I saved the neighborhood

When you are walking so slowly due to injury rehab you tend to notice things you might not otherwise see.

On one of these numerous walks I noticed one of those square metal sidewalk cover things that had a jagged hole in it. A hole that went down about a foot or so and that had very sharp metal edges. This hoe was downright dangerous.

I called the City of Seattle, and after numerous on holds and transfers I reported the incident and that was that.

Curiosity got the best of me and I repeated the same walk the very next day. Sure enough there was a big huge orange barricade surr

ounding and protecting the neighborhood! Look at that a city government actually springing to action to fix a problem! Amazing!

I feel good about saving the neighborhood from certain death, destruction and injury!

ACL Surgery Fun Times

Last week I had my torn ACL repaired and what a week I have had since then.

The surgery itself was nerve racking and the worst thing about that day was the fasting they require you to do. You know me, I love eating and to be told I can't, well, that is just unacceptable. It was very surreal to be walking into the doctor's office (that is right, I had my surgery at a docs office and not at a hospital) holding the crutches I knew I would need in mere hours.

I was hyper that day, took a walk in the morning, did a lot of cleaning and moving around, simply because I knew I would be sidelined on the couch for so long.

Before I went in I wrote on my bad leg, "This one" with an arrow pointing to my bad knee. When the surgeon came in to talk to me before the surgery he told me we would both be signing the leg which was to be operated on. Ha, I had beat him to it!

It all happened very fast, one minute I was talking to my family, and the next I was taken to the operating room and was given an IV and felt groggy. I remember asking the anesthesiologist if she had ever read the book "Oxygen" about an anesthesiologist in Seattle who kills a patient, right before I was knocked out.

The next thing I know I am groggily waking up in the post-op area with a nurse beside me. What a weird sensation that was. I felt no pain at that point and didn't really know what was going on. My throat hurt more than anything else from the tube they shoved down it to help me breathe.

I had been very concerned from the very beginning of what would happen to my body during the actual surgery. You are really trusting these people who you have never met to keep you alive, do their jobs well and not do anything untoward. That is why I was a little confused when shortly after waking up the nurse brought me my underwear, in a toxic waste bag? I went into the OR with said underwear on and have no recollection of taking them off. Curious indeed.

Another curiosity of mine was flatulence while being under general anesthesia. Did it ever happen? How does one control it? Has it ever been so bad it has messed up a surgery? Inquiring minds wanted to know. So, inquiring minds asked the nurse. She laughed and told me she wasn't in the operating room but would ask. I never heard back.

Seeing my mom and my boyfriend come into the recovery room was great. There is nothing like seeing a friendly face after a traumatic experience.

Then came the bathroom. They hauled me into a wheelchair, which is when I first saw the infamous leg brace. My god, this thing was HUGE! Wheeled me over to the bathroom where my mom helped me down to the toilet and then tried to get my underwear back on (we should have just left it off).

Less than half an hour after waking up from the surgery I was in the car being carted home. I had no pain due to the nerve blocker they shot directly into my leg. Life was good.

Stairs involved going backwards on my butt.

Biggest Loser was on TV! Bed!

More about recovery and life after nerve blocker in the next post.

Hot coffee from a stranger!

I seem to be collecting little stories of the great humanity still left in this world.

There I was, shivering on Alki Beach last Saturday. Why you ask? I was volunteering at a waterstop for the local Team in Training run group who were on their longest run of the season, training for the Nike Women's Marathon and the Victoria Marathon. All of the participants had raised a lot of money towards The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and I thought it was a good way to give back to all those that have done waterstops for me, back in the day.

It was really the first day that you could feel fall in the air. It was windy, it was threatening to rain all morning. I was cold, still wearing my summer gear, not wanting to give up the warm days quite yet.

The runners were appreciative as I cheered for them. Now realize, this is early morning Saturday. Usually neighbors do not appreciate cheering on a Saturday morning so I was noticeably nervous when the neighbor from across the street came out with a wife beater shirt on, shit-kicker boots and tattoos. I was thinking, "I am sorry, I will be more quiet, please don't yell at me!" as he approached.

