[Sport-Like Activities] Skiing Part 1

 

Today I went skiing for the first time.  Yes, my first time at 28.  When I was in high school, I didn't know anyone who skied or else didn't know that they did.  In college, I was always saving my pennies to pay my delinquent tuition in time to register for the next semester, so I always passed when my sorority sisters hit the slopes.  Since I've been out of school, I've not gone because everyone but the mister and I are practically experts...except 2!  That's right.  We finally found out that one of our friends had never skied before and that another (her husband) was relatively inexperienced.  How awesome!  So off to the little ski park we all went!

A few things about skiing:

1. The flying down the hill part is particularly awesome.
2. Falling is nearly as awesome. :)  I always end up sliding almost like in softball, so it doesn't actually hurt at all, but the slide lasts longer on the snow than it ever did in the dirt.
3. I fall a lot! 
4. Skis are bulky and awkward to move in unless heading down the hill. 
5. I am very much left-leg dominant, so much so that I naturally turn right when I try to stop.
6. Lessons taught me one thing- how to unhook a boot to get up.   I really shouldn't have done the training, because I have x amount of total force I can put sideways on my knee for a given time, and I had to keep climbing half-way up the hill sideways.*
7. Going fast is really fun.  I'd rather make french fries and slide to the ground at the end then go slowly making pizza.
8. The number one problem that I had was that there were people everywhere and I was afraid I'd hit them, so I mostly stayed over by the trees where there are fewer people.  The trees and I are friends.  :)

After the adventure and some food with friends, the mister and I hit a ski store, because he thought he might enjoy the short skis and wanted to ask some questions.  The first store was kind of unhelpful.  They showed some short skates and told us there was nothing to know- that they were all the same, and then seemed done with us.  No problem- but no interest in buying there, certainly.  There was another shop that we'd passed a couple of times, Peak Ski and Snowboard Center, where we stopped on the way home and met a man named, "Hammer,"  Yes, "Hammer."  The nickname that I want. (I blame Sports Night for making me realize its greatness)  And so, the mister and I talked to Hammer for the next 30 minutes.  About everything ski-related.  And snow-board related. Long story short, next year I am renting 130's and a snowboard for the season and the mister is going to rent 130s.  I want to be able to grab a pair of skis and head down the mountain if I'm in a Bond-style chase, but I really think I would like snowboarding better.  It's bonus that most of the snowboarding trauma is to the top half of the body.   Plus, I've never face-planted the way the snowboarders seemed to and I think I need that before I die.

In general, it was a great experience to determine our interest level in future trips to proper ski resorts, but resulted in two boring posts. :-P Oh well.


*I made a separate post below explaining my cranky knee, because I've actually explained the whole story 3 times in the past few months and almost did again (mercifully,  my friend asked a very specific question that didn't take the whole epic to answer. :-P).

[Boring Personal Stuff] Knee Story

A little long knee-story.  I've always had crappy knees.  As a kid, my knees always hurt a little after playing like climbing trees, running, pretty much anything we did in gym class, and even riding my bike.  No huge thing- just something I expected.  When I knew my dad (a strange phrase, I know, but believe me, that back-story is even longer) he told me that his family members all had their knees replaced, as did he.  Knowing this, I've just sort of accepted my cranky knees.  At some point, about 5.5 years ago I was doing Kajukembo and while doing a front kick (yes, the same front kick that I'd been doing since I was 12) when I felt the craziest sensation.  It felt like tearing and like a guitar string in my knee string was plucked (I have no clearer description) all at once.   It continued to hurt, and would keep getting stuck, so I had to kick my leg to tear further whatever it was stuck on.  Beyond that, there was recurring pain in the front, like on the bone, farther back on the side, and sort-of underneath.  Time passed, because I figured I was hallucinating the problem and because my health insurance was only good in WV, but eventually I had an MRI.  The doctor said that I had a torn meniscus and maybe a partially torn ligament, but that a scope would be required to confirm.  The inside of the meniscus is non-vascular, so it doesn't heal.  The typical treatment is a minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery to remove the torn bits.  If the only affected area is the outer rim of the meniscus, they can do a repair.  Some, however do not have surgery and are fine to go on without it.  For a partially torn ligament, first they have to stick a scope in your knee to verify, because it is difficult to read on an MRI, and doctors can read false positives as well as false negatives.  Treatment is either a standard ligament repair or to wait and see if the thing heals on its own, which is possible if the tear happens to be in an area receiving a decent blood supply.  At the time I had a D.O. which is different from an M.D. in many ways that I won't go into here, but the relevant issue is that they tend to avoid recommending surgery unless it is absolutely required.  So, it was recommended to me that I wait, and wait I did as nothing got better.  In fact, it was worse and worse after each Kajukembo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class, so I dropped one day of class, two, three, then the whole thing all together.  Also, I no longer had health insurance, so what's a girl to do.  So a couple of years go by and I find myself at a job with *wonderful* health insurance.  The problem being, of course, that I badly needed to have my wisdom teeth out.  I did, and before I could really justify some time off again, a better opportunity came by that did not include health insurance. (I assure you though, it was a great opportunity and I had a blast in that job).  So, I got the crappy "no pre-existing condition" independent stuff in case of a car accident or something, and another year went by.  I should mention that during these last couple of years, my other knee has gone through the tearing and getting stuck issues as well, but it is not nearly as bad as my right one. I, now, have decent insurance, but like so many other small windows of opportunity that I saw... I really really really don't have the time to take off for surgery, navigating on crutches (which I'm really bad at anyway), and rehab.  So here I am. :)

