wardrobe musings

i admit it. this brace is keepin' me down a bit.  my activities are somewhat limited because it just takes so much darn EFFORT to be mobile.  even getting in and out of the car is a challenge,  so, while there have been scattered dinners and movie nights, i've mostly been keeping a low profile.

it's a bit frustrating since i actually get to be home for a good chunk of time, and it would be really awesome to act like i was a member of my ward again and, oh, i don't know, GO to things. but when i do go, i'm exhausted by the time i get there.  then i have to try and be social and stuff when i just want to go home and go to bed!

as a result, i've turned to my cure-all for frustration: shopping.

i make a poor excuse for a shopaholic, but i gave it a shot:)  it started when i went looking for tight pants.  funny, but true.  because when you're wearing loose fitting pants with a brace on...you just can't get that brace tight enough to stay put.  you can completely cut off your circulation, and still somehow, that brace will be sliding down your leg. maybe it's something about surface area, or how much that pant can move (i mean, isn't that why we buy loose fitting pants in the first place?!), but it's a bad deal.

so i went looking for tight pants, of a non-spandex variety.  and what did i find myself in? skinny jeans.  now, prior to last week, just the idea of a skinny jean would have given me hives.  i mean, good for the size 2s and their skinny jeans, but this was not a trend i'd be adopting.

and then it became a necessity of sorts.  so, imagine my shock when i stood in the gap dressing room, wearing my size (not 2) skinny jeans. and
they.
looked.
good.

what started as a search for 'functional' clothing, turned into a feel good dressing room moment.

but, while one part of me has been set on finding clothing suitable for the new appendage, an equal and possibly larger part of my psyche, is playing dumb.  "brace? what brace?  ooooh, these boots are cute!"

i kid you not, the girl in the crotch-to-calf brace cannot stop buying boots!  i mean, the fact that i can't actually wear them right now, well, i can't let that stop me from buying a cute pair of shoes that i WILL be able to wear ONE DAY. especially since we all know that when ONE DAY comes, all those size 11 boots i bought at target (thank you target for carrying size 11 shoes!) will be long gone.  so really,  all i'm doing is preparing for the future.  isn't that something we are taught to do our whole lives?

right now, i'm preparing to wear these:

the irony is that my one 'splurge' purchase has been a pair of uggs.  and i LOVE them.  i can't explain it, since i came firmly from the 'uggs are ugly' camp, but, what can i say, they are so comfortable and easy when an 80 degree day becomes a 50 degree night.

it's possible that these are sleep deprived decisions i'll regret in three weeks when i'm lucid again, but i guess maybe this brace isn't the worst thing in the world. it's definitely getting me out of my comfort zone.

books and movies and music

most of you will know that i read a lot. sometimes 'actual' reading, and sometimes audio books.  in fact, i've developed an audio book addiction, as it significantly helps pass the one-hour-each-way commute to work.

my latest audio book was 'the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society', and i absolutely loved it.  i'm not sure that i would have taken to it as quickly in traditional book form, but the audio book format, and the different readers, entranced me from the first words.

i know (based on your goodreads shelves) that many of you have already read the book, but for those of you who haven't, let me see if i can convince you that you should.

the book consists solely of correspondence between the characters in post- wwII britain. every character description and plot narrative unfolded within the context of these letters, and you spend the entire book feeling like an eavesdropper or voyeur, and loving every minute of it.

fiction about this time period often feels dismal and sad, and while i'm not averse to serious subjects, i prefer to finish a book not wanting to kill myself.  this book tackled subjects of sacrifice and loss, and circumstances i hope i never find myself in, in powerful and moving ways, without leaving me depressed and disheartened.  instead, as i neared the conclusion, i found myself wanting to find out how it all ended while simultaneously never wanting it to end!   and, of course, i found myself wanting to book the next flight to guernsey.

i won't go into the details of the plot, as you can read it for yourself, but suffice it to say that in my opinion, it has everything a good book should have...including british accents.

in addition to my 'reading', it's been a busy movie week!  while in dallas, i absconded to a local theater in my off time to see 'secretariat', and i think it's fairly obvious that the movie appealed greatly to the horse-loving cow-girl in me.

my only fear had been that the 70's setting (and wardrobes) would be a distraction (not a fan), but it turned out to be a non-issue.  i was reminded just how much i enjoy diane lane, john malkovich's portrayal of secretariat's trainer was laugh-out-loud funny, and yeah, i cried like a baby.  just something about the power, intelligence, and sheer magnificence of an animal like that, tickles my weepy bone.

