the "i" word

Having spent only one full day and two half days in the clinic, this week has flown by. Tuesday morning, I was at Rockford Spine Center shadowing Dr. Roh and his PA, Matt, where I truly felt like I was learning from the best-- when I wasn't distracted by Roh's Yankees World Series Championship pin from when he was the club's team physician, that is. For a split second, in admiration of the puzzles and challenges and critical thinking Roh faced during his patient visits, I wondered whether I should have indeed stuck with the med school route. But when I realized just how crazy busy he is, and how little time he is allowed to spend with each patient, I snapped back to reality and realized just how rewarding it is to guide the patients back on their road to recovery after the fact. 

I was in an unusually good mood for 6:45am. 

Wednesday morning, I headed over to Rockford Memorial Hospital, where I donned some sexy blue scrubs and observed two microdiscectomies/laminectomies, which are performed on patients who have herniated discs that didn't respond to conservative treatment (PT and epidurals)-- see the pic below for a very basic understanding. Because the procedure is performed through a tube using a microscope (the scars are only about an inch long), I watched most of it on a video camera, but it was still quite an experience being there, so close to the patient, and seeing all that goes down in an OR. But, I made the mistake of mentioning the dreaded "i" word [infection] in the OR, when talking to Matt about the new technique Dr. Roh is pioneering that is drastically lowering infection rates after spinal surgeries. (His latest article, entitled "Intra-wound Application of Vancomycin for Prophylaxis In Instrumented Thoracolumbar Fusions, was published in February 2011. I'll spare you by not attaching the link.) When that man has time to conduct ground-breaking research and write it up for a journal, in addition to spend time with his family, remain trilingual and golf, is beyond me.

Disc herniation --> pushes on nerve (the white spaghetti-shaped thing) --> leg pain. Remove the protruding disc = remove the leg pain.

In other news-- for the first time today, I said goodbye to a patient, who is leaving for vacation and won't be back until I'm done at ORS. She was one of the very few patients with whom I didn't think I hit it off particularly well, but she must not have felt the same because she gave me a huge hug. If that was semi-tough, I can't imagine what two weeks from Friday will be like. Only 2 more weeks in IL, yikes! (And also, yay!) After work, I've been going to Peak, the fitness center that you could only imagine in your wildest dreams. This place is downright incredible, and several of my patients are members, so they hooked me up with guest passes-- gotta know the right people. 

Speaking of knowing the right people, I went to the Rockford Ice Hogs game last night, where I met the Assistant GM of the Blackhawks. Never know when that connection will come in handy. (Actually, I do know. That'll come in handy when I'm applying for my dream job as a PT for an NHL team. Score!)  Unfortunately, though, that's one thing the Hogs didn't do enough of--score-- and they lost 4-2. I also talked to my friend the zamboni driver from Monday night hockey, who used to compete in the X-games. (I'm less clear as to how that will come in handy in the future, but that's ok.) And I met all kinds of big hockey names in Rockford, including guys who were just sent down from the Hawks but didn't have time to dress, when watching the game with my patient, who's one of the equipment managers. So refreshing to spend time in a rink, which always makes an unfamiliar city feel more familiar. 

Talk about great seats, eh? 

But now-- off to Hamilton, baby, where I plan to hunt down Jon Bon Jovi's daughter (she's a freshman, and I am ridiculously obsessed with several of her dad's songs).  Hopefully, I'll also have time to see Jack. I'm dreading the airport parking situation at O'Hare, but I've done my research and have figured out the absolute cheapest long term lot there is, which, of course, isn't very cheap. (This is where, on Twitter, I'd hashtag something along the lines of #livingoffstudentloans.) Assuming I don't blow away with these 60 mph winds gusting through Rockford now (the power better not go out, or I'll be packing with the help of my scented Yankee candles), I'll be in the air before 11am. Clinton, here I come. 

At the Bon Jovi concert last spring. It's my life. 

especially in michigan

life is my friend

rake it up to take it in

wrap me in your cinnamon

especially in Michigan

~red hot chili peppers

Fun fact: Rockford is the #9 least safe city in America. Oops. I would have liked to have taken that into consideration a year and a half ago when we were choosing our first internship sites. (I should clarify that technically, I live in Loves Park, and while I work in Rockford, the clinic is in a very nice, new part of town.) Anyways, that just gives me an excuse to get out of town on the weekends, so this weekend, I ventured Michigan to visit my pal Kaitlin who's doing her first internship at Detroit Receiving Hospital. (Side note: I have her to thank for getting me started with this blog-- she started hers first and I was inspired! Here's her link: The End of My Beginning.)  

