tissue that had grown around my knee since September/November. When the scar tissue was removed, my joint and the surrounding cartilage remained intact and healthy. The doctors say that I will have scar tissue in my knee, but if I get on it early enough, I'll be able to "mold" the scar tissue into a position that will stabilize my knee.
Physical therapy starts on Monday. I will go to physical therapy everyday and do very simple range-of-motion exercises and isometric quad exercises (simple quad-strengthening exercises). I have enough pain meds to last me a VERY long time, but so far, there hasn't been much pain as I increase the degrees of flexion on the CPM machine.
However, when I'm not at PT or not commuting to and from PT, I will be at my lovely apartment reading, sleeping, eating, or relaxing. If you want to stop by at any point during the day, give me a call!
Thank you to all the friends who visited me during the week: Erin, Chrissy, Shmi, Jac, Karen, Roy, Keely, Danny, Kathy, Allison, Mackenzie, Nancy, Blake, Erika, Emily Walton, Greg (Scoops), and Steve. And thanks to all of you who called, sent e-mails and text messages.
It's a new beginning and I'm really excited for it. Thank you for all the support; you have been such wonderful friends. I'll continue to keep you posted on my progress. And please do keep in touch.
.....and that's the e-mail. yes, i had lots of time to write, so it was only fair that i wrote a novel. : )
i'll post more on my current status very soon. if i don't resort to laziness. : )
a new beginning is very exciting.
-me : )
Happy March (and the Year of the Pig)!!!!
I will be punctual with this e-mail since I spent four long days in the hospital after surgery. Nothing was wrong with me, the doctors from Anesthesia wanted to keep me in to monitor my pain once I was off the epidural....pain schmain. Anywho, four days in a hospital is no fun, so I'm going to recap the week's events and share my hospital fun times with all of you. (Bear with me, I think this is going to be a VERY long e-mail)
Wednesday, February 21: pre-surgery doctor's appointment
Visited the doctor one last time before surgery, went through the basic checkups on the knee....I'm healthy, knee is ready to go, and we're all set, right? Not exactly. Doctor tells me that there is a shortage of allografts, and we may have to postpone my surgery. (I called it being on the donor tissue transplant list....I'm on "hold" until Monday morning, and the doctor will call to tell me if there are tendons for the operation....or not).
Monday, February 26: day of surgery?....YES!!!!
6:30 a.m.: I wake up to my alarm, hit snooze, and fall back asleep
7:15 a.m.: I wake up in a small panic, realizing that I need to be at the hospital at 9, but haven't heard from the doctor....So, I jump out of bed and work on the last cleaning tasks in my room while I wait for the doctor to call....and it's snowing. I guessed I missed the weather forecast.
7:40 a.m.: Doctor's office calls....and there are tendon grafts for my surgery! Hooray!
I pack a bag of books, magazines, and music, continue with the trash collection/cleaning
8:30 a.m.: Hooray for friends with cars! I get a ride to the hospital from Danny, since I didn't want to trudge it through the snow.
8:57 or so: I arrive at Boston Medical Center....let the day begin!
First, I report to the doctor's office for pre-surgery x-rays (in case the doctor has to move my patella to align with the right knee). I take the x-rays to surgery registration, register for surgery, and wait for the nurse to come and get me. The nurse arrives, and I am swept into the pre-op room....again. There are three nurses who have seen me at least once before, so I say, "Hi!" and we proceed with the pre-op rituals....When all is said and done and signed, I am rolled into the operating room at 11 a.m. In the operating room, the anesthesiologist places the epidural in my back, and gives me sleepy-time gas to breathe....and I am out for the count.
4:00 p.m. (or at least this is the first time I can remember): I wake up in the recovery room, have really groggy conversations with the two doctors who operated on me, and then am wheeled up to my room (for the week): 8 west, bed 22a (near the door). I quickly text a bunch of people with my whereabouts and then fall asleep.
4:45 p.m. (maybe?): The nurse arrives and introduces herself....and then asks me, "Weren't you here before?"....yes, more people who recognize me! Well, it's not that exciting....until she asks me, "Where's your catheter? You do have an epidural, right? And your CPM machine?" I tell her that I was barely awake in the recovery room when I was then rolled up to the room.
Basically, the doctors forgot to place a catheter in me prior to the end of the operation, and they forgot to get me a CPM machine for my in-house post-op recovery process. Good times. She gets to do both. And I'm awake. I'll just leave it at that. : )
Thank you to the friends who stopped by on Monday evening. It was good to see you, and I'm sorry I didn't have more energy for conversation. It was a long, but successful day.
