Hockey on call

Well, I'm back in the game. I played hockey tonight and had a lot of fun. I needed the exercise. Playing hockey and being on call for work is interesting. I have to check my phone between shifts. I've played hockey with horse veterinarians and heart surgeons who were on call and at times I've seen them stop playing to take a call. I've heard of doctors leaving the game when the cell phone rings. I suppose I've been really lucky that I didn't have to run out to the car and hop on the laptop. The rink is only a few blocks from one of the network distrubution hubs, but, in the past, I have had good luck finding an open wireless AP or a nearby Kinko's, where they have free laptop connections.

NOLA needs some voodoo now.

When they drain the NOLA bowl, I'm curious about what we'll see. Dead fish? Dead bodies? When I went to NOLA last year, I remember seeing miles of crypts and creeps. I wonder how those things hold up to being under water? If any of the stones came loose, would those pancaked bodies in there come floating out? I noticed that the French Quarter is mostly dry, by comparison, except for a corner near downtown. It's been there 400 years. I wonder if it has survived similar storms and floods before? These before and after clickable satellite maps are interesting. http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/_national/neworleanssatellite/index.html

Life, Liberty, and a Car

This Katrina depress-a-thon is driving me crazy. Anyone with means and ability left New Orleans. The ones who didn't obey the evacuation order for whatever reason are entitled to some sort of help, but it's really apparent the state of Louisiana doesn't think they are entitled to help. If they didn't get shipped to another state, there they sit. I kinda wonder how long I could stand to live in a shelter if my home and office were destroyed and I had nowhere else to go.

You're hardcore!

Well, the shin pain has improved a lot.  Tylenol helps.  Against doctors orders, against my better judgement, and with a lot of tape (and the help of a sports medicine web site with detailed taping instructions), I played half a game of hockey tonight at about half intensity.  When I mentioned the possibility at the office, I was told, "you're hardcore."  I got a slow warm-up and I was a stride behind the play most of the time, and I missed some passes that should have been easy.  The team needed the relief, though.  I just trailed the offensive play, screened the D, screened the goalie, and on the defensive end I just checked their left D.  There was a short bench.  Believe it or not, whatever was tight in my shins and ankles loosened up.  Warming up those muscles and stretching them out has done wonders.  I also discovered the source of the shin stress.  My shin pads have a seam in the middle of the shin.  The padding on either side of it is compressed and broken down.  Falling on my knees is like falling on a small stick across the shins.  It's time for new shin pads.  I have ice on my shins now, and I'm relieved to be assured that the pain isn't some neurological disorder, gout, or something terminal.  The doctor was right, but it's clear that I'm not playing hockey tomorrow or next week.  I want this to heal for good.

It's better than I had previously thought.

I merged onto I-435 northbound at Eastwood and was behind a black hearse with a flag-draped casket inside. That changed my day. My problems seem pretty small.

A Happy Birthday

I'm 35. I could wax philosophical, but it really feels just like 34, and 33 before that. I'm another year wiser. Rich and Lisa (and kids) took me to dinner at Carmen's. They seated us upstairs, and the power went out up there, which means the music was off and the table was lit by the candle only. By the time we finished our salads, they had the lights and Sinatra back on. The folks at the table next to us were under the emergency light and it shone directly onto one guy who used his napkin to shield his eyes for the duration. At another table they couldn't get their check, because the computer was off, and the printer, thusly. I had beef tenderloin rigatoni, which they call Rigatoni ala Carmen. It was good, but not as good as the Chicken Spedini, which I usually get. I'm just burned out on chicken at the moment. The storms rolled in as we left and the weather felt good until the rain started coming down.  Another noisy little squall just woke me up, so. . .

Back in motion.

I went to the office today, then I went to the gym for the first time since last Friday, when my shins began feeling like fire. I think Oxaprozin, an Ace wrap, and two Extra Strength Tylenol got me through it. I also think there may be consequences later. It's chest and biceps day, though. It's nothing shin related, except a little warm-up on the treadmill. Getting the blood flowing felt good. Now, all at once, it's time to eat, time to ice my shins, and time to go pick up some keys which Lisa borrowed. I'll probably take my ice bag with me and go see if Lisa cooked extra. Otherwise, I'll end up in a "drive thru" somewhere.

On the work front, there's some sort of management shuffle going on to consolidate things and improve services. It sounds like they're forming a committee to evaluate headcount and such. Maybe we'll get some more people.  Maybe we'll get pink slips.  <shrug>