Well, here’s our update to the update on the Mayor’s finger. It continues to heal, albeit slowly like a snail. He is finally out of a splint much to his relief. Unfortunately, his finger looked pretty angry and red this morning, so they’re concerned it may be infected. Consequently, the Mayor is starting a course of antibiotics today. Hopefully, those will take care of the infection.
The bigger issue in our update is that he hasn’t been diligently working the joint. It is quite painful for him to move it, but he’s got to start working on it. As the PA was moving it this morning, you could see he was in a lot of pain. This is problematic because it will cause a permanently stiff joint in that finger. As a result, he’ll need a lot of OT to get the top joint of the finger moving again.
What movies or TV series have you watched more than 5 times?
I think I’ll answer this with memes from each of the shows. We have a few favorite shows in this house. The Office was the background to our lives for most of the 2010s. It then became Family Guy or for me, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. My morning routine always includes my Dunkin’ coffee and the Great British Bakeoff. Additionally, when I run on the treadmill I watch Curb Your Enthusiasm. Larry David makes me laugh and helps me get through my runs.
Am I, a hockey player and hockey mom, superstitious? Hells yeah. We hockey folks are extremely superstitious. It’s a crucial part of the experience. For example, one simply does not mention the word shutout until the horn has sound. Inevitably, if those words are mentioned before the game has ended, the other team will score. Do not be the guy that kills the shutout. Also, if the team is on a winning streak and you’ve worn a particular coat to the rink, don’t think you’re changing your coat now. You simply cannot mess with the mojo.
Hockey players have their own set of superstitions like taping their sticks a certain way, dressing in a certain order, wearing a particular undershirt, and playing a particular song in the locker room and for warmups. And then there are goalies, they’re so special. Watch a goalie at any level and you’ll see their superstitious ritual. Mine used to stand up hit the right post, the left post, and then the right post before moving into position. Marc Andre Fleury talks to his goalposts every time they give him a hand.
As for us parents, once we ensure we have the winning outfit/jacket on, we’re ready to head for the rink. Once there the routine is often the same, for me, it was to go grab a coffee from the nearest Dunkin’ or Starbucks. Naturally, this would lead to several pregame bathroom trips to ensure the bladder was empty before being trapped in the penalty box for the game. Other parents will sit in the same spot. Some parents, however, will move if the game isn’t going well. Goalie parents will migrate every period as will the forward dads. It’s crucial to the team’s success that every parent sit or stand at their winning spot.
Growing up in Minnesota, the Minnesota State high school hockey tournament was the must-see event of the winter. While we were in school, our boys’ team made section finals several times, but never the big dance. It’s a time when school rivalries hit their peak. There’s nothing like this tournament in the world. The Excel Center is filled with tickets hard to come by. When our school finally made the tourney and went to the championship, my hubby and his sister had to camp overnight tickets.
We took Jake with us to the championship game in 2004, I’m not sure he remembers much since he was five. It was, however, an amazing experience. The fact they won the championship didn’t hurt either. Nonetheless, the atmosphere is electric. Even if your team isn’t playing, these games are so competitive you can’t help but get invested in them. My Alma Mater is currently playing in the quarterfinals against Cretin. Since I can’t keep the verbal eruptions under control, I had to turn it off. My work phone is a recorded line and nobody needs to hear what I’m saying. If you want to check out the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament, you can stream it here. The Centennial game is heading into overtime as we speak. Let’s Go Cougars!
What is the last thing you learned?
I learned that patience is a virtue. I’m currently dealing with someone who cannot hear but won’t acknowledge their inability to hear. It’s honestly so much fun.
An update on the patient. The Mayor finally had his pins removed this morning, it was quite the site to watch as the doctor unscrewed and pulled them out. He was visibly uncomfortable. And for the first time since he broke his finger, he said ouch! he was also visibly uncomfortable as the surgeon manipulated his finger to test his range of motion. Unfortunately, while his finger is healing well, it’s still not healed enough for him to go back on the ice. Consequently, he’ll go back in two weeks for another checkup and start therapy in the interim.
After his appointment, we had to take Anakin to the vet for a sore on his foot. It looked a lot worse over the weekend, but it wasn’t healing fast and we were concerned it was infected. Unfortunately, anytime we take Anakin to the vet it’s a production. The poor thing is extremely anxious and consequently very reactive to everyone at the vet’s office. As a result, he has to be sedated for his exam for his safety and the safety of his care team. I was worried the wound might gush like a volcano when she examined it, but it didn’t. He’s currently sleeping off the sedation in the back corridor at the vet’s office.
Describe a phase in life that was difficult to say goodbye to.
