Saturday, September 28, 2013

Punctured

Inspirational song: Poker Face (Lady Gaga)

A tetanus shot is good for ten years, right?

This has not been my day. I had promised my training taskmaster that I would start the day at water aerobics, and since I hadn't made it there in over two weeks, on its face it seemed like a reasonable deal to make. It doesn't take into account that I always stay up until around one o'clock every morning so I can email the man, and that I have a houseful of animals who insist on breakfast every single day. I rushed as much as I could at home and on the road, and pulled in to the Y about five minutes after class started. But I went in anyway, and slipped into an open space in the back. I was a little rusty, but got back into the rhythm, or so I thought. When it was time to work with the styrofoam dumbbells, I took the doubles. Some lady who was easily ten or fifteen years older than me asked me if I was sure, since they are harder. I smiled and said yes, instead of giving her the "what do you take me for" angry look I wanted to give. I thought I was keeping up nicely, showing how much my muscles had developed. At one point we did a fly move that was a little awkward after the difficult shoulder work yesterday, and my movement was a little ungraceful. I readjusted so my shoulders didn't pinch. It was that moment the instructor looked at me and asked whether I needed smaller dumbbells. Again, I tried not to make angry face and just said no.

The little things around the house are testing me as well. Saturdays are supposed to be "steak day" on the training diet. I bought the steak two days ago, when I finally stocked up after the trip. I think if I had waited just until supper tonight, it would have been too far. It was just on the edge of going bad at midday. I listened to the football game on the Internet, and I'm glad I only had to hear it rather than watch. It was awful. Last year's Buffaloes made a reappearance. As the game was finally winding down, I surfed Pinterest, and saw some exercises that substitute for squats by lying against a wall with the feet in the air. (Squats are still out from an injury to my shin from weeks ago. Hurt badly today.) I hadn't finished unfurling the yoga mat before the kitten was clawing and chewing it up. Why did I imagine that I could do any floor exercises in the animal house? I was swarmed by six furry bodies.

Last night I promised friends who commented on Facebook that I would go outside and take photos while it was still daylight, since I've had so few from around the Park in the last couple months. I took the iPad while the phone was on the charger, and with that large device, I needed to squat down to line up a picture of the big red Judy coleus. (See above for why squats aren't my friend right now.) For balance I settled right on the edge of the adirondack chair I made from the old picket fence, barely putting weight on it. It was just enough to collapse the left side of it, where the supporting leg screws were stripped out months ago (I forgot). It collapsed from under me, and I slammed my hand into one of the freshly exposed screws. Now my front porch is covered in blood, and I lost interest in taking pictures for now. I even had to admit to the man that he was right, we need to redesign the chairs to make them more solid.

The summer between high school and college, my mom worked at a first aid clinic. She told me to come in to her office one day, and had me get a tetanus shot. She told me that it was a perfect time to get it, because I would remember easily that my last tetanus shot was right before I left for college. That was great when I was in my teens and twenties, but it makes it a whole lot more difficult to remember any shot since then. I think I got one ten years ago while I was getting immunotherapy? Maybe one since then, while I was having surgery after surgery? I seriously do not know. I hope they last a while.

Okay, here it is, the one picture I took today. I hope it's worth it.



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