Foot, Part Deux

This is the "before" X-ray;
I neglected to snap the "after"

I suppose I've been posting here infrequently enough that my prolonged absence after glibly reporting that I was headed to surgery didn't cause any alarm, so that's good!

In fact, the surgery went really well. The most unpleasant thing was probably just waiting for it to start: feeling frumpy and naked in one of those drafty gowns, a hairnet, my glasses, and no make up, whilst being grilled by a bevy of medical professionals. Oh, and hungry and thirsty; my surgery was at 2, and I hadn't been permitted to eat or drink anything after 10pm the night before. The nurses were extraordinarily kind to me, though; they wrapped me up in heated blankets, and even switched out my pillow on the operating table for a comfier one, even though I was planning to be as little aware of it, and everything else, as possible. (The anesthesiologist was kind of a jerk; he told me I might wake up during surgery, but that it wasn't a big deal if I did. Ahem? [Thankfully, I didn't.])

So. They gave me something delightful to knock me out; although I felt it tingling through my veins as I did when I had my wisdom teeth out, I mostly felt chill and awesome. Then they slipped the oxygen mask on and I went under.

I woke up without crying, and felt pretty excellent as the nurses helped me off the table and into a chair and wheeled me into recovery. I felt even better when they brought me snacks, and lots of water! David tells me I was a little loopy as we heard the post-surgery instructions, although I felt pretty clear-headed--just nice and chill, still. My foot didn't hurt at all (I ended up not regaining full sensation in my toes until Monday!), and before long at all they wheeled me out to the curb, where David helped me load into the car with my foot on the dashboard.

The next few days were super lame. I was in a surgical shoe, so I could put weight on my foot, but only to go from the couch to the bathroom or bed. I took some Vicodin that night, out of caution, but it just knocked me out and messed up my sleep schedule. I did a lot of reading and cuddling with the kittens. It was spring break, so I thankfully didn't have to do any teaching work.

Tonight

Anyway, even when I regained feeling in my foot, it didn't hurt much, although it turned all sorts of colors. I had my first post-op visit on Wednesday, when I got my first look at the incision, had an X-ray, and got a nice lighter dressing. (The X-ray was amazing; I only snapped a picture of the "before" image, but that big bump on my joint is totally gone in the "after.") The next week I had my stitches out. Today I went in for another follow-up, and got the green light to do yoga. Within the next two to four weeks, my podiatrist says, I can even start easing into running. Don't worry: I am obviously going to take it very slowly. But it is a very exciting thought, especially since our weather has been preternaturally vernal!

Obviously, I've been taking pictures. Here they are, if you want to see them.* They're not too gruesome, for the most part, although my toenails do look pretty nasty from the betadine. And I've been Mederma-ing my scar, but I do kind of like how simultaneously badass and feminine (pink! like cherry blossoms!) it looks.

*Picassa's not letting me add captions right now, and it's past my bedtime, but I'll try to add them later. They're roughly chronological, and the flowers are from my mom and David (who also got me a  fruit arrangement!).

Toe

Hey, remember my bum toe? Weirdly, I don't seem to have talked about it here all that much--probably because it's too depressing. That, and before NaBloPoMo I was hardly blogging at all.

Well. It was hurting a lot: when I ran, obviously (though I was hardly doing that any more, thanks to the pain), but also when I walked, when I stood, when I woke up in the morning, at the end of the day... It hurt all the time, and the joint was red and swollen.

I saw an orthopedic surgeon, who said the only solution for me was surgery. He also said that although he would do his best to preserve the joint, if he couldn't save it, fusion would be the only option. I had to be okay with waking up from surgery with that joint fused: he didn't want any tears. Ahem. Apparently this has been a problem with former patients? I can appreciate his honesty, but I didn't love the approach.

I was pretty bummed about the surgery thing, but was in so much pain, and so much more bummed about not being able to run (the surgeon did say he had fusion patients who had run their best marathons post-surgery) that I still thought I'd have to go for it.

Before I did, though, I decided, at my dad's urging, to see a podiatrist.

Not being able to run, and being in constant pain, was making me really depressed, so it took quite a while to set that appointment up, but I finally did it.

The podiatrist was much more personable, and he told me that my hallux rigidus* was in an early stage and would likely respond well to conservative treatment--no need for surgery, at this point.

That was super encouraging! I was excited to see how the inserts he made for me, and wearing my running shoes all the time, would make my feet feel.

