Until the Stars Are All Alight

The Things One Needs to Survive a Twelve-Hour Overnight Shift:

-Nametag. Required, and it's good to have so the nurses know you're not a family member.
-Books. I try to take a total of 3-4 that I haven't read--ie, if I take two books that I'm halfway through, that counts as one total. I try to make at least one of them something I can finish cover-to-cover.
-Lotion. I sanitize my hands A LOT, and it takes its toll.
-Some Other Project. Two nights last week it was sewing, tonight it's my iBook so I can work on writing. I love to read, but I CANNOT do it 12 hours straight, which leads me to...
-Eyedrops. Luckily I carry these in my purse anyway, as a contact-wearer.
-Food. I take a lunch and eat it around 2 AM, halfway through my shift. I also try to include stuff to snack on at random--a couple of pickles, or a packet of fruit gummies, etc. And even though my bento bag (Japanese lunchbox) includes a bottle for a drink, I also need...
-Something to Drink. Other than what's in the lunchbox. I stop at McDonald's and get a large sweet tea on my way, since I'm trying to minimize my soda intake. I also try to have dinner last thing before I leave so I'm not starving until 2 AM.

On that note--I was poking around Marilyn vos Savant's website last night, and saw the link to her Daily Diet. I was pleasantly surprised that it's very similar to the own "diet" I've devised for myself, in an effort to lose weight for the wedding.

Here's hers.

Mine is simply this: Nothing but cereal before 5 PM. If I get hungry enough, sometimes that's two bowls, but 95% of the time it ends up being only one bowl. (This is mostly because I sleep so late, though.) I've cut back on soda--I refuse to eliminate anything entirely, because that's when I get frustrated with the whole thing and quit. I don't keep soda at the house, and I always order sweet tea at McDonald's when I'm eating there (it's cheap when I'm in a rush)--and that's probably 90% of my previous soda consumption. Now, when I visit someone and they offer me soda, I'll take it (especially Cody's stepdad, who almost always tells me that he's gone out of his way to put a Dr. Pepper in the fridge just for me when we visit), and if I'm eating at a more expensive restaurant I'm likely to order soda--it's already a special occasion by virtue of going out to someplace that's not fast food. =) I have whatever I want for dinner. Almost literally anything. (It's so hard to avoid foods when you're as picky of an eater as I am.) Seconds if I'm actually hungry for them. Then, if I end up being hungry again later (often, and ALWAYS when I'm working) I'll have something light--a small sandwich would be the heaviest thing, and a bowl of cottage cheese is way more likely.

And it seems to be working. Jeans are getting looser, at any rate. I'm not losing a pound a day or anything, but the slower you lose it, the easier it is to keep off, you know? My brother said I was looking good (Jerry and Sherri and the girls were down over the weekend), but he hasn't seen me in something like two and a half years, since they flaked out on coming to the reunion.

Also, if there is anything major going on, I'll skip a day. We were out at Mom and Dad's on Saturday and I ate with everyone else and had desserts for snacks more times throughout the day than I care to admit. (Darn your cookies, Mom! Darn them!!) I had soda with my meals. But the next day I was right back on track.

As far as exercise goes, I cannot bring myself to commit to any kind of routine, and I shudder at the thought of even going inside a gym, much less staying inside one long enough to work out, but there's the bike, and I'll go on a walk now and again. At the very least, if the weather is okay, I'll try to walk to get the mail instead of grabbing it on the way out. (This is a pathetically short walk but it's better than nothing.)

So. Yeah. No idea how I got into all that. But there it is. I'm going to empty the dishwasher and start the oven for pizza! =D

So Saturday was my birthday, and I'm 23 now, but that's beside the point, and at the same time the crux of everything. Lol.

Okay, so Kristy got some birthday money a couple of weeks ago (her bday's three days before mine but whatever), and since she had finally given up on her car ever being in good working order a week or two prior to that, she invested in a bike, and a bike trailer if she needs to haul a kid. Being the awesome friend that she is, she taught me to ride. It took me two days and I'm still not the best rider, but I got the basic hang of it. (I think I probably posted about this at some point...ah yeah, in this meme.)

Then I got really stoked--if I could get a bike of my own, I could ride it! I could go to Cody's or her place, or the post office, or Walgreens, or any number of places within a couple of miles (I can walk at least four miles and that's easily well beyond getting to any of these places, and a bike would make the trip faster and easier so I could theoretically go even farther if I had the need, right?). I could save gas AND lose weight before the wedding! So I decided that that's what I wanted for my birthday--a bike.