Tuesday, February 27: day 1 on the road to recovery
I woke up feeling a little better than I did the night before, but was still very tired from Monday's events. I spent the day eating, napping, getting my vitals taken every four hours (because I was on the epidural), bending my knee in the CPM machine, and sleeping. The rest really helped as I was able to eat my first full meal on Tuesday night (stuffed chicken with mashed potatoes and butternut squash)! : )
I don't remember much from that day except that my roommate/neighbor was discharged and went home. She was a nice old woman named Rita, who had brain tumor surgery sometime the week (or two....I didn't ask) before. She was up and about in her own pajamas at night, and definitely made herself at home during her stay at the hospital. Her departure created a vacancy in my room....which made it VERY easy for friends to stop by after visiting hours and not get into too much trouble. : )
Wednesday, February 28: day 2!
Felt much better when I woke up on Wednesday morning. I ate a day's worth of meals (yes, breakfast, lunch and dinner!), slept, stared at the walls in my hospital room, and almost fainted while standing before I took another short nap into the early evening when friends stopped by to hang out and watch the Maryland/Duke basketball game. It was very important that I did not have a roommate because the game was on late (9 p.m., ESPN), and I wasn't sure that they would be able to stay for the entire game....but they did! The nurses didn't say a word when they checked on me, and after the game ended (Maryland beat Duke) at 11:15, they left without a word. It was REALLY awesome.
I received not-so-awesome news on Wednesday: I wasn't going home until Thursday/Friday. My doctor wanted to keep me in the hospital for one more day, and the anesthesia doctors wanted to keep me in for TWO more days. Ridiculous. Pain tolerance ridiculousness. Obviously, I don't know anything about my pain tolerance after having an epidural in me. Grr. I was really sad/upset because I was tired of being in the hospital, and just wanted to be home. I guess that in exchange for my extra nights, I was given two nights with a hospital room to myself. Not too shabby. : )
Thursday, March 1: day 3! (and the first day of the best month of the entire year!!!!)
I felt spectacular when I woke up on Thursday morning. So much so that I read, Book the Tenth from Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events" called, The Slippery Slope. If you ever want to read a clever and funny children's series, you should read this one. I have books 7-12 here in Boston, and am trying to figure out how to get books 1-6 from home-home. Fun times. : )
More friends stopped by during the afternoon and evening, and it was nice to pass the time talking, playing Uno (thanks Erin!), or reading through celebrity gossip magazines. I also had a neighbor join me in the room for the night, which quieted things down a bit (not that we were being rowdy, but just aware that there was another patient in the room). But it was okay....just a few more hours until I was home!!!!
Friday, March 2: day 4 and freedom day!
I didn't sleep well on Thursday in anticipation of going home. Oh well. And when I did finally wake up, it was raining. Yuck. At least I was going home!
Chrissy came by at 10:30 a.m. to get me and my stuff, and I got into a wheelchair and left 8 west, room 22 for the last time....hooray! The wheelchair attendant wheeled me downstairs, and Chrissy and I drove off into the....rain. The prescriptions were dropped off at the pharmacy, and Chrissy and Jasper helped me settle in at the apartment.
SUCCESS! I was finally home.
The stuff you really want to know (surgery):
The doctors performed a patellar tendon graft repair and removed scar tissue that had grown around my knee since September/November. When the scar tissue was removed, my joint and the surrounding cartilage remained intact and healthy. The doctors say that I will have scar tissue in my knee, but if I get on it early enough, I'll be able to "mold" the scar tissue into a position that will stabilize my knee.
Physical therapy starts on Monday. I will go to physical therapy everyday and do very simple range-of-motion exercises and isometric quad exercises (simple quad-strengthening exercises). I have enough pain meds to last me a VERY long time, but so far, there hasn't been much pain as I increase the degrees of flexion on the CPM machine.
However, when I'm not at PT or not commuting to and from PT, I will be at my lovely apartment reading, sleeping, eating, or relaxing. If you want to stop by at any point during the day, give me a call!
Thank you to all the friends who visited me during the week: Erin, Chrissy, Shmi, Jac, Karen, Roy, Keely, Danny, Kathy, Allison, Mackenzie, Nancy, Blake, Erika, Emily Walton, Greg (Scoops), and Steve. And thanks to all of you who called, sent e-mails and text messages.