Thankfully (because Detroit stacks up at #2 on that same list), Kaitlin is staying with her aunt, uncle and cousins in Davisburg, a gorgeous country-esque township an hour from the city. Lucky for me, my last patient on Friday was at 1p, so I headed out of town at 2, and-- even luckier--didn't hit a lick of Chicago traffic, meaning the drive only took me six hours. I rolled in at 9:30 Eastern time, having driven on several dirt roads to get there, and was welcomed by a huge, gorgeous house in which every single room smelled deliciously of fall- pumpkin, apple, cinnamon (candles and Glade Plug-Ins, I believe). Kaitlin and I spent the rest of the night catching up and sipping her awesome homemade sangria.

We slept in Saturday morning (I forgot what it was like to not wake up to an alarm), and headed to the mall, where we ordered some tasty fall beer (I looooved Michigan Brewing Company's Screamin' Pumpkin Spice Ale) and caught some of the U-Michigan football game at Bar Louie, then found cute $8 skirts that will be perfect for our trip to Africa in a few months! That afternoon, we hit up to Spicer's Apple Orchard with her fam, where we were shuttled out via hay ride to pick our own apples. Then, I participated in my very first wine tasting. The hard cider and honey white (made with real Spicer's honey) topped my list of favs.

We got home at 7, and rushed upstairs (we ate dinner in bed) to catch the live stream of the NSC Stars (MN's pro soccer team) game online. Kaitlin's boyfriend, Captain Kyle, scored the first goal of the game, which turned out to be a 2-1 win. It was an upset over the best team in the league, and it allowed the Stars to clinch a playoff berth!  Here's a link to a video of their postgame celebration-- their rendition of Oasis' "Wonderwall," which makes me laugh every time I watch it (Kyle is #16, the crazy one with the Gatorade water bottle): Lockerroom Cele.

Even though we were hundreds of miles away from the game in North Carolina, Kaitlin and I were pretty pumped about the W, so we decided to hit the town to check out Davisburg's bar scene (and by that we mean lack thereof). We got sidetracked, though, by a roadblock a few miles away from the house. Apparently, someone's horses had escaped and were grazing by the side of the (pitch black) road. No one got hurt, but we didn't leave until we found the rightful owner- who, we concluded, was under the influence of some kind of narcotic. The first bar we tried didn't meet our expectations, so we drove back to the mall to Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill, which was also pretty dead (probably due to the mediocre country band playing some awfully twangy songs). But, we made the best of it by riding the mechanical bull--Kaitlin in her Stars jersey and me in a Blackhawks shirt, deep in Red Wings territory. Check that one off of the bucket list!

Sunday, we headed to Lansing, where we watched Kaitlin's alma mater, the Gopher women's soccer team, take on Michigan State. It wasn't a great game, but it was fun to be outside on a beautiful fall Sunday and to explore a new campus. On our way to check out the hockey rink, we came across a bus full of Canadian hockey boys, who tried to convince us to go back to Canada with them. I was tempted (Kaitlin wasn't). We decided against it. We had a late lunch at Dublin Square Irish Pub, where we watched my Vikings (though I will no longer refer to them as "my" after that game) throw away a 20 point lead to her Lions. Way to go, Purple.

Hockey makes me happy.

We spent the night relaxing, watching movies and making a dent into the apples we had collected, but went to sleep at a reasonable hour because we had an early morning. Kaitlin had to be at work at 8, so I headed out of Davisburg at 6:45. It rained the entire drive back, but a few things helped the drive fly by-- 1) breakfast from Panera, 2) The Help on audiobook (which honestly made 200 miles on I-94 feel like 20), 3) the fact that I gained an hour coming back into CST, and 4) an email I got from my clinical instructors at my next internship, Children's Hospital Clinic in Maple Grove, which informed me that my 3-day weekends will continue through Christmas (I have Fridays off! This pure joy/excitement ate up a good 20 minutes of the drive). 

