I Am So Good

Occasionally, I need to brag just a little. This morning, I was in the car with my parents and sister on the way home from breakfast with some other family. We were listening to Breakfast With the Beatles, a 2-hour radio show every Sunday from 9-11 a.m. As we got into the car to leave breakfast, we happened to catch the very last song of the program, a solo acoustic recording of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." When the song was over, my dad said, "You know, that's not his song." I said, "Who? George Harrison? Yes it is his song, from the White Album, only this is an acoustic recording." My dad then replies, "Yes, that's George's song, but I meant that was John Lennon singing that version of it." To that, I said, "No, Dad, that is GEORGE!...That was not John...John has a more nasally voice!" So, we went back and forth on this a little bit. He insisted it was John and I insisted on George, and we left it at that. So later on, I got the idea to email the DJ to clear it up, because I knew I was right. Lo and behold, I already got a reply from the DJ not long ago. And all I can say is I AM SO GOOD. I was right...as per the DJ's reply, it was "Take 1, as performed by George." YESSSSSSS.

Hopefully a Step in the Right Direction

As I've posted previously, I have been having pain in my lower back and down my left leg, I thought maybe due to shoveling snow. However, I'm still not quite sure. I also think it could have happened when I slipped getting out of my grandfather's truck the day after the storm hit. The darn thing is so high up that, having short legs, I couldn't reach the ground...my foot got caught on either the door or the step, I don't know... and I pretty much fell right out of the seat with my foot still caught! Yeah, yeah, I know...I would have laughed at me too.

After seeing my doctor for the second time this past Monday, I had an X-ray on Wednesday and then, yesterday morning, I went for an MRI to try to find out why I am still having this pain. I think that is what is confusing me so much about this...why is it still there?? I've had plenty of muscle pain before...it doesn't feel like that. I was a ballet dancer for six years...I've gone through the nights waking up with a charlie horse in my calf, after dancing for an hour-and-a-half on pointe. This is not the same. I am experiencing weakness in my lower back and left leg that physically stops me from being able to stand or walk for too long. I have pain in the arch of my foot that tingles and tightens up my toes. Even sitting for too long without my feet elevated leaves me sore. My cousin tried to tickle me at breakfast this morning and I wriggled away in pain. This just thoroughly sucks and I can't wait to find out something... anything...just so I know what is causing this and how to fix it. My doctor says he definitely thinks I have a pinched nerve somewhere, but I'm not so sure that explains all the other pains.

Onto the experience of the MRI, though...if you've never had one, it's quite an experience. I am mildly claustrophobic but, decided I would stick it out in the "tube" anyway. They did have an open MRI machine on site, but I didn't see that as necessary unless I really couldn't handle the tube. The radiologist was so very nice and put me at ease. He even gave me headphones so I could listen to my choice of radio station during the testing. Basically, then I had to lie down on a long, stretcher-like table...I was then slid into the tube head-first. That is the freakiest part though--that initial feeling of sliding in...feels like you are sliding into a coffin. The tube around you is only but 6 inches from your face. Once I got in there and took a quick glance at the inside, I shut my eyes and didn't open them again until it was over. During the test I heard extremely loud noises in the tube...buzzing, banging, knocking. If you can get past all of that, it's really not a big deal. Oh, and they do give you an "emergency ball" to squeeze if you need to alert the radiologist for any reason. Keeping my eyes closed was a huge help because I just focused on what I was listening to and didn't think about being closed in...and before I knew it, the 25 minutes was over and I was done. If I ever had to have another one, I definitely wouldn't be as apprehensive. This week, I'll be getting my X-ray and MRI results back, so I'll keep ya posted.

What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

So if you've been reading my blog lately, you'd remember I added the Stickam feature. I've already talked to quite a few of you, my friends, while live on my webcam. I knew it would only be a matter of time before someone played a joke on me. And, tonight, it finally happened.

See, someone logged on to chat with the initials "E.V." which, at first, was a huge tipoff that it was probably a person I knew...it had to be someone who knew I'd pick up E.V. = Eddie Vedder. So, okay, I decided to play along and try to quiz the person to see if I could pick up any clues. With the amount of Pearl Jam knowledge this person had, I had it narrowed down to Patrick, Tim, & Keith. One of the things "E.V." said was that it was "such a cold and windy night"...which is what it's been like here tonight...so at that point I figured it had to be someone I knew...because, as I told Mr. E.V., "winter may not be the same where I live, so how do you really know?" ...but "E.V." kept up the charade anyway.

