Braceless

I have ventured without the knee brace for the last couple of days. It's going good. I still can't walk properly down the stairs or bend my knee BUT it's getting easier. I was pretty frustrated earlier this week because everything has become more of an issue to do. After running a few errands I am exhausted from hobbling or standing or my leg is stiff from sitting at work. It frickin' sucks! But, I found a physio place to call, I still have to call but at least I have the number and it's close by. Maybe tomorrow. As for the rest of my life, I'm basically biding my time until next week when all the regular shows start up. However, I will be heading down to the Semiahmoo Resort (I think I spelled that right...) for a work mini-conference the night that Heroes premiers - bloody crappy timing but I will record it so that will just have to do. I can't wait to see Hiro!

Lazy Sunday

I had a semi-hectic week, what with the hobbling & work, etc. The knee is much better but I still can't kneel or pivot & walking down the stairs is difficult (up is fine). I volunteered yesterday morning & ended up staying a few extra hours to facepaint. I bathed the tortoises in the morning & Boris wasn't happy when I turned him upside down to clean his under-shell so he was kicking out his legs & stuff and I had to keep shifting him. I got it done & he looked very clean but my shirt was covered in tortoise dirt - I looked as if I was rolling in mud. Of course, I just happened to be wearing my white zoo shirt that day. So, when I was facepainting I kept having to explain why I was so dirty. It was a little annoying. The hardest request was a fairy princess getting married, but I pulled it off.
I guess it was a little exhausting because I had a long nap in the afternoon, woke up, watched some T.V. and then fell asleep again. I fell asleep watching Sin City, just in time for the creepy yellow guy part - which is great because he is so disgusting I barely made it through the first time I saw the movie. I woke up just in time to see a yellow splatter from his demise. It's such a great movie, but the yellow guy - yuck! I got up after 11:00, which for me is like sleeping till 3 pm. It's awesome. I have to clean because, as usual, my place is a mess but I will get to it....eventually.
Oh, I rented Pan's Labyrinth & Blades of Glory. Not a normal combination, I'm sure, but two movies that people kept telling me I should see. Both great in their own unique ways and both with haunting imagery - the creepy eyeball guy from Pan's Labyrinth & the ridiculous figure skating outfits from Blades of Glory. I recommend both, but Pan's Labyrinth would be suitable for people who enjoy foreign films with creepy symbology and Blades of Glory for people who like Will Farrel &/or figureskating. Actually, if you like figureskating you may find it offensive, so don't watch it.

Knee Brace

Wednesday I had a game and was actually doing pretty good. I had one really good hit. And the team was kicking butt. But the next time I was up and running to third I stopped and my knee didn't. I happened to be looking down, and it looked as if my leg snapped. I crumpled to the ground and couldn't move for a bit. My teammates came rushing over and got me up. I hobbled to the dugout and then later hobbled to my car, no more playing for me. The drive home was brutal. I tried to use my left leg to break so I ended up driving like a 15 year old. I broke down completely thinking about how I was going to make it down the stairs to my place. However, I survived, managed to work somewhat efficiently - though I had to ask my co-workers for help, like getting chocolate from the kitchen upstairs.
I went to the Walk-In, or "Hobble-In" in my case, and it was kind of useless but at least I got pointed in the right direction. I bought a knee brace, because the doctor thinks that it was just my knee cap and it needs to be stabilized to heal. I may need physio, but I'll see how it goes over the next few days. I still can't completely bend or straighten my knee and any sort of pivoting or getting up & down is difficult & painful if I move the wrong way. The brace itself is also smelly - not from me, yet, but with that new material smell like a new car right out of the factory. The worst part is the frustration of not being able to move normally. I'm exhausted from hobbling!

My first Settlers experience

I LOVE long weekends. Three hole days of not working. It's wonderful. Anyways, yesterday I got together with my work buddies to play Carcassonne & then we played Settlers. Of course I have heard alot about Settlers since I worked at a game store, but I had never had a chance to play it. It's really fun, though a little complex. I didn't win - at all! But, I was willing to play a third round though I was ready to fall asleep. Luckily everyone else was ready to pack it in so I got home at a reasonable hour. If you haven't played it before either I think you should!
I also went on a shopping spree - nothing too crazy, just a curtain rod - finally, after almost 2 years of tacking up my curtain with push pins - a couple new shirts and these glasses. It's really too sunny to live without sun glasses. These last couple of weeks have really sucked.

Ode to Tracey

Tracey is on her way to Ontario today. She's moving to Oakville & being a westerner I didn't have a clue where it was until she showed me on a map. She's got an awesome job lined up there & is driving out with her Mom. We're all hoping they won't bicker too much... Hubby Andy is flying out there next week. It's going to be a tough time for me, adjusting to BC life without her, but I'm really glad she got such a great opportunity and I know it will be a great experience. At the very least they're only 4ish hours from New York & 6ish hours from Montreal so there will be some fun trips for them once they get settled. They also want to get a kitty - finally - so that will be a nice addition to my extended pet family.
Anyways, it was an emotional good-bye yesterday so I just wanted to give a more elaborate adieu - so adieu, adieu, to yeuh & yeuh & yeuh, la la la! All the best Trace, drive safe & don't yell at your Mom! Love you!

Horseracing game

I'm not sure if I've mentioned the horseracing game before but I have to say that it's even better than Carcassonne - and that's a high rating for me. It's a wooden board with wooden horse heads that move up the board in a groove. Cards & dice determine how much you win or loose. All the cards in the deck are dealt out (Kings & Aces are removed - there are only 11 horses, #2-#12) and the first four throws of the dice determine the first four horses price - the first horse costs $0.05, the 2nd $0.10, the third $0.15 and the fourth $0.20. Whoever is holding the corresponding cards has to put that amount in the pot - if you have multiples than it's the $ amount x the number of cards you have (max. 4). It really sucks if you have 2 or more of the $0.20 one - which happens to me alot. Anyways, the fifth dice roll gets the next horse off the starting line. If you happen to roll one of the 'scratched' horses you pay the corresponding cost into the pot. You keep rolling until one of the horses reaches the top of the board or finish line. Whoever has that corresponding card wins the pot so it's usually split between 2 to 3 people unless someone really gets lucky and has all 4 of the same in their hand.
The first time I played this I lost maybe $6 dollars but played until the wee hours of the morning. The next time I played I lost maybe $15 and borrowed more money to keep playing. However, yesterday I hovered around my $5 starting amount the whole night. It was the best result I could have hoped for,'cause I just ain't lucky. I stayed up till 3 which is about 5 hours longer than I normally stay up but it was a blast. However, I highly recommend playing this with people who can hold their liquor - it takes forever for a drunk person to deal & they can't keep track of who's turn it is or the rules of the game

Ack! My glasses!

My favourite sunglasses have now bit the biscuit. This is the second pair, the first ones also cracked on the highway from Whitehorse to Alaska. These ones cracked a bit first a couple of weeks ago and then cracked right through today on the way home from work. It's really quite devastating. They were the perfect colour, the perfect size, super comfortable & had some rhinestones. I can't possibly find a better pair! However, I don't think 3 is a charm since I'm pretty sure they'll break the same way as the other 2. It's going to be a rough week, and for the first time this summer I'm hoping for clouds...