Free? Seriously?

2 tickets to see U2 in concert: FREE
2 pre-concert drinks at the local Irish establishment: $10
Seeing The Edge do his thing, AND hanging out with Stenson: Priceless

more to come...

Tales from the ER

After dealing with a worsening neckache for 4 days last week, I decided to finally go to the doctor when I could no longer concentrate at work. It was around noon when I called my doctor's office, and was not surprised when I was told that not a single doctor at my clinic would be able to see me that afternoon...they told me to go to Urgent Care. I've been to Urgent Care a few times in my 6.5 years here, and I've never felt satisfied when I've left. So I decided to go to the ER instead. I wanted to go to an ER in Mpls (at Fairview Riverside), but I could hardly drive since my neckache/headache was getting so bad, so I opted to go to the ER at Methodist in SLP (between work and home). I had my 3 leg surgeries at Fairview Riverside, and was impressed with the staff and facility each time. I had my tonsils out last year at Methodist, and it was a bad experience all around....but Methodist was closest. While driving there, I accidently ran a stop sign--actually, I was halfway through it when I noticed it and slammed on my brakes. It was freaky because there was another car just about to pull out.

I checked in at the front desk of the ER at about 12:45 pm, and surveyed the waiting room to try to calculate my wait. There were only about 5 other people there, so I figured the wait wouldn't be too long. What I forgot to figure in was that when an ambulance comes in, the patient doesn't go through the waiting room. I'm not sure how many ambulances came in while I was there, but there was a guy who came running in with his hand all bloody and he was freaking out...so he obviously got to go right in, but he was surprised that the nurses made him have a seat so they could get his information first (I'll admit that I was surprised too). In fact, he was treated and walked out (to go to another hospital) while I was still in the waiting room. I was feeling worse and worse as I sat there, and I'm sure that was also the case for the woman with gall stones, the old man with part of his ear missing (which would occasional start bleeding), and the guy my age doubled over in pain and waiting for about the same amount of time as me.

They finally called me in around 3:45 pm...only a 3 hour wait. So the nurse did her thing (vitals, etc.) then the doctor came in about an hour later. She ruled out anything really serious, and ordered some x-rays, a shot (with a painkiller), and a muscle relaxant pill. Then I just laid around waiting for the drugs to work and waiting for the doctor to come in--during that time, I heard a lot of interesting stories, including one about the ER patient that had just "coded" on his way to his room in the hospital. Then another nurse came in and said "we're going to move you out in the hallway because we have a critical patient coming in". So, there I was in the hallway, in my hospital gown and jeans, laying on my little hospital bed with my purse and clothes stuffed in next to me, greeting the EMTs as they came in. People couldn't help but stare, and one EMT stopped to chat..."so, they put you in the hallway...and I thought I had a bad day." Then he asked if I was just waiting to get discharged...the truth was that I had no idea what I was waiting for. The "critical patient" came in...I was afraid to look, but they had to pass me in the hallway. Luckily, she didn't look 'that' critical. Then finally I saw a familiar face...Pete came wandering through the halls in search of the "hallway patient". I cried. It had been a long week, and an extremely long day. Pete was freaked out to be in the ER...he didn't want to look at anything or anyone. The doc finally came back and said the x-rays looked fine. She told me to try the painkillers and muscle relaxants for a few days, then follow-up with my doctor if it's not better...she said it's possible it's a pinched nerve or a disc problem. I finally left around 6:30 pm.

Four days later, I'm finally feeling a little better, and I have an appointment with a chiropractor tomorrow. This will be my first time seeing a chiropractor...the idea has always kind of freaked me out, so I'm a bit nervous. I'm hoping an adjustment, and maybe a massage later this week will take care of the remainder of my discomfort. I've been sitting around doing nothing for the last week, so I'm anxious to get back on my bike!!

I've come to terms with the fact that strange medical ailments seem to seek me out.

Last Saturday night, I had dinner with Maren and her boyfriend's roommate, Mason. Ironically, Mason was my childhood friend/neighbor. It was fun to hang out with Mason and reminisce. That's a picture of us on our first day of school...I'm guessing it's 5th or 6th grade. I'm the tomboy with my green Park & Rec softball shirt, matching green tube socks, and my favorite Asics velcro tennis shoes. Mason's the cute innocent one in the blue-sleeved shirt. Recognize Jen?

On a total side note, I want to wish a belated Happy Anniversary to Karen and Chris...six years has flown by!!


