ambidextrous

This is the first March that I've had no school commitment since, well...before elementary school. And boy, does it feel weird. It's one thing to have free time in the summer, but quite another to have it when the weather is bipolar (though it's showing off it's record-breaking good side this week), school is in session, and I have had limited independence due to the fact that one-handed driving is considered a safety liability. 

Speaking of driving, the top 5 things I will no longer take for granted after these past 3 weeks wrapped up in a sling:

5. Crystal Light packets (I have an unhealthy addiction, and they are typically the source of my caffeine fix. Long story short, I couldn't drink them for the first few weeks, making it a struggle to stay hydrated.)

4. Clarity of thought. Painkillers mess you up. Though it took longer than I hoped, I quit those as soon as I could. 

3. Wearing normal clothes. For a while, my wardrobe was limited to XL t-shirts and loose-fitting tank tops. Not the kind of things that go hand-in-hand with late February weather. Which was fine for me, considering how little I left the house at first.

2. Driving. Holy cow, I didn't realize how much I drove and how much freedom it gave me until I couldn't do it. I'm easing back into it, and will have lots of time to practice these next few weeks (ROAD TRIPS).

1. Sleeping in a bed. I'm still sleeping on the couch, which is surprisingly more comfortable on my shoulder blade than lying in bed. One day soon, I hope to make the switch back and be normal again.

             

Thankfully I've resolved the first four of those issues. My trip back to Dr. Daly for a post-surgical follow-up yesterday was indeed a successful one; I can be out of the sling as much as tolerated this week and can start strengthening next week, so that I will be (close to) good to go come my arrival at MVP Physical Therapy in Lakewood, WA in 13 days for my last full internship of grad school! Talk about an accelerated recovery plan for me...Research tells me (trust me, I've had lots of time to look into it) that strengthening typically isn't allowed until week 7, not week 5. I'd say I have a top-notch surgeon, a smooth recovery thus far, and knowledge of the shoulder and healing processes to thank for that head start. To my pleasant surprise, I had nearly full passive range of motion day 1 out of the sling, which I (creatively, I like to think) I was able to assess on myself using a broken hockey stick. And Dr. Daly not only gave me the go-ahead to write my own PT regimen, but also offered me some much-needed advice for what to do with my life next year...

Alas, life hasn't been all fun and games these past few weeks, as I've been faced with the question as to what on earth I'm going to do with my life next year. I've gone back and forth between attending a sports residency and applying for a job. While I want nothing more than to focus in on sports PT (need I say more as to why I'm interested in this speciality?), do I move to another state and accept a lower salary than I would likely receive with an entry-level job in order to sit for the Sports Clinical Speciality exam? Or do I wait until I have a few years of experience under my belt for that, and get a job now? Ahhhh, life decisions. To make life more complicated, these decisions all hinge on the length of the delay before I graduate (which is what I get for having excessive free time in March), as well as on the State of Minnesota, which regulates when I will be allowed to sit for the licensing exam. It's quite unlike me to not have the next year (at least) of my life planned out, so needless to say, I will be happy when these decisions have been made.  

Meanwhile, I've spent the past few weeks calling into Jack's Sunday radio show at Hamilton, attending Monticello Magic sporting events (boys swimming: 2nd in state; girls bball: section champs, and headed to state for the first time ever!), becoming ambidextrous, rocking out to Call Me Maybe on repeat in the car, trying to pay as little attention to the Wild as I am able (though Ben and I did witness a great third period on Sunday vs. the Flames, in a game full of relative no-names on the Wild's bench thanks to injuries), getting cultured at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (ok fine, the sports exhibit), obsessing over monkeys at the Como Zoo, trying my hand at the casino for the first time (I am no longer fond of my hand after that trip), wandering around Rosedale with Alina, trying not to be jealous of Mom and Dad's how tan Mom and Dad are after their Mexican getaway, and, much to my surprise, becoming a fan of two things I never thought I'd like: cats and basketball. (I'm not completely sold on either one yet, but it's safe to say I think of both more favorably than before spending so much time with the Sawatzkes). 

 

A few must-haves as of late:

1) Spotify Premium (I can listen to any song I could ever think of on my phone at any time. Yes, please. And you can get it free for 30 days here...check it out.)

2) Caribou (A very short walk from the Monti Times office, and I like to think I've been reasonably productive study-wise the past few weeks.)

3) Advil (I'm using muscles and moving joints I haven't moved in 3+ weeks. Ouch.)

4) GPS (With 1400-mile and 1600-mile road trips coming up in the next 11 days, I imagine we'll need Spotify Premium, Caribou, and possibly even Advil, in addition to GPS.)

Yes, you read that right. We'll be logging 3000+ miles in the next few weeks, en route to a residency interview at the University of Cincinnati and to my temporary home in Tacoma, WA for a sports/orthopedic internship. At least I can help Clay with the driving now that my right arm has been reinstated. Baby steps. 

In the meantime, off to the girls' basketball banquet before Monti's first-ever game at state tomorrow. Good Luck Magic!