They made them feel a little better--but not much. So I went back, and he adjusted the inserts again. Better yet, he prescribed physical therapy, which ended up being the most effective solution to date. In addition to having the toe stretched and adjusted, and learning new exercises and stretches, I received transdermal acetic acid via iontophoresis. Although it raised tiny blisters on my skin every time we did it, it significantly reduced the pain and swelling in the joint. I was so happy to have found something that worked!

My toe got so much better that after a few weeks my PT suggested we stop and see how things went on their own. As it happened, my toe went back to bad about a week after my last acetic acid treatment. And because I was back in pain, and super bummed, it took me a long time to make another appointment (see above).

But I did. I went back to the podiatrist on October 20 and told him that even though I was wearing comfy shoes with his inserts, and wasn't even running, my foot was still driving me crazy. So he suggested a cortisone shot, which is one more thing to try before considering surgery (surgeries that he described as far more minor than what the orthopod had mentioned!).

He gave me a shot of anaesthetic on top of my foot, and then stuck a thin needle right into the joint. It did hurt, but it was over quickly, and I was able to walk right out of the office afterward. The joint, full as it was of extra fluid, felt stiff for a while, but soon felt amazing. I didn't feel any pain at all! I actually laughed out loud at myself when I realized that was because the anaesthetic was still doing its work. When that wore off, my toe hurt, worse than before. I limped around for the rest of the day.  It still hurt on the 21st, but by the 22nd, it was feeling significantly better.

Since then, it has been great! I do still feel it sometimes, especially after yoga or after a spell in non-sensible shoes. Occasionally it will pop, too, but it rarely hurts significantly. In fact, it's almost like having a normal foot again! I can hardly express how wonderful this is, and what a relief it is to not have foot pain gnawing at the back of my mind all the time. I haven't tried running on it yet, but feel very optimistic about the possibility!

It's unclear how long the shot will be effective, and he said it's not the sort of thing he generally likes to repeat. However, I've talked to people whose cortisone shots have lasted them years. I'm hoping that's the case for me, too!

Wow. That got long.


*Have I mentioned that that's my diagnosis? Latin for stiff big toe.

Bullets

• Today we finally hit Winter Cold here; it was 19° with the windchill.
• I know that in a month or two, 19° will sound balmy.
• We haven't had more than a sprinkle of snow since our storm last weekend, but winter seems here to stay.
• It's hard to believe I ran in shorts just over a week ago.
• It's also a little hard to believe the news I just got from my credit card: the fees for things like late payments are going down!
• In fact, if the payment due is less than $100, they won't charge you a fee at all.
• Is that you, Obama?!
• I bought this sweater today at Gap, in blue.
• It was 40% off and I had a Groupon.
• I've never owned a cowl sweater, and I love how cozy this one is; the cowl neck is huge!
• Unfortunately, it's pretty itchy. I need to find
• In between that bullet and this one, I searched for, and found, a base layer that I hope will work.
• I'd been wanting a long-sleeved silk layer for this winter; I just ordered this one (with a free shipping coupon code!) in black.
• I am a huge fan of silky baselayers in cold weather; they make winter here so much more bearable.
• Seriously. World of difference.
  

Running*

Today I ran in shorts. Shorts! We hit 68° here today. By the time I was home from dissertation workshop and ready to head out, it was looking ready to storm, so I threw a long-sleeved shirt over my tank top. The rain held off, though, and I didn't need the extra shirt at all. In fact, I sweated. This weather is kind of freaking me out.

It's also great, though, because I really needed the run. I hadn't run since the Monster Dash, and was starting to feel crazy. I know they make drugs for this sort of thing, and I support their use, but I also know that a few miles spent getting my heart rate up does wonders for my mental state and doesn't require any troublesome prescriptions or appointments. Unfortunately, it's not side-effect free; my foot is pretty sore at the moment, and I've been hungry all night.

Hungry I can handle--and appreciate!--but the foot is troubling. How am I going to outrun the crazies on a broken foot?

*The title of the post reminds me of a costume I saw at the Monster Half: a refrigerator!

Dashing

Things I have done to prepare for tomorrow's Monster Dash Half Marathon:
1. Purchased rainbow-striped thigh-high socks
2. Purchased rainbow-striped fingerless gloves/arm warmers
3. Purchased rainbow-striped hats (though, sadly, they only shipped one of them)
4. Attended the race expo and picked up my chip and shirt
5. Made cinnamon rolls for eating afterward

I haven't actually run since the Twin Cities Marathon (unless you count a dash to the Asian grocery store earlier this week; I did put on running shoes and run there--and back, carrying cans of coconut milk). I've been... conserving my energy. Resting up. Carb loading!

