Malls- I've Never Been So Scared Shopping

First of all, hope everyone had good holidays and is excited for the new year! I know I am, because come the new year, I shall be walking again! About time... Another 2 weeks to go! So as the Christmas season comes to a close, the stores are having major sales. Just the other day, I went into Hollister. I grabbed a pair of jeans and a tank top and these items were already in the sale area, plus everything in the store was 40% off, total cost of jeans and tank top: 11.43$. Did I really just get 50$ jeans for 5$, indeed. That just goes to show how overpriced things can be. Now you must be asking, "how does this relate to her and her broken leg?" Well, I will tell you.

Going to the mall normally ( with both functioning legs) is never very scary unless it is very crowded. Going to the mall, with a broken leg, on a scooter, with kids, strollers, ramps and too many people= very scary. I attempted to include a video of this madness, but for some reason could to get it from the phone to my computer with it working. Basically, it showed clusters of people, stopping in front of me as I scoot along, people stepping back into me, and a crowded mall. What part of this sounds fun again?

Here are just some of the stats from the day:

$ spent: 15

strollers that almost hit me: 7 ( and not the single ones, most of them doubles)

# of odd looks: too many

# of children I almost hit: 4

Also, some odd comments I overheard throughout the day:

"I've never seen that before!!" (5 year old)

"I wonder if she has one leg? Where did the other one go?"- ( 8 year old)

"Well, I wish I had one of those, do you have to be broken to get one?" (40 year old mother)

I've never been so scared shopping in my life, it felt like a dangerous sport, making my way through people, that awkward situation when you are walking towards someone and the game of "who moves to avoid getting hit", clearly it's not going to be me. It takes me longer to move than you, so how about you move since you have two functioning legs? There was also the situation of me coming down a ramp, and a mother was letting her child run along, no supervision, and they ran out in front of me. I try stopping and come within inches of this child, and the mom throws up her arms and give me a look like "WTF? How did you almost just hit my child??" Maybe you should have been controlling your child, instead of letting them run-a-muck.

Being 7 weeks into not walking, I've discovered that many places are not handicap accessible. This is not ok. There are sometimes I go into bathrooms and the so called "larger stall" can barely fit my knee scooter let alone and wheel chair. I was in a store, and they had 3 floors, but I had to find someone to unlock the elevator, now I'm thinking, what if no one can unlock this for me? I guess if they won't allow me into their lower level, they do not deserve my money.

On a last note, although I may have missed a week and a half of school, I got all A's for the semester. Good for me :)

Side note: The scooter makes a great bag carrier!

The Final Countdown! Plus a Winter Video!

Well, I'm onto my final and last cast! Although I should be in a walking boot but non-weight bearing, the doctor figured that because of the ice and snow, a cast would be best. I can't wait to finally get it off and walk! Only 2 and a half weeks left. As promised here are some pictures from the last visit, including the ones with the insane amount of dead skin on my foot. I never knew so much skin could collect in 6 weeks. Know that I know that it's there, I'm dying to get rid of it. It makes so much more sense based on how itchy my foot can get sometimes. Its gotten to the point where if I wake up with a ruler in my hand (to scratch) I am no longer confused. It will be weird once I'm able to walk, not grabbing crutched in the morning to get up.

Bincy taking off my candy cane cast.

6 weeks of dead skin, isn't that yummy?

The difference in my legs. crazy right?

The broken leg size.

Normal leg size, difference of about 3 inches or so.

BONUS TIME!

I stumbled upon this video, and it makes me kind of grateful that I'm unable to play in the snow. If you are curious what this video may entail, here is the link

Winter Video O' Fun

Bye Bye Candy Cane Cast!

