badger_14

Recuperation rolls along nicely... after an extra week, the drainage tubes are finally out (I'm free! I can shower like a normal person!) and I'm allowed to reach above my head for things. Still no lifting over ten pounds, and nothing more strenuous than a brisk walk, but I feel so much better than even a week ago. On top of that, I had a surprise visit from three of my work kids and their parents on Halloween - we all had no idea we lived so close, and after two weeks away I was thrilled to see them. Looking forward to seeing them on Friday, even if I'm going to have to tell them I can't play monster or lift anybody or give any piggyback rides for another few weeks.

I've got at least another five Saturdays til I can play again, and I am going to lose my goddamned mind.

First post-op appointment went well. The incisions are healing nicely. They removed the wound vac (yay!) although I still have two regular surgical drains for another week (booooo).

Holy crap! That's a lot to take in! I'm sorry you had to go through all that, what a nightmare. Glad to hear things seem to be looking up, though.

The surgical drains are nowhere near as annoying as the wound vac to which I am tethered for another 3 days.

The Russian embassy (my Saturday pickup group) pretty uniformly wears modern equipment. There's one guy who wears a pair of Ducks-colors (teal and eggplant) Franklin gloves, and another guy has had the same skates for 20 years. Other places, I've seen the assorted jofa helmets and cat-eye cages, a Lanny MacDonald style helmet, and even one guy wearing one of those old helmets that's basically chunks of leather padding without an actual shell. A lot of socks that were clearly issued in someone's youth hockey days ca. 1975. Lots of gloves of the same vintage.

That is why anesthesia was invented.

Thanks! The surgeon said most likely six weeks. My teammates said to enjoy the rest and I told them not to find a new, better goalie in my absence:)

Had a long-awaited surgery yesterday. So grateful to have a whole house of friends to stay with and help me out.

Opti, that's great about your ankle!

Due to a surprise (but very welcome!) cancellation my surgery is now scheduled for NEXT WEDNESDAY instead of November 1st. It's nothing life threatening, and I will feel significantly better afterward, but I am forbidden from almost Every Fun Thing I enjoy for six weeks while I heal, making this morning the last time I'll get to play until probably December. Luckily, play with the Russian embassy is always fun. (excepting my occasional existential crises). I got on the ice at 8:30, the formal play started at nine and lasted still 10:30. I had a devil of a time waking up during the first 30 minutes, not sure why, just tired and distracted. Hard to get my focus up. I let in some superbly dumb goals, but made a lot of good saves too. I wasn't sure I was moving as well as I like, but once I warmed up - literally, it was around freezing last night, and about 40F when I got to the rink - I was doing better. Unfortunately for the skaters, we had the big rink but also ... approximately 9 or 10 people. They played 4 on 4, but they were obviously exhausted by the end (and frankly by 10:30 so was I.) And once people get exhausted you see a lot of breakaways and people missing passes and it just gets kind of wearing. Not so good: I am having trouble driving off the left foot because that knee hurts more. It's not excruciating, but one of the kids stepped on me yesterday and it's more cranky than usual. I can drive and slide off the right just fine, but things get wonky with the left, and I'm not sure how to fix it, because the issue is pain as opposed to knowing how to implement it. A sleeve or brace of some kind might help. I'll do some thinking during my recovery. Better things: I am getting much better at tracking the puck. In my free time - and talking with kids at work - I play with golf balls or rubber balls and toss them hand to hand, etc. It's calming and if it doesn't do much for hand-eye, it does help at concentrating. Not so good: Still not so good at covering the puck. On the one hand, because I track it better, I stop rebounds better. On the other, still having trouble actually pinning the little sucker down and stopping play, so there's like 3 or 4 rebounds and I finally miss one. Better things: Since the tournament, I am better at playing more aggressively. I still do tend to retreat into the crease but I am much better about coming out to the top of the crease and it seems to help.

Took the day off work yesterday to go with a friend to The Big E (state fair for all of New England, essentially) and had a great time. Livestock, horses, petting zoo, we even got to ride an elephant! Reminds me I need to spend some more time around animals.

It is with great joy that I report that hockey with the Russians resumed today. \o/ And, in fact, that I played (I think) quite well, except that I left my water in the locker room (derrrr) and was flagging hard by 10:15 (at an 8:50am start). I stopped a lot of shots and did a much better job covering the puck than I usually do - I felt like I really knew where it was and where it was going. I even stopped ones that I usually miss (things like "not squeezing myself tightly enough against the post" goals). A couple bounced off my stick and in (one off the paddle, which is dumb, and one off the shaft, which is frustrating and dumb). Moving well considering I only just got back to the gym yesterday after more than two weeks of not going and also I sort of ... might have partially dislocated my kneecap yesterday? I don't know, the patella went where it wasn't supposed to, but popped right back, and it was uncomfortable and it's a bit sore but nothing seems to be actively wrong with it. Sent an email out to the orthopedist about it. At any rate, I was definitely frustrating the other team, which pleases me. No existential crisis today. There was this: Me: *letting in a goal* "Dammit." New Player: "Aw, you can't blame yourself for the ones from in front, we're supposed to help you out." Me: "I can too blame myself." Older Sasha: "No! Don't do that." Me: "Just watch me!" But all in fun.

