A Night in the ER and the White NorEaster Death

Not that I have really tried to make my life more interesting it just seems thing just happen.

Monday night leaving the gym I started to feel a mild pang in my chest. I thought nothing of it and headed to my weekly Bible study. About five minutes into the drive it really started to bug me and get worse. I started to get mildly dizzy and thought I was going to have to stop and pull over on this two lane road where there was really no place at all to do so. I made it to the house where the study was taking place and it was really bothering me by then but when I got inside and sat down it subsided a bit so I thought it had passed. Just before we started the study it started again and it felt like someone was repeatedly stabbing me in the chest with an ice pick. I got up and got a drink of water, got dizzy and laid in the floor with my feet in the air...nothing helped. Finally I went in the bathroom and it got so bad that I was laying in the floor sweating profusely. By this time the people who lived there were trying to take my pulse and calling the ambulance. So Finally the EMT's got there and started working on my and concluded I was not in any danger of shuffling off this mortal coil. Soon there after the ambulance arrived and took me to the ER where I spent a good 4 hrs. They did 2 EKG's and took some x-rays and "concluded" that it was a muscle strain. If nothing else I got some nice drugs out of the whole deal.

Tuesday the whole Northeast went into panic mode due to the predicted NorEaster. People at work were already making plans not to come into work Wednesday and what not. I figured that I would wait and see given the fact that most storms like this one where they predict huge amounts of snow sometimes turn out not to be as bad as they are predicted to be. So I went to the gym that night and did a easy workout since I am under dr's orders to take it easy for awhile and then stopped at the store to get a few things I needed (just in case we did get the predicted snow)...my storm items were eggs and toliet paper (already had milk). So I go home and go to bed at my usual time (9:30) and figured I would access the situation in the morning.

So I wake up at the usual time (5:15am) and looked out the window and could tell there was snow on the ground so I figured I would go back to sleep and go to the gym about 6:30 (since I can't excercise). So waking up at 6:30 I could see there was about 1 foot of snow on the ground so I went back to sleep until 7:30 and called the office and told them I was taking a sick day(the one I should have taken Tuesday after being in the ER half the night before) and wouldn't be in to work. I woke up again at 8:45 and got up and went downstairs to have a bowl of cereal. BY 11 am I was stir crazy and suffering from cabin fever. I was going to do laundry but only had enough Tide to do one load, I then cleaned a few dishes and surfed around the internet until it decided to stop working. I got dressed and went out and shoveled the snow from around my car (just to do something).
The rest of the day was spent inside pacing back and forth trying to find something to do as a way to pass the time. I did know that one way or the other I was going to be at the office today becasue I doubt I could have spent another day in the house with out goinng crazy and snapping.

So anyway the trip into work this morning was not that bad until I got into Albany and the roads were still pretty crappy but I had no major problems so I was glad. So this week has pretty much screwed up the whole diet/excercise routine which means I am not weing myself this week.

Hopefully next week I can get back into the old routine...ahhh...routine....

-c

The Fortress of Solitude

First off no one go into shock by seeing two posts in less than a week.

So I call my house the Fortress of Solitude (for those not getting the reference check out Wikipedia) and this week it was very close to resembling the actual place as it has been depicted.

Thursday morning I woke and was going to wash my face before heading off to the gym and work. After waiting for a few minutes for the water to warm up and getting nothing but ice cold water I ran down to the basement to check the oil tank which turned out to be low…very low. So after I got to work I called the heating oil place and told them I needed the tank filled up and the guy said he would send someone out that afternoon to do it, so I figured that I had taken care of the problem and would not have to worry about it while in Cincinnati for an extended weekend. When I got home Monday evening I hardly noticed the temperature in the house mainly because I was so tired from traveling, so I just hopped in bed and turned the electric blanket on and went to sleep. When I woke up Tuesday morning it was bloody COLD. My first thought was to check the pipes both upstairs and downstairs to see if they had running water. After seeing that both were still working I decided I would get home early that evening and tell the landlord who lives next door. Well when I pulled into the driveway no one was home so I went inside and was going to wait for her to get home. My first inclination that something was wrong was that the bowls in the sink were frozen solid and I tried the faucet and nothing happened and was like Oh Crap (that’s the PG version). So I ran upstairs and checked the bathroom (both faucet and tub still had running water) and went back downstairs and that’s when I first noticed I couldn’t feel my hands and could see my breath. After spending a good hour with the heat gun pointed under the sink at the pipes and in the basement trying to find the frozen pipe I gave up and left a note on the landlord’s door that the furnace was not working and that I had frozen pipes in the kitchen. I then headed to bed which was just like a winter camping trip (with an electric blanket) and got up in the morning and found the note from the landlord saying she would check it out and that the fuel line might just need to be bled out on the heating oil tank. So I went to the gym and my training (ugh) and called my landlord to see what she was able to determine about the furnace. She said that she had checked it out , bled the line which did not work and called the maintenance people to come and look at the tank. She said it could be dirt in the line or might have to replace the whole thing since it was old and there when she bought the house. So I am sitting in training thinking I am going to be able to make snow angels in the living room before going to bed (she did offer me a spare bedroom on her side of the house if it was a major problem).

