Santa Season

Posted on December 23, 2017 by TheJessicaness

 

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Our neighborhood had their lights, inflatables, and projectors up the day after Thanksgiving; one yard has been completely overtaken with decorations. Another trend though; three renters in the area have been evicted — one so the owner’s daughter could move in from New York post divorce, but we don’t know about the others and wonder if we could be next on the list of people looking for a new place during the holidays in which we could pick the 4-bedroom, 2-bath with cat piss, the unknown house with live-in garage, or the fenced in front yard with a pool hidden in the back.

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on the way to Wright’s Field

I got to watch the younger kids (from where I work) practice their performance songs on stage for the show I will miss so I can drop the car to the shop (where they will tell us we need a new $60 fuel injector for $450 — so Caleb will be fixing that) and be home for the maintenance guy to repair our heating ducts only to have him talk shit about our lack of holiday lights, my ability to bake sugar cookies, and the amount of dirt with gopher holes in our yard (the one we don’t own). Caleb set mouse traps to remove the two problems and now the management company wants to wait a couple more weeks so that the mice don’t get “fixed” into the ducts and die and smell up the house.

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Caleb had a holiday party at work and he wrapped the two gifts he got, along with one we bought, to take to our neighbor’s holiday party (the one Caleb would be called into work and miss). The kids decorated sugar cookies outside while the adults drank strawberry beverages and ate tamales, jambalaya, turkey, green bean casserole, and white trash (the chocolate covered cereal snack — not the derogatory term for certain people). There was a gift exchange and I fell into the trap of listening to a guy promoting his own product and ended up with a glass bottle in a silicone sleeve. It wouldn’t be so bad, but we already have three of them at home.

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One couple let their son pick for them and they ended up with two aprons — one for mom and the other for dad. There was a cutting board, three candles, a speaker, two glasses, a bath set, a wine bottle opener, and some drink mixes. Only one gift wasn’t deemed appropriate to open in front of children (butt plug and panties) and was given to the winner of the ugly sweater contest (a snowman with his carrot penis from his friend’s nose) along with a bottle of booze.

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southern California safari

All the people with kids left and the adults had some drinks and cinnamon rolls while the hostess packed up what wasn’t given to guests as leftovers and we waited for Caleb to get off work and arrive after 8:30 pm so he could eat dinner and unwind before the party was dispersed. It was nice to meet some of the neighbors down the street and other friends of the neighbors that I’ve heard so much about.

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down into Horsethief Canyon

At work, I was given a Secret Santa sheet to fill out, but I easily get overwhelmed by these things which is why Caleb did the shopping for the party. I tend to over think the idea and have given unused gifts in the past which discourages me from trying again. I wasn’t given a price range and didn’t bother to fill it out, but thought I would do so now and see what I come up with:

  1. I can never resist adding another one of these to my collection… I purposely get rid of things when I notice a theme starting to grow. I fear hoarding and people setting me in any one category as I like my home to be eclectic.
  2. My favorite thing to sip on is… Hot — tea and mead; Cold — orange juice, cold brew or mushroom coffee, kombucha, and room temp water.
  3. I love this, but I never buy it for myself… expensive dresses, furry coats, and week-long vacation packages to anywhere in the world.
  4. I seem to always need more… peanut butter anything.
  5. When I need a snack, I reach for… Salty: I try to avoid anything with too much sodium (salted nuts, canned soup, salad dressing); Sweet: baby carrots, honey crisp apple, almonds, popcorn, dried or frozen fruit, protein bar, or French bread.
  6. I can’t live without… water, oxygen, blood, and sunshine.
  7. I love to smell… skunks, bakeries, and forests; But please not… tea tree oil.
  8. These are a few of my favorite things… Fast Food — frozen custard, Japanese ramen, and donuts; Magazine — online articles; Candy — chocolate with nuts (though I’m trying to avoid added sugars); School Supply — college rule notebooks, anatomy coloring books, pens and markers.
  9. Christmas time favorites… Decorations/Items — snowmen and icicle lights; Flavors — pumpkin, ginger, sweet potato, and cranberry; Scents — lemon, rose, ginger, mint, and cinnamon; Treats — sun-dried figs, sugar cookies, but no egg nog this year.

What are we doing for Christmas? We went on two hikes in the Cleveland National Forest with the dogs on Friday and I got over 17,000 steps. I averaged 2,500/day for six weeks after October 13. Today we went shopping with Fallon (our favorite neighbor) and accompanied her to Kanpai Restaurant to try Japanese ramen for the first time. It was miso base with a fish cake and green onions; I shared a bowl with Caleb. Then we took her dog to the newly opened dog park (as of Dec. 9) and he hid behind us like a shy child so the other dogs wouldn’t sniff his butt.