Long story short, my parents got it for me. (I had been thinking that I would take birthday money from them and my grandmother and go buy it myself, but they went ahead and surprised me. ^_^) We went out to birthday dinner on Thursday since they were going to be out of town on the weekend, and then we came back to my place "for cake" and they wheeled in the exact bike that I wanted! =D

Later, after they left, I texted Kristy and was all "ZOMG BIKE YAY!!!" and she texted back that we should go riding. Through some texts this shifted to I should come over for lunch, then when I said that I was a wee bit scared to ride across town alone my first time out, she agreed to go in to the office in the morning that day, meet me at the corner and we would bike to her place.

All went well. It took nearly an hour to get there (fifty minutes) and I had to stop and catch my breath a lot (HILLS ZOMGWTFBBQ), but other than more or less crashing into a utility pole (more like a bump, slow as I was going, didn't hurt anything) nothing out of the ordinary happened.

I set back home at around ten past five. I called Cody before I left so he'd know I was on my way (he was waiting for me at my house, having planned on having dinner with me). I was making much better time on the way back as I was walking my bike up the worse hills and catching my breath as I walked instead of trying to overtax myself--bear in mind, I was alone this time and was trying to be careful because there was no one to take care of me.

Well, I got roughly halfway back (I've checked this on google maps). I started wobbling a little (as I am still prone to doing, five weeks into the biking thing) and I was getting too close to the cars for comfort (there's sidewalk the whole way, which I took into account planning my route). So I swerved the opposite way. In retrospect, I overcorrected. >_<

I felt myself falling, and planted my foot on the ground to catch myself. Well, all my weight and that of the bike slammed into my knee, I felt it pop, and it hurt. BAD. I tumbled, but at least I tumbled into the grass and not the traffic. I tried to hop back up--nope, pain, not gonna happen. So I laid there for a second, then my next thought was to get the bike off my leg. I took my messenger bag off and then pushed the bike off--already my knee was like "NO! DON'T MOVE ME! AGGGGH!" While I'm sitting there, thinking I will let the pain subside, get up, and continue on my merry way, I hear someone asking if I'm okay. At first I thought it was a car that had slowed down or stopped, or had to stop for the light (this was right before an intersection), but as it turned out it was two Mormon guys. They had seen me crash and pulled into the driveway right before and gotten out to check on me.

They offer me a ride, or a cell phone, and I tell them no, I'm okay, I have my own cell phone in my bag, and I think if I just take a minute I'll be able to get up and go, or at least be okay to walk the bike if nothing else. One of them picks up the bike and sets it upright, on the kickstand. I also tell them that my fiancé can come get me. After another moment I get up, and the minute I put weight on that knee I KNOW I'm not riding the bike anywhere. I stand there, untangle my headphones, and they keep asking if I'm really okay and finally I convince them I am. Then they tell me they're Mormons like I couldn't read their nametags (even if they were without them, they kind of...stick out--they were either Mormon or JW, and I think the latter have a more relaxed uniform) and give me a brief schpiel and their card. Which was awkward, sort of, but they were both really nice. After I take their card and they're heading back to their car, a redheaded woman walks up and said she saw me crash and just had to turn around and make sure I was okay, and offered her cell phone. I tell her all the same things but thank her for stopping.

So I start wheeling the bike along. By the time I'm to the next intersection I'm grateful for the bike-as-crutch. And yes, I could have called Cody, but I was really worried that he would make me LEAVE the bike wherever he found me. (He says now he could have fit it in his car, but still.) He'd been after me about getting a helmet--it's not the law here in Arkansas and I didn't want to fool with it, and certainly didn't want to spend the money on one.

I knew I'd done something to my knee, at one point I tried walking on the non-kickstand side of the bike because my arms were getting tired and I only got about two steps. Also at one point with a steep slope down, I tried to coast downhill--I couldn't bend my knee far enough to pedal but I thought I'd save a little time and effort. I couldn't get the bike going, though, at least not without wobbling, and when I lightly tapped that foot on the ground it hurt VERY badly.

Anyway, I walk more or less a mile home (you can walk places where there are no roads according to Google Maps, after all) and get inside. Cody could tell I was upset.
"Are you okay? What's the matter, sweetie?"
"I have something to tell you, but you have to promise not to freak out."
"Waitwhat?"

And I tell him everything (showed him the card the Mormons gave me, lol), and I roll up my jeans to see, and of course the knee is swollen. I insist that ice and painkillers will be enough to fix things. I'm not BLEEDING so OBVIOUSLY whatever I did couldn't be too bad.

I kept ice on it, and I don't remember when, but I figured out that it hurt to bend it too far and I flat couldn't straighten it out all the way.

