I just want everyone to know that I haven't disappeared. Work has been killing me. We are severely undermanned, and I worked an 11 hour shift Sunday and had to work much of the morning on my own because the deadbeat newbie decided not to come into work, and though I had someone come in to help me finish with closing procedures, I only got a 45 minute lunch break and then had to work the rest of the day and do closing procedures on my own.

Monday was similarly backbreaking, though I was only there for opening procedures (My manager was an hour late due to an important family issue.).. not to mention I did some Christmas shopping last night, and once I got back home, I immediately collapsed. The bad part about it is that I need to do MORE shopping for my family.

So I've not left you all, my pretties... but the Holidays are typically a more stressful than merry time for me, and since we will most likely be firing the 'deadbeat' I'll have to be pulling possibly fulltime hours till we get another guy trained. Not to mention I'm also trying to potty train a puppy... oy. It would be so much easier if I had a yard.. or even if I just lived on the ground floor.

*hugs* Not to worry, Nako! It always seems to be one thing or another this time of year. Just keep smiling, keep breathing, and remember to seek balance.

If I may add my woes to yours...

My left leg and hip have been hurting me since July, when I was training hard for a September race. I ran a PR in the race, then took a couple months off to give myself time to recover from what I figured was a hamstring strain and maybe some hip bursitis. I'd stopped going to martial arts completely, because one 45-minute class would leave me hobbling the next day. By the time the race came around, I couldn't sit for more than 20 minutes without pain.

So, finally, last week I broke down and had an MRI, because even though I've been a very good girl and done zero training since the end of September, I'm not feeling any better. And, well ... I got the MRI results today. They showed a stress fracture in the femoral crest of my hip joint, a torn hip flexor muscle, and advanced tendinopathy (tearing) in two tendons that attach the gluteal muscles to the hipbone.

In short, I've done myself a lot of damage. My orthopedist gave me two cortisone injections - and let me tell you, those damn things HURT. Never had one before; don't plan to have one ever again. The word is that I have to suspend all training except swimming and short hikes for six months. Six months! It's a bit devastating. I was hoping to compete in some regional TKD tournaments in the spring, and of course mountain bike season starts in March and I've landed a good sponsorship for next year...which I have to give up now.

I'm gonna try to keep posting, but I'm feeling pretty bitter right now about things. Mainly my own stupidity. Contrition, Rose, dear Stormy, hang in there with me, OK? We'll get through this. I find I have to keep telling myself that to keep from sinking into abject misery.

There's one good thing going for you that I read, Stormy. Seems 45 minutes is a short lunch break for you. I must have a talk with my boss, who gives us all only half an hour and which most of the time I end up eating in the lab, because there's no time to do anything else.

Ouch! Fury I'm so sorry! I know how active you are and how big of a blow this was for you. I don't blame you for being bitter, but it's definitely better to rest for a while now than to try to overwork yourself and make it all worse. Are there any activities you can get out and do with your gorgeous puppy? I'm sure she'd love some frisbee time- that's a big hobby in my family, and it's loads of fun :)

And of course, no worries to Nako. I've obviously been lax in posting too. Finals are over and I'm back home, but I've been spending a lot of time sleeping and catching up with old highschool friends. And I've done absolutely no Christmas shopping @_@ The mall is going to be hell when I decide to venture out there! So not looking forward to it.

Hey guys,

you all just made my proble seem pathetically unimportant. Well, I'm doing healthy and all, which I can be thankful for. Just do your best and please try to get better, you two! Good thoughs good words good deeds, as Zoroaster may have once said! It *is* the holiday season and it must suck to not be feeling well, so please everybody do their best and try to stay healthy =]

Also Fury, I was taking into consideration your Berkley shoutout before I realized *headdesk* WELL BERKLEY'S STANFORD'S RIVAL, you silly dum-dum contrition X_X I somehow got into contact with a transfer counselor and I'm asking him for advice. His name's Michael so he can't be too bad *clingcling* (Michael's my all-time favorite guy name =D )

Anyways, please please try to get better! I don't like thinking you guys are full of pain and suffering =\ Um well I almost don't wanna ask, Naks, but how's the UT infection?

The UT infections and irritations come and go, but because I'm always on top of them and watching for them I've been able to keep from getting very bad so far. I have a regimen I follow before I go anywhere that I pee 30 minutes before I have to be standing for a long time and sit the entire time till I have to get up, and don't pee at work if I feel there might be a problem. I've also noticed that water plays little to no factor in whether I have a problem or not. I haven't had straight up water in months and I haven't had any problems, though times when I have been drinking water, everything goes horribly wrong.

And Fury... UGH! You crazy competing body fitness people drive me insane!! Working through disabling pain and ignoring it when there could be, and most likely is, something that went horribly terribly wrong.What gets to me even worse is that when people who CAN go to the doctor and have means of paying for it just don't go. I -couldn't- go to the doctor when I fell off a horse and injured my hip because my mother said that if there was nothing wrong.. I'd be in trouble. Needless to say, my hip gives me problems to this day.

So for the love of cheese, take care of yourself!! *noogies* I do understand that there's also a fear of going to the doctor and FINDING something wrong when you hoped everything was alright. I'm doing that now with my own hip.. but then again if fixing it involves breaking it again or going through painful surgery.. I'd rather walk with a limp every now and then =P

And contrition, your problems aren't unimportant.. they just don't deal with physical ouchiness =P I admit your stress isn't quite something I can comprehend because I'm still hoping -any- college will take me with my GPA from flunking out so much. Still though, I know for the exceptional that going to the right college is important to them... but I still think you shouldn't sweat it =P

I suddenly have the feeling that I'm the youngest person here...

Anywho, you lot are a bunch of crazies. O___O All that busy-ness (can't think of another word to describe it) would drive me insane. And I thought I had it bad trying to get ready for college. Pfft. Midterms and Christmas hardly measure up to all the drama ya'll have to deal with.

Fury, forgive me for being nosy, but are you some sort of super athlete? Sounds like you have high pain tolerance.

I hope you get into the college you want, Cam. ^^ They all sound impressive.

D'oh! Forgot about the Berkeley/Stanford rivalry. Hmm, perhaps you and Michael could work that to your advantage. Surely Stanford would gleefully accept a sophomore-year defector! I reiterate what Stormy said, that your problems are not unimportant. Maybe they're not physical, but I know very well how much it hurts to be rejected by one's top-choice school.

Glad to drive you insane, dear Stormy. Mission accomplished. :D Mm, more seriously though, I'm glad you're ok for now with the UT stuff. Wish I knew more about that, but you've probably considered just about every course there is to take. My best wishes to continue being all right!

Wolfie, I went through six years of college doing all my shopping on Christmas Eve. This is the first year since high school that I've gotten it done before that. Feels weird.

A super athlete! I wish I was. :) I do a lot of mountain biking and made the junior National team when I was sixteen. That was pretty cool, because I got to race in the Black Forest in Germany. I haven't been as competitive on the senior level though. Part of it's because I don't have the time to train as much as the pros (they usually do six hours a day). The other part is that I don't quite have the talent. That's a hard thing to admit, but I'm doing a lot better and having more fun with my riding since I've been at least trying to get that through my head. For a while I wanted to be professional so badly, but I always seemed to have to train harder than the other girls just to place in the top 3 in big races. That attitude, I'm sure, is what led to me getting injured in the first place - I learned pretty young to push myself hard in order to see results. I got into martial arts in college in order to get my head out of the competitive crap that can go on in mountain biking. I liked the idea of training your body to do a lot of damage in self-defense, while also training your mind to deal peaceably with confrontation. There was a duality going on there that appealed to me.

And I definitely feel pain! You just sometimes can learn to ignore it for a while in order to get to your goal. Which is why I don't like doctors, Stormy. They're not scary, but they have a way of telling you you can't do what you want to do. :P

I think we've become the Turn's End Kharasi Support Group!

Trust me, you're not likely to be the youngest. - __ -

Anyway, I'm sorry for all of you! I don't have problems, but Fury how can you do so much activity? O-O I think I'd die, but then I don't like sport. I hope it gets better for everyone!

Good luck for college! Those people who turned you down don't know anything, it's their loss not to have you.