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a dirty Piggy

Caleb forgot to pick up the part for the Tribute today and I’m sure they’ll be closed till Tuesday. It took Sparky a month to tear up and completely gut the stuffed sheep Caleb got him for Thanksgiving. Piggy rolled in the dirt so much as to warrant a rinse in the tub after being in the backyard. All three of them are asleep now, each in their own bed. I will add pictures to this and then spend the rest of the evening reading. Christmas will come and go like another day here, but we’re used to being on the road or in a hotel in another country, not staycationing while we rehab our injuries and get called into work on our days off. Some days you have to adult and others you can live the life of (Riley) TheJessicaness — both are worth it.

What are you doing this time of year?

Posted in Animals, Events, Food, Friends, Hiking, Holidays, Photography, Travel | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Who’s That Guy?

Posted on December 21, 2017 by TheJessicaness

sala

He’s the professor who talks about salamanders in Kinesiology.

He’s the old man who kindly asks about my foot in the gym.

He’s the husband that will agree to go for burgers, every time.

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He’s the boss who’s constantly learning and plays well with others.

He’s the robot hanging in a lab at the university.

He’s the guy who brings a sex toy to a holiday gift exchange.

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He’s the retiree who can converse and cycle next to you.

He’s the classmate who is one of the girls.

He’s the neighbor who looks out for you.

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He’s the friend behind all those weird pictures.

He’s the author you follow on Instagram.

He’s the parent who makes you laugh the best.

 

*salamander by Brad Carlson and artist by anonymous

Posted in Animals, Art, Cycling, Education, Family, Food, Friends, Marriage, People, Photography, Poetry | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Less Broken

Posted on December 21, 2017 by TheJessicaness

 

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six weeks in recovery

It has been nine weeks since I broke my first proximal phalanx on my left foot. Since then, I have volunteered at Hawking STEAM Charter School for a couple of weeks and was able to administer the PACER test to the sixth grade by myself and have taken on more responsibilities with Youth to the Core and at McGill School of Success (where I now receive a paycheck). I wrote out the test questions for the 3rd to 5th grades, did skin folds on 2nd grade, and am the permanent pitcher during kickball (even after a hit to the sunglasses which bruised my eyebrow for a day).

Next year I will be in charge of the new interns and it will be my job to teach them how to: raise their voice positively when necessary, prep for the indoor lesson, and the rules of recess so they can help me during games outside. They are not allowed to eat during instruction/coaching and should not be on their phone unless it’s an emergency. I have to set three goals to accomplish during my time with the program next semester and I’m glad I haven’t started yet as I might set the bar too low (though I impress the kids with my one-legged push-ups, touching my nose to my knees, and doing a standing figure-four stretch).

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I didn’t let my toe slow me down much in classes either. I missed the one day for my orthopedic appointment where I was told no surgery would be needed as the bone is aligned nicely, but if it were the increased mobility of my fingers it would be a different story. I spent all but the last two of my spin classes on a mat doing push-ups, abs, and headstands — and the crutches with the boot helped improve my upper body strength and allow me to hold the pose for one minute.

I switched from a knee-high boot to a below the ankle shoe Nov. 27 and was so happy to move my joints again. This has helped me improve my stationary bike time from 5 to 9.5 miles in 30 minutes. I’m not allowed to run or jump yet, but have another appointment on January 4th for more x-rays to assess my progress. It took about 5.5 weeks before I braved a standing shower and it felt so liberating, but I still prop my foot up with my glass shower doors during my shortened showers.

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sunset in IB

Halloween: a holiday we celebrate intermittently depending on if our friends with kids are around and willing to share. I was able to crutch around the neighborhood for a mile and half and then get carried back the last block so the kids could pass out most of the candy they just collected while we helped them eat some before they went to bed. We saw two other people on crutches, so it seems to be the season of injuries (and I’m glad they’re not letting it slow them down either).

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free food on campus

We drove up to Montana for a close family reunion — all the siblings with their kids and new pets and a visit with each parent (even if one of them wasn’t most grateful); but that’s another post. We stopped in Las Vegas on the way home to say hi to Julie and Dustin, teachers we met in Bahrain, that will be married next year and just adopted a puppy. We stayed the night and then took them to breakfast in the morning and ordered all the food so we wouldn’t be hungry till we got home.

