Gazelles On Crack Rotating Header Image

Dammit!

I don’t even have any more clever titles

May 16th, 2011
by gazelle.
3 comments

So – since last I updated you on this crazy life thing I’ve got going on here, so much has happened!

On Tuesday evening, I hit up the track w/ my good friend Alisa & her husband. I ran a mile warm up & then did 4×400 (with 400 recovery jogs) & closed with a half mile cool-down. I didn’t bring my garmin, so I don’t have any idea how long/how fast/etc. that drives me bonkers, by the way. My spreadsheets are incomplete.

Wednesday morning, I woke up & felt decidedly not right. So I stayed home. I did get some homework done, but overall, it wasn’t a super productive day. Which is okay when taking a sick day, right?

Wednesday evening, my left foot started to hurt. This is the non-surgery foot. I didn’t think too much of it, and just went to bed. I woke up 3-4 times in the night with some weird foot pain.

Thursday morning I woke up and my left foot (specifically the big toe joint area) hurt excruciatingly bad. I was pretty sure that something was broken. I went to work & called the orthopedic clinic.  They told me they could fit me in for an X-Ray in about a week. That seemed a bit long to wait to see if I’d broken a toe or a foot or something. I called my Primary Care & although she wasn’t in, another doc in her group was able to see me “as soon as I could get there.” Which was about 15 minutes or so (sometimes it’s handy working in a hospital). I saw the doc, had an X-Ray, and then saw the doc again.

He thought I had a stress fracture. The radiologist disagreed. So – the official diagnosis? No stress fracture. (Other things it isn’t include the plague, schizophrenia [probably], and cataracts. Things it is include who knows?!)

I was referred to PT (which I love – I will always go to PT) and told to ice, elevate, & ibuprofen it up. And so I did.

Friday was a pretty busy day for someone with a not-broken toe. I volunteered at Growing Gardens (I put starts in individual pots and counted tomatoes), finally took my kick-ass prints to get framed (do you have any idea how much framing costs? holy crap is all I can say), and then, stopped by Classic Pianos to scope out the wares.

I had a very specific budget in mind (read: CHEAP) but also had a specific quality in mind (read: not CHEAP sounding). They were so nice to me! I told the sales guy my budget, he took me to the area of the store with those pianos, left me alone to pound on the keys for awhile, and then when I picked out my favorite piano in the store, told me it was twice my price rang (of course) and helped me find one with comparable sound for half the price.

You all! I bought a piano. It is not the nicest piano in the world, but it is so much better than the one I have now! (I don’t have one now, and it is not working for me.) AND AND AND for as long as I own this piano, if I ever want to trade it in for a better, nicer, grander (in my dreams) piano, they will credit me the full price I paid for this piano towards the purchase of the new one! The piano does not depreciate!

This, even more than buying a house, makes me feel like a grown-up.

This is not my piano, but is a reasonable fascimile there of:

 

(I do not have ugly blue carpet.) As soon as my piano comes to live with me, I will post a picture of the real actual piano (I can’t believe I didn’t take a picture of it last Friday!) and you can all be jealous! It is having its hammers refelted, and will come live with me on 5/27/11. YAY!

After piano-ing, I headed out to Zenger Farms for a tour. So awesome. I was so jealous of the tour guide. Her job is to work on an urban farm! And hang out with wealthy donors like me! (I kid about the wealthy part; I am just a regular donor.)

Finally, after a long day of too much walking, I headed back home. The architect & I toured the estate and then headed out to dinner.

Saturday was another busy day. I finalized the gin tasting notes and cocktail menu, made the awesomest cake in the universe, and cleaned up a bit for the gin tasters.

I had such a great time Saturday night imparting my gin passion to others. We did a formal tasting (well, maybe semi-formal) with tasting notes and information and voting, and then had gin cocktails (or, in the case of some people, beer).

The big gin hit of the night was the Bardenay (from Idaho) in the more traditional London Dry category, although the cucumber & spruce Rogue gin was also quite popular.