As the Christmas season is finally upon us, it was time to bid farewell to my lovely candy cane cast. It was only two days before I got the cast off that people signed it (sorry to all of those who did, I'm no longer in possession of it anymore) and now it is gone. It was a very festive piece to have for 4 weeks but I'm glad I've moved on to better things. Now, due to the icy conditions out, my doctor decided to put me into another cast! Carolina Blue he called it; I figured since Christmas was going to be over, and it was just going to be winter, blue would be fitting. And of course, I had to match my toes with my new cast, so they are now a sparkly shade of blue! Now when they cut of the cast that I had for about 4 weeks, I was in for a great shock. I've never seen so much dead skin in my life. There was literally a line of skin that was current and fresh (my toes that I could clean) and my tan summer skin. It had the sensation of when you have glue stuck to your hand, although you can move your hand, the glue doesn't really move with it, it goes on its own. That's what was going on with the bottom of my foot. X-rays were taken, and everything is looking good! The bone is actually growing back together between the break. Good news! Instead of being in a cast for 10 weeks, I'll be walking out of the doctor's office at 9 weeks! I was fairly excited to hear that. And although going into another cast when I wasn't supposed to wasn't what I wanted to do, I knew it would be worth it. Plus I get to be more festive for winter that way. Once I get the pictures from the appointment from my dad, I will be sure to post them, that way you have an idea of what 4 weeks of dead skin looks like. Only one word I have for that, Yum..

What happens when camp friends get ahold of my cast.

The new and final cast!

Second Week on Break, What will it bring?

After having being home for a week, the days seem to blend together. Any time I'm telling someone what I did the previous day, I can hardly remember if that happened yesterday or two days ago. This past week, I made an assortment of baked goods ie cookies, a homemade cheesecake and frosted cupcakes. Those are just several things to occupy my time while at home. Last week wasn't really a social week because many of my friends were not home from school just yet. Lucky me, had no finals so I got to come home for a week. However, I did manage to go out to lunch with my friend Andrea and we decorated her christmas tree; while a tad difficult, it is still manageable to do so. I also went to my sister's synchronized swimming show, which I once did for the past four years of my life. It was weird to actually watch the show vs be in it.

This upcoming week looks promising with activities, from going out to lunch with friends, going to get my nails done, and even going to the doctor! No more candy cane cast as of Wednesday! Hopefully it will be a ace bandage of sort so I can actually wash my foot. I don't know if any of you have ever had a broken leg or arm in winter, but let me tell you, the skin gets very very dry. With dryness, comes itchiness. FYI bendable rulers work wonders to itch inside a cast. Although, at the current moment, mine seems to be missing. The other night, my leg was so itchy that I slept with the ruler in my cast. I woke up and was like "Why is this here? Oh yeah..."

Christmas is this week and you certainly wouldn't know we are in a recession by walking into any mall. I went into the mall yesterday and it was just a mad house. With all those people, many strange looks at my knee scooter did follow. I don't know what is so odd about it, but then again I've gotten more odd looks back at home in one day than I did while I was back at school. Maybe it's a North Shore thing..

You know you've experienced a certain level of bordeom when you do the following:

1. Start copying recipes into a cook book.

2. Log on to Skype and pray that someone is online, no matter who it is.

3. Clean your room.. even with a cast that is possible.

4. Play a combination of Snake and Bubble Spinner for at least an hour of the day.

5. Organize the clothes in my your suitecase, even though you are not leaving for another 4 weeks.

If you have any suggestions about how to combat this awful winter epidemic, post your ideas. Please. I beg you.

Also, enjoy some fun pictures from my week!

I walked into Walmart and saw this arrangement of Scooters.

I cringed. I was also fairly jealous of the Hello Kitty Scooter.

The blanket I made from the previous post with the movie Santa Claus in the background.

The cupcakes that I frosted, yet wasn't allowed to eat.

My first home-made cheese cake I made for my father's birthday.

My painted Tinkerbell, courtesy of my cousin Stephanie.

Day 1 of Winter Break, Time to Get Crafty

So it is officially the half way point in my non-weight bearing days. yippie skippy... Still another 5 to go. Basically that puts me 3 days before I go back for second semester. What a wonderful way to spend break right? Well, I've decided to do little things to keep myself busy. I did all sorts of things today that Google did not recommend to me like last time ( How to use a cast iron skillet?? in related topics). For all of those who may read this blog and have a similar situation, thinking to yourself, "it's winter, there is snow, I'm broken, wtf do I do now?" That was one of my many thoughts going into the winter season. However, my ideas are not only for those who are broken, if you find yourself home for winter break, and say to yourself, "winter blizzard outside, wtf do i do?" Have no fear my friend, I've got ideas for you too. Here are just a few of the many ideas to come for this long 5 week winter season. To assist in the search, hopefully this will pop up onto Google and actually help those in a cast find activities, not those in a cast wishing to use a cast iron skillet or things to do while waiting for my Twilight Dvd.

