Saturday, February 13, 2010

Oh Canada!


Watching last night's Opening Ceremony made me truly proud to be Canadian. Despite criticism that it "underwhelmed" and was "boring," I found myself glued to the TV, with goosebumps (yes, I get these a lot when bursting with inspiration/excitement). Maybe I was like a proud mother where my child (the show) could do no wrong, but from the range of performers, to the tasteful and respectful memorial to fallen Georgian athlete, I thought Vancouver put on a fantastic ceremony, showcasing how great Canada is. I know VANOC is deeply embarrassed by the unexplained malfunction of the fourth torch, but reading this quote by a Toronto Star Reader puts a positive spin on the situation: "it could also be regarded as simply an unlit flame for a soul taken."

I have to admit that what amazed me most is how they transformed BC Place Stadium. The only time I have spent in that stadium is post-Sun Run and that is what I call underwhelming. Smooshed bananas all over the floor, paper cups everywhere, sweaty bodies packed in there with a nice potent haze of B.O. hovering throughout. Don't get me wrong, I love the atmosphere post-race, but I remember looking around last time I was in there, thinking there is NO way we can hold an Olympic ceremony in here..... But, we sure did pull it off, turning an existing facility into a world class Olympic show.


As for me, well..... let's just say I sure am glad the Olympics are starting because I will be spending a whole lot of time in front of the TV and on my bike over the coming weeks. X-rays are not the best for showing early stages of healing as there must a fair bit of callus to show up, and one month is still early for this. I was disappointed that mine didn't show what I thought it would, even though I was CERTAIN I saw some major signs of healing, but clearly my eye is untrained! I guess I was just so proud of my bones ;) There is definitely some healing, but not a whole lot and seeing the current state of the fracture was a good reminder that I still have broken bones and cannot "crank it" just yet (I think I say this to Adam everyday: "I just want to CRANK it today!!") Despite not setting world records for healing like I had planned, I will sweat it out on the bike, hike (with ponytail) and flail my way up and down the pool.

I do have to share the conversation with the x-ray technician though because this seems to have become an amusing situation for me. After the first x-ray, she returns to the room and says, "have you immobilized this?" Me: "Umm, yes, of course... well, for the first couple of weeks..." At this point, I'm thinking, geeze, I'm doing so well that she's simply curious how I have recovered so quickly. After x-ray two: She returns to the room and all she says is, "Well.....good luck." At this point my stomach knotted up..... what does she know, right? Well, I guess she knows a broken bone when she sees one!

Luge is on so time to get on the bike!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Thursday, February 11, 2010

27 Days

I can't believe it's almost one month since the crash... time seriously flies, even when injured.

Thank you everyone for sharing your healing stories. It really is inspiring to hear that in the end we all do heal and life does goes on.

For me, my clavicle is healing really well. Honestly, the human body amazes me. When I saw my follow-up x-rays one week post-crash I thought there was NO way this was going to heal on its own. The displacement between the bones was so apparent that the x-ray technician yelled, "Holy S**T" as the image flashed up on her monitor. I stood there, stuck in the x-ray machine, half laughing at situation, but also feeling my stomach knot up, realizing this was not good at all. Despite looking crazy dramatic, the bones were only displaced by half of a centimeter, close enough to find each other on their own. I sat there in disbelief looking at this image and I can't lie, deep down I truly didn't think it would heal. I was still in a lot of pain and it all felt very "fresh." But, day by day I improved and I gained more confidence and belief. This will sound cheezy, but everyday my body would surprise me with a little "gift". One day I was able to brush my teeth on my own, another I was able to pull on a t-shirt, and more recently, I made it until mid-morning before I even remembered I had this fracture! The "gift" a few days ago was the greatest prezzie of all: being able to pull my hair back on my own!! YES!!! I can be patient with swimming, but the pony-tail situation had to be rectified SOON.

Tomorrow is a day I've been looking forward to for quite some time... one month post-crash x-ray day! I hope to hear nothing but sweet silence from that technician this time... fingers crossed!

Mount Doug sunrise

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

My kind of graffiti


This is just around the corner from our apartment. I can't even count how many times I've biked by it and not noticed the POODLE....until today. Awesome!