Anyway, when a friend who had also run TCM this year (after running her very first marathon with me two years ago) told me that she had the perfect costume idea for the Monster Dash and that we had to do it, I couldn't resist. We're going as a Double Rainbow! So intense!

10-10-10

Obviously, I have been a blogging failure of late, of which my mom specifically called yesterday to remind me (hi Mom!).

I've been distracted by any number of wonderful things, about which I'll hopefully post--probably when I'm sufficiently interested in avoiding non-wonderful things, such as the piles of midterm exams my students are taking on Tuesday.

In the meantime: Marathon! I ran my fourth Twin Cities Marathon last Sunday. I did the first 17 miles with my very speedy running buddy, who was doing her first ever marathon, before I couldn't keep up. I ended up finishing in 4:37, which I just realized (thanks to the wonder of the Internet) is actually my second fastest marathon time. Speedy finished about half an hour before me, which is sort of heartbreaking, but she's so amazing I can't be bitter.

I think this is the link to the album of pictures I posted on FaceBook.

Badger, Badger, Badger, Badger...

On Saturday, I ran my first Gopher to Badger Half Marathon (so called because it starts in Minnesota and finishes in Wisconsin; friendly rivalry and all that). It was a pretty brutal run, unfortunately--hot, humid, and hilly, with a 70°/94% humidity start at 8:00 and a finish nearly 10° warmer and almost as humid. Worse, the water stops were few, far between, and unprepared; at one, runners were dipping their own cups into open pitchers of water!

Still, I finished--10 minutes slower than my hoped-for time, completely exhausted, and a teensy bit sunburned, but glad to be done with another long run. The weekend before that, I ran my 15 by myself, around the lakes, with about as much water access (from fountains) as a girl could want. (It was also significantly cooler, since I started approximately an hour and a half earlier!) Next weekend, therefore, I'm forgoing the organized race (though there is one in town--the inaugural 13.1 series race, which looks like a Rock 'n' Roll knock-off) for a quiet tour of the lakes with my running buddy.

This is easily the best running city I've ever lived in. I love that from my place I can run through varied residential and commercial territory to Lake of the Isles, around it and Lake Calhoun, around Lake Harriet, and back, along the Greenway, for a perfect 13 miles. For longer or shorter distances, I can just add or subtract a lake, or spend a bit more time on the Greenway. There are even fountains and restrooms conveniently located around the lakes. And if I feel like mixing it up, there are also always the trails along either side of the Mississippi.

Granted, there's generally snow on the ground 6-7 months out of the year here... but they do plow the trails!

Montréal

So I'm in Montréal this week, where tomorrow, if all goes as planned, I'll get to experience the two artworks I've been trying to see for more than a year! I got here Monday evening, and took today to explore part of the city.

I did a 15-mile training run on Saturday, and rode Urban Assault the next day, so I was already pretty sore before I decided to hoof it around town. I started out (after a walk to the studio where I have my appointment tomorrow) with a climb up Mont Royal, the highest point in the city and conveniently located in its own massive park across from my hotel. If I'd been smart enough to stay on the nicely graveled trails, it would have been a slightly longer, but certainly less strenuous hike; instead, I somehow ended up scrambling straight up a good chunk of the wooded hillside, on "trails" that petered out into nothing but rocks and mud. I was both a sweaty mess, and terribly relieved, when I hit the proper path again near the summit, and stayed on it for the rest of my time in the park.

I ended up going down the opposite side of the mountain, heading through downtown and touring the Musée des Beaux-Arts on my way back to my hotel. I have lots of pictures that I'll try to share here (though sadly I can't get them to upload on David's little lappy). I also have lots of Urban Assault pix, which those of you on Facebook may already have discovered, but at the moment I am thoroughly exhausted. I don't know how many miles I walked and hiked today, but it felt considerable on my sore legs and feet.

Tomorrow's the big day for seeing the artwork, so I'm off to bed!

Flugtag!

This year, St. Paul was one of the four locations for Red Bull's annual Flugtag event, in which contestants compete in teams to launch the farthest-flying, most creative, human-powered flying machine, with the greatest amount of showmanship. Several months ago when David found out it was coming to our neighborhood, we thought it would be pretty great to go watch it.