Caleb’s neck is still improving (he had two discs replaced with Mobi-C in August) and is one minute away from his run time to pass his physical test in March. He was approved to start lifting last month (yay, more than ten pounds) and he’s taking it slowly while helping me carry weights around so I stumble less. Not only have I not done a lot of yoga poses, Zumba, box jumps, squats, lunges, running, paddle boarding, stairs, etc., but I stopped doing other upper body workouts that require more balance on both feet.

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3rd grade cardboard house

It feels good to be able to wiggle my toes again and I feel the need to pop my second toe, but the toes are still swollen and I have lots of dead skin that I still soak in the bath. I should be wearing a boot of my own soon and hope that helps with the walking, and gaining the inch and a half back that I lost in my calf. People have noticed my foot goes in a bit, but without an arch or being able to toe off I do walk funny, but I don’t want it to effect my back, hip, or knee. I went to the chiropractor Dec. 20th and he said I’m doing great, but to keep an eye on my foot. Aye, aye, Doc.

Posted in Art, Education, Food, Friends, Holidays, People, Places, Sports, Volunteer | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

All the Turkeys Together

Posted on November 27, 2017 by TheJessicaness

east on the Coronado Bay Bridge

Caleb and I have always enjoyed seeing family over the holidays as it’s the most guaranteed time off in the military. We would buy the turkey or Tofurky and then the fake tree with lights and gifts to go under it. Then we found traveling to be way more awesome than a white picket fence tradition and used the road time on the way to Montana to see history, nature, and horses (that we could feed carrots to). This year would be different.

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passenger homework station

With a boot still on my left leg, I’d be unable to go hiking or diving, so I was bummed that we’d have a week off for Thanksgiving and nothing to do — except that Caleb had talked about hunting, shooting, killing, skinning, gutting, cooking, and eating a deer for months and that’s all he wanted to do over break. He’s usually not demanding at all and hadn’t been hunting in at least 12 years, so I considered it. Then somehow he convinced his family (mother, sister, and brother) to all be in the same place at the same time. His dad would already be there as he lives in Missoula along with Caleb’s sister, Jessi.

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north on Nevada 361

Caleb was all excited about the siblings, nieces, and nephews and all I could think about was all the things I couldn’t do with my crutches in the snow. I had bragged to my classmates about all the homework I wouldn’t do over the holidays, but figured it would give me something to do and brought my bag of books, with laptop, to keep me company. We left the house before 6am on Thursday and Caleb had wanted to leave by 5 so we could avoid most of the LA traffic. That didn’t happen and I napped while he continued to detour further east.

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I-86 Idaho, I touched snow

I woke up to eat bread, write my lab report, and read my book. Caleb drove us to within an hour of Pocatello, Idaho the first day and we “rested” for two hours at a truck stop before I was ready to go again. I tried propping my foot up in the backseat while Caleb slept up front, but I couldn’t get comfortable, so I drove. I got us to his mom’s car, the 2000-ish Ford Probe we agreed to drive to Missoula for her, parked outside a small apartment complex. Kris, Caleb’s brother, was picking her up from Big Timber and they would arrive on Sunday.

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morning view from guest room

We got there in time to say hi to Jessi before she went to work and then I watched Labyrinth with the girls, Sammi and Lyra, and their kittens, 1 and 2 (I don’t remember their real names or the weird ones the girls gave them daily), and their deaf dog Rufus while Caleb hung out with his dad and we waited for Jake to get home from work so he could eat leftovers and we could sleep.

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Monday morning

The weekend was spent making pancakes, playing with plastic ponies, finishing puzzles, playing a homemade board game (Donut Race), doing laundry, shopping and more shopping, going to the dog park, and more shopping. We definitely bought more than we ate, but I can’t say the same about the drinks. Robert, Caleb’s dad, would come over for dinner and conversation and Jake had the days off while Jessi slept for her next 12-hour shift of 7pm – 7am.

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Caleb, Terri, Jessi, Kris, and tail of Rufus

Monday morning brought homework with the help of kittens and kombucha until Kris arrived with his wife, Vicki, and their boys, Tristan and Jordan, and Caleb’s mom, Terri. One might think that’s too many kids in the house, ages 10, 8, 4, and almost 2, but they helped keep me entertained (Tristan loves to pass out papers and crayons, and I shared blueberries with Jordan) while the adults ran around outside and stood around making nachos (because that takes four adult-age people).