I was back in Loves Park before noon, though I dragged the rain back with me. But not like that'll do much to dampen my mood-- check out what I have lined up for this week:

--tonight = I played hockey. Need I say more?

--tomorrow and Wednesday = Surgery time. I'll head over to Rockford Spine to shadow one of the region's top spinal surgeons, Dr. Roh (I'm talking valedictorian in his med school class at Brown, then chief resident at Columbia, former team physician for the Yankees...the list goes on). I'll meet a few of his patients on Tuesday, then scrub in for their surgeries on Wednesday. Good thing I've spent the last two weeks catching up on Gray's-- I'll need a stomach of steel (and probably a very light breakfast) for my first experience in an OR! Then, off to an Ice Hogs (the Blackhawks' AHL affiliate) game at night. (I know two of the rink managers and the equipment manager--should be a fun time!)

--Thursday = my only full day in the clinic. 

Of course, there will be none of this this weekend.

--Friday through Monday = off to Clinton, New York! I return to the Eastern time zone for the second weekend in a row so that I can hang out with my rugby stud of a brother to watch him play, and really to just pretend like I'm in college again. Hamilton College may well be the most beautiful college campus I've set foot on, and rumor has it the leaves will be absolutely perfect come this weekend.

All in all, a successful weekend, based on the fact that all of the homemade Butterfingers I brought were gone by the time I left-- and, of course, that I got to explore Michigan for the first time in my life and see Kaitlin. Thanks for a great wknd, chica!

butterfingers

I wasn't planning on writing today, until discovered a ridiculously awesome recipe which I deemed necessary to share ASAP. But first-- a quick summary. Somehow, this week has been pretty slow at ORS. (Apparently I wasn't paying attention, and I initially typed 'sore' instead of 'slow'...if that's not my subconscious speaking for my body, I don't know what is).  Yesterday, I was inspired by a breakthrough I made with one of my patients, who really needed it. Without getting too terribly touchy-feely, it reminded me just how much I love PT. 

Outside of the clinic, I've spent my time doing one of three things:

a) watching premieres (HIMYM, Playboy Club and Criminal Minds are my favs so far-- and Gray's right now. Dramaaa!)

b) getting my butt kicked with some hardcore deadlift/pushup/pull-up-heavy workouts at Rockford Fitness.

c) trying out some new recipes in the kitchen--  I'm talking about an extremely tasty crock pot taco chicken chili, which produced leftovers I've actually looked forward to eating (devouring) each night. And tonight--well, see below for my latest mouth-watering creation, homemade Butterfingers. 

What's really gotten me through this week is the pure excitement I'm feeling for my roadtrip out of Illinios, through Indiana (nope, that's not the part I'm excited for), and into Michigan to hang with one of the coolest people I know (that's the part I'm excited for!). Though the drive will be a little under 7 hours, I've got all I need to make it fly by: a tub of Archer Farms trail mix, a six pack of Diet Mountain Dew, wnyc Radiolab podcasts, three intermediate French review lessons on my iPod, The Help on audiobook, and the new Needtobreathe album. 

But alas, the whole reason I decided to write... if you take anything away from this entry, I hope that you take away the desire to make the following recipe, which I whipped together to bring to Kaitlin and her aunt and uncle to thank them for their hospitality. If you're like me and always picked the Butterfingers out of your Halloween candy collection first, then you can't go wrong with this three-ingredient treat:

candy corn + peanut butter + chocolate coating = . . . 

1) throw the candy corn in a bowl 

2) nuke the corn in the microwave until it's melted

3) mix in an entire jar of PB

4) chill it.

5) chop it.

6) dip in melted chocolate...and devour.

Seriously-- so easy and so worth it. You know you want to!

P.S. A few shout-outs: 

-Ben: You're a music wizard.
-Wild: Thanks for, yet again, being the only MN team with a winning record. Here's to a 92-game win streak this year...

-Jess: Your card made my day yesterday.

-Paige: So good to catch up, and thanks for not sending more brownies. 

-Tyler: Stay above the line, don't cry, watch out for cultural warfare, and don't let your own disrespect hit you right in the nose. (I'm having way too much fun with this.)

-Kristy: Music twin, 'nuff said.

-Alina: Love the wedding color combo--talk soon.

-M&D: Have a safe trip <3 and give Jack a big hug for me.