At brunch with my running buddy and her partner after our 13.1 mile run Saturday morning, the four of us debated whether or not to go. David and I had thought until a few days beforehand that it would be held at Lake Harriet, an easy bike ride from home, before discovering that it was actually at Harriet Island--a doable, but much longer, bike ride. Oops.

However, our friends had information that a mutual friend, house-sitting his mom's condo for the weekend, was having a little Flugtag party, from a deck in direct view of the Flugtag action. We decided to drag our tired selves over there to join the fun for a couple of hours.

I'm glad we went! Traffic on the way over was horrifying (the Twin Cities have been shutting down stretches of both freeways many weekends this summer for construction, packing already overcrowded surface streets), and parking was even worse, but our friend's location really was great, with a view of the ramp from which the crafts launched over (and into!) the Mississippi and the crowds on the island behind them.

We missed the first few flights, and most of us were, tragically, in the condo kitchen when a huge roar went up from the crowd for the tenth team in line. When we piled onto the deck to see what had happened, we saw a fantastic-looking WWII bomber-style glider in the Mississippi, with its pilot triumphantly paddling his arms out the side. It turned out to be the world record setting craft, trouncing the previous record (set in Austria in 1995) of 195 feet (and the U.S. record, set in Nashville, with a flying banjo, of only 155 feet), with a 207 foot flight!

This three-minute video of the highlights is great if you have the time; otherwise, you must check out the video below of the record-setter, with volume if at all possible: the announcer's unabashed and delighted hooting is my favorite part. Just before the video cuts to the crowd at about 15', you can see, at the left edge of the frame, the condos from which we were watching.

Mumsie & Dad's Visit

Guys, I am ridiculously behind. My parents were out here nearly a month ago and I still haven't posted about our adventures.

Here are a few highlights of the long weekend:

• The superfantastic salads Mom and I ate at the French Meadow after I picked her up from the airport on Friday and our subsequent drive around the Chain of Lakes
  
• The unbelievable storm Friday night that sent torrents of thigh-deep water rushing through the street along the south side of my block--which, naturally, David and I decided to go run through. There was totally an impromptu neighborhood block party, with people taking pictures, helping push out stalled cars, and dodging trashcans swept up by the current.
• Dad joining my running buddy and me on the first four miles of our nine-mile run (he did two more and met us back at home)
• Visiting Minnehaha Falls and exploring new hiking trails (some of them unfortunately a bit soggy from the previous day's storm)
  
• Watching the USA-Ghana game at Pancho Villa (where Dad insisted on cheering for Ghana! I was disappointed with the outcome, but admit that it was quite the entertaining match)
  
• Dinner at Loring Pasta Bar to celebrate Mom's birthday--with a balcony table that afforded fantastic views of the restaurant and kitchen
• Five-course Sunday brunch at the historic Nicollet Island Inn to celebrate Mom and Dad's birthdays
• Explorations of old Saint Anthony Main, the Stone Arch Bridge, Mill Ruins Park, and the Guthrie Theater
• Downtown St. Paul, their side of the river, and milkshakes and fries at Mickey's Diner
  
• Riding brand new Nice Ride bikes around the lakes and to the Walker Sculpture Garden
  
• Walking around Loring Park and downtown in absolutely stunning weather (and the urchin who befriended Mom as she walked around the gardens)
  
• Touring the Minneapolis Institute of Arts
  

Thankfully David snapped quite a few shots with his camera phone, as I only remembered to take the proper camera a few times. You can view the entire gallery, with captions, here.

Friday

So here's a question: if it's Friday afternoon and I'm sitting in my office, unsuccessfully trying to write (and have been doing so [unsuccessfully trying to write] for the past... oh... seven hours, aside from nap and lunch breaks and maybe the Thursday LA Times Crossword), waiting for a ride home that may not come for one, two, or three hours,* is writing words on my blog preferable to not writing words on my dissertation?

Clearly I have decided it is--and hope it prompts some inspiration on the latter.

In any case, I am looking forward to the weekend. Tonight David and I are attending an "On A Boat"-themed birthday party, and though, sadly, no actual boats will be involved, I think it will be fun.