SS

bling, golf, and Texas hold'em

Last weekend I headed to the lake for some QT with the whole family. And Friday night, I found out that the family's growing again...and no, Karen's not preggers. I'm getting another brother-in-law. Yep, that's right kids, Steve popped the question last Friday, and Jen showed up to the cabin with some serious bling! I can't say it was a surprise...Steve had asked my permission a few weeks ago (after dropping the ball when he had the opportunity with Chuck), but I'm so happy for them...they truly are perfect for each other. So Friday night we busted out the champagne and Karen gave a touching toast...I think she ended it with something along the lines of "Steve, you better treat our sister well, or we'll kick your ass". That sounds bad out of context...she was kidding (kind of), but it actually was a nice little toast.

After the congratulatory handshakes, hugs, and champagne, it was time for some Texas Hold'em. My mom and my nephews headed to bed, but the rest of us were "all in". Chris lost early, but decided to stick around and give the color commentary while drinking cabin beer (i.e. Michelob Golden light, the can with the "edges"). When Karen and Jen were out, they were smart and went to bed...leaving me to fend for myself with the boys (who were puttin' down cabin beers like water). In the end, it came down to me and Chuck going head to head while the boys got giggly like a bunch of teenage girls. Unfortunately, Chuck prevailed.

Saturday morning we had a big breakfast then Pete and I went for a bike ride around the lake. When we got back, we had to rest up for our first Family Golf Outing later in the afternoon. It was 90+ degrees, with what seemed like 40 mph wind gusts...not the best conditions for golfing, especially since I'm a terrible golfer. But Karen and I had gone to the driving range the day before, and had hit the ball relatively well for me. We played 9 holes of "best ball"--it was Team Adam Sandler (Chuck, Jen, Karen, and Pete) vs. Team Bob Barker (Dianne, Chris, Steve, and me). About halfway through our 9 holes, my team realized that we were probably going to lose...we weren't playing very well, and it was apparent that we would be cooking breakfast for the others the next day. On the last hole, the other team was waiting for us...heckling as we were trying to putt. Chris sunk a sweet putt...which turned out to be huge because it tied our score with the other team! So no one has bragging rights for the next year...which is probably a good thing.

After the big golf game, we headed off to Jake's on the lake (a restaurant and bar on the lake where the family cabin is located). We had some drinks and dinner, then it was time for me and the guys (Pete, Chris, and Steve) to watch some NASCAR on the deck at Jake's while listening to some 80's rock...needless to say, it was an interesting night, and the NASCAR race took a back seat to music trivia and discussing things like "Family Guy", why Pete doesn't like Jeff Gordon, and "feeling the wrath of the Stratton women". The guys were buying rounds of drinks all night, and luckily, after the first round of Vodka Red Bulls, the sober cab (aka Jen) showed up. After a long ride home (despite the short distance), it was time for some Texas Hold'em again. Karen had even waited up for us so she could play. But the guys kept throwing back the cabin beer, so Karen and I quickly found ourselves going "all in" when we had bad hands (i.e. we just wanted an excuse to go to bed). Apparently after the ladies all went to bed, the guys walked down to the local bar and had some male bonding time. All they did all weekend was giggle...at least until Sunday morning when they weren't feeling so well.

Jen made another sweet big breakfast on Sunday, then we all headed home. Oh, and I should mention that J-Dawg and the Pork Chop were fun all weekend long...keeping Grandpa and Grandma busy throwing rocks in the lake and pushing them in the swing. I picked a few live clam shells out of the lake for Brenden and tried to explain that there were living clams inside the shell...he didn't really get it. But Jaxson seemed to think that chewing on a clam shell (without the live clam in it) was a good idea.

Fo rizzle.

S.S.

track racing and Labor Day Weekend

Last Thursday night, Pete and I headed to the velodrome for Thursday night track racing. Neither of us had raced at the track for over a month, so it was about time that we made it back up there. As I made the trek to Blaine, I visualized myself racing and I got really nervous. I get nervous for every bike race, but there’s something different about the track that really gets the adrenaline pumping. It was a really windy night, and it makes track racing that much more difficult…and as I was warming up, I knew it was going to be a long night. I felt like I could barely keep the bike upright in the banking with the headwind. It was also a lot cooler than usual, which makes it more difficult to stay warm between races (we each do 3 races a night). There were only 5 other women racing, so we had a small women’s field. As usual, the first race was a short, 10-lap warm-up race. I struggled to keep up, and I was hurting…my lungs hurt, and my legs felt like bricks. My lack of track racing (i.e. sprinting) had caught up with me. After the first race, I spent the time between races coughing up a lung and trying to keep warm. Good times. But Pete did much better than me…he had a good night of racing and he and his Madison partner (former teammate Chris Flood) took second place in the State Championship Madison race, so that was cool. There were a handful of sketchy crashes too (including Bob crashing the motorcycle after coming off the track from leading out the Keirin), but everyone walked away intact, and I didn’t see any slivers. On Friday, my lungs still hurt. (That photo is from last year, and it's courtesy of Matt Moses).

