Minnesota trip

I just recently returned from celebrating the wedding of my dear friend Sara to her wonderful husband Joe.  Click on the link below to see the album from my trip to Minneapolis/St. Paul.  

Minnesota 2010

Summer snapshot

Well, seeing that it is now halfway through the summer, I would like to pay homage to the fun little city that I call home.  Boulder has a ridiculously large number of fun things to do once it gets warm.  So says MSNBC.com in the following article: Summer in Boulder

But how about some things off the beaten path?

Outdoor concerts: This is my personal favorite summer pastime.  How can you not have fun dancing to live music and enjoying a margarita garden next to the railroad tracks? 

Boulder Farmer's market: for people-watching, the Boulder farmer's market tops it all.  Plus you can sample hundreds of foods, try your hand at spinning wool and see what the crazy hippies (otherwise known as the Trustafarians) are up to. 

Or if you are bored, you could try this Let's just call it eccentricity..

or this legendary Boulder institution

Of course very important work gets done in the summer as well:
Weirdness on parade in Boulder...

Some people have too much time on their hands...

When to Stop...

Over the last few months I have learned the meaning of "overuse injury" and a lot about moderation.  Running has always been something that is a part of my life, and a very important method of stress relief.  I actually enjoy it, it does not feel arduous to me.  Back at the beginning of March, I started to feel some tightness in my ankle and calf while running.  Thinking it was merely a small problem, I got new running shoes and an ankle brace and dropped back my mileage.

As the weeks wore on, I increased my mileage to 30-40 miles a week on an indoor treadmill.  The pain would usually subside by mile two or so and return a few hours after exercise, unless I iced the muscles. 

All of this running was in preparation for the 2010 BolderBOULDER race on Memorial Day.  I was able to function in the midst of this dysfunction fairly well until about two weeks before the race.  Then it just started to hurt all the time.  I knew I had a problem, and wherein lies my greatest mistake...I did not know when to stop!  As in back in March.  Just because you can "run through" the pain, does not mean that you should. 

I had a fun race (albeit it with significant pain after mile 4) with my friend Becca.  The BolderBOULDER is one of the largest foot races in the country (me and 53,000 of my closest friends!), complete with free beer, musical entertainment along the course and finishes in the CU stadium to thunderous crowds.  I made an appointment to see an orthopedist the day after the race. 

Now...I am the proud owner of an orthopedic boot!  My friend Nicole has similar issues with knowing when to stop running and has a torn ligament and a boot of her own.  We celebrated our matching boots (and her husband's birthday) in Fort Collins this weekend. 

The prognosis on my ankle at this point is Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction.  Basically it means that the tendon that connects the muscles of my leg to my foot is damaged.  And I can pick out the exact point of injury because of the knot of scar tissue the size of a golf ball in my calf! This tendon is concerning because it holds up the arch of your foot.  This damage is a result of overuse (not a big surprise) and the fact that my right foot pronates inward, stretching this tendon. 

I still have a couple more weeks in The Boot, and then I am unsure what my immediate future holds.  No doubt some physical therapy and some orthotics so as not to be in this situation again. Right now my exercise is limited to hobbling to and from the mail box or riding a stationary bike with no resistance.  Which I am fine with because I need to know when to slow down and stop.  An important lesson not only for exercise, but for life.  Too bad it takes something like this to learn that.

Amy's commentary on things that are silly and currently in the media...

1. Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin is number one on my list of silly things.  I think she is silly because of the numerous faux pas, mistakes and the fact that she is a dead ringer for Tina Fey.  I find her inflammatory, accusatory and ignorant rhetoric less funny.  However, I do find the fact that this D-List celebrity has captured the hearts and minds of too many misguided individuals quite amusing.  Also, that she resigned in the middle of her term as governor and that her endorsement of GOP candidates means something to some people.  That silly Tea Party! 