It's a new beginning and I'm really excited for it. Thank you for all the support; you have been such wonderful friends. I'll continue to keep you posted on my progress. And please do keep in touch.
.....and that's the e-mail. yes, i had lots of time to write, so it was only fair that i wrote a novel. : )
i'll post more on my current status very soon. if i don't resort to laziness. : )
a new beginning is very exciting.
-me : )
February 17, 2007
10 days
i'm tired, a little tipsy, and hanging out alone in my apartment, so i thought i'd write (since it's been almost a month now).
it's been a crazy month (to say the least), but right now, i'm looking forward to surgery. i hope it's the last, but there are no promises. this surgery (officially #3, unofficially #4) will repair the patellar tendon that was eaten up by the scar tissue around my knee. based on my condition, my doctor hopes that this surgery will stabilize my knee and allow me to return to sport (ultimate, of course). this surgery is simultaneously exciting and sad, as i will lose my mobility (again), but actually have something to stabilize my left leg.
surgery is on february 26 at 11 a.m. over at boston medical center. i will spend a couple days in the hospital, and once i'm up and moving around and my pain is under control, i'll return to allston to hang out for two weeks. march will be a good month, since i will be able to watch the college basketball conference tournaments, and the first two rounds of march madness. : )
since the official announcement of my surgery, i've been spending the weekends partying it up with friends. the last four weekends have been amazing: ucpc, metal semiformal, surprise dinner and partying, extreme beerfest, and hanging out with friends. and now, i've only got 10 days until surgery, and am trying to catch up with other friends while trying to get my life in order. fun times all around.
in other, more random news: traci played varsity soccer this year (as a sophomore). her team won the state tournament two weekends ago. and it is now official: all five of us have at least one state championship. lori and i have three, brad has two, and miki and traci each have one. it's pretty crazy and amazing. i'm excited that traci has one because i think she felt the pressure of making a varsity team AND winning the state championship. let me tell you, it's not an easy feat. but it is very rewarding. and i feel very fortunate for the opportunity to play on the teams that won these championships.
i think that's it for now. i'm tired and am either going to a) fall asleep watching sportscenter; or b) read myself to sleep.
going to bed before midnight is nice.
-me : )
it's been a crazy month (to say the least), but right now, i'm looking forward to surgery. i hope it's the last, but there are no promises. this surgery (officially #3, unofficially #4) will repair the patellar tendon that was eaten up by the scar tissue around my knee. based on my condition, my doctor hopes that this surgery will stabilize my knee and allow me to return to sport (ultimate, of course). this surgery is simultaneously exciting and sad, as i will lose my mobility (again), but actually have something to stabilize my left leg.
surgery is on february 26 at 11 a.m. over at boston medical center. i will spend a couple days in the hospital, and once i'm up and moving around and my pain is under control, i'll return to allston to hang out for two weeks. march will be a good month, since i will be able to watch the college basketball conference tournaments, and the first two rounds of march madness. : )
since the official announcement of my surgery, i've been spending the weekends partying it up with friends. the last four weekends have been amazing: ucpc, metal semiformal, surprise dinner and partying, extreme beerfest, and hanging out with friends. and now, i've only got 10 days until surgery, and am trying to catch up with other friends while trying to get my life in order. fun times all around.
in other, more random news: traci played varsity soccer this year (as a sophomore). her team won the state tournament two weekends ago. and it is now official: all five of us have at least one state championship. lori and i have three, brad has two, and miki and traci each have one. it's pretty crazy and amazing. i'm excited that traci has one because i think she felt the pressure of making a varsity team AND winning the state championship. let me tell you, it's not an easy feat. but it is very rewarding. and i feel very fortunate for the opportunity to play on the teams that won these championships.
i think that's it for now. i'm tired and am either going to a) fall asleep watching sportscenter; or b) read myself to sleep.
going to bed before midnight is nice.