I introduced a number of people to the awesome French 75 and am looking forward to a lot of warm summer afternoons sipping French 75s on the patio.

Sunday there was a wee bit of clean-up (not too much; must be getting old when the last straggler is gone before 11 pm and the clean-up takes less than 1/2 hour) and then Sarah came over for asparagus pickling! We each made 8 pints of pickled asparagus, and I can’t wait for them to get properly pickled so that I can crack open a jar and make some awesome bloody marys.

The rest of Sunday was devoted to school work and work work. (Boooo…..)

Today my foot is feeling pretty decent. I’m even considering going for a wee little run tomorrow. My first PT appointment is next Wednesday, and I’m positive they told me to run 3 times before the appointment, just to see how it’s holding up.

This is another 5-day work week, but the big pressure should be off after tomorrow, and then we can return to the regular stresses of my job and figuring out how to integrate all of my new responsibilities.

Happy Monday!

98122

Three Things Thursday

Apr 28th, 2011
by gazelle.
1 comment
  1. Last night, the smoke detector system went off just as I hopped into bed. Our house was not on fire, so we were confused. I helped the architect remove the detector that started it all (we are super modern, and all our smoke detectors are linked, so that when one goes off, they all do, which is handy in cases of actual fires, but super annoying in cases of whatever the hell happened last night), and then I went back to bed. Apparently, it happened twice more after that, but I slept through it. Which does not bode well in cases of actual fires. This morning, there were no attached smoke detectors, and and least 2 of them have gone missing all together. (We are cursed blessed with a plethora of smoke detectors, four in our 2nd floor (which is about 700 square feet).
  2. I am about three spreadsheets away from a complete mental breakdown.
  3. I am so happy that it’s Thursday and I don’t have to work tomorrow. I am also excited that tomorrow is Sarah & Amy’s day of fun.

I Was an Ill-Tempered Sea Bass

Mar 22nd, 2011
by gazelle.
7 comments

When last I left you, I was stressed out (and so, apparently, were some of you after reading about my adventures).

Rest assured, it gets better!

My appointment with the nutritionist was lovely, even thought she did recommend cutting dairy out of my diet & suggesting that I might have a dairy intolerance. I said I would give it a go for six weeks. No cheese. No butter. (No milk or ice cream or yogurt, either, but already avoid those things.)

Then, I drove BACK to the pharmacy.

***

You may remember from yesterday’s lesson that Portland is divided into 5 quadrants (I know, that doesn’t make sense, but it’s all true). The dividing line between East & West is the Willamette River. There are a lot of bridges here in Portland (totally typed Poetland – that’s kinda funny). Many of them are draw bridges, as we have a decent amount of ship traffic. Some of them are just super high (the freeway bridges & the St. Johns Bridge). I have a nearly debilitating fear mild phobia about accidentally driving off a really high bridge & plunging to my death. Also, I once heard that the guy who designed the Fremont Bridge won’t drive over it because it was not built to his specifications & he feels that it is unsafe, much like that bridge in Minneapolis that fell down a few years ago.

Because I live in a town with a river and a bunch of bridges, I have worked hard to get over my phobia. I will drive over the St. Johns Bridge (I get through it by pretending that we’re very, very low), and the Marquam Bridge (especially on the lower deck).

So, when I tell you that my journeys last Friday resulting in me driving on the Fremont Bridge THREE TIMES – twice on the high upper deck where I could just careen into space & DIE! -  and the St. Johns Bridge three times (less stressful, but still), I want you to know that I was, indeed, feeling even more stressed out than just the anxiety of being constantly late can cause).

***

Fortunately, when I got back to the pharmacy, they’d obtained my insurance information & were able to give me my drugs right away. That was pleasing. Unforunately, it was too late. I was already cranky.

