My day has not been off to a good start. I'm supposed to fly off to New York tomorrow morning, and just to inspire worry in me, my car had a flat this morning. When just getting to the airport is a three-hour drive, hints of unreliability in the vehicle are not reassuring.
Worse still, I'm having a flare-up of Achilles tendinitis. Every step sends piercing pains shooting up my leg, and unfortunately I know from past experience that not continuing some gentle stretching and exercise will lead to my whole ankle seizing up and rendering me immobile. So, I'm going to be hobbling about New York City in pain this weekend. If any of you New Yorkers notice a guy who reminds you of that irascible gimp, House—only shorter and pudgier—that's me.
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Well, I wish you quick healing and massive doses of ibuprofen (or whatever). I wouldn't worry too much about the car, though. A flat tire shouldn't be related to any other vehicle problems. As long as you aren't driving a GM product, you shouldn't be nervous... ;)
Hey now, don't get me having to defend GM's cars. =P I've had a couple and they did good by me.
That aside, I shall chant your tendinitis into oblivion. Godspeed on your trip, and we still expect full and complete blog updates!
Don't worry, PZ, I'll send you my leg, since the designer had forseen this eventuality, making humans modular with easily interchangeable parts... oh, wait. He didn't.
Clearly, you have two options here:
1) Prayer, but watch out for fireballs, or
2) Aleve works very well for me.
I favor the latter, but how can you deny the obvious charm of cleaning cinders off the hotel room floor?
I was laughing way too hard to add anything to that conversation yesterday. That might be all I need to say.
I've never played D&D, not even once. Made no difference; still funny.
Yes, Blue, but I LIKE bashing GM! :)
Paul wrote:
"I'm supposed to fly off to New York tomorrow morning,"
I arrived in New York last night. I'll be visiting my daughter at North Shore Hospital in Manhasset in Nassau County. She's having twins and she's a bit unstable (physically, not mentally), so they're keeping her there until the delivery and she NEEDS HER MOMMY!!
Maybe our paths will cross and I can buy you a beer. Or maybe you need a ride somewhere? I'm no John Wilkins, but beer is beer!
I second MikeM's suggestion of naproxen. Good stuff, that is. Good luck on the trip!
Now I'm putting on my total anti-blood-clot-fanatic hat, so I may be telling you the freaking obvious, but having been told "what you had is usually found on autopsy", I take nothing for granted anymore.
Even on a flight as short as MN-NY, it's worth getting up once or twice to walk (or, in your case, gimp) up and down the aisle a few times. Not just to keep the ankle mobile, but also to avoid "economy-class syndrome"--a deep vein thrombosis, or blood clot in the legs which can return to the heart or lung. It's a major pain in the ass with a sore leg, and if you have a window seat, you don't make any friends that way either, but having been through it, IMO it's totally worth minimizing the risk.
And I apologize if I'm beating to death something you already well know.[/fanatic]
Oh, I know it. I'm trying to work the ankle gingerly all the time, and I'm reminded of the perils of immobility in the morning when I get up, and that tendon starts lancing me with agony every time I move.
Tendonitis is a bitch. I hope you feel better soon.
Can you get a quickie doctor's note today to plead for an aisle seat (if you don't already have one)?
I just realized my faux pas earlier, wishing PZ "Godspeed".
Perhaps I should correct myself, and wish him "Darwinspeed"...
Arrr, wish 'im FSMspeed, ye lubber.
<superstition>
Great, so I decide to read *one more* blog before heading back to work. I choose to read this post, and then what happens? I go outside, and my car won't start. Clearly, God is angry at atheists today.
</superstition>
Or maybe the FSM is granting my wish to keep reading blogs instead of going back to work. Either way, it's worth a comment.
What is it with you and cars? Perhaps you should follow my lead and get a motorbike (now the kids will survive if you kill yourself horribly)?
I have tendonitis in my legs and left arm (making weight training really painful, but it's the only treatment for my fibromyalgia. Perhaps we could meet sometime and whine about how young people of today don't know what it is to really hurt. X-treme sports, be damned.
An X-treme sport for me right now is walking to the bathroom.
This happens to me every year at this time. I start ramping up the physical activity when the semester ends, I feel great, and then something happens that requires me to sit for too long a time (this time it was a long day of driving progeny about the state), and boom, the tendons decide they don't want to stretch any more.
Yeah, we'd make a fine pair sitting outside the general store, whittling and telling the young passers-by about the days when things were really rough. And then we could work ourselves up to fits of coughing and hacking ranting about EEE-vo-lution.