on friday a few of us from the ward got together to see 'the social network.'  the reviews were good and the movie was as well.  my roommate and i were surprised that we were the only girls in the group, but also not complaining.  and, since our original show time preference was sold out, we had some time to kill before the next showing.  since i'm on the road so much, there are so many people in my ward that i don't know very well, and the wait time gave me a chance remedy that.

i was a little embarrassed when i asked one of the guys in the group how he knew one of the other guys.  his response was 'from the ward,' and i followed up with 'oh, how long have you been in the ward?'  turns out, he's been in the ward for a year, and yes, i am a shmuck. ah well, just another reason i'm glad to be home for awhile!

i wrapped up movie week on saturday afternoon when my roommate and i took advantage of the drizzly day to lose ourselves in a little josh duhamel.  i've actually been looking forward to 'life as we know it' for some time, and i'm glad to say that i wasn't disappointed.

i mean, it's a chick flick, so you pretty much know what you're going to get.  and while it was fairly stereotypical, i also appreciated that there were some deeper layers and truly tender moments relating to unexpected parenthood.  it, unlike most chick flicks, is on my 'to buy' list.

last but not least, i'll just mention that at both movies this weekend, in a trailer for a new reese witherspoon/owen wilson movie,  there was a song i adored and had to look up later.  turns out, i loved almost every itunes clip from the album and immediately downloaded it. if i ever get around to posting a new playlist (i'm sorry about that. really!) brendan james will definitely be on it.  in the meantime, check him out for yourself.  my favorites are 'the lucky ones' and 'the fall' (video below).  it will take more time to be sure, but (dare i say it?) there may be a joshua radin dethroning in the future.

oldies and goodies

one of the things i love about traveling is the opportunity to reconnect with old friends.

my recent trip to ft. worth afforded two such opportunities, and though i was extremely uncomfortable in my new brace, it helped to have something extra special to look forward to.

extra special #1 was a late night dinner with anne and brian, who stuck around long enough to share a meal with me at ihop (at 11pm) before making the very long drive back to their home in houston. i was too busy stuffing my face with bacon, eggs, crepes, and a chicken fajita (no 'sharing' there - i was STARVING) to take a photo.  and truly, as it had been a long day for all of us, i'm pretty sure i wouldn't have posted it anyway.  just take my word for it, we met, we ate, we conquered.

extra special #2 arose when a long-time-ago friend saw that i would be in dallas for a few days on my facebook page (have i mentioned how great i think facebook is?).   the last time i saw him was when he was starring in, and i assistant directing, a production of 'west side story' for the west valley (utah) community theater, some 13 years ago.  he also lives in houston and is a pilot for a small airline, but though we've attempted before, our travels never land us in the same cities. until now.

turns out we'd be overlapping for a full 24 hours in the dallas area, so of course, i invited him to join me in checking off another diners, drive-ins, and dives restaurants.

i picked him up at his hotel and we headed to avila's, a mexican restaurant.  i warned him that i never quite knew what i was going to get , a diner, a drive-in, or a dive.  and after passing it three times before finding it, it's safe to say, it fell in the 'dive' category.  i had also informed him that i hadn't had a bad meal yet, and fortunately, this place would NOT be the exception. that was some delicious mexican eats, and the queso alone is worth the stop.

the company didn't hurt, and we fell right back into our old groove catching up on the last decade+ of each other's lives before calling it a night.

i'll also mention briefly, that i checked one other ddd location off the menu - chef point cafe.  it was a good meal, but not a standout.  what this place really has going for it is a unique ambiance and HUGE portions.  if you're REALLY hungry, it's not a bad choice.

i was happy to get home after a successful event, and even happier that my travel is almost nonexistent for the next three months.  with only a few small events left for the rest of the year, and most of them local, i'm so excited i can deal with my newly awkward extremity on my own turf!

kneegate: the trilogy (and my trip to florida)

first - an administrative note.  click on the post title to see the trip photo album

my trip to florida began with all the makings of a fantastic experience, and before it's disastrous ending, it was just that.

it started even before the trip did, when a guy i knew in high school saw on my facebook page that i'd be heading to boca raton and asked where i'd be staying.  when i told him, in that small world kind of way, it turned out that he worked at the property, and offered to attempt an upgrade for me.

superfly car for superfly chicks

i wasn't sure if it would come through, but i was hopeful.  and when my friend (and co-worker) melissa and i arrived in ft. lauderdale, i checked in at the alamo desk and was sent to choose my car from the midsize aisle.  what came as a surprise was that i had everything from an suv to a beetle to choose from.   so we agreed on the beetle.  a fun car for a fun trip.

