How to heal a pulled hamstring

The best way to heal a hamstring strain? Ice and the flu. Why the flu? Because it knocks you on your ass and you therefore stay off the hamstring

SportsBoy came home from school (when I had been stressing over him walking between classes and then having to walk home on the sore leg) on Monday with a 102 fever. He had something to eat and then lay down on the sofa and passed out until I got home nearly 2 hours later. He pretty much remained on that sofa or in his bed for the next 48 hours. The fever broke for good around mid-day yesterday so he still has to stay home one more day (24hours fever free before you go back to school). Meanwhile as he’s felt better he’s started expending some of that pent up energy and let me just say unequivocally that the hamstring is F-I-N-E!

Meanwhile I did nothing. Well, no, I did do some work that I could do from home. But I had these big plans to maybe read, or write, or get a jump start on cleaning the house. I did none of it. When there are two cats laying around and one 13 year old, it is rather hard to get motivated to be the only one being productive

At least I got out of the house and worked out last night. That felt GOOD. And I’m back at work today since he no longer needs my regular attention at this point.

Of course the cats might be confused. Or, they might get some rest! When I am home, I apparently require double feline escorts to every corner of the house. While they normally sleep through the day, there was no sleeping going on unless I settled in one room for any length of time. Tuesday when my home base was up in my room and I was going back and forth between SB downstairs on the couch and then back up to my temporary desk setup, those cats got their exercise! Yesterday I gave them a break and stayed downstairs and just put on earplugs and had SB lower the volume on the tv.

It’s amazing how I managed to exist pre-cats without their constant protection ;->>

The photo above is from last week as I drove in to work. When fall REALLY, FINALLY arrived it made the air on the shore so clear and beautiful that I had to bring the camera with me and stop for some shots. The waves are rather anemic this time of year, but still beautiful.

Day by day

Teammates hanging out watching another pop warner team play

Pretty cool when I think about how they have known each other since they were 5

The tortuous stairs that keep me in shape between workouts

That announcers booth up there is home base for the checkbook and my purse on Saturday game days. But then I have to run up and down those stairs the whole time chasing kids out of restricted areas, going on the field to pay the refs, just going to the bathroom is  a hike!

So what have I been up to besides running around that high school football stadium every Saturday? Well, I am counting down to the next August moms gathering. This year we will be in Washington DC and I am BEYOND giddy over it. I mean, a politically obsessed wacko like me in the heart of where it all unfolds? Heaven! On top of that a couple of the gals secured White House & Capitol tour tickets!! I really may not sleep while we are there. I know I will be grinning the whole time. Oh, and then they started a thread on the list to see if anyone who was going had read Dan Brown’s Lost Symbol and those who had said it would really enhance our visit to the city. So being the lemming I am, I ordered the book and started reading it Sunday night:

While his books are not necessarily great works of literature, they ARE fun and easy reads. I love his short chapters which makes it easy to sneak quick reads. I’m already anticipating paying attention to the details in the Capitol Rotunda referenced in the book I’m only 1/3 through it but I am sure I will finish it this weekend.

Meanwhile things are finally easing up at work. It always takes into late September to truly close out the prior year and there are a couple of mad scrambles in the month to get there. Those seem to be done now though which is a huge relief. I would like one area of life to go into cruise control for a bit!

Of course I still don’t have my ergonomic redo in my cubicle. I know it was ordered last week, but I’m still waiting. I’m sure they will show up while I am out of town, right? Murphy’s Law.

Speaking of Murphy’s Law – how’s this one? I went ahead and OK’d the roof repairs on my house 2 weeks ago. Didn’t hear anything and was about to check in when they called. They come tomorrow so I will work from home (and take pics if I can of course!). So what happened LAST night? Well, it rained of course!! I seriously laughed. Not much of course, and certainly not enough to trigger leaking but really – can you believe it?!

Oh and hey – so once the outside IS fixed, can someone tell me what I should do about this?