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Jordan sharing blueberries

Tuesday, Caleb was out the door before the sun. It was nice to be up with just the stove light on, a cup of coffee, and some adult conversation. Caleb went with his siblings and Robert armed with some rifles to find Bambi’s dad and introduce him to lead. They went one place and walked five feet (too far in the cold) and went to another place that ended up with Caleb throwing a body in the back of the truck — one they could hang from the clothes line in the backyard while they went inside for whiskey and muffins.

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Tristan, Lyra, Sammi — grandkids’ paint project for grandpa

Having a lot of people in the house with only one bathroom can be a scheduling issue, but the only person with the problem was Tristan and his Aunt Jessi introduced him to the backyard. That was permissible the first time, but hilarious the second time when he asked for his coat to go outside without stating his intention only to come back in with a wet coat due to an aiming issue. We let him know he could use the bathroom again. I would spend the evening doing sticker-by-number and coloring an anatomy book.

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Jordan and Tristan, yoga in the kitchen

Wednesday, the boys went hunting with Robert (no luck) while Terri cleaned her car and Vicki got a pedicure. Jessi and I were going to take the kids to a museum, but they were all closed till 11am so we let the kids do yoga, puzzles, and paint instead. I gave the boys a bath and then it was back to puzzles and yoga for the boys and plastic ponies and kittens for the girls. Terri made her famous biscuits and even though the bottoms were burnt the men made them disappear.

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pre-pie plate

Thursday, Terri left early (ex can’t be in the same room) and forgot her coat. The cousins played together in the kitchen while the adults were busy prepping three turkeys (one fried) and eventually the Tofurky would get put in the oven with most of the pies (pecan, cherry, pumpkin, apple, and mincemeat). There were cranberries, corn, peppers, broccoli, carrots, gravy, and dinner rolls (store-bought). We quickly had seconds and took some family photos and then packed up leftovers for Kris to take when he leaves at 5pm because Vicki starts a new job on Monday morning and they live in Virginia.

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Robert, Kris, Jessi, Caleb

At some point during our stay Jake and Caleb set up the teepee and the kids roasted marshmallows inside. There was lots of screaming (good and bad); screens on for background noise, entertainment, and sanity; and tons of food, booze, and laughs. There’s always going to be drama when family gets together for long periods of time, but ours was centered around one individual, which is the deciding factor for us getting together again anytime soon.

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Piggy and Sparky

We agreed to leave early the next morning to give us more time on the open road and a bit of time in Las Vegas to visit our friends. We stopped in Dell, Montana for lotion and huckleberry stuff and arrived at Julie and Dustin’s at 7:15pm. Their personalities and tastes merge so well together, a happy couple and a beautiful place. They offered us a key thinking we were staying longer and I would have loved to, but I was also ready to get home, see my puppies, and put Caleb’s deer in the freezer, the half we brought in a cooler on dry ice.

Kris had a car fly over the median and into his truck somewhere past Chicago. It was a big fiasco, but everyone is ok and he’ll be getting a new truck. Terri says she’ll visit Jessi more often since she lives closer again. Robert wants to know what we’re doing for his 60th birthday and the kids agree that he needs to be in better shape before we set out into the woods for hiking and hunting with no store to escape to or a chair to rest in for miles. Jessi had a ton of fun, but she’s a family loving nerd like that. Caleb hopes I heal fast and never break again so we can spend more time hiking and diving on our next vacation regardless of which state or group of people we are with.

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My First Week With a Broken Big Toe

Posted on October 20, 2017 by TheJessicaness

 

sunset at the beach; no sand in my toes

My big toe is broken, which means no morning runs and nightly walks, but this is only temporary. I spent the first night taking hydrocodone and talking to a nurse on the phone at 4am. I tried walking off the pain to get the blood flowing (the opposite of RICE — rest, ice, compression, elevation) and broke into a cold-sweat just a few houses down. I was able to sit it out, recover while I called Caleb (who didn’t answer), and then walk back home.

For those of you still wondering how this happened… Friday evening I was invited over to my neighbor’s house for s’mores and the kids invited me into the bounce house. I wasn’t in there over a minute before I came back out and iced and elevated my foot for three hours before stumbling home (not booze related). Caleb said we were going to the ER, so I used WebMD symptom checker first and it came up with turf toe (not a good diagnosis), so I agreed to go.

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more than hairline

I told the x-ray tech that it was probably a hairline fracture between the metatarsophalangeal joint (between foot and toe) and the interphalangeal joint (between mid and tip of my big toe on my left foot. He started with a full foot and we both saw the fracture immediately — from medial distal to lateral proximal, from joint to joint of my first proximal phalanx. I had done well when I landed on the side of my toe after being pulled down in the bounce house. He took two more x-rays and then it was back to the waiting room. 