When I got home, the architect was already there. BUT, had he psychically intuited my mood and made a martini to ease the stress? NO! He was on the bike trainer. Exercising. And he did not immediately hop off & offer to sooth the savage beast (me) with offers of martinis and fancy cheeses.

Bastard, right? I told Facebook that I was, indeed an ill-tempered sea bass (and some people hinted that I might have posted that AFTER drinking, when alas! that’s just how my mind works, regardless of amount of alcohol imbibed).

After he got off the trainer, I made him go out for pizza with me, because, well, I’d already had cheese at lunch – might as well have a last hurrah, right?

Two slices & a couple beers later, and I was less ill-tempered.

The rest of the weekend was good, if a little less dramatic. Saturday morning, I headed over to Emily’s for some garden talk & breakfast, then went to the eye doctor for new glasses, and spent the afternoon hoeing. My shoulders & back are pretty sore from all that work!

Sunday I went for a lovely run in Forest Park (4.5 miles! New distance record!) and then the architect & I made another batch of IPA.

IMAG0222

Yesterday was mustard making & a foot therapy appointment (turns out that instead of a mild supination, which I’ve always had on both feet, the right (surgery) foot is now pronating. So my left foot rolls out, and my right foot rolls in. Add to that my extreme hyperextension, and you pretty much have a recipe for running injury (and that probably explains why running has caused so my stress on my muscles/ligaments lately).

My PT exercises for the next two weeks include (this is not a lie): practicing standing up with straight legs. Apparently, the therapist was not surprised that I’m clumsy – how could I be anything but when I can’t even straighten my legs without practice! I am also to practice keeping my feet flat on the ground. It’s a wonder I’m ever upright at this point! (Oh, sometimes I wish my parents didn’t read this blog…I have a comment here.)

ANYWAYS! Now we are all caught up. Today (Tuesday), I have plans! And, I will take pictures.  And there will be some serious domestic badassery going down in the house (hizzle?).

I Didn’t Kill Anyone on Friday!

Mar 21st, 2011
by gazelle.
1 comment

People! It is 9 AM. I am sitting at home in my pajamas. I’ve had coffee and breakfast and life is so good! Even though my last day of work before vacationwas Thursday, and my last day of school before vacation was Friday, today is teh first day that really FEELS like vacation, because typically on Mondays I go to work.

Friday did NOT feel like a vacation. It was just one of those no good very bad days from the start.

I had a doctor’s appointment at 9 AM. I did not set an alarm, because dudes – 9 AM!

Guess what time I woke up? If you guessed 9 AM, give yourself a cookie. I actually think I might deserve a cookie, because I got to my appointment by 9:17 AM. I even got dressed & brushed my teeth & poured a cup of coffee and STILL got there by 9:17.

BUT – it was too late. I could not be seen. Fortunately, they were able to reschedule me for 11:45 AM. So, I went back home, finished up my coursework for the quarter, and then went back to the doctor. A prescription was needed, but I didn’t want to go to  my regular pharmacy, so I had them send it to the pharmacy by my house that I’d never before visited.

After my appointment, I grabbed lunch & then went to my volunteer gig.

I finished up volunteering at about 4. I knew I had another appointment (with a nutritionist, part of a Groupon deal) at 5:45.

***brief segue to explain Portland to out of towners***

Portland is divided into five parts. Quadrants, actually, except there are five, and not four.

There’s northeast, southeast, northwest, southwest, and north. North is the bastard step-child of Portland. It is also where I live. So – my ‘scrip is in North Portland.  My volunteer job is in NE Portland. My 5:45 pm appointment is in SE Portland. I have 1 hour & 45 minutes before my next engagement and I don’t know what time new pharmacy closes. Five seems a reasonable guess.

So, I drove to North Portland. They tried to charge me $OH-HELL-NO for my prescription. It was determined that they didn’t have my insurance information. AND, it turns out that somewhere I have a separate pharmacy insurance card that isn’t my dental insurance or my health insurance. I’m fairly certain that was something I forgot to have replaced after my wallet was stolen last summer, because I didn’t know it existed.