Pealing ceiling thanks to leak

Of course it is about as high up as any spot on my ceiling:

View of pealing ceiling from downstairs

So do I just lightly sand and re-paint? Well, not me since I’m a total wuss when it comes to heights like that. No, I could NOT sit on the bridge and reach up and do the task! I *would* fall on my ass.

Oh hey, how about some cat pics? You know, because I don’t share enough?

Chip guards the laundry chair & its contents

You all have one right? A laundry chair or sofa that holds your folded clothes and hamper with clothes to be folded somewhere in your family room so you can watch TV and fold? Sure you do. Just admit it.

Amber in her "I have no feet" pose

Chip will do this too but with his short hair, the effect is not the same.

‘Nite all!

Monday musings

Amber shows us how Lazy Sundays are supposed to be

I love when she rolls over like that So I am showing off the camera a bit. That photo was taken from about 6 feet away as I sat on the sofa. Here’s another from the same distance but with zoom:

"Mommy, WHY are you taking pictures of me?"

Now here is one from the other night. Low light, me sitting at the dining room table and SP standing at entrance to the kitchen, partial zoom – I’m about 20 feet away?

Grinnin' fool

Then this one at the game on Saturday – oh hey, they won again 24-0 and I got gypped out of ice cream AGAIN! Anyway, I was pretty far away with this shot. In the stands on the opposite side of the field from where they were practicing – full zoom:

Holding for the kicker during warm ups

When you look at the full sized version you can see SB’s face pretty well and you can read the numbers quite clearly.

For a camera on sale for $150 I am quite pleased at the results so far after taking zero time to read up on how to use it!! )

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For those who actually read here regularly, the roof leak from last year’s rainy season is due to be repaired this month. Coordinated with the neighbor who shares the building with me (she has almost the same leak) and we are getting both sides repaired for under $1600. Whew! We were both kinda freaked about possible 5 figure costs and total replacement! Five year guarantee on the repairs too.

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Something I’ve noticed on twitter is how many folks complain about their particular cell phone providers. Specifically those who have iPhones salivating over the potential opportunity to ditch AT&T once that exclusive contract runs out sometime in 2010. Here’s the problem – be careful what you wish for! The complaints I hear about AT&T are in regards to the network coverage and signal strength. Fair enough as I’ve had some issues depending on where I am in the county. Though, quite honestly, no connection issues in quite a while. However, the issues I hear about Verizon, T-Mobile etc are related to billing errors and customer service. IOW, the stuff that hits your wallet. And for me anyway, that is where AT&T *shines*. I’ve NEVER been hassled if I call with a question about what I feel is an erroneous charge on my bill. They have reversed everything I’ve ever questioned. And when you have 5 lines and 2 are your kids’ well you know how easily they can sign up for stuff without knowing! But they *always* reverse it! It makes me very happy to know that whenever I call, it is EASY to get to a live person, they seem to be here in the US (no accents that you cannot decipher), and they always go out of their way to take care of the problem. So, you know what? I’ll put up with some spotty signal strength now and then in order to keep that stellar customer service!

Meanwhile I still adore my iPhone. Sat on that sofa all day yesterday but still felt connected thanks to the little computer in my lap. Between that and the new camera with two large capacity memory cards, I am going to go to DC laptop free! It will be so odd not to drag that laptop bag around the airport, but oh so wonderful.

More kitty entertainment

done

I really hope that video eventually shows up! First time I was loading something that I recorded on my own vs something from You Tube.

Anyhow, it’s video of Amber reacting to this little bit of juicy tenderness that was *just* on the other side of the screen from her. So close, so close and yet so far.

Pretty lizard taunting the kitty

Decent sized - perhaps 6 inches long with tail

I love how in the video Chip has no CLUE what is going on. He’s more fascinated by me video taping and narrating and then by her madly swishing tail!