On the ambulance, we had a call for a suicidal twelve year old (with plan), to take into the ER for evaluation. Pediatric calls are the hardest. The complaints of the gym-goers at my other job just seem painfully trite by comparison. I'm glad to be playing hockey and seeing friends this weekend. (and hanging out with my gym-kids on Friday.)

Went to see Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band last night - absolutely spectacular show, Bruce is a great storyteller and the band plays together like they could do it blind. (In a good way!) Well worth it.

Woke up from my post-hospital nap yesterday to our fearless leader (of the Russian Embassy) saying we had the chance for a "pre-season" game this morning, still needed two goalies. Had to text my tovarisch, "My heart says yes, but my ER discharge instructions say no." Well. As irritating as that is, I'll be better by next Saturday.

It is only September and ALREADY I've gotten a cold, and the subsequent complications (asthma) have landed me in the ER this morning. Goddammit

During the tournament a few weeks ago, I brought two sets of underclothes, one for each day. I was so grateful not to have to haul my wet gear home with me overnight - it dried just as well in the locker-room as it would have at home, and I didn't have to deal with my room smelling like hockey.

Nice! Second to having slick jerseys, nothing makes you feel quite as spiffy as having proper action shots taken. (well, until you see them... ;)) Lucky win!

Those aren't my usual guys, though! Those, I have no photos of. Look up "scientists build a lightsaber" and you'll find some. It was however great to play with these guys, and hopefully I will again. Our captain (standing, gloveside) was absolutely great and brought everyone together.

Me with my Green team at the tournament last weekend:

Team photo from this weekend's tournament. I am (of course) the goalie. Should've taken off my sweatband. Oh well.

Thank you for saying so. I've been through a lot of shit in my life, with not a lot of support, and sometimes I've had to just dig in and fight everything, and it's good to hear supportive words. Like I said ,I had a few people this weekend actually surprised I've only been playing goal for a year and a half - and a couple people asking where I usually play. (It's all that hardcore Russian goalie training, right?) I wanted to do the best for my team, but it helped that they did a lot of scoring, of course, to keep things from getting too out of hand. ;)

I actually won something in hockey! \o/! Well, I'll chalk it up mainly to my team (tournament - a largely random assignment from the player pool) who played great, but we took home the silver and I'm pretty damn proud of how I played. (and four games in two days oh man.)

Tournament Recap, Day 2: Game 3: Green v. Black. Green won, and I am currently blanking on the score. It was at 9am, but we did quite well (though a few of our fellows dragged themselves in under the wire to get dressed). It took me a little while to get going - I was tired by virtue of being up at 6:30, but I woke up quickly enough and didn't let it any particularly dumb goals. I did let in one that I remember being stupid, I was caught off guard because I thought one of the Black skaters was off-sides and spent a second or two too long on him. I stonewalled absolutely everyone in the third. Black even pulled their goalie at the end to put on an extra skater, which just made me feel better because no one has ever considered me enough of a threat to need six skaters to score on me. ;) There was a two-hour break between this and our fourth and final game, so I had a donut and tried not to take root on the lobby benches. Was definitely starting to feel the sluggishness by 11:30 or so. Game 4: White v. Green. White won, 11-8. All of Green was tired by this point, and this was White's first game of the day. I started off okay, by the second my body recognized that we were playing the 4th hockey game in two days, and I let in several stupid goals that if I had been faster or thinking more clearly, I should've had. I woke up again in the third, mostly by sheer force of will, and only let in one. Three friends came to see me play, and I could not be more grateful. I had a lot of fun playing and met some super nice folks from all over - there was a team from Albany, from NYC, people from Montreal, Wisconsin, Denver, other parts of New England, and Atlanta. And Boston, of course. A good number of people complimented my goaltending, and the White team specifically addressed my tenacity and unwillingness to give up at any point. My team captain said he thought I just got better and better as the tournament went on. I think that was true - tired, of course, but tracking the puck well and moving well and making mostly good choices. Oh, and also: we medaled! Second place, which is a damn sight better than losing every game, and second out of five isn't bad at all. I feel like I did my best, and I feel like I earned it.