the boca raton resort

when we got to the hotel, i learned that my old high-school buddy had come through for me.  and, in any normal hotel this would have been awesome, but since the event, and our host hotel, was a waldorf astoria property, it was even more happy-dance inducing.  and happy dance i did, when i opened the door to my suite.

the view from my suite

not. kidding.

melissa and i IN the everglades.
and for the record, she's 5'4", i'm 5'9"

the fun was just getting started though, and after melissa and i got the booth setup taken care of, we had some time to kill.  so we decided to head south so that i could check the everglades national park off my parks passport list.  but, we weren't content to settle for your 'standard' park experience, so we opted instead for an air boat tour.  having had such a great time on our new orleans air boat, we were both pretty excited.  and it was....different.  it was worth every penny of the $22, but it wasn't as intense as the new orleans one (which was closer to $100).  in the end we were glad we did it - the everglades is such an unusual place - but if you're ever in that area an considering an airboat tour, we'll talk, so you can go in with the right expectations.

a new stamp for the passport

we made it back from the day's adventure in time for lunch.  some of you may be familiar with the original serendipity in new york, originators of the frozen hot chocolate, and i was thrilled to learn that there was a serendipity at the hotel.  in addition to my lunch, i enjoyed the peanut butter version of the yummy dessert.  

peanut butter and the original

then it was time for work, and we finished out the night at a random chinese place, where melissa tried frog legs for the first time.

ewww.

me, melissa, and the atlantic.

we spent the next day at the hall, and enjoyed a yummy dinner afterwards before heading to the beach club for the conference netoworking event.  truth be told, we didn't do much networking.  instead we spent most of our time dipping our toes in the atlantic, and i gotta tell you, i have MISSED that ocean!  i love california, but dang the pacific is cold, and i had forgotten just how different they are.  if i hadn't been in jeans, i might have gone for an evening swim. --i was definitely tempted.

having a burger at a raw bar

we called it a night - i mean, what could compete with the atlantic?!  thankfully the following day was a short one, and afterwards, we headed to the airport with a diners, drive-ins, and dives lunch stop at the whale's rib raw bar.  since i don't do seafood, i chowed down on a burger, and the whale fries with whale juice  i haven't had a bad ddd experience yet!

and it was shortly thereafter that disaster struck.

we stopped for gas on the way to the airport.  there were tropical storm warnings, heavy rain, and i was wearing flip flops.  i still don't know exactly what happened, but as i was crossing the parking lot, my left knee/leg, 3 weeks post surgery, suddenly moved in a direction that it was not meant to move, and i went down. hard.

i caused a pretty good scene as i lay there in my very own parking spot with a sweater covering my face, as it had been protecting my head from the rain when i went down.  and i stayed down for a few minutes, before i could attempt any movement.  melissa brought the car to me, and we sat in the parking lot for about a half hour while i decided whether or not i was going to the emergency room.

ultimately, i decided no.  while in a lot of pain, i really didn't like the idea of testing out the medical facilities in a completely unfamiliar place.  so we headed to the airport, i dropped melissa off, and made the drive back to the hotel, where i spent the rest of the evening icing and elevating.

the next morning, i was in pain, but i could walk.  i was dragging my bag to the car, and it happened again. same thing.  at least it felt like the same thing, and it didn't feel good.  this time it was the unsuspecting valets who got to watch me go down and wait while i determined whether or not i could breathe, let alone move my leg.

i just kept thinking to myself  'i want to go home. i want to go home.'  i didn't know exactly how that was going to happen, but i was determined to try.  so i tried, and succeeded. and it was by far the most miserable day of my life.

when i got to the rental car agency, the 'drop off' guy could see how much pain i was in and told me to get back in the car.  he drove me over to the terminal so that i wouldn't have to take the shuttle (thank you random rental car guy!)  and, once i got there, i found myself in a wheelchair, where i would remain for the rest of the day, when i wasn't actually on a plane.

to give you some perspective, in the 6 week process of tearing my meniscus through having the surgery, i took a total of roughly 20 vicodin pills.  but by noon that day, i had taken 4.  when i arrived at orange county, my sweet cousin was there to pick me up and take me to my car in the longterm lot.  and when i eventually made it home, it was the first time, since this whole thing began in july, that i was forced to use crutches.