The nice lady at the pharmacy said she could call & get the information so I could have my drugs at <$WTF!

So, I sat in the pharmacy & read. After a while I said to myself, “Self! You should really double-check that your next appointment is at 5:45.”

So, I checked on my Google Calendar (on my phone) where I store all appointments.

The Calendar said that the appointment was at 4:45.

I looked at the clock. The clock said 4:22.

That is not a lot of time to get from N to SE.

I verified that the pharmacy was open ’til 9, told them I’d be back for my drugs, and tore out of there. I drove like a decently cautious, but slightly aggressive bat out of hell. I got stuck in traffic. Lots of people on the freeway anxious to start their weekends and completely oblivious to the fact that they SUCK and should get out of my way, because obviously my rush to my appointment is hella more important than their rushes to whatever they were doing (probably something morally reprehensible and legally questionable…I’m assuming).

I get to my appointment late (of course), which is pretty much par for the day’s course.

I parked about 2 blocks away so I wouldn’t have to look for parking, and then sprinted (more or less) to the door. I walked in panting & anxious. The receptionist asked who I was there to see, I blanked, but told her my name. And she said:

“Oh! You’re early! Your appointment isn’t until 5:45.”

And scene.

(Weekend report TBD, but I have another appointment in a half hour, and am going to try to be on time this week.)

 

Weekend Review for 3/7/11

Mar 7th, 2011
by gazelle.
3 comments

This weekend was interesting.

Friday seemed much busier than it should’ve. I overslept (which almost never happens) and was barely dressed & caffeinated when my new guestroom mattress arrived. Immediately after mattress delivery, I had just enough time to do a little homework before heading out for a doctor’s appointment, the follow-up beer (what? it was medically necessary) and then headed to my volunteer gig.

Ahhh-Friday

By the time I got home, I had barely enough time to pretty myself up for my weekly date with the architect.  We headed out to Breakside Brewery, home of the January brew review, good food, and adequate beer.

Saturday was a day of activity! The architect & I went for a run in the morning, and then, interspersed with homework, we were busy. We cleaned. We organized. We laundried. We made plans. (Site plans, mostly.) And then, in the evening, we went to a movie! (This warrants an exclamation point, because it is hard to get me to the movies – what with the time commitment, the inability to pause, the pressure to stay still & quiet, and the potential to sit near a stranger.) We saw “Black Swan,” ate a slice of pizza, and had a beer.

After the movie, I suggested to the architect that we stop for another drink, but he wasn’t feeling so hot, so home we went. I will admit that I (rather uncharitably) thought that he was maybe…exaggerating. So, I went home & sulked a bit, and then went to sleep.

I woke up sometime in the night & felt…off. Nauseated & headachy. When my alarm went off for my Sunday morning run, I knew I wasn’t going to make it. I was sure I had the migraine that had been threatening me all week (shaking its wee, bright, sparkly fists at me in the back edges of my peripheral vision).

I contacted everyone who needed to be contacted & fell back asleep. When I finally got up at 10 (!), I had saltines for breakfast and proceeded to moan theatrically. I also apologized to the architect for my uncharitable thoughts the previous evening.

We did nothing Sunday (good thing we were so productive Saturday, right?). We watched the most recent episode of Castle, made some potato soup (yum), watched “Inception,” made some peanut butter bars (yum), and then I watched eleventy hundred episodes of Season 2 of Castle before making my way, still moaning theatrically, to bed by 8:30 pm.

Between Black Swan on Saturday, Inception on Sunday, and a weird cold/flu dizziness, I have no idea what’s even real at this point!

I do feel better today (and, got to go to work – yay?), but am already ready for a nap. I’m hoping to go home a little early & rest up so I can make it to at least one of the two things I committed to for tonight (stupid double-booking).

Octoplant - March 6, 2011

The architect hung one of our new houseplants on Saturday – isn’t she pretty?

← Earlier Posts Newer Posts →