-me : )
January 17, 2007
2007....time for the real healing to begin
we're 17 days into 2007. i can't believe that 2006 flew by as quickly as it did.
i updated my blog since blogger is out of "beta", so for those of your who frequent this infrequently written space, i do hope you like the changes. i may even add a profile picture. just maybe. : )
anywho, the real reason i'm writing today is because i finally have the urge to write. it's been almost three months since my last post, and that was about nationals. and now that another ultimate season is upon us, and i have thoughts going through my head that are somewhat coherent, it's time to get them out.
in the last month, i've been feeling distant. i call it "emotional detachment." i feel empty inside, and all the thoughts that go through my head are rational. the emotion is gone from me, and i feel very different. for those of you who know me, i am a very emotional person. i've lived by my emotions for that last 23 5/6 years, so where did it go? part of me suspects that it's due to all the craziness i've been through in the last year. so, one side of me says it's okay to feel this way because i'm protecting myself from being depressed again. the other side of me feels crappy because i don't feel alive. and that because i'm not feeling alive, i'm not being a good friend to my friends. and then i dump this problem on my friends in hopes that they understand where i am at this moment in time. and that when i seem distant, i really am distant, and am working through this phase one day at a time. i'm working on being honest with friends because i think that's the only way they will truly be able to understand me.
my knee is at a stable point right now. the doctor wants to draw fluid out of my knee and culture it before he clears me for surgery. then i'll have surgery to repair my patellar tendon. then months of rehab to get me walking normally (for the first time in almost two years), functioning normally, and possibly returning to sport. but what happens after that? the road forks and there are three options:
option a - knee is stable, strong, and the doctor gives me the okay to play ultimate again. awesome. i will finally move on with my life.
option b - knee is not stable, and the doctor, athletic trainer, and i decide on the acl reconstruction surgery. then i'm back for six more months of rehab. and then it's done. i think.
option c - knee is not stable, and the doctor, athletic trainer, and i consider the acl reconstruction surgery. we decide it's not worth the risks involved, and i'm on my way with the rest of my life without an acl. are sports possible? technically, yes. could i compete at the level i competed at prior to the injury? maybe. it all depends.
....okay, i'm back after a 18-hour hiatus. i told the team about my knee situation, and my mental and lack-of-emotional state. it went over well for me because, well, i'm emotionally detached. it's going to be interesting to see how this emotional detachment progresses over the next few months, but i think i'll get out of it soon, and things will be back to normal. for now, though, i'm just waiting.
i think that's it for this post. more to come soon.
i think writing revives the soul.
-me : )
i updated my blog since blogger is out of "beta", so for those of your who frequent this infrequently written space, i do hope you like the changes. i may even add a profile picture. just maybe. : )
anywho, the real reason i'm writing today is because i finally have the urge to write. it's been almost three months since my last post, and that was about nationals. and now that another ultimate season is upon us, and i have thoughts going through my head that are somewhat coherent, it's time to get them out.
in the last month, i've been feeling distant. i call it "emotional detachment." i feel empty inside, and all the thoughts that go through my head are rational. the emotion is gone from me, and i feel very different. for those of you who know me, i am a very emotional person. i've lived by my emotions for that last 23 5/6 years, so where did it go? part of me suspects that it's due to all the craziness i've been through in the last year. so, one side of me says it's okay to feel this way because i'm protecting myself from being depressed again. the other side of me feels crappy because i don't feel alive. and that because i'm not feeling alive, i'm not being a good friend to my friends. and then i dump this problem on my friends in hopes that they understand where i am at this moment in time. and that when i seem distant, i really am distant, and am working through this phase one day at a time. i'm working on being honest with friends because i think that's the only way they will truly be able to understand me.
my knee is at a stable point right now. the doctor wants to draw fluid out of my knee and culture it before he clears me for surgery. then i'll have surgery to repair my patellar tendon. then months of rehab to get me walking normally (for the first time in almost two years), functioning normally, and possibly returning to sport. but what happens after that? the road forks and there are three options:
option a - knee is stable, strong, and the doctor gives me the okay to play ultimate again. awesome. i will finally move on with my life.
option b - knee is not stable, and the doctor, athletic trainer, and i decide on the acl reconstruction surgery. then i'm back for six more months of rehab. and then it's done. i think.
option c - knee is not stable, and the doctor, athletic trainer, and i consider the acl reconstruction surgery. we decide it's not worth the risks involved, and i'm on my way with the rest of my life without an acl. are sports possible? technically, yes. could i compete at the level i competed at prior to the injury? maybe. it all depends.
....okay, i'm back after a 18-hour hiatus. i told the team about my knee situation, and my mental and lack-of-emotional state. it went over well for me because, well, i'm emotionally detached. it's going to be interesting to see how this emotional detachment progresses over the next few months, but i think i'll get out of it soon, and things will be back to normal. for now, though, i'm just waiting.
i think that's it for this post. more to come soon.
i think writing revives the soul.
-me : )
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