-Jack: Don't pull a muscle at Silent Disco, and give M&D a big hug for me.

-@OurJacques: I know you're not the real Jacques Lemaire, but you're entertaining enough for me. Keep up the good tweeting.

-Kaitlin...Hope you're hungry ;)

XXV

I had a fantastic birthday, thanks for asking. Slept pretty great, despite the extreme muscle soreness and hunger pangs in the middle of the night (apparently triathlons do that to you?), and woke up slightly confused at 7 because I thought I heard jingle bells. When I actually decided to get out of bed at 8 (have I mentioned how much I enjoy not working on Mondays?), I realized that I hadn't been dreaming about Christmas--instead, Dad had put up a few b-day decorations, which, it turns out, is still exciting even when you're 25. And I found a freshly-baked pumpkin bar waiting for me (thanks Dad!).

jingle bells 

The search for breakfast led us to Perkins, then I gave Dad a tour of ORS, Rock Cut State Park, and the tiny Scottish town of Argyle on my bike route that I've grown fond of. He then ran 10 miles while I stretched my aching body and attempted to sort through my texts, voicemails, emails and Facebook posts. I opened my presents from Mom and Dad (requirement: they had to be from Target, because I already got my real birthday pres-- my road bike!!). Leave it to Mom to keep me looking (People Style mag, snazzy workout shirts) and smelling (body wash) good, eating well (my fav Archer Farms trail mix), and entertained (a DVD). Perf! 

We then saw Contaigon, which was good, but not exactly a cheery movie fit for a birthday--it was just all that happened to be playing at 2pm at the Machesney Park AMC. 3 comments about this movie: 1) much of it takes place in Mpls- cool!, 2) it nice and scientific, but lacked a bit of a personal touch, and 3) it informed me that "blogging is not writing; it's graffiti with punctuation." Whether or not that's true, I'm kind of addicted at this point so don't count on me stopping anytime soon. 

Finally, it was time for what was likely the most meaningful present of the day-- the chance to play some puck with my pop. Just in case I wasn't sore enough from my tri and he wasn't tired enough from his pre-marathon 10-miler just hours before, we skated our hearts out for a few hours and had a blast. I got a good birthday beating though-- I'm talking about a few wicked trips and takeouts (some of the guys on the other team were frustrated that they were losing), and even a puck to the face (that guy is in the clear though, because he asked me out afterwards. haha!). 

respect the Buddha

While I was sad to see it end, I could barely move my legs at the by the time the game was over. We then treated ourselves to a fantastic dinner at a Hibachi grill-- complete with rum punch served in a Buddha (that I got to take home--so totally worth the $8), a birthday candle in a pineapple and serenade session by the staff. A great end to a great day, topped off with a melt-in-your-mouth brownie straight from the oven of Ms. Paige Neeser. 

Doubt anyone could tell which state we're from, or which sport we like . . . 

serenaded--and forced to dance to some Japanese chant against my will.

Boy oh boy, these next few weeks in IL are going to fly by. Friday, I hit the road and head to Detroit/Davisburg, Michigan for a little R&R with Kaitlin, for which I'm so incredibly excited. After that-- I fly to upstate New York for a weekend with Jack Davis, then it's my last weekend here! I absolutely love ORS, but this weekend made me realize just how much I miss social contact outside of work-- and, of course, my friends and fam in MN. But-- let's not get ahead of ourselves. In the meantime, I have quite a few cupcakes, brownies and chocolate chip pumpkin bread waiting to be devoured. In other words, I will be attending bootcamp tomorrow. And the next day. And probably the day after that...

yes, brownies ARE a priority in my life. you da best, Paige.

Thanks for making my b-day so special, everyone!


p.s. hockey season in MN starts tonight. GO WILD GO. 

devil's challenge: yes, it was

swim.bike.run.sleep.

Once upon a time, my next door neighbor, Lindsey, was my BFF (complete with friendship necklaces and a baton duet). But then, my BFF moved away, went to a new school, and I didn't see her very much for a very long time. 

Lindsey & Anna, c. mid-1990s

Then, just recently, we found out that after all these years, we have an awful lot in common. For example, we both like triathlons. She is sponsored by Now Bikes and does lots and lots of races each year (with the goal of doing a full Ironman in two years- woah!), while I'm much more of an amateur. So, we thought it would be fun to do a race together, and to make it into a weekend trip. She arrived Saturday morning, and we spent the day at an apple orchard out in the country (complete with petting zoo and baby goats-- cuter than you'd think), and the Greenwich Village Art Fair in downtown Rockford (fun to look, but not like we could afford anything). 