But, much to my surprise (lesson learned, don't judge a book by its cover), he said his wife saw me out there, apparently I looked cold too, and thought I might need a hot coffee or tea to keep me warm! Yes, I said, in relief.

Sure enough, he brought me out a pipping hot cup of coffee, in a rainbow mug nonetheless, complete with a little thing of cream and sugar and a little spoon.

It did in fact warm me up and I was so appreciative of his neighborhliness. It made my day and I told everyone who stopped at my waterstop what had happened.

Yet another example of the good still left in people!

The only problem? I then had to pee! Luckily for me I was across the street from a park with a porto-pottie. Phew!

To the woman at Sees

To the woman in line ahead of us at See's Candy today at Northgate Mall - thank you for being so sweet to a stranger.

A friend of mine and I had about an hour to kill up near Northgate so we decided to hit the mall, old school style. She wanted to go to See's and get a free sample. Now, I had never really experienced See's before. How could this be, you ask? I do not have an answer for you, my friend.

All I know is that I was excited, well, like a kid in a candy store and was expressing my delight and asking which is my friend's favorite. The woman in line in front of us told us her favorite and it did in fact sound quite good.

Next thing I know, the woman had completed her purchase, turned to me and said, "OK, yours is the one on top!" She had bought me her favorite just so I could try it out.

Now, if that does not restore your faith in humanity, I don't know what will!

Thank you Woman in line at See's! You made my day! And, I ended up getting about 4 different flavors.

I am Important!

I was contacted not too long ago, in a letter from the US Census informing me I was chosen to be a part of a census survey and I was one of only 55,000 participants. I thought it would be a mailed survey that I had to fill out.

Then my doorbell rang. It was a census woman! I was in my PJ's and my house was a mess. I invited her in and she asked me questions for about 45 minutes. Turns out I am important and will be representing thousands of households.

So, what were the questions? Mostly about work and about internet use.

And, this survey is not a one time deal, I will have to answer questions about work every month for the next 8 months!

I guess I will have to keep my house clean!

Aqua Notes, making me so much more effiecient!

No, I have not been paid to write this, nor did I get free product as incentive! But, this product I felt the need to share.

I have always been a shower thinker. Something about the quiet, uninterrupted alone time, relaxed without distraction seems to breed good ideas and more importantly always brings up important lists of things to do. I have always struggled with how to record these thoughts. In the past, at the end of the shower I would dry off really quick, run over to a piece of paper and hope nothing has gone down the drain.

Then I had a great thought (in the shower, of course). I knew there had to have been someone else struggling with this problem. Good thing I remembered as soon as I got out because I found AquaNotes.

I have to be honest, I was skeptical but I read reviews and saw the videos and thought, heck, what is $10!?

I got them in the mail yesterday and immediately jumped in the shower. It really works! I was amazed. This is the first note I wrote to myself:

Can't really read it, but it says "Blog about AquaNotes!" I am going to be so much more efficient. Perhaps I should have purchased them on the company card!

Run Scared 5K

Last year I organized a fun run on Halloween called Run Scared. I did this as a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and it turned out so well I am doing it again this year. The first annual was sort of strung together at the last minute, I worked really hard on it and it all paid off with a $4,000 total raised. This year I have already started working on it, with new improvements such as a chip timing, a sponsor from Champion Party Supply and t-shirts!

Sign up today: www.runscared5k.com $25 and 100% of your registration goes to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Get in before I cut off registration!

Date: Halloween, October 31, 2010

Time: 9:00am with packet pickup starting at 7:30am

Location: Seattle's gorgeous Seward Park (traffic free course along the shores of Lake Washington)

Benefiting: The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Cost: $25 in advance, $30 day

What you get: A trick or treat bag filled with goodies, a t-shirt, a gorgeous course, finish line treats, free photos, other spooky surprises.

Other fun stuff: Costume contest! Doggie costume contest! Lots of giveaways, prizes for top runners and random door prizes. Walkers, dogs on short leashes and strollers welcome. No time limit. USATF sanctioned.

How to register: Donate $25 here.