So, things to do while in a cast or stuck inside entry #1:

1. Wrap Christmas presents. Although this can be difficult on one leg, I made it work. So can you. It's a good way to kill about an hour and a half or so depending on gift size, skill level of wrapping, and ability to not stick tape to itself etc.

2. Go with a family member to pick up a sibling from school. It gets you out of the house, even if it's just in the car. Plus, you get a confused sibling saying to themselves, why are you in the car?

3. Make cookies. Who doesn't love cookies? Now either you can get all homemade and fancy or you can get the lovely ones that are pre-made and pre-cut. Although they won't be made with love, they will taste just fine.

4. Make a fleece blanket. It's chilly outside these days (currently feeling like -5 fyi) and a nice blanket= a warm happy monica. So either trek out to Jo Anns or wherever you want to get your fabric that suites your fancy, and pick some fleece out. Now, after today's experience, I would highly recommend not getting the fuzzy fleece that sheds every time you touch it or cut it.

Although, the cleaning of the fuzz does kill a great deal of time, if it also doesn't kill the vaccum along the way. This activity I would highly recommend while watching a classic movie youknow the words to (Casper, Home Alone etc.) that way you are pretty much listening and know what's going on.

More ideas to come. If you think of any or want to have me try something, either leave a nice comment or hit me up on Facebook.

I'm Not Alone! Even Famous People Have Scooters!

So, my friend Amy, who we have bonded over our broken legs together emailed me this picture. It is of Serena Williams and she had foot surgery twice I believe recently, just like you said Dad, and it is of her, with a decorated cast and drum roll... a knee scooter! It looks rather similar to the one I have. I'm cruising around just like a celebrity, although she probably doesn't have to deal with snow in California. I love how she has a broken leg and still manages to look her best, Me, I've been chilling out in leggings, sweatpants and the occasional flare jean. I may have to take her style tip and add some gems or something to my cast. Some of my friends recommended that I should decorate my scooter. That I feel would just add more looks to the ones I already get. All the people that look at me with the odd look of judgment, this is for you, would you judge Serena Williams the same way as you judge me when you pass me? It's not like it's the most odd thing you've ever seen, especially being on a college campus, I've seen weirder. This is nothing. I don't judge people when they walk, I'm just walking with an additional 4 limbs.

A Sled Would Have Been Much Easier....

Those are just a few fun pictures of the snow that covered Champaign-Urbana this weekend.

This week has been rather different, there is snow covering the entire campus, and when I say the entire campus, I mean everything. It started heavily snowing friday night into saturday. Man was it difficult to get through the inch or so of snow. I'm pretty sure that having someone pull me in a sled would have been more effective. The worst part was not even that, it was waking up the next morning to go out, and realizing the unplowed streets, unplowed sidewalks and about 8 or so inches of snow. It took me about twice as long to go a block and a half that it usually does. I figured after that hike, it would be a very good idea to keep myself in my room for the day. Then, Sam and I decided to trek to Pizza Hut. Evaluating the sidewalk situation, we decided to take the non- fully iced side. Good call. After we finished, we decided to go to an a-capella concert. Going back towards the quad, the other side of the sidewalkWell this would have been fine and dandy had there not been so much snow, but because nothing was plowed, a walk to the quad took about 30 minutes and caused a very tired Monica. The walk back wasn't as bad because going back because I had remembered where the bumps and chunks of ice were. That wasn't even the worst of it. Sunday, the sun came out, melting some of the snow, however because it was only out for a brief amount of time, it was just long enough to melt the ice, only for it to freeze back over. I keep nagging on the art building, but truly, it is not the most handi-acessable building in the campus. The ramp, dry is difficult enough to get up. The ramp, iced and wet, nearly impossible. I used the combination of railings and lifting up the knee scooter. That's not to safe for someone with an already broken leg. I can't describe how many times I've either slipped or lost my balance almost breaking my leg. My poor friend Mariel fell and got a concussion. That's never good.