Lindsey & Anna, 2011

We headed to Thunder Bay Grille for an early dinner/carboload, which was modeled after the city in Canada, whose lawyers' hockey team I honorarily play on each spring. My amaretto sour and our chips and guac would make a trip back well worth it. Then, we got our cars all packed for tomorrow, and carved the mini pumpkins from the orchard (I know it's still quite a few weeks until Halloween, but they were too cute to pass up). Lindsey wanted to create something along the lines of Loves Park, but instead carved stars and hearts--apparently she didn't have enough room for the unicorns and rainbows ;) I carved "illinois" on one side (fail. my 's' looked more like a 'g') and XXV on the other (how old I'm turning- and straight lines were much easier on a pumpkin this size than the curves in a 2 and a 5). We also tried not to drop pumpkin seeds through the slits in the deck down onto my neighbors patio...though I don't think we were entirely successful. Bedtime was 9pm sharp.

stars and hearts and roman numerals

Today was quite an adventure. And I think it's better understood/visualized with a timeline (keep in mind this is all AM):

4:07: my alarm goes off, disgustingly early

4:29: we hit the road

5:03: arrive at Starbucks in Janesville, WI-- they hadn't even unlocked the doors yet. tall skinny vanilla latte, please.

6:15: seeing some sign of the sun...but no sunrise yet

6:34: pulled into at Devil's Lake State Park in Baraboo, WI, at the exact same time the sun officially rose.

6:45: checked in for Devil's Challenge Sprint Tri, visited body marking and bike tune-up, and found out we were in wave 12--the last wave-- meaning we weren't starting until 8:45. Proceeded to spend the next 2 hours trying to stay warm.

our transition area!

8:35: the rain starts...(and the temp drops...)

8:45: the gun goes off! 

8:46: I've already been rocked by several whitecaps. this water was insane. really wondering what I got myself into at this point.

the swim!

8:53: out of the water! (won the swim in my age div by almost a minute!)

9:15: ok, now it's pouring. I'm a few miles into the bike, on my 4th or 5th climb, and for the second time today, wondering what on earth I got myself into.

9:20: it's STILL raining. and windy. and cold. and I'm in a tank top and shorts. And wondering if I had the sense to cover up my iPod and Garmin at the transition area to protect it from the rain...
9:36: I pass a guy sitting in his driveway blaring music to help motivate us to get up yet another hill, which would be all fine and dandy except that his entire yard was decked out in Wisconsin red and white. I yelled "Go Gophers" so that he could hear me over his music.
9:37: I regretted showing my Gopher pride and wished I had saved my energy to get myself up the rest of that stupid hill. 

9:55: off of the bike, completely drenched, and averaging 5 mph slower than my last race. those hills were flat out ridiculous.

9:57: with some shaky legs underneath me, I start to run. but I ran pretty well compared to my last tri, averaging under 8 minute miles (which I was happy with after that bike course). Pitbull, Rise Against, and Shinedown got me through the 3 miles.

10:20: done done done. Completely soaked and utterly exhausted, but I made it-- and finished 2nd in my age group, and 17th out of 142 women overall! Not bad, considering I hadn't swam since July, and had only biked a few times this past month. I'll take it! {Lindsey--what a pro--won her age division (25-29, which I would have been in had the race been a day later), and got 4th overall for the females! ow ow!}

I got a snazzy plaque :)

11:50: Cheers! We hit up a sporty Baraboo bar, found a table amongst the waves of green and yellow (we were deep in the heart of Packer territory) celebrated our first--but definitely not our last-- tri together, with a Fat Tire for her and a Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat for me. 

The drive home was also a challenge- my legs were crying, and I was struggling to stay awake--luckily I still had some latte left. I dug into the chocolate chip pumpkin bread that Linds brought down (which, by the way, is divine)-- in addition to a selection of fresh veggies to cook with!--and turned on football. 

my birthday basket from Lindsey!