Right now we’re in a major life transition as we move from actively raising kids to being empty nesters. It’s a big shift and one I’m both ready and not ready for. I think it’s difficult to say goodbye to life stages like this because it makes you feel old and that time is flying by way too fast.
It’s almost here, the weekend that is. I try to blog every weekday, but between work and PanCan yesterday, I didn’t have the time to write. This week was our national registration day, which was a smashing success for our affiliate. We added seven teams and almost fifty participants in one day! Go us! Yesterday did end up being a pretty long day between work and our PurpleStride planning call.
It’s been a tough start to 2024 between the Hubby’s knee injury and the Mayor’s injury. It’s also been quite expensive – thank you co-pays. We did, however, get some good news this week. The MRI, which Cigna said wasn’t necessary showed there was extensive damage to the Hubby’s knee, but not enough to necessitate surgery. Thank god he had the MRI that showed that passive treatment like shots and PT should be enough to heal his knee. I might call Cigna hourly, and become a celebrity with their customer service team until they cover the MRI.
We go back to the Mayor’s surgeon on Wednesday. Hopefully, he’ll have the pins removed. I’m unsure how long that takes, but it sounds like a miserable process. Honestly, I hope it doesn’t cause him too much pain on top of the discomfort. He was hoping he could play at states the weekend after, but the doctor said no at his last appointment. We’ll see if she’s consistent in her answer when he asks again Wednesday.
By the way, I have to give a quick shout-out to my girl Sheri for making my day. This afternoon has been a rough one. And then I got an unexpected package from Amazon. In it was an emotional support pickle, which is just the cutest thing ever. It was such a thoughtful gift.
What advice would you give to your teenage self?
Run! People are who you think they are, so run before they show you who they are. If you don’t, they’ll put you through hell.
I didn’t start drinking coffee in earnest until I moved to Florida and rediscovered Dunkin’. Since then, a cup of coffee has been a prerequisite for every morning. I rarely skip my coffee; if I do, it’s a sure bet I’m not feeling well. Regarding dieting and giving up stuff, coffee is my non-negotiable. It will have to fit into the diet or I’m not doing it.
In fact, I’ve been going to the same Dunkin’ pretty much since we moved here. The manager Polly is an absolute doll and made sure my coffee was always ready before I walked in and checks to make sure they threw in added munchkin’s with the pups’ donuts. Moreover, she always asked how the kids, hubby, and dogs were doing. When I’d travel, I’d show her the different Dunkins we had gone to, including one in Copenhagen and the original one in Quincy, MA. Unfortunately, they moved her to another store. The store I’ve frequented forever is an absolute mess, so I started going to a different one.
Now sometimes when I travel there are no Dunkins available. Nonetheless, morning coffee remains a prerequisite. If I’m in Canada, it’s all about Tim Hortons and their double-double. Stateside if they don’t have Dunkin’, I’m headed to Starbucks to enjoy a cinnamon dulce latte. I enjoy the drinks from all three stores, but the price of Dunkin and Tim Hortons is much more sustainable and realistic than Starbucks. Now I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right, I should be the president of the Dunkin’ fan club.
We finished the transition work yesterday with the assembly of the treadmill. I say “we,” but my Hubby is the one that did the proverbial heavy lifting on both projects. While he worked on the treadmill, I worked on cleaning up the kitchen and making sure all the marble and sawdust were gone. Additionally, I’m still in the process of decluttering the space, so it was a productive day. I didn’t bake anything this weekend as I’m told injecting marble dust isn’t good for you.
We also made an appearance a the rink as the Mayor’s team had a tournament locally. While he doesn’t have to travel with them for away games, we felt that his absence at local games was unacceptable. After all, you’re part of a team, you need to be there for them. It doesn’t matter if it’s your career or if you’re an amateur, you support the steam. does suck to have to watch from the sidelines and not be able to help the team. As for me, it was nice to get out of the house and see some hockey folks.
Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you.
I love my On Cloud running shoes! They’ve been with me to Boston, Minneapolis, Canada, and have even hiked the Mighty Five. I got my first pair of On Cloud sneakers from a friend who didn’t like the way they fit. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I liked them at first either. Until I started running in them regularly and stopped having pain in my knees and ankles. I love these shoes!
The Mayor is feeling a bit discouraged this Valentine’s Day, due to some disappointing news from his hand surgeon. We had hoped he’d be able to play at the state tournament, but she put an end to our hopes today. Unfortunately, even though the pins are being removed in two weeks, there hasn’t been enough healing and regrowth of the bone for him to safely play the tournament. Realistically, we’re looking at a return to the ice well into the spring. Naturally, he’s pretty upset as he had hoped to play with his team.