Monday night thehobbitwaffle directed me to the Mayo Clinic's website and I deduced that what I probably actually did was tear or bruise my cartilage. Their recommendation? Ice, Tylenol, keep it elevated, don't walk too much, and it should take care of itself.

So I've been limping around ever since Friday afternoon. Kristy had her Annual Birthday Costume Party the next day and I sat better than 95% of the time. I've been trying to veg as much as possible and not walk too much, and not go up or down the stairs until I HAVE to, though yesterday I felt good enough to walk around Wal*Mart (leaning on the cart) with Mom, and today I finally drove. (It's difficult to get in and out of cars, though.) It's been hurting less every day. I can kneel ALMOST without pain, but I can't bend it any further. I'm hoping I'll be able to fully straighten it soon--the swelling simply won't allow it at this point, though the swelling doesn't look that bad to me.

Cody has been an absolute dear. The first two days when I could barely walk without something to lean on, he cooked for me and made trips up and down the stairs and to Wal*Mart as needed, even when it was for costume things. =) He is so good to me--better than I deserve, really.

And speaking of Kristy's costume party, Cody and I went as Lady Luck and a gambler. =) I got him into an all-green outfit--nice shirt and pants and a TIE (OMG, he was SEXY) and drew a mustache on him (the only thing he wanted...weirdo, lol), and I wore my red dress from Shelly's wedding with a string of playing cards tied around me, and we both had shamrock necklaces. (Yay St. Patrick's Day, on which I failed to consume any alcohol whatsoever. And I had rum in the fridge!!) Kristy has all the pics, I will post when I get them, lol. And don't worry, Shelly. I didn't actually alter the dress any, so I can still wear it to a formal function if I ever have one, lol. I got the idea googling "red dress costume" but so many of the ideas I saw required a short red dress or gluing things to it! >_< I was pleased with myself--Cody and I spent all of $4 on these costumes, $3 for the necklaces and $1 for a deck of cards, since I don't have any that aren't special, lol. With a larger budget and more time, I probably would have added a fake cigar and a fedora for Cody (mine didn't fit him), and I've seen boas made out of fake dollar bills for me. Also dice or dollar sign jewelry. I have a black shawl and meant to grab it but forgot (what with the whole having a hard time walking thing).

Next time I have a chance to wear a costume, though, I think I'm going to steer away from the "concept" costumes. Last year I was the Snow Queen and no one got it, and this year only one person claimed to get Lady Luck--and that was after someone else asked me. She was all "Oh yeah, I thought that's what you were, I was going to ask." (Then again, I didn't do much better with Josie from Josie and the Pussycats at Halloween, but I think that was just plain too obscure.) Cody and I have batted around the idea of going as Peter and Lois from Family Guy, though, lol. (This would be at some point in the future if/when Cody gets tired of his hair, I guess. I can't fathom fitting a short wig over that massive hair. Now that I think about it, he could wear the same green pants as the gambler. Lol.)

Okay, I think that's enough content to make up for my non-content entries for a while, other than this last tidbit...

Most of you probably remember me talking about Sam. I was going to link to all the entries tagged with his name but I think the breakup post does it the most justice; if you REALLY need the whole story you can click the tag. We were a couple for all of 91 hours around this time last year (two months before I met Cody). Anyway, while Kristy and Cody and I were sitting around waiting for more people to show up (Kristy was still working on her costume, lol), she said "blah blah blah Kristin blah blah blah Dena blah blah blah Sam said something about bringing a roommate..." And I was all "Sam's coming?"
"Yeah."
"Oh." *turn to Cody* "That's the guy I was with like right before we met..."
"The one who didn't last a week?"
"Yeah."
Well, he showed up and there was no drama, everyone was cordial all around, Cody included (because he is AMAZING. Period.). At one point pretty much everyone was playing Rockband in the living room, but Kristy was still sewing her costume and Cody and I were sitting at the kitchen table with her. Cody leaned over and pulled me close so he could whisper. "The one in the red shirt, right?"
"Huh?"
"The Trekkie." (Sam was costumed as a redshirt from Star Trek. It was a pretty decent costume, IMHO.)
"Oh. Yeah. That's him."
... "HE dumped YOU?!"
I busted out laughing, I'm surprised no one asked me what was so funny. Later on back at my place, Cody was all, "Sweetie, you deserve way better than me but I'm like a thousand times better looking than that guy!" Glad he could see it. =) He's such a sweetheart, I'm reminded constantly...okay, I should stop there. I'm sure none of you want to hear me wax poetical about being the luckiest girl in the world and all that jazz.

I need to get some sleep--or, at this point, stay up all night. I think I'll go for the former. Top of the morning to you!