First semester is coming to a close. I'm actually on top of all my work and it feels great after being behind for a while after the 9 days of school missed. Being home for 5 weeks is going to be interesting on figuring out stuff to do. If anyone other that Google has an idea of what to do while in a cast (see a previous blog for the reference), let me know.

Aside from all the tough times on the scooter through the ice, it is rather comical to watch other in my dorm or friends figure out how to use or ride the scooter. They love to ride it and roll down the hill from the cafeteria almost into the wall (Devashish and Dustin). I'm still getting funny ironic looks from people that say to me, "Didn't you fall off a scooter?" Well I suppose as the phrase goes, "Get back on the horse."
It was a little sad this weekend knowing I couldn't play in the snow and watching everyone outside. Have fun for me :)

Lastly, this shout out is for Jeremy because he wanted to be mentioned in my blog. Here you go Jer-Bear.

Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better cont'd

Here is just some images to describe what I said in my previous post. Although I may be broken, I can still do every day things, sometimes just in a different way.

I can still draw.

I can make Hanukkah cakes!

I can do my laundry.

Fun stuff huh? Did all of those things in one day. I felt pretty accomplished.

Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better

Independence, it's something that we take for granted every day. You may think that making breakfast or putting on pants is a no- brainer in every day life. Now, take all of that easiness, and subtract a leg. Not so easy any more is it? As I've had to get more and more creative with the every day things, the achievements come in three parts: the idea, the execution, and the result. It's taken a lot of guess and check methods to achieve certain things such as opening doors. Most of us use our hands right? Well when I was in a wheel chair, my crutches added as my additional set of hands and legs, so I learned how to open most doors with crutches, except those doors that are so heavy, cough cough art building, I havent mastered those few ones yet. This knee scooter is amazing, it has made me more independent and less dependent on other people. While I still need to put skis on it or all terrain tires or something, it has made travel much easier. In the words of Ferris Bueller, " If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up, it is so choice."

Although this has been a rather negative event in my life, I am making lemonade out of lemons. Although I have to get craft most times  ie putting cups in the band of my pants or even using a rubber band to drag my laundry to the washer, I'm determined to do any simple task my own way. Now walking 5 blocks in the rain home can be kind of a self esteem killer, but the flip side of the situation- I made it home, wet, but I made it home. A few weeks, my dad told me there was a lesson or a moral to this whole situation. At the time, I didn't really see what that could possibly be, nor did I think I ever would. I was so caught up with the fact that my life had hit a 3 month speed bump. Now, almost 4 weeks after surgery, I think I have finally figured out what it is, "keep moving forward". Although I may be unable to walk and get around like I want to, in order to keep getting better, I have to keep my chin up and embrace the little accomplishments that I face each day. Dad- If you see this, I know you think I never listen to your advice, but sometimes I do and I sit and ponder it.

Moral of the story, keep on keepin' on. Never take what you have for granted because one day, you too could hit a speed bump. You always have to think, there is always someone who has it worse than you do, and sometimes you may say, "How could things be worse?"Well my friend, you could be dead... Nobody wants that.

Snow... Well This Should Be Interesting..

Happy December 1st all! What a way to start out the season with snow on the first day. Now well snow can be very exciting, I have an added element to be aware of, this cast wedged onto my leg. With the latest addition of my leg scooter, things are going to get slippery. Walking home in the rain was super special the other day. Thankfully I had a plastic Walgreen's bag in my backpack, otherwise things would have gotten rather soggy rather quickly. I made it home rather damp, but the leg was dry. Now with snow, there shall be ice. I've already experienced fish-tailing with the scooter. I didn't even know that was possible. I will say one thing, the campus needs to take better care of sidewalks and ramps. Going into the art building this morning, the normal path with stairs had salt and what not, the long path to the hidden ramp- nada. The steep ram is bad when dry, when covered with snow, even scarier. I was just worried I was going to slide all the way back down after getting up. Thankfully that wasn't the case.

Going back to a previous post, thanks to all the people who continually help me. I don't know where you all have been hiding out, but thanks for helping. I guess someone just needs to break a body part to get some help and find all the nice people. Although, I will say it is indeed a great conversation starter. I can't tell you how many times I've told the scooter story, and then I get a funny look (since I'm on a scooter again) and go 'yes, I know it's ironic'. But it's always interesting to re-see people that have helped me and they ask how I'm doing. It's comforting to know there are some people in society that care.

