the scare

This past weekend, I helped my room-mate put his old car away for the winter. It was a miserable job and took us much longer than we expected in the cold. We also had some trouble with the exhaust building up in the storage unit and the mothballs weren't pleasant either.

With the car finally stowed, we headed back to the apartment and about 1/2 hour later, he started to have pains in his stomach. He's had these for a while, but being stubborn, he hadn't done anything about them and a heating pad usually brought relief. No such luck this time - he was in a lot of pain that didn't go away. It lasted all night and into the next morning. When I left for work he said he would call his doctor to see if they could get him in and if so, his aunt would take him.

I got a call at work later that he'd been admitted to the emergency room and they were going to do surgery on him. Turns out the pain in his stomach area was a hernia that was allowing his intestines to poke through - could have lead to an obstruction if they didn't get it resolved right away. I had two of the most useless errands to run after work, but I made it to the hospital before he went in for surgery.

The operation was a success and I was able to take him home the next day. He's resting uncomfortably and sleeping a lot. It's been pretty scary, but could have been much worse. I'm hoping he learns a lesson about being too stubborn, but only time will tell.

100 miles

I swam at lunch and again after work and hit 100 miles in the pool for the year. I could have done more, but I'm still pleased with the results. The pool is still open next week for a couple days so I could get in a couple more miles before the break, but even if I don't - 100 miles is still pretty good.

I'm a little sore this evening and plenty tired, but I'm not doing too bad for a 38 year old. :)

Lunch - Mauchan Yakisoba instructions

For lunch today I had the chicken flavored Mauchan Yakisoba - an "asian" noodle and dehydrated vegetable dish. Here are the instructions - with the same formatting as on the package.

AFTER COOKING, LEAVE IN MICROWAVE FOR 1 MINUTE.

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Open lid half way only and remove the two packets. REMOVE THE TWO PACKETS BEFORE MICROWAVING.

2. Open Packet #1 (Vegetables) and sprinkle packet contents IN THE SPACE BETWEEN NOODLES AND CONTAINER.

3. Add 1 cup (240ml) water to the Fill Line, as indicated on container, by arrows. FAILURE TO ADD WATER TO THE 'FILL LINE' MAY CAUSE PRODUCT TO IGNITE AND BURN.

BE SURE TO FIND THE CORRECT FILL LINE!

4. Close lid and cook in microwave on high (1,000 watts) for 4 minutes *. AFTER COOKING, LEAVE PRODUCT IN MICROWAVE FOR 1 MINUTE, TO COOL.

5. Grab the corners an carefully remove from microwave. PLEASE HANDLE WITH CARE, PRODUCT IS VERY HOT.

6. Remove lid, pour in Packet #2. Mix in the powdered flavoring... Enjoy!

* Cooking time may vary based on altitude and power of the microwave. Adjust time as needed.

AFTER COOKING: CONTAINER IS EXTREMELY HOT. HANDLE WITH CARE TO AVOID SPILLING OR BURNING YOURSELF.

quiet day

It's been a pretty quiet day here at work. I'm getting some stuff done and answering a lot of user questions, but compared to the chaos of yesterday I might as well be napping.

At home, I've been working on a couple of projects as gifts for Christmas. I won't go into details until after the holidays, but I will say there's been a lot of sawdust generated.

In other news... I'm closing in on 100 miles in the pool for the year. 66 laps to go. I may be able to wrap that up tomorrow and then take a break for the rest of the year when the pool is closed. I could have done better for the year, I suppose, but it's still pretty cool.

I think it's time for a short break to get some fresh air and re-focus.

the icy touch of winter

As I was leaving the building today, a single drop of icy water dripped off the frame above the door and bypassed all my winter defenses - hat, scarf, and jacket. It hit me on the back of the neck, in the one unprotected inch of my vulnerable flesh. I arched my back instinctively and inadvertently created a channel right down my spine for the water to follow. Intensely cold would be an understatement.

Well played, winter. Well played.

driving in the snow

It took me an hour to get to work yesterday morning. It was our first big snow around here and there was a two car accident on the highway that brought traffic to very nearly a halt for most of the time I was on the road. Not fun.

The drive home was much better, right up until I didn't make the turn into my driveway. I hit a patch of slippery ice/snow and went right into the ditch.

Luckily, the ditch is narrow and I managed to straddle the sides and slalom my way forward down a slight hill until I could pull back up onto the road. I don't think I damaged my car - or anything else. Other than my wits.

I felt a little stupid about the whole thing.

7.6 miles

This past week was a little rough for me. Lot of stress and to top it off - I missed my swim at lunch time on Friday. So, after work, I headed to the pool to get my laps in. I got changed, went out to the pool deck, and was immediately told that the pool was closed for a swim meet. I was told I could use the rec center - but that's not correct, the pool there is closed too.

So, I went back to the locker room, got changed, and left - thinking that some signs might have been appropriate. I was still fuming when I got home and things didn't get any better. I decided that I needed to take myself for a walk and cool down.

Literally.

Arby's sounded good for dinner, so I bundled up and checked a map. 3.8 miles one way. 26 degrees outside. 1 hour 18 minutes walking time one way. Bring it.

I had some socks issues - the right kept sliding down and my Achilles tendon rubbed a bit, but I toughed it out and made the trek. It was dark and cold, but I did feel better to have gotten out there and cleared my head a bit. I had my dinner at Arby's, then headed home.

I was tired last evening and I slept pretty well - no after effects other than being a little sore this morning.

I think I prefer swimming, but exercise is exercise.