Becoming a more "mature" woman, or why it sucks to get older

So about a year ago, I injured myself playing kickball. Yes, KICKBALL. Yes, the game you learn in elementary school that is kind of like base/softball only you kick the same kind of ball people throw at you in dodge-ball.

As an aside:  I was horrible at kickball when I was younger (read: elementary school). For some reason my brain could not comprehend the whole idea of pop-fly means you have to stay on the base (if there are less than 2 outs) until it's caught bit. I would always run—always. This did NOT endear me to my fellow teammates, and they often counted me as an automatic out when figuring out the lineup and when we would have to go back on the field. As a result, I tended to gravitate more towards stuff like field hockey, where I could hit people I didn't like with sticks... on "accident."

At any rate, about a year ago when I was playing 2nd base, my teammate playing shortstop lobbed me the ball so I could get the out, but it was a little too far to the right. I pivoted to grab the ball, and although the rest of my body turned to the right, my right leg from the knee down stayed firmly in place. My guess is there was some sort of a divot, or maybe I was too close to the base, I don't know, but it hurt. A LOT. Since then I had been having periodic pain in my knee, and a big ol' lump just below my kneecap--right at the tip of my tibia.

Last month i got tired of dealing with the pain. It hurt too much, and I was about to lose insurance (it's a long story), and I figured it was now or never. So I made an appointment with an Orthopedist that specializes in sports injuries. Now don't think that the irony that I was going to a doctor who makes his money treating people who injured themselves playing "real" sports (football, baseball, golf, etc) for an injury I sustained playing a kid's game was lost on me one bit. It was all I could do to keep a straight face when he asked me to explain how I originally injured myself.

me: ah. yes. well I was playing kickball, you see...
dr: I'm sorry, did you say kickball? not softball?
me: no. kickball. It's a lot like softball, but with the big red ball.
dr: oh. ok. go on.
me: yes. ok. well I was playing kickball, and there was this play on second base.
dr: you were playing second, or rounding second?
me: playing second
dr: good job then. did you get the out?
me: um, yes.
dr. even better. let's look this over then, shall we?

And so there was some awkward leg manipulation—mostly because I was wearing a skirt—and in the end an MRI was ordered. I was sent off with paper in hand, and by the end of the week I was lying on my back with my leg firmly in a vise to keep it from moving.

Another aside here: have you ever noticed that the minute you are told you CANNOT move your leg, that's the minute you start exhibiting signs of restless leg syndrome? Seriously, the second that light turned on to signal the scan was starting, my leg wanted to immediately begin doing the Watusi. 

The diagnosis came a week after the first appointment: prepatellar and infrapatellar bursitis. So...

GOOD: no surgery
BAD: pain pretty much the rest of my life, can't wear a proper knee brace, going to have to modify my exercise routine in the extreme

But hey, no surgery, right?

#winning

So my husband seems to think I win an inordinate amount of things. I maintain that this is not true, but like most coincidences he's just remembering instances where I have won something (as opposed to not).  It's not that I don't believe in luck, I just have more faith in statistics and probability.  Also, it's best to be modest if you're constantly winning things.

Anyway, for Mother's Day this year, GeekMom (http://geekmom.com/) had a contest to win a Galaxy Note 2.  All you had to do was post simply leave a comment telling them why you needed your very own Samsung Galaxy Note II. The winner was chosen randomly.  

My comment? 

I need a smartphone I can see without putting my glasses on. 
Also, my “good” smartphone is going away in a month when I’m laid-off. 

I know, I know, pathetic.  But it is also true.

The TL:DR version of this, is that I won a Galaxy Note II from GeekMom. And I have to tell you I am OVER THE MOON with this phone.  Since I've had it (about a month now) I have all but stopped using the iPhone I use at my current job. This thing is a marvel. The hubby calls it "Jenn's Precious," because it is the "one gadget" to rule them all.

Of course, this did put a bit of a damper on what I was going to get for Mother's Day after all--but then w00t came to the rescue! After a little back/forth I received a Samsung NX100.  Such a marvel! It connects with my phone using the wifi.  I can control the shutter with an app on the Note II.  I've been taking pictures, making movies, downloading from the camera and sending the pics to my friends using SMS... even uploading it to youtube. And not using my computer at all to do it!

Want to see a video I recorded of a middle school band playing Queen songs? Sure you do.
http://youtu.be/TE7sFjBacjA

Which is all to say.. if I start making Gollum noises. You know why.

What do you mean you can't do yoga to Beastie Boys?

Sun Salutation
 from http://www.fischerartfoto.com

I love yoga. There, I said it. I love yoga. I love doing crazy hard poses, and I love just lying there on the floor acting like you're dead. I love yoga.

What I don't always love is the music my instructors put during practice. Don't get me wrong--I understand that the roots of yoga are deep in the art and practice of meditation, so it makes sense that a lot of the music sounds suspiciously like something you would hear as background music in a nice restaurant (think: the Savoy, not Chili's).  The music is supposed to be soothing, something you can tune out with relative ease while you concentrate on getting your leg wrapped around your neck.  And that's all well and good, except that's not the kind of yoga that I enjoy.  I like something more invigorating for my sun salutations and flows in general.

If you are like me and you want some beats in your practice, you have a few options.

1. If you're looking for a class to attend, check for words like flow, power or vinyasa in the class title. These classes tend to be more upbeat. If you're not big into meditation, you want to avoid words like relaxation, visualization, or gentle in the description.
2. Before you sign up for a class, sit in so you can get a feel for the tempo of the class.  You may not be able to change the music your instructor plays, but if the class has a good flow going, and the tempo is good, you probably won't notice.
3. If you have a home practice going, and you're working from a DVD or YouTube video, you can turn down the music and put on whatever you like.  This is my favorite thing to do, I even have specific playlists for a couple of my DVDs*. 
4. If you have a home practice going and you're NOT working from a DVD or YouTube video (from a journal or maybe a book or  whatever), experiment with different songs to find what motivates you. For my money nothing pushes me through a Sun Salutation like So What'cha Want (Beastie Boys) cranked to full volume.
   
5. No matter what kind of music you have on--make sure to match your movements to your breathing. A rule of thumb: if you are "crunching" your abs in a pose, breathe out to move into the pose. If you are stretching out your abs, breathe out to move into the pose.

Don't be afraid to experiment, but do keep in mind that if you are in a class, you probably should NOT be practicing with ear-buds firmly in your ear-holes. You need to be able to hear your instructor. Likewise, if you're overdubbing a DVD or video with your own music, make sure to keep the levels in balance so you can hear the video (at least for the first few times, if you know the video like the back of your hand, feel free to blast your music as loud as you like).

And most importantly, remember that even in a rigorous practice, you need some time to cool down and just lie on the floor like a rug. 

Namaste!

~N

---

* if you are curious, here is one of my playlists I use with my DVDs:

• So What'cha Want (Beastie Boys)
• Mama Said Knock You Out (LL Cool J)
• Christian Peace Prayer (Larisa Stow and Shakti Tribe)
• Drive By (Train)
• Titanium (David Guetta feat. Sia)
• Lose Yourself (Eminem)
• Viva La Vida (Coldplay)
  ----this is where the "cool down" sequence begins----
• The Lord's Prayer (Laris stow and Shakti Tribe)
• Breathe In Breathe Out (Mat Kearney)