Tomorrow night we're seeing Band of Horses at the State Theater downtown. (Last weekend we were watching this video, which features the band's song "The Funeral." David mentioned that he'd like to see them live sometime, and I wondered out loud if they were coming to town soon. We googled it, and not only were they on tour, they were coming to Mpls in seven days, tickets were still available, and the box office [thank goodness there are still occasionally ways around Ticketmaster's extortion] opened in 15 minutes. Win!)

I'm also supposed to do a long run with a friend tomorrow morning--12 miles. I'm slightly less enthused about this, mostly as it's supposed to hit 90° tomorrow. We'll head out early to avoid as much heat as possible, but that will also mean leaving the (non-) boating party early to head to bed (and throwing off my usual pre-run blueberry pancakes ritual).

Then Sunday we're heading to Inception with friends. I'll also probably do hot yoga, which I'm realizing I haven't mentioned here, but have found sufficiently wonderful to pull me out of bed and into the studio before 8 a.m. most Sunday mornings, and will describe at some point.

I remember an item on a personality inventory I saw years ago having to do with whether one preferred to have one's weekend scheduled or open. I like flexibility, but I also like looking forward to a string of fun things.

My office window overlooks a sort of quadrangle on campus, flanked by ivy-covered buildings and intersected by sidewalks. This week I have seen it overrun by elementary school kids from the natural history museum's summer camp program; filled with maintenance vehicles from all over campus (apparently for some facilities meeting?); and at the moment, a first, hosting a swimsuit-clad couple tanning on beach towels. They seem either unaware or unconcerned about their very public display, but then, who would be working on a Friday afternoon this gorgeous, anyway?

Who indeed.

*I'm not a good wait-er in general, but indefinite waits slay me.

Winter Adventuring

Today ended up being kind of fabulous. It was sunny and hit 36°!

Here are a few snaps of the highlights: Belgian waffles; hanging my new coatrack shelf;* frozen, slippery Minnehaha Falls (including crazy kids); sunset city skyline; and Washburn water tower and the Tanglewood neighborhood.

And two more, shots taken earlier of Christmas gifts: the scarf my sister gave me, and the balaclava my mom gave me (just before a Winter Ninja Run).

*Which required buying a bit to drill the missing pilot holes, two drywall anchors and long screws to mount it to the wall (since the two tiny included hooks weren't going to cut it), and insane amounts of patience. But not all that much money! David reminds me that you get what you pay for--and for $10.99 plus shipping, it's not terrible (and, incidentally, not as red as it looks in the picture).

Home, Cold Home

So, I'm back in Mpls. My flight in yesterday ended up being delayed an hour at the gate and then another 40 minutes on the runway, but I did make it. Today I managed to get my Christmas tree taken down, buy groceries, go to the chiropractor, get my hair cut, and cook a nice dinner, but the house is still a disaster. I guess I'll take tomorrow off, too.

I went to the chiropractor because my toe is still hurting. I haven't run since Vegas, and the toe still hurts. It has also taken to popping. Plus, I love my chiropractor's office. I'd forgotten how much until I was there this afternoon, the EMS, heat blanket, and massage finally calming the twitching I'd been doing all morning.

I was sheepish about my foot still hurting, but my chiropractor was reassuring and suggested we take an X-ray to see what we might find. As it turned out, the problem was readily visible, right there on the screen. Four of my toe joints are lovely and smooth, and the fifth, my first metatarsal head, has a little branch coming off it toward my second toe--a piece of bone that isn't supposed to be there. What has apparently probably happened is that the tendon has pulled little bits of the bone away, like a stress fracture, and started to heal over. Ugh.

So, they did a little bit of underwater ultrasound, some cool laser, some Graston stripping (a new experience for me), and taped me up. I'm going back in on Friday morning for some more work. Dr. Steve was very encouraging that since the toe business seems to be chronic, and not acute, I should be able to go back to running soon.

I hope so, because I'm already wondering about making it through this winter with my mental health firmly in place.

2009 in Review

This little questionnaire has become sort of a year-end tradition here in the Kitchen, so I present now 2009:

1) Where did you begin 2009?
In Seattle with good friends and family! Highlights were Abraham's CD release party, Casuelita's Caribbean Cafe, fireworks at the Space Needle, and a kiss.

2) What was your status by Valentine's Day?
Officially dating my sweetie, who flew to Mpls that weekend.