She did call about 5:30 to let me know that the heat was back on and the guy was finishing up repairing the pipe that busted so I had to cancel the staircase bobsled competition and the hockey game I had planned for that evening.

When I got home last night it was a comfortable temperature and I could feel my fingers.

The house has gone back to being the Fortress of Solitude sans cold and ice.

-c

I'm a Loser

Well I guess it is time to finally make a new blog post.


From the title of this post you might think that I will be talking about my social life or lack there of but I am not going to...at least right now.

Since the beginning of November I have been consciously trying to drop weight. I have changed my diet and been working out at the gym religiously. In October I had my first physical in a long time. According to the scale at the doctor's office I was somewhere around 250lbs, although when I joined the gym a few days later and weighed myself there I was 243lbs but that is beside the point.

Once I joined the gym on the first of November and starting my 2-a day workout session I have really gotten into shape. At the end of 3 months I have lost a total of 32lbs. So far I have lost weight every week except for 3 weeks where I have maintained and the week after Christmas where I gained 1.5 lbs (I was working out at an inferior gym while home for the holidays).

I still want to lose about 15-20 more then start toning. In additon to my running twice a day I am going to start spinning and swimming in the Master's Swim program at the YMCA.

One Year Old

Apparently last week my blog turned one year old (shows how much I have been paying attention to this).

Hoping to get back on to a regular basis but things are just crazy here and not really in the mood to blog

I Hate Weekends

Thats right you read correctly.

From 4:30pm Friday to Sunday evening when I go to bed is the time I hate most. During the week I have my set schedule:
5-5:15 am - Get Up
5:30-5:45 am - Begin morning workout at gym
7:45-8am -Leave gym and head to work
8:30am - 4:30 pm - Work
5-9(ish)pm - Evening workout
9:45-10pm - Get home
10:30pm - Bed

The weekends suck because I have nothing really to do. The house is not really messy since I am hardly there so I just twiddle my thumbs and it drives me crazy...too much idle time and the gym closes at 7pm. I need the routine.

In other news my cholesterol test results came back "Excellent" and according to the nurse I have water passing through my veins.

-c

Whatever

Sure there is plenty to tell since my last real post but I really don't feel like sharing it with anybody.

Behind Blues Eyes

... ...

-c

Let's Get a Physical!

Monday I had my first physical in I do not know how long....and believe me it was not pretty.

First I am definately overweight (duh!) according to the doctor he would like me to lose 40-50 pounds which would put me down around 200 lbs.

According to the doctor my eating habits are ok...not great but he agrees that the lack of excercise might be the reason for my weight gain. I have to go back in a week or so and get some blood work done to check my cholestoral (wahoo...not).

I am at the point that I feel miserable and definately going to be joining the YMCA so I can work on getting back in shape...November 1st, BABY! The pain begins!

Also got a referral to have the bump on my back looked at and taken care of finally after 2 years.

Not much otherwise my blood pressure is good and what not. So all in all I guess I didn't learn anything that I didn't know but I now know what my goals are going to be.

-c

Delayed: My weekend in San Antonio, TX

So if I had to use one word to describe my weekend in San Antonio it would be "delay."