At one point, "E.V." told me his name was actually Carl from Nyack, NY. Then, I genuinely started to feel bad because I was accusing him of being someone I knew, even though he said he wasn't. So, I let it go for awhile and just chatted in a friendly manner, mostly about Pearl Jam (still very skeptical, mind you). I even went so far to explain my skepticism to E.V., er, Carl, because I told him I had to be wary of friends who would play a joke on me. Carl then told me he had to go because he had to get up early for a flight to Denver in the morning. A few minutes later, I got a call on my cell from none other than PATRICK..."Carl" had finally revealed himself. Darn you, Patrick...I will get you back...someday.

Don't Say I Didn't Warn You

I'm not really sure where my head is lately...but I've been a little, let's say, off. By this, I mean, just really goofy. The video you see posted below is directed at Alicia, but is for anyone who wants to see me making a fool of myself. However, I care so little, that I'm willing to risk that.

**EDIT: VIDEO REMOVED

Disclaimer: If you choose to watch the video, you may not ask for these 2 minutes of your life back.

Quick Update

Check out my new Stickam feature on the right. Listen to some music for now! If you have a webcam and sign up, we can video conference. More updates to come.

Celebrating the Olympics

The Winter Olympics are here. I always enjoy watching both the Winter & Summer games. So, in honor of this historic event, allow me to present Pearl Jam's ode to the games. I suggest you just hum the melody to yourself (yeah, good luck with that one!). Or, better yet, call up Patrick T. and ask him to sing it to you.

Olympic Platinum
Written By: Nick Didia
Performed by: Pearl Jam
Album: 1996 Christmas Single

olympic dream, olympic dream...
if i could reach to the sky and touch it for my country
get some on my finger and take in its smell
the smell of victory, land of the free, olympic dream, olympic dream
olympic theme
my olympic dream
my promotion scheme
how hard can it be
how high can i jump
how high can i throw
how high can i run (i'm running very fast)
how long can i hold my breath and stay underwater
and wave my legs around in perfect unison with my partner who doesn't really understand me
for my olympic dream, my olympic dream
i'll be like dwight stone
i'll be like bruce jenner
i'll be like that girl who trained all her life as a distance runner and then tripped with a quarter mile to go
but i...i will get up and i will run
i will run with the georgia peach breeze and i...i will win
i will win my...my olympic dream
my olympic dream
the gold's just not good enough
and i don't even think of the bronze
i'm living my life for olympic platinum
olympic dream, my olympic theme
i'll sing like whitney (sing like whitney)
my olympic dream.

UnHappy Valentine's Day to Me

Not only is it Valentine's Day (which already sucks when you don't have a valentine) but I have to spend it in pain, and virtually immobile. Somehow, this does not seem fair. Unfortunately, I now have a pinched nerve in my back which is causing this pain. I've never had it as severe as this...I've had back problems for quite some time now, due to being in unfortunate car accidents, but this is something very different. Usually, I just experience bad aching in my lower back, which I've learned to manage after going to physical therapy. This, however, is actually a sharp pain that stretches from my lower back down into the back of my left leg. I am worried that it could be my sciatic nerve, because it's stopping me from moving certain ways and makes me feel as though my legs will give out when I stand.

I really didn't feel anything until Sunday night when the shoveling was done. Honestly, I don't think it was the shoveling that did it, though. I think it was from trying to pull the snowblower up our driveway, or from lifting something the wrong way. I can't really be sure. It wasn't the kind of thing where I was doing something and all of a sudden, I couldn't move. It was just something that came on after heading inside for the night.

After speaking with my sister, who is an Athletic Trainer, she advised me to keep putting ice on it, to not lift anything, and to sit and sleep with a pillow or two under my knees. She also wants me to do some light stretching. I'm kinda surprised that this is happening to me now. I would have expected something like this after I was injured in an accident a few years back...but not now when I've been exercising 5 days a week and keeping up with exercises from PT specifically for my lower back. I just don't get it. I'll most likely be going to the doctor if this doesn't get better soon.

Well, anyway, enough complaining for me. I am going to go find myself some chocolate and peanut butter and try to find something on TV that has nothing to do with V-day.

Oh yeah, here are some pictures from our recent party at Tom & Jon's place. Enjoy!
[site closed - pictures removed]

My Pictures of the Recent Nor'easter

Here are just a few pics that I took on Sunday, while we were digging out. It was still snowing lightly, although the bulk of the heavy snow came late Saturday afternoon into the evening.

Stunning Pictures of Ice

Even though these pictures are a year old, I just discovered them in December. My sister had sent me an email with a PowerPoint file attached. It was a slideshow of pictures from a January 2005 ice storm in Versoix, Switzerland (near Geneva) in the Léman Lake area. I literally have never seen anything like this before and can't imagine what it would be like to experience it. I've found a few places on the net which capture the ice beautifully. Have a look for yourself:

• Jean-Pierre Scherrer's Gallery

• Daniel Rychcik's Gallery

• Nicolas Tardif's Gallery

• Anonymous Gallery

• Link to the PowerPoint show (look under "Ice Storm")