3) Did you travel?
Ohmygoodness, yes. I drove from Palm Springs to Phoenix with my parents for the marathon in January and then flew back to Mpls. I drove to a conference in Milwauke, flew to one in New Orleans, and then flew to a third in Portland in May. The latter launched the first of two epic roadtrips across the country. In November, David and I flew to Portland and drove to Hermiston for Thanksgiving. In December, I flew to Vegas to run a half marathon, and then to Seattle for the holidays. Phew!

4) Did you lose someone or something you love?
Not that I can recall. I feel very fortunate in that.

5) Did you have to go to the hospital?
Nope!

6) Did you have any encounters with the police?
Nope!

7) Did you start dating someone new?
Yes, I did, and he has been one of the most excellent parts of 2009!

8) What did you purchase that was over $1000?
Not a single object--but the usual school fees, rent, and travel.

9) Did you know anybody who got married?
My neighbor got married; that was the only wedding I attended this year, and the only one I can think of.

10) Did you get in any car accidents?
Not a one. Here's to a year and a half of car-less living!

11) Did you attend any sporting events?
Two marathons and three half marathons, if those count. Oh, also, the rodeo!

12) Did you move anywhere?
I moved to Walla Walla for the summer, and then back to Mpls.

13) Did you keep your new year's resolution?
It was another year in which I didn't make any.

14) What concerts/shows did you go to?
The Nutracker, Rodrigo y Gabriela, The Santaland Diaries, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Importance of Being Earnest (Bros Before Hos Remix), Abraham, Andrew Bird (x2), the Decemberists, U2(!!)...

15) What movies did you go see in the theater?
Including ones at my beloved second-run theater: Up in the Air, Up, King Corn and Big River, Revolutionary Road, The Soloist, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Angels and Demons, Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (it was with my little cousin! Also, somehow, despite its extreme loudness, I managed to fall asleep...), Public Enemies, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, (500) Days of Summer, The Informant!, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Valkyrie, Frost/Nixon, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Doubt, Milk (this time with help from this site)

16) Did your hair color change?
Only from the disappointing Feria permanent back to my natural colors.

17) Did you get any taller?
At the doctor's office, they told me I was a little over 5'7", which would mean I had grown--but I think it was just the thick socks.

18) Describe your birthday?
I spent it in the desert with David and my parents. We ate a lot of delicious food, and enjoyed the sunshine and some antiquing. Later, David and I celebrated again when we saw U2 in Chicago--his big birthday gift to me!

19) Did you get any new pets?
None.

20) What has been your favorite moment?
Favorite moment, in a year this epic? I seriously couldn't begin to choose.

21) What's something you learned about yourself?
I can much more easily survive a Mpls winter with good company.

22) What has been your biggest worry?
That I might not finish this accursed dissertation, and my degree, and thus disappoint myself, my advisor, and everyone around me.

23) What was your best month?
Oh boy. May was pretty fantastic... but so were June, July, August... and January... and September, October, November, December...

24) What music will you remember 2009 by?
Abraham, Andrew Bird, the Decemberists, U2 and weirdly, maybe even Lady Gaga.

25) Who has been your best drinking buddy?
E&A, L, and D.

26) Have you had to call the police on anyone?
Nope!

27) Have you gone skiing?
Sadly, it was another slopeless year.

28) Did you miss work due to illness?
Not work, as far as I can recall.

29) Any like/love interests?
I know this comes as a huge surprise to Alert Readers, but I'm pretty taken with my current beau.

30) Get anything new?
Shiny red electronics! A phone, lappy, and Nano. Oh, and that beau!

W2

Internets, this is the third separate blog post I've started over the past week to try to explain both my recent absence (in person Christmas-ing!) and where I am for the holidays.

Before leaving Mpls, I was busy being all sorts of festive: I sent out all my Christmas cards, had a cookie-baking and -decorating extravaganza, finished my Christmas shopping, and attended the Nutracker at the State Theater downtown (David's first ballet, in addition to his first Nutcracker!).

Then last Tuesday I flew into Seattle, where I met my aunt for lunch downtown and got to see Brother Rockstar for a bit before heading across the mountains with my dad. We arrived in Walla Walla at about 9 that night, and I've been here since.

Mandy pointed out to me in a recent e-mail that I've neglected to actually mention here that a few weeks ago, my parents moved. Here. To Walla Walla. From sunny southern California, they moved to Walla Walla, two weeks before Christmas.

The good news is that they are now within a mile of my aunt and uncle, my grandma and grandpa, and my dear friends the Swinjarnyars and their Peanut (as well as other bloggers of note). They're also now just a few hours' drive from my mom's other two siblings and their families and both of my siblings. (It's also a nice place to be in the summer, as my blog archives attest--and it's a veritably paradisaical fruit basket during much of the year, too.)

The bad news--though apparently only for me--is that it looks nothing like this Christmas past, or this one. Instead there has been a pervasive, low-hanging grayness every day I've been here, and although it hasn't been Mpls-cold, it has been in the 20s and distinctly chilly. Also: no palm trees.

And I'm trying to just get over it and enjoy being around family and friends--which I do, very much--but I admit that I miss, terribly, holidaying in a holiday destination. I know I should appreciate the fact that I got to spend any time there at all... except that spending time there was part of the deal I made with myself when I decided I could survive Minnesota for my doctoral work. A month of warm sunshine makes a world of difference in the middle of an Ohio or Minnesota winter. I'm not precisely sure what I'll do without it.*

Anyway, here I am. We'll head back across the mountains for Christmas with my nuclear family next weekend for more food, presents, and general festivities!

*Starting to run again is probably a good start; as I wrote here in 2007, on surviving a Mpls January: "I'm afraid I'm going to have to start running again, though, to make it through this winter, which is a daunting prospect indeed." I didn't bring my shoes with me to Walla Walla, having successfully managed to carry-on only, but am confident they'll be happily waiting for me back at home.

Leaving Las Vegas

I am in the Las Vegas airport, where I managed, thanks to a miraculous absence of lines at the taxi queue, the ticketing counter, and security--as well, less happily, as a 40-minute flight delay--to arrive approximately two hours in advance of my departure. I would like more than anything to be in my own bed in Mpls (though I'm informed they're experiencing their first real Winter Storm of the year), but instead I have a red-eye to Atlanta. Yay!

The good news is that I'm ready to fall asleep right here at my computer (though the time in front of it would be more productively spent on my submission for writing workshop, due tomorrow...) and will hopefully get at least a few hours of snoozing in on the flight. I'm thoroughly exhausted from yesterday's race, the subsequent hoofing up and down the Strip, and last night's late show.

Everything is so big here, and so consistently-bafflingly far apart! The hotel/casinos themselves are emphatically labyrinthine, and although the distance between the Luxor (where we stayed) and the Venetian (to which we walked to claim our Blue Man Group tickets) is ostensibly only two miles, the peripatetics required to actually navigate the space (including dodging myriad meandering tourists and card-flipping solicitors, and unavoidable bazaar-esque roundabouts) makes it feel at least twice that. The blistered feet, tight calves, and sore quads did little to help!

The race itself was a pretty good time. It had been a long time since I'd run an entire race with a friend, and running with my sister (and much of the time with my brother-in-law) was definitely a highlight. We finished in 2:01:48, a bit faster than my Monster Dash time and quite a bit faster than my Lacamas Lake. It was very cold at the pre-dawn start, and had actually only warmed up to around 40° by the time we finished, but the sun did come out and the course was nice and flat, with good bands and entertaining scenery.

We forwent the after-race concert (has anyone even heard of Donavon Frankenreiter--?), but did get tickets to the 10pm Blue Man Group. Thankfully, it was more than entertaining enough to stave off our race-induced sleepy stupor--a really amazing show! I could throw some words at you to try to explain it, but I highly suggest seeing them whenever you can. Maybe I'll try to write more later. I definitely have more pictures to post.

At the moment, I'm thinking I'll remove my contacts for my upcoming flight, in hopes of getting as much rest as absolutely possible after quite the full and fantastic, but rather exhausting, weekend.

More Vegas!

Thankfully, Vegas--or at least my experience of it!--has improved vastly in the past 24 hours. Last night a friend from high school who lives in town picked me up and we went to dinner at a nice little Indian place. The food was pretty decent, and the atmosphere was lovely, but I can't decide whether the highlight was our great conversation (he let me pick his brain about this very strange city, and it was fascinating)--or SEEING ANDRE AGASSI!

So I'm sitting there, and I keep staring over M's shoulder at the next table. "I'm sorry," I apologize for my distractedness, "but that guy just looks just like Andre Agassi!" He's there with an attractive blonde woman, another big dude, and like five kids. Another half hour or so passes (filled with enough engaging conversation, thankfully, to keep me from doing too much staring) and I notice that they're getting up to leave--and that Andre is posing for pictures with the hugely smiling Indian waiters. M finally turns around, and confirms that it's him, all right, and that the blonde woman is Steffi Graf. Andre is the last to leave, after the picture taking, and walks quietly out, exuding cool. Completely awesome.