Friday it was raining and heavy winds here in the Northeast which caused massive havoc in my travels. Friday afternoon while I was at work I recieved a call from the airline saying my flight from Newark, NJ to San Antonio would be delayed and that they would hold tickets for me to fly through Houston to SA. Since I had my laptop at work and found a wireless signal I checked to see if my flight out of Albany was delayed also. Apparently the information on the website was wrong because when I got there the 1PM flight to Newark was just boarding and my orginal flight was delayed. Luckily I was able to get a seat on the 1PM flight that left at the time of my original flight. Coming into Newark was probably one of the roughest landing I have been on ever because of the wind blowing so hard. Anyway all the flights were delayed going out of Newark believe me I waited in line at the customer service desk and checked. Since they were holding tickets in case I needed them on a different flight so I was glad to have options avalible but opted for the direct flight since they were SUPPOSED to leave around the same time. Originally the direct flight was to leave around 9:40 but a plane apparently came in and designated for the flight earlier. About 8:30 they announced the plane was on the runway and they were going to unload, get us on the plane and get in the air with a short turnaround. Well after we got on the flight and they had gone through the inflight procedure (which I don't think anyone really pays attention to) the capain came over the loud speaker and said that there was a minor issue with the plane and they would be back in 5 five minutes to tell us when they would be ready to leave. Well we sat at the gate, in the plane for 90 minutes while they worked on the aux. power supply (which they ended up bypassing). They gave us headphones and played crappy sitcoms which really didn't help pass the time. Once we were airborn it was a grueling 4hr flight we finally arrived in San Antonio about 2 am. I finally got to my hotel and checked in around 2:30 and in bed just before 3.

I got about 3 hrs of sleep because we were going to the service project at 7 so I had to get up and shower then grab my power breakfast of a waffle and blueberry muffins which I finished enroute to the service project. The service project was a good time as we were working on a local house. I worked in the bathroom ripping up the flooring and helping hang the sheet rock around the tub. We worked at the site until noonish and then headed back to the campus.
After having our business meeting and religious project we went out to eat at the local Mexican Resturant then headed down to the Riverwalk for the evening. We walked over to the Alamo ,took the river tour and went over to the Tower of the Americas before heading back to the hotel. Sunday morning I slept a bit longer although I did go down to the lobby at 8:30 to grab a waffle and some muffens and took them back to the room and went back to bed for an hour. Finally it came time for my friend to pick me up and take me to the airport for my 2:40 flight through Atlanta back to Albany.

As I was sitting at the bar in the airport killing time before my flight I got a call saying the departure of my flight was pushed back 30 minutes. This really didn't bother me since wither way I still had a 3 hr layover in Atlanta. After arriving in Atlanta I grabbed a bite to eat and made some phone calls and was glad to see that my flight was on time with the good possiblity of being early. Well once we got on the plane they once again came over the loud speaker and said that it would be a few minutes while they waited for an oxygen ball for the pilots which apparently the first one was empty so they had to send for another. Since we were still at the gate tehy decided to wait for some people to board whose flight had just got in since there was the delay already. We finally got in the air about 30 later and got into Albany about 12:15. By the time I got to my car and made it home it was around 1 AM and I headed strat for bed since I had to go into work early since I had my Doctor's appointment that evening.

OVerall I had a good time in San Antonio. This was my second time out there and I had as much fun as I did last time I was there. It was also nice to go somewhere warm...I wore shorts and flipflops on the return trip and my firend had the top down on his car on the way to the airport. Needless to say I was freezing when I stepped outside of the airport in Albany as I waited for the shuttle to the car. Anyway despite the delays it was a great weekend.

-c

Away For the Weekend

So tomorrow after work I am flying out to San Antonio, TX for the weekend for the fraternity. I am going in early to work since my plane leaves at 5 ish so that means getting u at the crack of dawn. I still have to pack and do a few things around the house here like the dishes and make lunches for tomorrow and Monday since I won't get back until close to midnight on Sunday. Then I have to go in early on Monday because I have my first real physical since high school. I am finally going to have the bump on my back looked at, get a note so I can get a better chair at work for my back, and hopefully get something for my sleep problems.

I am really looking forward to getting away for the weekend even if it on business. Maybe the change of scenery will do me some good. Hopefully get to go back to the Alamo and go inside this time.

*Note to Self: Pack the Camera

-c