The lizard clearly was aware of Amber as it kept an eye on her the whole time but it kept slowly moving along the edge of the door frame. I’m sure it was wondering why the big predator wasn’t actually pouncing on it!

Ant farm for cats

Capture one silverfish in a clear plastic bowl and put the bowl on the floor next to your cat. Periodically nudge the bowl to get the silverfish to scamper around. Your cat will be thoroughly entertained. She may even eventually figure out that she doesn’t have to sniff the bug through the plastic barrier. Or paw at it from the barrier. She might figure out that if she stretches her neck over the edge of the bowl, she can actually play directly with the bug! Oooh, another level of fun! Meanwhile though, she needs to watch that bug run ’round and ’round first to be SURE it is something worthy of capture and eating. Good for at least 20 mins of entertainment – give or take a few depending on the intelligence level of the cat involved

Recharging

Thankfully for myself and everyone around me, I was able to get some quality time on the sofa this weekend. Saturday’s workout kicked my ass since there were only four of us with the two trainers and I am very sore around my abs today, but as usual, it was still a good start to the day. Then there was the LL game and then driving MM to work, then lunch, then a nail/wax appointment and THEN, around 2pm…I was done for the day until 9pm when I had to get MM from work. So, I slept. A lot. Woke up now and then to watch DVR shows from the week and to read the paper and have dinner, but mostly, I slept It was awesome! This morning I slept IN and then finally awoke feeling recharged enough to tackle a very dirty house – which is now quite clean. Yeah, even with these sore muscles, I got the place clean. Went to the grocery and then had some lunch and then again, by 2pm, all my chores were DONE and you know what I did? Yep, plopped onto the sofa to watch the Padres game and then slept some more! It’s been rather delicious actually. Then SweetPrince stopped by for a visit. Sure, you think he came to see me, right? Not quite:

She remained under his nose the whole night. Even rolled over for some serious tummy rubdown a couple of times. Utterly disgraceful And after? She was DONE kinda like I had been DONE:

Oh yeah, and the earthquake that you probably read about if you are on Twitter? Yes, I felt it. I was on the sofa watching TV and it shook once – I looked around to see if one of the cats had just jumped up – no cats, but then sofa shook three more times each shake stronger than the first. And yet – I was the only one in the house to feel it! The lights didn’t sway and nothing made any hint of a sound. It was just the typical rolling shake you get when you are far enough away from an epicenter to feel it, but not get the big jolt. Since it was up in south west LA, we got the nice roll. As soon as I felt it I went on the USGS website, but that was not updated so I went onto twitter and sure enough, the most recent two posts from people I follow were San Diegans saying “earthquake?” What a hoot! Twitter is the bomb, I tell ya. A quick refresh and then another friend from up in LA described quite a shake which immediately clued me in to where the epicenter was. 5.0 too and my guess had been at least a 4 or 5. As I told Sweet Prince who felt *nothing* “My ass has been in So Cal for 44 years of earthquakes – it knows it’s shakes!” Thankfully it seems as if no major damage up north. One friend’s house it at the epicenter exactly and other than some pool water splashing out she said everything is fine. It sure was fun to know right away thanks to Twitter!!

Oh yeah, and it is less than 48 hours to the final night of Adam ;->>

More tales of what the cat dragged in

Since her recent adventures defending us all from the threat of wayward toilet paper rolls, I have managed to keep any potential victims out of Amber’s reach. However, there was apparently another threat still lurking in the house. Though I am not certain if this is a foe that must be vanquished, or one which Amber just needs to study some more, or if she may be attempting to expand her vocabulary. First, a look at how far she generally must travel with her quarry:

Upstairs bridge. Bathroom at end to the right.

Last night there was also a very full laundry hamper blocking the path. Which makes me shake my head even more at what she did. Like most males of the species, Sportsboy had a book in his bathroom which was laying in the middle of my bedroom floor when I woke up this morning:

Amber with her prey in the background in my room

A closer look at what she either seeks to destroy, or else, wants me to read to her:

Amber's gift to me last night

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. None the worse for wear despite being somehow carried/dragged/swatted from one end of the house to another.