Thankfully, my weekend isn't over yet...Dad arrived at 6, and I just had to show him Thunder Bay, where we had a lovely dinner that I managed to stay awake for. I doubt I'll stay awake for much else tonight, though, so he's on his own. Thank goodness for Sunday Night Football, eh?

ORS on ABC

So... fall is here? When exactly did this happen? Too bad Mother Nature forgot those lovely 55-60 degree days (she does the same thing in the spring), and felt the need to drastically drop the temp from 80 to 40 in 24 hours. But I'm ok with it, because that means I get to curl up each night after work with all of my favorite fally things: hot cider (yes, tonight it was spiked), my delicious candles (heavenly--these totally make or break the cozy fall feeling), and next to the fireplace (which I haven't yet figured out how to work, but plan to do so soon). Know what else makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside? My absolute, hands down favorite food in the whole wide world: pepperoni pizza. After five days in a row of long workouts (bike-bike-hockey-bootcamp-run), I ordered some Chicago-style deep dish pizza the other night, complete with pepperoni, pineapple, spinach and jalapenos (I had a coupon for free toppings, so I had to take advantage). Most likely, this decision cancelled out all of the wonderful progress I had made. WORTH IT.

One deep dish pizza = 3 whole meals. Oh, just eating on a budget here in grad school.

When I got home tonight, I whipped up a BBQ chicken quesadilla, cracked open a Mike's, and turned on the 6 o'clock news to watch stories about not one, but two of my patients. The first, I can't go into detail about without violating a HIPPA rule somewhere, but I think its safe to say that after this lawsuit, hopefully he'll be known around the community as someone who's doing right for the city of Rockford. The second news segment was entitled "Person of the Week" and documented the feel-good story of my buddy Bill who is throwing the first pitch at Wrigley on Sunday. We had a TV crew in the clinic yesterday from Rockford's ABC affiliate to interview and film Bill and David. Click here for the video!

Bill and I spent about 15 minutes on his outfit before the crew arrived. We decided a stylish Nike Cubs pullover with a white polo underneath was both sporty and classy. 

Here, Bill is probably telling the anchor about all the times he's picked up Dave and Woody from the bars...seriously.

How I was ever bored in Rockford, I don't know, because I have so much to look forward to this weekend. A brief summary of today/the upcoming weekend:

• {casual} Friday-- Started the morning with an apple pie latte, and rocked my North Stars mesh to work. I mean, it's practically hockey season. In a sports clinic that has no hockey room (but a room dedicated to every other Chicago team, plus the Cardinals, Vikes and Giants), I gotta rep my sport. Then, I got an awesome birthday card (and gift cards!) in the mail today from G&G Mess :)
• Saturday-- perhaps a free breakfast at IHOP? (Oh, how I love restaurants that just throw free food at you the month of your birthday), followed by a day of fun with Lindsey, who's making the trip down for...
• Sunday--Devil's Lake Sprint Tri just north of Madison. Sounds like it's going to be one chilly morning. Thank goodness for wetsuits-- and caffeine and pump up music and the hearty stereo system in my car, because with a 2-hour drive, it's also going to be one very early morning. I have butterflies already.
• Monday--I have to start telling people that I'm 25. Eek! I'm planning to celebrate by using as many free birthday meal coupons in one day as I can (Qdoba, Baskin-Robbins, Noodles, Fridays, Coldstone, and BWWs), without getting too full for hockey at 4:30 (actually, maybe I'll spread those out over the whole week?). Dad will be making the drive to join me for the skate, as well as dinner after. This makes me one happy girl.

How I celebrated 24: at 12:15 am with mini cupcakes in a hotel room in Iowa, after dancing for no less than 5 hours at Sara's wedding. LOVE.

the NHL likes me

Yesterday, day #3 of my customary 3-day weekend, was very successful. In the morning-- and talk about shopping on a budget here-- this is what i got for less than $25: 

-a CD and 2 hardcovers from Borders (Everything in the store was <$1 for their going-out-of-business sale. It almost felt like I was stealing. I even got "The Talent Code," which I've been dying to read.)

-a mango smoothie and spinach-artichoke souffle for breakfast from Panera (The apple granola breakfast cobbler I attempted to make in the crock pot was a fail. I set my alarm for 1:30 am to turn it on, and it was still overcooked by the time I woke up. Keep reading, though-- I conquered that crock pot hours later...)