For everyone's personal enjoyment, here is a Winter Accidents video that probably ended a decent amount of people in a cast of some sort.

Funny Winter Accidents

The Adventures of Monica on a Knee Scooter

Recently, I have acquired a Rollabout Knee Scooter instead of a wheel chair and crutches. Let me tell you, it is so much easier to do just about anything. I feel more mobile than I have in weeks and it's great! I'm actually able to open doors all on my own, minus the few heavy ones in the art building ( Even with a knee scooter, the art building ramp is still death). The funny looks I've been getting is ridiculous, everyone looks at me like I have about 5 heads. Maybe these people just aren't used to it,  or maybe they are jealous, but I'm sure its the first one.

One of the downsides of this Knee Scooter is I don't bring my crutches with, thus when I have to go into tiny places, I must hop on my good leg. That's always fun to watch, it's amusement for those who have to put up with me (sam).

It's kind of ironic that I'm now in a scooter, since that would be the mode of travel that caused this accident. Hopefully this scooter having four wheel instead of two might be a little bit better for Monica the second time around.

Now some of you may ask, what exactly does a knee scooter look like?
Click on this video to find out, unfortunately mine  isn't the sweet colors that they have in the video.
Knee Scooter!

Staple Free- The Way to Be

Yesterday I got 30 staples taken out of my leg. That was fun. It felt as if the nurse was sticking me with a needle about 30 times. Previous to that, she brings in this vaccum -looking thing. Its a saw thats going to cut of my cast. Goodie! Little did I realize it would be rather scary and felt as though it was going to cut into my leg. I was rather scared to say the least. When she went over the staples with that, man was that a special feeling. Not only do I have staples piecing my leg, but I now have the pressure of those staples and the saw. Once the cast was broken off, I had about three layers of cotton ball like material to go through. Then she got to the blue ace wrap that had been cutting off my foot circulation for the past two weeks. That was a relief to get off. I saw my shriveled foot, and thought to myself, 'My foot looks about 90 years old'.

After the staples were gone, it was time for x-rays. The different nurse said to come with her, and my initial thought was, 'Without any bandages holding my foot in place?' Her response, "Yep". So then it was a test to see if I could hold up my leg without being in extreme pain. The result? Success. I made it to the x-ray room with ease, granted it was across the hall, but I got on the table and found I could actually move my foot on its own, without the technician having to move it like the past 3 x-rays.

So I had about 1 hour of actually seeing my very odd looking foot. The difference between my calve muscles was ridiculous after merely 3 weeks of no weight bearing. I realized what I could and couldn't do with my foot and was stretching it out a little with the help of my dad to get it at 90 degrees. It was weird to have feeling in some places of my leg, and little or no feeling in other places. Hopefully it will all come back eventually.

The doctor comes back and its cast time. I ask the curious question, 'So, is it going to be a full 10 weeks or 8 weeks?' Flat out I get the response, "10". Sweet. Basically, that means I go until mid- January without walking, just as its super icy and snowy, I can start to walk again! YAY! But on the flip side, after this cast, I don't have another one. I just have a boot thing that I still can put no weight on. I decided since I would have this one for about a month, make it candy cane looking. I now have red toes to match the cast. Thanks mother :)

I actually got a good night sleep without the staples jabbing into my foot, and slept comfortably on my side, a first!

Only another 1, 211 hours left in a cast. Enjoy the pictures and keep on keepin' up with my blog :)

The Old Cast

The New One

  

Some fun pictures for your viewing pleasure. 

There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays

Hope everyone had a good turkey day. I'll get to my day in a little. But first off, let's talk about yesterday for me. So, earlier I had made a foam gingerbread house. Then yesterday, I was invited by my friend Liz to make a real one.  Although it came out of a box, it was still fun to make. It came with an assortment of candies and frosting. Getting those walls to stay up was the hardest part. Nothing says like her being the daughter of an architect like using a stapler, 4 cans of bumble bee tuna and a bottle of vitamin water to hold up the roof and walls. After they held up, it was decorating time. We each made a roof side. Liz patterned hers with M &Ms and me, the art major, just squiggled frosting around and put these fruity candies all over the place. As you can see, learning a lot at school.  Here is the final product:

So after we were finished decorating, little did we realize it was raining outside. If you've ever had a cast, you would know that casts and water don'r really make good friends. Liz and her sister found a series of bags, one of which was a sandwich bread bag. Hey, if I'm going out it the rain, might as well go out in style. The bag indeed kept the water out, the cast was dry when I got home. Good problem solving guys :)

Today was Thanksgiving. When you think of Thanksgiving, what do you think of? Family coming over, that smell of turkey and pie lingering throughout the house, and a bitter fall day? That's usually what I think of. However, that really didn't describe the day. Up until about 3:30 or so it was pretty much an average day, minus getting dressed up. Side note- finding  an outfit to match a cast wasn't very easy. Hence, I decided not to match. But it was funny, both my mom and sisters matched my cast. This year instead of getting the house all decorated and making food, we ventured to a country club. I wasn't too keen on the idea from the get go. I mean I just wasn't a fan of the idea of 'hey let's pay someone to make our food so we don't have to cook and take them away from their families on Thanksgiving'. But it wasn't my choice so I went along with it. The food was alright, nothing that really wowed me, especially since I got to see it a second time as I came home. That was special. 

As Dorothy once said, "There's No Place Like Home." I'll have to agree with her on this one. Sharing my Thanksgiving meal with about 20 other tables of people I don't know doesn't really suite my fancy. 

Tomorrow is a second appointment with the doctor. I get the 30 staples out and a new cast, bye bye purple cast. There will be pictures to come. 

Hope you all have a better rest of the evening than I did. Happy Thanksgiving for the next 3 hours and hope you don't have to see  your meal again like I did.

Drawing and Going Out- The Essentials of Staying Occupied

So after missing 9 days of school equals a lot of work to make up. Among these assignments was a self portrait, not a small one, one on the scale of 30x24. Yikees. If it's one thing I'm not good at, it's drawing. This assignment should be fun, especially since I am going to poorly draw myself. Overall, the project wasn't that bad, just very time consuming. Hey, it's a good way to pass the time I suppose. After a few days of working on it, it's pretty much done.

The Original

   The Drawing 

It's not 100% accurate but I would say it's one of the best I've drawn in the semester.

Went out to lunch with my friend Sarah today, we went to California Pizza Kitchen. The hummus was delicious and the four- cheese ravioli was rather yummy. It's nice to get out of the house and be social every once and a while. All the crazy holiday shopping has started too. It's not even Thanksgiving and people are coming out of the mall with 5 or 6 bags. Come on people... Maybe everyone is shopping for Hanukkah, I mean it is a very Jewish suburb, I wouldn't be surprised. I remember when I used to work in a Hallmark, the old jewish women would come in in September or October looking for Hanukkah cards for a holiday that is about 2 months away. I could write about a million stories about customers but that's for a different day. 

Oh the Things the Lil' Ones Can Do

10 Year Old Pro Scooter Kids

Watch this video in order for this post to make sense.

So my friend Jon, stumbled upon this video and shared it with me. It is these 10-11 year old on scooters. Is it sad that they are about my height and doing all these crazy tricks, not breaking anything, and here I was just going to class, no flips or tricks, and I break three things? I think so.  I'm fairly jealous, yet at the same time not so much. I feel there will be no scooter riding in my future. I'm definitely okay with that.

Nothing Like a New Hairdo

So, I had planned to get a haircut a few weeks ago pre- accident. Little did I realize that it would make me feel much better for some reason. The past few weeks have been a roller coaster of accomplishments and defeats. Some days have been good, others have been not so good. Overall the haircut has lifted my spirits a little. It's probably because for the past three weeks I've been wearing sweatpants and t- shirts all week and going on about 3 showers a week. My hair for the past few weeks has consisted of being in a bun because its easy to deal with. But today was the first day it was down and actually looked presentable. So to those of you who like me are in a cast, I would recommend it.

(Kind of MySpace-y, I know. My apologies).