This morning I met up with Seester and Chris at the Luxor, where we checked into our room and grabbed some food before heading to the expo madness next door at Mandalay Bay. We fought crowds there for a while, picked up our stuff, and strolled a bit on the strip before calling it an early night. Now I'm going to sleep as much as I can; the race starts at 6:15!

Travelin'

Happy December, all!

It's extra happy here today, because David was offered a position at what amounts to sort of his dream job. It's a controller position, so he won't have the pesky tax season he's dealt with for the past several years in public accounting. His office is also in the Warehouse District of downtown, which, in addition to being generally awesome, is only a few miles north of my house and forms a neat little triangle with my East Bank office. (Yes, I've already become a total pansy this winter as far as biking is concerned--but it's so hard to turn down free rides, and when I don't have to bike I get to wear nice clothes!) Needless to say, after three months of rather daunting unemployment (curse this economy--as I told him this evening, he's a frikkin' accountant, after all, not a beat poet!), this is a huge relief. To terminate his unemployment with such an exciting prospect and great people feels extra fantastic.

We just got back from the west coast last night, after driving back through the gorge and flying out of PDX. David and I didn't get to sit together on the plane, but we did both have window seats, and it was one of my most memorable flights in recent memory. It was a gloriously clear day, and the view of Hood was spectacular. I was wishing I could identify all the peaks (Adams? Jefferson? Three Sisters?) when it occurred to me that as I could see clear across Oregon to the south, I might be able to see Rainier to the north. I actually gasped when I turned and saw it, larger than life and perfectly framed in the windows across the aisle. Amazing! It was especially interesting to follow our path east along the gorge, having just come the opposite way that morning. I recognized the dams and phalanxes of wind turbines (visible in the full-sized version of the photo), and even thought I could see Multnomah Falls, where we'd stopped briefly on our way in.

Tomorrow I board another plane, this one bound for Las Vegas. I get in late and then have Friday by myself before meeting up with April and Chris Saturday morning. We run early (6:15 a.m.! the pain!) Sunday, and if you feel like tracking us, you can find details about that here. I had thought at one point about running the full marathon, and I am very glad that I talked myself out of that rash plan and registered, along with the other two, for the half. I'm already feeling so much less stressed! My usual race voodoo--what I can and can't eat, what I wear, how I sleep, etc.--is significantly calmed when I know I'm running 13.1 miles, instead of 26.2. I'm not too inspired at the moment, having been on the ground in my home timezone for only slightly more than 24 hours and not particularly anxious to leave again, but I'm sure I'll be excited soon enough.

One inspiration: AirTran (for all their other, significant flaws [i.e. I fly through Atlanta on my way from MSP to LAS]) now has wifi on all their flights! It's not free (yet), but still--we're living in the future.

Looking Forward

A week from today, David and I will be in the Northwest to celebrate Thanksgiving! I am completely unreasonably excited about this.

Two weeks from today, I'll be in Las Vegas, preparing to run the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon there with my sister and brother-in-law. I'm slightly less excited about this, but probably mostly because Thanksgiving is looming larger and I find it difficult to anticipate too much at once.

Oh, but! I am also already looking forward to June, because we're going to see U2 again, this time here in Mpls! Woo-hoo!

Sleep

This morning I had that super-heavy, glued-to-the-mattress feeling, even though I'd been sleeping for nine hours (I know! the luxury! It's, like, double what I averaged my first year in Mpls). It took a ridiculous amount of time to get out of bed.

And then tonight, I couldn't even make it through the movie David and I started with dinner (Bubba Ho-Tep, which I first [and last] saw at the awesome Ross theater in Lincoln), and passed out on the couch at maybe 7:30. I had vivid dreams, and now, predictably, am not very sleepy. Sigh.

I didn't run today, and I only ran two miles yesterday. I've also been averaging a lot of sleep recently.

I don't know whether to hope that I'm just lazy or that there's something actually wrong with me.

Granted, I have run a half marathon and a whole marathon in the past six weeks. It is November, and the short days always get me down. I'm stressed about my dissertation and the (complete lack of a) job market. And I am trying to avoid all the flu going around.

So hopefully it's nothing that a bit more sleep can't fix.