-and Nike headbands, an official Jonathan Toews Blackhawks t-shirt and a street hockey ball at Dick's. (Ok, I admit, going to Dick's is always a bad idea. But now that I can legitimately root for the Hawks, after the Wild of course, I needed a way to live up to my nickname of Ms. Blackhawk (long story- for another day). My t-shirt-- on clearance in the boy's section-- was a bargain, and I needed a street hockey ball to work on my stickhandling SKILLZ in the driveway, which I have determined is a good way to meet the neighbors.)

What a morning, eh? 

my most exciting purchase of the day--and it's neon, heck yes

I spent the rest of the day lounging on the deck, sipping a Mojito (the Crystal Light version, not the alcoholic one), working on my last-minute late-summer tan, and brushing up on shoulder surgeries and hand/wrist neuroanatomy. Then, my weekend culminated at Riverview Ice Arena, where I gloriously stepped on the ice after 4 long months of subpar workouts on dry land, and kind of dominated. Goalies would have been a nice touch, but with 3 subs on each bench, I got my workout in alright. There was quite a range of competition, and, as expected, I was the only girl. But I had a blast, made lots of new friends, and unofficially claimed the title of "the best female that has ever skated in Monday night pick up." And to top the night off, I indulged in what was hands-down the best meal I've ever cooked for myself: chicken breasts + craisins + an onion + Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce, after 5 hours in the crockpot. By the time I got home, the chicken was so tender that it pretty much shredded itself. Absolutely delicious-- as was Novak Djokovic, as I watched him win the U.S. Open. What a night.

a few of the guys I skated with played in the USPHC this year-- but didn't claim the Golden Shovel like we did.

Alright, so I'm finally getting a hang of this Twitter thing. (I eliminated the #s and @s of the following paragraph for your viewing pleasure.) Today, I was inspired by the NHL's prompt to the Twitter world: "You know you're a MN Wild fan if..." I spent my morning in between patients thinking of witty comebacks, and came up with a few. One was even "re-tweeted," chosen by the NHL for the whole world to see--You know you're a MN Wild fan if you've burned a CD with the Wild anthem. (What I didn't tell them is that I burned a whole CD of Wild-themed songs for the 2002-2003 playoffs.) Another of my jabs (Jack, I know you'll like this) that quite a few people liked: You know you're a MN Wild fan if you're still scratching your head, trying to figure out how/why Kuba was ever an all-star. 

almost 700,000 people read this? I'm touched.

Here are three of my favorites posted by other contributors: You know you're a MN Wild fan if...

...you chose to watch the home opener at the X rather than the Twins/Tigers game 163. (guilty as charged. Mom watched the Twins game in the restaurant at the X, while I watched the opener from our seats--she texted me updates.)

...you got scared that Gaborik would hurt his groin while taping his stick. (yes, this crossed my mind)

...you spent the entire Stanley Cup playoffs this year telling everyone "told you so" about the Canucks. (which I proudly did)

t-7 days until NHL hockey. xo

After spending 1.5 hours of my 2 hour lunch break basking in the return of NHL hockey via Twitter (preseason game 1 = next Tuesday night!!), I next signed a "photography model waiver" because I'd had my picture taken posing as a patient and doing exercises with Dave this morning- supposedly I'm going to be in a magazine. To finish off my lunch break, I devoured the rest of my BBQ chicken-- my appetite was in full force after waking up at 4:45 to get to boot camp at 5:30 am before work. It was great. I'm pretty sure I heard, "Messerly, you're a glutton for punishment." And Tyler, I took that as a compliment.

Even though our last patient is typically at 4:30, I stayed later than usual today to see a guy at 5, which paid off in the form of 3 free guest passes to the ridiculously massive (I'm talking easily 7 times the size of my LA Fit at home), over-the-top (health club + spa + water park) Peak Fitness, which just so happens to be located a quarter mile from my condo. Rumor has it the chairs in the lockerroom are made of cherrywood (I'll see for myself and report back). I then cooked myself the second best meal I've ever made-- Homemade Italian Mac & Cheese. It sure hit the spot after a 13-hour day (workout included). I'd upload a pic (of the BBQ shredded chicken, too)-- that is, if there was any left. It's always nice to come home and relax, where the most pressing question becomes wine, beer, mojito or rum punch? 

a random fav, dating back to two Septembers ago. love you two!