Yeah, I can’t figure it out either! I wonder what’s next?

Sometimes Friday morning mimics Monday

The indoor cat's version of a mouse

5:30am gift – the sound of Amber completing the kill at the foot of my bed. Roll was originally in Sports Boy’s bathroom so she dragged it/carried it out of there and across the bridge to share it with me. Oh joy.

Update: Picture in picture challenge! I posted this on Face book too and someone there commented about seeing something more in this than just a pile of  toilet paper shreds. Do you see the artistic design in Amber’s work? Don’t cheat and look over there now!

Almost makes me regret cleaning it up. *Almost*

Sunday cat blogging – the sweet life of Chip and Amber

First though, evidence of a klutzy moment in my life today.

Wii Fit is dangerous!!

Ok, it’s not the Wii Fit. It’s me. My current workout with the Wii Fit is to do the Free Step aerobic program while watching tv. I incorporate my 4lb hand weight routine while I do the stepping. It’s easy really since the Free Step has a steady beat that doesn’t vary and doesn’t really take a tone of my concentration. Well, at least I didn’t think so! Today I had a slight problem with coordination and wacked my left thumb with a weight. It stung of course, but I kept on going. Towards the end of the 30 minute routine I looked down and noticed a bit of a bump forming. And some blue bruising already showing. Still no real pain, but the thumb was certainly not happy. I iced it for about 15 mins after I finished the workout (hey, I am not about to let a little injury deter me from exercising! :0) Now several hours after the incident it looks like this:

Just a little purple bump. No big deal. Of course, I did notice that it hurts…oh..a shit-ton if I put to much weight on it..weight such as a container of left over spaghetti. OUCH. I am sure this will be interesting to see how often I knock the snot out of this hand now that my thumb is injured. Sigh…

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The Sweet Life (or not) of Chip and Amber:

First, they spend the morning making sure everything is going along to their liking out in the back yard. Even if mom has stupidly left the shades down so low that there is only two inches of clear viewing. Chip would like me to tell you that the camera makes his ass look fat and so he is protesting this shot. Amber says it looks like a pretty fair representation of how she looks 22/7:

Yes, Amber does sleep. A lot. In often fascinating positions. Relaxing is not a problem for her. However, there are a couple of hours in the day when stuff happens and she just MUST stick her nose into things:

Of course, we all know what curiosity does to the cat, right? Oh yes. Chip is just as guilty. The other night Amber was sitting in front of the cup board just staring intently at the doors, occasionally meowing and scratching at the bottom. Now, she will do that when it is Treat Time, but they had *just* gotten their treats and I was cooking and it was so weird. I kept telling her to cut it out, be quiet, don’t be so greedy, etc etc. Finally I realized that I was hearing scratching even though she wasn’t moving. Uh oh. So I looked at little closer at the doors:

Can you see the hint of white behind there? Yeah. About this time Amber is thinking “Sheesh Mom! I’ve been TRYING to tell you Chip was trapped in there!! Didn’t you see him sneak in when you got the rice out? Why did you think I was making all that noise??” Oopsie. Sorry Chip. Good girl Amber. Nice to see you looking out for your buddy:

A busy day full of adventure like that can only mean one thing. Time for Amber to show off her real skill. Taking relaxation to new heights. Or lows. Whatever mom, just let me sleep:

Sunday cat blogging

I can’t help it! Amber was being so weird that I had to share. Plus I am a little distracted this weekend with SportsBoy in a baseball tournament (local thank heavens) so I am trying to catch up on yard work and house cleaning between his game schedule and also catch some of the events in DC. Several of my friends are out there and it is really fun getting twitters and pictures and even some video as they catch glimpses of history. It’s making me feel very connected to everything and I love it. Meanwhile, yeah, this is my cat: