I have a trick back. Only, the tricks aren't funny and amusing as the word would suggest.
Thursday morning I mounted my bike and rode the five miles to work, no problem. But when I dismounted at the racks, I felt the twinge in my lower back. I continued my routine: 30 minutes of lifting weights, shower, sit at desk all day getting up every hour or so to walk around, and go home. All the day, though, feeling the twinge make itself more known.
This morning it was an effort to move from the horizontal to the vertical posture required to get out of bed. I knew it wasn't going to be a bike day. Instead, I rode the bus in. I halfway considered calling in sick and spending the day sitting and laying on a hot pad, but after getting up and walking around a little, the pain has eased a little, and I'm glad I came to work.
It's funny how living the Shift has shifted my thought processes. I could have driven in, but chose the bus because I have become accustomed to not driving into downtown and dealing with the traffic and parking issues. The bus was my first thought. As a side note, I did drive my truck yesterday afternoon for my daughter's weekly drama lesson and noticed that I still have a quarter of a tank of gas left over from my last fill-up in November. Take that, oil companies.
Here's a list of other unforgettable back episodes:
- Fell flat on back during my first snow shoveling experience after arriving in Omaha (from Alabama) about 15 years ago
- Fell flat on my back from a height of about four of five feet while goofing around on a jungle gym with my kids about 10 years ago
- Lifted a clothes dryer a few years ago (stupid, stupid)
- Moving from a bent over position filling a cup at a water cooler to a standing position. PING! Back hurts. That's the weirdest one.
So, until Monday, "Ow, Me Back" and then "I'll Be Back."
12 comments:
Hope you make a quick recovery.
Thanks Bob. When this happens, it usually passes in a couple of days.
Good luck in those winds out there today. If you end up crossing the Platte River backwards, pull out the cellphone and call someone for a lift. :)
Thanks... guess I'll practice my track stand on the keystone when the wind stops me dead in my tracks. Should be a hoot.
Sorry to hear about your back. Rest, compression and ice are your mandates this weekend. Better to nip it now then to let it linger.
I've been enjoying living the shift. Like you, taking the bus is the preferred option when I don't commute by bike/foot. In fact, the convenience of public transport has contributed to a strong aversion from the hassles of driving in rush hour and parking downtown. It's often the case that I'm so concerned with catching the next bus that I don't even think about driving. I'd say that's a pretty good measure of the commitment to living the shift.
Enjoy geeking out on that Android phone.
The back was good enough to ride in today, but I didn't push it too hard. I also skipped the workout.
The 10 degree ride on snowpack was a great way to get back into it.
The Android phone arrived, but I'm not certain T-Mobile can provide me with a local Omaha (or even Nebraska or Iowa) phone number. If they can't within a week, the phones go back.... and I'll be sad.
scott,
nice to meet you on field club yesterday that was some timing...
Maybe you should checkout the iphone it's pretty sweet
Hey RD:
Yeah, that was cool running in to you there. Well, I didn't actually run into you, but you know what I mean. :)
I often ride the streets home, using Woolworth to get from Turner Blvd to Morton Meadows before crossing Center, but when there's active snow on the ground, and if I know it's around quitting time at the VA hospital, I will often choose the Field Club Trail.
Which streets do you use to get out of downtown to the Field Club Trail?
I meant to ask you yesterday before I left the trail: are you vegan?
Scott,
I'm not vegan but i rarely do eat meat. I do like vegetarian food though. If i do eat meat will be organic non chemical stuff usually from nebraskafood (local farming stuff) or sushi because it's Delicious
I usually take farnam ==> 25th==> st. mary's ==> park ave.==> popelton/pacific ==> Woolworth and dump to field club usually by either Douglas County hospital or VA depends who cleared the snow to connectors. It's not to bad... i would say.
Hi RD:
Have you ever tried taking Farnam all the way to the new Turner Boulevard Trail, and then follow that all the way to Field Club Trail?
I've been vegan since 2001. I could share some yummy recipes that my wife and I have created and discovered over the years. Lately she's been making homemade seitan. It's really good and it's really easy and cheap to make.
I did take turner blvd once from Leavenworth st. I just felt it was disjointed for one reason or another... it is a nice alternative but to be honest with you 11worth isn't that bad in the morning... I have made seitan couple of time. Have you ever bought it from the Asian store on 25th and l st. it's pretty good and super cheap
The Turner Boulevard Trail is disjointed, like you say. Since it's an in-town, urban trail, the designers did the best they could in working with existing properties, and rights of way. It stinks when it crosses the streets and driveways so much. It serves a purpose in giving people an off-street alternative when they need it, so perhaps it will encourage more people to bike commute.
I like Leavenworth in the morning, too. I avoid it in the afternoon.
The only seitan we've purchased has been prepackaged stuff from the health food stores. It's good, but , expensive. We'll check out the Asian store. I know where it is.
Oh, and I'm sending back the T-Mobile G1. I've replaced it with an iPhone (cue the Emperor's March). It's an amazing little device.
OK, I am showing my ignorance of the Star Wars mythology (I'm more of a Star Trek guy).
The music to cue there is properly titled, "The Imperial March."
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