[Grad School] Semester 1

First Day in Grad School

Geek Garb + Homework Scroll + Handouts

 

Purple Hair For My Non-Corporate Days

Half-way through training week.

Car sick on the bus

They fed us a lot

The freshman were everywhere

View

 Scrolls for videotaped TA practice

Prep meeting for Lab 1

Last day of first week

Administrative stuff

Yuuum

First week of classes and teaching

First day of TA-ing

Still no lab, so just studying, teaching, and talking to prof’s about their lab.

Catholic school library shhh! sign

With no lab yet, I carry a lot of stuff.

Studying

More Studying

 

 

Nap in the car I had for the day

Mid-September

Tree where I relax before teaching

Looking up

Teaching

Chat with potential PI

Bus and Picnic

At the bus stop

Always waiting for a bus

Flip cups at the picnic

Look at them go!

I brought streak-plate cookies

I’ve been working in the lab quite a bit.  I finally purchased a car, but it’s giving me trouble and needs to go back to the dealer.  I’m loving my rotation and hate that I have to leave for 10 weeks, but hopefully I’ll be back.  Pretty pictures to come.  For the most part, I’ve been watching the grad students, but I’ve been able to do a little here and there myself.

Actually doing (or watching) science!

I have my own bench and gear!

Though it is actually the micro work area

Very busy, but glad to be!

I really just want to be in the lab, but I have papers to write and grade this week- blech.

View from the back of campus

Transfections after Divali celebration.  Awesome.

Taking a walk

Sitting in Gen Bio...oh the fun.

A full service university.

Waiting for seminar to start

Friday after seminar.  The bio dept provides cookies, sodas and beer!

My desk :) <3

Ugh, the bus again while my car is being fixed

Sunday Night Procrastination Pie (Chocolate Raspberry)

Reading a whoooole lot of papers

3am Procrastination Pie (Apple)

Another day

[Elements of Success] Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.

I recently watched a 30 minute key-note address at my school and 15 minute Q&A session given by the attorney General, Eric Holder.  It was the 100th anniversary of the university's law school, so what he said was pretty much canned and typical pre-packaged inspiration, as expected.  Content, however, was not why I attended.  Yes, I picked up a couple in interesting tid-bits, but generally, I just wanted to take any body language or tonal notes that I could.  I am not intuitively charismatic, so I study this in successful people.

I'm still working on putting such data together in a smooth compilation, but here are my field notes:

1. Most of the time, his hands were gripping the sides of the podium.  
2. He had very good posture, leaning back only when saying something folksy or humorous and leaning very slightly forward only when punctuating a point (usually accompanied by a hand gesture).
3. Warm fuzzy thoughts and all-inclusive statements were punctuated by symmetrical motions, palms mostly up, fingers open, as if he were holding a large beach ball.
4. He pointed at the audience once to make a strong point that should affect each of the law students present as well as require them to act.
5. On these stresses, he tilted his head up slightly and thrusted his chin slightly forward.
6. To imply cold-hard-fact, he motioned with one hand (karate-chop style) down to the podium.
7. To imply fact, again, he did #5 at the beginning of the statement, and tilted his head down at the end.  His tone followed this early-up, late-down pattern.
8. He had very few weight shifts (one foot to the other) 
9. When saying "Blah blah can and will blah blah," he made a gesture, using his right hand, fingertips together, down to the podium.  This is maybe gentler than a pointer finger, but still has emphasis.  I think for a fact, he would go for #6, but this was warmer and used to imply something more personal.
10. He used parallel gestures for the general and rhetorical.
11. He used asymmetric gestures for the specifics and answers.
12. He used a lot of humor
13. He held perfectly still while the dean spoke and asked him questions.

Example of #9

Tidbits:

• He spends 60-70% of his time on national security issues.
• He usually works in the office 8:30am to 7pm, then takes some work home. (This is less than I expected)
• He does not have as much time as he'd like for his family, because though the regular hours aren't that horrible, he has to travel about half of the week.

Quotes that caught my attention:

"The welfare of the people is the highest law."

"I wish you luck.  I will be counting on you.  Your nation will be counting on you."

In reference to the law students present: "I can't help but feel optimistic."