Friday after work, Pete and I fought traffic and headed to the lake. We stopped at the liquor store and got some yummy red wine, and got to the lake just in time for dinner (which mom already had cooking). We ate dinner, drank some wine, and watched the continuing coverage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Which reminds me…I checked in with my friend Jana last week to make sure her sister Gina had evacuated. Gina’s in law school in New Orleans at Tulane. Jana said that Gina had decided to head to Memphis (where her other sister is based…she’s a pilot), and was then going to head home to Minnesota to wait it out. She left her new apartment in New Orleans, and most likely lost everything…he clothes, computer and school stuff, and everything else. She was frustrated because she couldn’t get any information from anyone. My mom said she heard on the news today that Tulane is canceling their classes for the semester, and they’re hoping that the U of M can help out some of Tulane’s students for the semester. Yet another tragic event that reminds me how quickly life can change.

I had a really lazy Saturday…it was great. We sat around drinking coffee in the morning, and my mom cooked up a big breakfast, then Pete went for a ride while I read The DaVinci Code. When Pete got back, we went fishing with my mom and dad (with not much luck, except for my mom’s mother-of-all crappies). We fished until we saw lightning coming from the clouds slowly moving across the lake. It started raining, so it was the perfect time to finish reading my book (again, I highly recommend it!) while Pete took a nap and my parents went to church. We ate an excellent dinner, then laid around watching the NASCAR Busch race.

Sunday morning, Pete and I went for our first “coffee ride” at the lake. There’s a relatively new Caribou about 10 miles from my parents place, so we did a nice easy ride and had some coffee and a snack, then headed back. We went for a little run after our ride, then out fishing again (with no luck yet again). We swung by the Manor’s place on the other side of the lake and I had a chance to chat with Susan and Anne, and others. It’s always nice to catch up with the relatives! Susan is five months pregnant, and she doesn’t even look it! And wow, do I feel old…Anne’s son is already walking and saying “da-da”, and I can remember holding Susan and Anne when they were babies! And it won’t be long before Drew and Luke are as tall as me. Crazy stuff.

We had a nice dinner and wine out on the deck on Sunday night, then watched the long (and relatively boring) NASCAR race. Two of my guys didn’t do very well, but my guy Kasey got 6^th…so that was the highlight of the race for me.

Monday we were lazy again, drinking coffee and eating a big breakfast again, and watching some of the U.S. Open. Before we left in the afternoon, we had a yummy Mr. Pizza frozen pizza (my favorite!), then headed to Lakeville via the scenic route. We decided to drive through River Falls, Prescott, and Hastings instead of fighting traffic on 94 and 494. I was also nervous because for the first time in the 6.5 years I’ve owned my Honda, the dang “check engine” light came on. Pete reassured me that the car would be fine until I could get it serviced, but I was skeptical (randomly, the light went off today…so I guess it’s fine now). As we were driving into Hastings, we noticed the green city sign (the one with the population on it) didn’t look quite right…mostly because it said “Afton”. Curious.

We stopped and got all of the fixin’s for banana splits, then we went to see the Pork Chop and the T-Bone (aka my nephews) in Lakeville. As usual, they were wound-up, cute little stinkers! J-Dawg is at such a cute age, and he has the cutest little giggle, so I love to tinkle him. The Pork Chop is at a sensitive age now, and he has starting “telling on” me and Pete (e.g. “Mommy, Pete scared me”, “no Sawah, don’t scare me!”…needless to say, he gets scared easily).

All-in-all, in was a great, relaxing holiday weekend! I liked it so much I’m taking this Friday off again, and heading to the lake early. We’re having our first annual Family Golf Outing this weekend…and we’re not exactly the Woods family…should be interesting.

Thanks for reading!

SS

p.s. “Carlos”—the bar ride included The Chatterbox Pub (which I didn’t make it to), The CC Club, Brit’s, Psycho Suzi’s, and the final destination was The Front (not sure if anyone made it that far).