He assuaged his disappointment, however with some sweet treats and a Publix sub for lunch. Originally, he asked to go to Publix for a gift bag. Curiously, he came back with a gift bag, some sodas, a pub sub, and some candy. Do you think he shared any goodies with me and the puppies? Not. He did, however, offer to pick me up some Starbucks this afternoon. Despite the lack of quality sleep lately, I may take him up on the offer since it doesn’t seem to matter anyway. We’re all a bit discouraged around here today. I do have a new treadmill and stand mixer coming today, which is pretty exciting.
If there was a biography about you, what would the title be?
If there was a biography about me it would be: “Hot Mess Express, lessons in perseverance.” I don’t think the title needs much explanation.
The patient’s finger is healing nicely. These simple words spoken by his orthopedic PA were music to our ears. They took some X-rays, removed the stitches, and cast. For the first time since he broke the finger, I saw him wince with pain as they removed the bandages. Unfortunately, he still has the pins in for the foreseeable future. We’re hopeful that they’ll be able to remove the pins at his next follow-up appointment two weeks from today. Crossing my fingers that it’s still healing nicely at our next follow-up!
In the meantime, he’s in a smaller bandaged splint. He’s supposed to remove the splint and work the lower joint on the finer several times a day. This will prevent the joint from getting stiff. Additionally, he still has to keep the cast and his claw, I mean pins, dry. Not that he is one to spend a lot of time in the pool or ocean. He also has to be careful not to knock the pins as they extend beyond the tip of his finger.
What’s the thing you’re most scared to do? What would it take to get you to do it?
I would love to scuba dive but I’m terrified of the water and can’t swim. It’s hard to reconcile my abject fear of water with the desire to Scuba, but life underwater looks so peaceful and beautiful. I’m not sure there’s anything that could convince me to get into the deep.
We had a great weekend around these parts. Our patient continues to heal nicely even if he is a bit cranky and annoying. Fortunately, he is not experiencing a lot of pain. Unfortunately, the lack of pain makes it harder to keep him compliant with his activity restrictions, icing the finger, and taking his medications. It’s been a constant battle for the hubby and me to get him to ice and elevate the injury. No matter how many times we tell him these things are designed to facilitate his recovery, he ignores them.
Thankfully, both Friday and Saturday nights provided a respite for me. Friday night I had the house to myself as the Mayor was at his girlfriend’s house and the hubby had a hockey game. I cooked a nice dinner, courtesy of HelloFresh, watched TV, and cuddled with the dogs. By the time, the Hubby got home dinner was waiting for him, but I had already fallen asleep. I was still exhausted from being ill earlier in the week.
I worked Saturday, but it was completely dead. It was an absolute waste of time. I would have been equally productive as an outfitter. Nevertheless, I spent the day counting down the hours to dinner and a show. After work, we headed to HardRock to have dinner and see Seinfeld with our besties. Dinner at Cipresso was outstanding. I had the best veal parmigiana I have ever tasted and our appetizers were equally as tasty. Afterward, we hit the slots before heading to see Jerry. The slots were kind to us, which was a bonus.
The comedy show started late as people came in to find their seats. Honestly, it probably got off to a late start because the concessions (aka alcohol) were closing once the show started. I didn’t mind the late start as it would have been disruptive to start while people were still finding their way to their seats. The opener was Mario Joyner, who was fantastic. He had us laughing throughout his entire set.
And then came Jerry. I’m a huge Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm fan, so seeing him live was a big deal. He lived up to, nay surpassed my expectations. His set and material were so relatable. We can all relate to going on a family vacation just to “fight at a hotel” instead of at home. His take on marriage, cell phones, and water features in Florida neighborhoods was hysterical. We didn’t stop laughing the entire time he was on stage. He is so incredibly talented. I’m glad we had the opportunity to experience it in person.
Naturally, we stayed up a bit later Saturday night than we are accustomed to doing. Consequently, we slept on Sunday. I had grandiose plans of baking cookies, and bread, planting herbs/tomatoes in terracotta pots for the patio, and trimming the hibiscus. Regrettably, fatigue prevented me from making my way outside to engage in any gardening activities. On the other hand, I found plenty of time to bake cookies and bread. It was my third attempt at a sourdough loaf and it turned out pretty good. They say practice makes perfect, so I’ll keep working on it.
What are your favorite sports to watch and play?
This may surprise all of you, given the name of my blog, but my favorite sport to watch and play is hockey. I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to get back on the ice someday. I had to retire after tearing a tendon in my ankle and the whole thyroid thing. Nevertheless, I enjoy watching hockey whether it’s youth, high school (MN,) college, or the NHL. Each level of hockey brings something to the experience of being a hockey fan. It’s the greatest sport and community in the world. Our hockey journey has blessed us with the opportunity to meet some incredible people.