based on the location of the sharpest pains, and my previous experience,  i had a sneaking suspicion that it was my mcl --another ligament i had torn some 14 odd years ago.  and after a visit to the ortho, another set of mris, and another visit to the ortho, i learned that i had a bruised bone, and that i that i had indeed torn my mcl.  i had perhaps, been overly optimistic in hoping that it was only a sprain, and while i am very very grateful that it won't require an additional surgery, i was not expecting them to put a brace on my leg (from crotch to calf) and tell me that i needed to wear it for six weeks, and that i could only take it off to shower.

it's been on for three days now, and i am exhausted.  my sleep is extremely fitful and walking takes twice as much energy as it normally would.  i'm currently in texas, and since i couldn't find a cost effective scooter rental place, i rented a car instead (it was cheaper), and i've been driving it back and forth the 2 1/2 blocks to the convention center. seriously.

the thing is. i'm kind of a trooper.  i'm what you call a 'tough cookie' when it comes to bodily harm.  i tend towards optimism and a 'what can you do but laugh about it?' attitude, and this is going to be a challenge.  but maybe that's the point.  maybe there's a lesson to be learned or a perspective to be gained that requires this challenge.  maybe i missed it the first time, or maybe it's meant to serve an entirely different teaching purpose. here's hoping that in the next 6 weeks i figure out what that is!

ft. worth

i find it interesting that with as many times as i've been to dallas over the years, i've never really spent any time in ft. worth.  i've always lumped the sister cities together, and i'm afraid, in doing so i have done ft. worth a disservice.

don't get me wrong, i've always liked dallas. but what i didn't realize is that ft. worth has a very distinctive personality, and one i was glad to experience.

this was my first post-surgery trip, and for the most part, i was feelin' pretty good.  i may or may not have asked my co-worker to drive me and my boxes the three blocks to the convention center so i wouldn't have to drag them on a cart, and i'm not working the booth just yet, but in general,  i was doing alright.

the event was at the convention center, and we stayed at the 'historic' ft. worth hilton.  it's a registered national historic site, largely because jfk gave his last address and spent his last night there.  definitely cool, but not the highlight of the trip.

we didn't have much playtime on this one, particularly since i was leaving early to head straight to another event, but alana, shannon, and i decided to make the most of what we had, and my last night in ft. worth was a fun-filled one.

the girls were up for joining me on my diners, drive-ins, and dives quest, and the restaurant on the agenda was the twisted root burger company.  anyone who has traveled with me will know that i love a good burger.  it's my comfort food when i'm on the road,  so imagine how excited i was that there was a burger joint on the list!

twisted root is a super casual half bar, half order at the window, style restaurant.  we placed our orders, and instead of giving our names, we were GIVEN names.  alana was erykah badu, shannon was vanna white, i was eva longoria, and we were all 'sweethearts' as far as the cute cashier was concerned.

erykah badu, eva longoria, & vanna white

as you might imagine, it made for some good jokes and good laughs as each order came up and we heard some of the other names that had been assigned.  while we waited for ours to be called, we decided to try the twisted rootbeer flavor of the day, which was strawberry. and for the record, strawberry + root beer = unexpectedly tasty!

our burgers came up and boy were they yummy.  i have to say that the fries and the fried pickles made for perfect complements, but the atmosphere may have been the best part of all.  for most of my first year at the company, every conference consisted of meals at 'nice' places.  while i can appreciate a 'nice' place as much as the next guy, and maybe more than most, if i have the choice, i'd rather be in jeans, in a dive, enjoying a cheap burger, and this place was right up my alley.

he may not smile in photos but he smiles a lot in 'real life'

after dinner we made our way to shannon's house, where i finally got to meet her boyfriend felipe.  having heard so much about him, i was excited to finally put the face to the name, in person.  i was also excited to tour shannon's house, since it was a fairly recent acquisition, and i've been hearing all about the updates and upgrades she's been making. it did not disappoint, and i appreciated the opportunity to go a little deeper with this co-worker who's becoming a friend.

after checking out the house, the four of us headed to the stockyards, and eventally landed at billy bob's. some of you may remember that i visited billy bob's when ann and brian came to visit me in dallas earlier this year.  last time i was there, though, rick springfield was the main attraction, and the crowd demographics were representative of that.  this time is was hats and boots for miles, and i couldn't get enough.  dancing was out of the question for me, but i sure enjoyed watching!

so did alana, who's san francisco sensibilities had never been exposed to anything like it before.  we were enjoying ourselves so much, that we didn't realize how late it was until we closed the place down.

fortunately for me, i could sleep in the following morning before making my way to boca raton, fl for another event.  the morning was a lazy one, and i said my farewell to ft. worth knowing i would be back, in the same hotel, at the same convention center, in less than a month.  how's that for irony?