Snowboarding Amnesia

Over the break, I managed to squeeze in some non-couch potato/TV surfing activities that tested my creaky ole body.

It had been ten months since I picked up snowboarding again. I didn't know it was possible, but I actually got worse. Is it possible to have body amnesia and physically forget how to do certain things so quickly? Ten months ago, I was happily navigating/falling my way down the mountain, getting the hang of the back edge, just starting to switch to the toe edge. This time, I failed at strapping in my boots, I stood there blankly contemplating how to even stumble toward the lift, and the lift itself seemed a frightening impossibility. I wouldn't call it a freak out, but let's just say the ski lift folks had to shout "Ok, sloooow down the lift!!"

When time came to get off the lift, you might as well have asked me to bungee jump off a bridge. I panicked and instead of pushing off the chair, got lifted up again as it started its turn. So I just fell forward. On my knees. That hurt.

By the time I hobbled along to the top of the hill where folks were strapping their boots back on, I was wiped out. And then all of a sudden, I realized "I don't remember how to stand up! What the hell did I do last time?" I physically could not get up on the board without sliding or falling back down. I imagine babies feel the same frustration learning how to walk, except that they care less and don't know any better.

After the bf helped me physically stand up, we managed to get down ONE run before calling it a day. Pathetic. Just nature's way of slapping me upside the head and reminding me that "Fool, you are not a natural athlete. Who are you kidding?"

Why I'll Never Be an Olympian. Or Rock Star

Misocrazy stopped in town earlier this month so of course, we had to have a Rockband party at Polar Opposite's place. I love me some drums. It doesn't even have to be a song I know. I'll just sit there and live out my dreams of being a rock star drummer until my next life.

Of course that night, the bottom of my shin (or is it the front of my ankle?) was throbbing. As if I had been snowboarding all day. Except that it was only my left foot. Strange. True, we had snowboarded a week before. And gone bike riding the day before. But why just my left foot? Even the weight of my blankets at night aggravated it.

Then it dawned on me. I used only my left foot for the foot pedal in Rock Band. Could it be? Nah... Must have been the residual snowboarding or bike riding... How stupid could that be? Rock Band injury... Pshaw!

When I mentioned it to my fellow rock band friends, they laughed and then one slowly came forward with similar tales. They also mentioned different methods of foot pedaling without straining our weak little ankle joints. How sad is this? I mean I guess many of us did get sore arms playing Wii sports... Next thing you know I'll be straining my thumbs playing Little Big Planet...

New Year's Day

Is it a bad omen for the new year if you start it off crying in bed, fighting with your bf, walking off into the night by yourself in a strange city, and having your first dinner of 2009 by yourself at a restaurant? At least I had a hearty meal and glass of wine at a lovely Italian restaurant down the street. Not to mention a virtual dinner companion via google talk with a friend on my new iphone. See, at least I got an iphone for xmas 2008 and it's definitely good for something, like company at dinner!

This year frightens me more than ever because 1) I plan on giving notice at work this month. 2) I have no idea when and where I'll be working. 3) If we don't kill each other first, the bf and I plan on moving in together sometime this year. Where or when, again I have no idea. 4) I don't when or if I'll get to travel out of the country yet again.

The therapist tells me to only focus on the positive and the best case scenario and it will come. I can see it, especially if I squint really really hard. But deep down, uncertainty scares me the way Freddy Krueger terrorizes people in their sleep. And it's going to take a hell of a lot more than 4 months of therapy to shake that fear.

New Year's Eve

I thought new year's eve of 2007 might have been one of the worst. We were supposed to go to Disneyland. Instead I woke up, didn't hear from the bf until nearly noon, worried sick and wondering what the hell was going on. By the time he had called, I wanted to strangle him because I was so relieved he was ok. Turns out eh, he didn't really want to go and didn't hear his phone because it was on vibrate.

Ah, those were the days. When we were still 2 months in and he didn't understand how truly neurotic I could be. It's a year and two months now and things have gotten slightly better. Now I have new and better reasons to strangle him every week.

For new year's eve 2008, we decided to drive up to Flobelly's place to get away from LA and take in some snowboarding. Except the day before we left, he was DETERMINED to get all new gear. And a new printer/scanner. And an hour before we were supposed to be on the road, it was of utmost importance that he hook up said printer/scanner after picking it up that morning. After running 5 other errands already.

And when I finally said no, there's no more time, this is ridiculous, he pouted. And lashed out. And I cried.

When we got onto the road grudgingly, (both in silence) the freeway had been closed down halfway there and we had a detour that added an extra hour or two to our original three hour drive. Our lunch was Carl's Jr. Dinner, Taco Bell. I wasn't so much ending 2008 with a bang more so than a loud fart.

When we finally got there, he passed out immediately while I managed to have a scrumptious home cooked second dinner with Flobelly, her husband and their neighbors. We barely made it to midnight.

So long 2008, it's been good, it's been bad, it's definitely been tumultuous, and no doubt momentous. Pfffffttttttt.