A Fool's Birthday

Ah...'tis a long time since I've blogged. If you've seen my myspace, you may have seen that I am "hiding under a rock." Ha...no joke. My last updates have included lots of venting and complaining about work. It's been a tough year. But I vow here and now that I will try my best to keep it to myself for the risk of sounding like a broken record. Plus, I've only got 10 (count 'em!)... TEN MORE WEEKS TO GO!

Well, first and foremost, thanks to all for all of the birthday wishes- all of the texts, voicemails, e-cards, and emails...straight from the heart, it made my day.

But I wish that I could say that it was all good...'cuz it wasn't. My day at school was, surprisingly, fun and enjoyable. My 3rd graders were good, I got lots of love, cards, and hugs from my 4th graders, and I even got an ice cream cake and pizza lunch (thanks Ethan's Mommy and Helene!).

What would've made my day almost perfect would've been my evening...instead of my original plan that included an Irish twist, it ended with me wandering Stonestone all upset, grabbing dinner at El Burrito on Taraval, and tweaking my knee. WTF?

Let's backtrack for a sec...on one of many flights back and forth from da city and Minnesota, there was an incident where the patella in my left knee popped out...POPPED OUT! There was literally a loud "POP!" before I collapsed. My knee swelled up and I was put in a leg brace for about three weeks. Nothing was broken, just more misplaced to be exact. It was painful and sore for a bit, but being in an leg isolation brace did the trick...thankfully it was on my left side and so I was able to drive.

So...as I began my downhill trek of the last hours of my birthday (which, by the way, I FELT different...the last time I felt "different" was when I turned 25...*sigh*...feeling old...), I was left to my down devices and my expresso burrito dinner. I was able to catch the last few minutes of American Idol and I settled in to enjoy "Dancing with the Stars."

I don't know about you, but I think all of the dances are pretty challenging! In my own world, I'd like to think I'd make a decent ballroom dancer...not sure how I feel about the not-there attire, but yah, I've got some rhythm to pass around- lol. Or so I thought! 'Cuz while MnM was feeling all confident about that very thing, she decided to try her hand (and feet!) at the fast paced quick step of the JIVE...(and why she is writing in 3rd person is beyond me...). So there I am in my lil' teeny tiny living room watching my lil' teeny tiny tv...I'm dressed up all cute in my not-so-comfy-but-totally-cute boots (because remember, I supposedly had plans....), and as I am goofily trying to copy the fancy footwork of the jive, I felt an owie. I didn't HEAR a pop, but I definitely felt something.

So I sit down to eat thinking that the pain is that of a normal 34-year old (EGADS!) and I notice a slight swelling in my knee. I try to walk around (because that's what I tell my students when they fall and get hurt..."walk it off, walk around and you're good!"...), but again, it doesn't feel right. Getting a wee bit nervous now, I iced it with my frozen veggies...

The swelling IS cause for concern simply because it's happened once before, but even moreso, I have been keeping up with my running. (*OH...just wanted to share that I am among the 20,000 randomly chosen to participate in NIKE's Half Marathon happening this October...whoo hoo...cheer me on!) I'll let you know what the doctor says...

What a way to end my birthday, eh? As "painful" was it was (in more ways than one as many of you know...), it's actually more embarrassing. Can you just imagine the conversation?

"Omigoodness, what happened to your knee?"
"Well, I was watching 'Dancing with the Stars', see? And I thought I could do the jive..."

Yah...really impressive...lol...it's almost like a really bad April Fool's joke...

Well, happy birthday to ME! Despite the angst and drama, I am truly thankful for yet another year. It's been a LONG journey to getting back on my feet, but I'm definitely on my way...with or without the luck of that damned lil' leprachaun...

How did I splurge for my birthday aside from cake, ice cream, and going to the beach? Well, I went to Borders and bought a whole bunch of books for my ever-growing library of course...DUH! ;-)

Go Ahead and Roll Your Eyes...

Oooooh...and one last thing I wanted to share ('cuz I really and genuinely got excited!)...

Guess who is having a REUNION tour after 20 years???

Noneother than....




That's right, NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK! lol! All I gotta say is there ain't nothing wrong with going down memory lane and reliving the 90s that were so fabulous in my mind! WERD!