Saturday we went shopping so that I could try the electric cart, but it wasn’t as fun as I had hoped. It is slow going forward and jerks to a stop unless you ease the handle. I made it past the squash before I was back up into my crutches. Again, shopping is the opposite of recovery for a broken toe, especially of the weight-bearing variety. So, while I rested Caleb went out and bought an assortment of ice packs. I’m grateful that our bed folds up on both ends — one to keep the swelling fluid out of my foot and the other to keep my sinuses drained while I continue to get over a cold.

img-20171017-wa00062115818518.jpegMonday I got a doctor’s note, after watching Sandlot and most of Monster House in the waiting room from 7 – 10am, for a handicap parking pass on campus and then went to their L – Bldg. in the afternoon with Caleb for the pink paper. It was stressful to think about all the parking and walking I would have to do, and how exhausted I might otherwise be if I wasn’t in the shape I was — balance in strength, endurance, and flexibility is important.

Tuesday was spent driving some of my classmates from City College to UCSD and back for some time in the EPARC lab (Exercise and Physical Activity Resource Center). I wasn’t allowed on the equipment, but I’m welcome back when I don’t have a cast on. We were split into two groups of five and went through the protocol of a GXT (graded exercise test) on an ergometer (bike with external watt adjustment), saw how their Biodex System 4 measures isokinetic strength, and talked about the bone density that DEXA is capable of showing. We finished our time in the lab with me asking questions about a balance machine while everyone else turned in an assignment that was due (I would do this later) and then took the shortcut (stairs) to the car parked in the back and my classmates let me lead the way, which I thought was sweet at the time, but dangerous if I had fallen.

 

 

Wednesday is spent on campus from 9 am to 7 pm, which I thought would be a deal, but I spent more time in traffic than if I’d have left home at my usual time. I got to come in late for my Care & Prevention practical (assessing injury of the tendons and muscles surrounding the ankle) and got out early from Physiology. Classmates offer to carry my bag and others open the door; one while I was leaning against it. I attempt some one-legged spin in class, but the others start standing and so I move to a mat for elevated leg core moves and one-legged plank and push-ups. I do some stretches and then get back on the bike to finish with the class.

Yoga will be productive too with the instructor putting us into side-plank and floor-based poses with on-knees alternatives. She looked to see if I would do chair asana and I told her it would probably be easier to do eagle, which in hindsight makes no sense. Chair is squatting down and putting arms overhead (easy enough using the heel of my left foot) and eagle is wrapping one leg around the other, which I can’t stand on my left and with the boot on it won’t fit around my right.

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one-legged spin class

Thursday was my first day back with the little kids, grades transitional kindergarten to fifth, and they were all so curious – was it shattered, is the doctor going to use super glue, and when could I play with them again. Only one kid joked that he would kick it and I need to ask him why. I showed the kids my x-ray picture and tried to explain the importance of a knee-high boot vs just a high-top shoe. I think one kid wanted to play with my crutches.

I haven’t been handicap long, but I’ve noticed that not all doors are easily accessible, that San Diego has some rough and uneven sidewalks, that there’s always going to be one jerk in a large crowd, that the crosswalk light isn’t always long enough, and that handicap parking isn’t always the most convenient — nearest the ramp (uneven surface I could fall on) and farthest from the door (as the stairs are always closer). I need pockets or a bag at home to carry food or clothes and have to sit to dress when I used to pride myself on being able to balance while doing so.

shopping

I’m grateful to the kind, patient, and understanding people who I’ve encountered on my six-day journey, especially the ones who have given me chocolate. I’ve got many more weeks of this ahead and Caleb is stuck between making me stay in bed and leaving the hose down in the tub so I can take a shower before I cook, clean, and go to school. It used to take me 10 minutes to get ready and now can take 75 minutes of hobbling around. I didn’t realize how grateful I was for that time, but it’s another thing I’m learning and taking into consideration about my perspective in life.

I’m grateful that Caleb allows me to be stubborn and maintain a sense of freedom, but also thoroughly happy when he cooks me dinner and delivers it, feeds the dogs and lets them out, washes the dishes and puts them away, makes me do homework and brings me snacks, helps adjust the bed and swaps out my ice packs. He is willing to hop up to do the slightest thing, so that I may recover quickly and less painfully than he has had to deal with after having knee and neck surgery with constant back pain.

I have an appointment with a orthopedist on Tuesday to see if I need surgery.

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