Some recent fun Palin news:

"Sarah Palin electrifies NRA Convention" (direct quote..."Obama will 'gut' the Second Amendment") 
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/05/15/1437034/palin-rouses-nra-with-call-to.html

"Sarah Palin joins the Fox News Team" (direct quote..."It's so wonderful to be a part of a place that so values fair and balanced news")  If Fox News is fair and balanced, I am a magic fairy!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/11/palin-fox-news-contributo_n_418809.html

"Sarah Palin teams up with Discovery"  I cannot wait to see her reality show!  And she claims that other people exploit her family...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/25/sarah-palin-teams-up-with_n_513235.html

2. Lindsay Lohan

 Why is there such a fascination with skewering this poor misguided individual in the media?  I actually feel bad for her, despite the fact that the choices she made put her in this position.  Give it up Access Hollywood and Entertainment Tonight! 




3. Lost

Have you ever actually watched this show?  It is the most messed up, confusing and just plain ridiculous thing I ever wasted one hour of my life watching.  I wish I could have that hour back.  As far as the oft-touted series finale, good riddance! 




4. Strange Fashion

 I am pretty sure I will never understand (much less wear) harem pants, rompers, anything fishnet and visible underwear as a style statement.  Yikes! 







5. The trend of blaming Obama for everything

T

The economy...blame Obama.

The oil spill...why that's Obama too!

Unrest between Israel and Palestine...got to be Obama.

 North Korea and South Korea on the brink of destroying each other...Obama!


The collapse of Wall Street...you guessed it...Obama.

The housing crisis and health insurance crisis...I got it, Hillary Clinton!...Nope, Obama again!


As for me, my car broke down last week, I have a blister on my toe, my garbage disposal is not working, I have a headache and my neighbor's TV is too loud.  I guess I need to blame someone...maybe Sarah Palin?  




 

Too Young?

Just out of curiosity...why is it rude to tell someone that they look old, but not that they look young?  Personally I feel that commenting or speculating on someone's age is ALWAYS rude. Telling someone how young they look is not a compliment, it is patronizing. 

To preface my present irritation, I got carded at the grocery store for buying cough medicine.  No, not carded, interrogated.  I have been fairly sick for four days (stupid spring colds!) and yesterday I drank the last of my NyQuil sometime between calling in sick for work and spending a restless night coughing and wheezing.  Tonight I managed to drag myself to the store to buy some cough medicine.  To give the store the benefit of the doubt, perhaps my pajamas, rheumy eyes, hoarse voice and wracking cough contributed to the overall appearance of someone up to no good.  OBVIOUSLY I must be an at-risk teenager purchasing NyQuil to fuel my dextromorphan addiction.

The extent of my conversation with the cashier:
Her: "What is your birthday?"
Me: "July 22, 1983"
Her: (looking at me critically over the top of her glasses) "Really?  Let me see your ID."
Me: (cough, hack, wheeze) "Are you kidding?"
Her: "No.  You need to be 18 for me to sell you this product."

I understand why I am carded at the bar or liquor store, although I will most likely be well into middle age before I have the appearance of a 21 year old.  But an obviously sick person with orange juice, Kleenex and NyQuil is not trying to pull one over the King Sooper's cashier!  Toxic waste flavored, poison-colored NyQuil is NOT something I look forward to ingesting and if I was going to be falsifying my age, it would be for something better than cough medicine.  Oh wait, now I don't actually have to prove my age for anything until I claim Medicare!

Tonight's adventure at the store is just another entry on the interesting list of incidences where I have been mistaken for someone much younger.  Among the better stories in the recent past...

1. Signing up for a gym membership: "Are you older than 18?  Otherwise, your parents need to sign the contract." 
2. On the plane from Paris to Washington, DC, while sitting between a middle aged couple: "Did you and your parents have fun in France?"
3. While getting a flu shot: "You have to be 18 to get a shot, otherwise you need your parent's permission."
4. While attending an adult ed class held at a junior high during their back-to-school night: "Did you pick up your schedule?  When you get it, you and your parents can go to the auditorium."

I might appreciate this some day, but right now I would just appreciate some respect.  Or at least cough medicine that tastes less like poison...