I've also decided that once I get this cast off, I'm going to get a very much needed pedicure. I don't even want to know what its going to look like after 3 months. But I've been painting my toes to match my cast so at least my toes look pretty. Note to self, wheelchairs are not so easy on the nails, just about all of mine are broken and chipped. Oh well.

I made a trip out to Naperville with a friend today. It was great to get out of the house and have some different surroundings. Lots of stuff to do there,  so many stores! May have to make a trip out once my leg heals.

Only 1,312 hours left! The staples come out Friday. A little bit of pain the last few days on my ankle. Not really sure why but I wish I could see what was going on. Probably going to see if for about 30 minutes on Friday for an xray and re- cast. It's been decided, white with red stripes and red toes to match :)

Thanks for all the support! I get so excited to see my views going up. If you guys have any suggestions about topics you want me to explore or write about, let me know!

What to Do While in a Cast?

So I was curious about different activities people have come up with while in a cast and typed it into Google. You wouldn't believe what kind of weird answers that came up that were completely irrelevant. For example, there were some of the answers that popped up when I typed "Things to do while in a cast"    Things to do while in a cast

1. Five things to do while you wait for the Harry Potter Conclusion

2.The Top Ten Things to Do while Waiting for Your New Moon DVD (who would want to wait for that?)

3. 31 Funny Things to Do with a Cast Iron Skillet/

4. (One of the only things relevant) Things to Do While wearing a leg cast - Decorate it and have people sign it. Thanks google, I didn't already think of that one.

If any of you have ideas that can help pass the next 1,344 hours, please let me know. :)

A Good Way to Make the Next 1,680 Hours Go by Faster

So, I realized the next ten weeks or so equals out to about 1,680 hours. That's a lot of time to figure out what to do with. In a cast, it definitely seems a lot longer than than. But as of today, two weeks down. Anyways,  I recently took a little journey to Michael's Craft store trying to find something to do to occupy this time. I came across this foam gingerbread house that looked like fun, and hey for $2.99, I said why not. So last night, I decided to open it and give it a try. With about 50 different pieces, it was a little intimidating, yet the picture on the package helped out a little. The set did come with a few extra pieces and rather than yellow pin striped circles, it came with green ones that didn't match the yellow gum drops. Also, you would think that an art major would be able to do this project with ease, but once you peal off that white backing, and place it down, if one thing is off, everything becomes off. Let me tell you, I had to re-arrange the decorations multiple times. That's besides the point. 

The Finished Project

I've begun to look at the glass as half full instead of half empty. Instead of looking at the next few weeks as 8 or 10 weeks, I'm looking at it as 2 weeks down. 

Today, I visited my high school. It was definitely interesting getting around on crutches. It was like I never left. I started up conversations that I had in May. I probably told my story a good ten or so times, and got that ever so curious question, "How did you do all that on a scooter?" Believe me, I keep asking myself the same thing. They say I should have come up with a better story that didn't involve a child's scooter. They suggest I should travel by bike from now on, I'll look cooler. I would have to agree. I don't think I will riding any scooters anytime soon. 

RIP

Razor Scooter

Nov 4 2010

Extreme Darren Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWYi7w9eBdI

My friend Caitlin sent me this link earlier when I started going to class on a scooter, little did I realize, my fate would be similar to his. You should all feel free to enjoy it.

Who Knew?

Who knew having a cast and a set of crutches could be such a good conversation starter. I go just about anywhere and get questioned, "What happened?" It's a good thing I don't find it difficult to talk to people. Some people say, "How did you do so much damage on a scooter?" I find myself asking that very same question. Some people say I should come up with a better or funnier story, but to be honest, doing so much damage on a scooter, to me seems pretty funny all together.

Another thing that I've found to be difficult: shopping. Now that I'm back at home for about a week, I tried to go to a few stores. I walk in, and get these dirty and confused looks, why? I have no clue. Some people ask if I want a wheel chair and I decline, but about ten minutes into shopping, I regret my decision. I'm just waiting for the day that I can ride around in those mobilized scooters like the ones the old people at the grocery stores have.

Only about another week until the 30 staples come out. I'm going to get another cast after that and I'm debating the colors. Let me know if you have a good suggestion.

A Shout Out to the Nice People of the World

So, apparently all the nice people of the world have been hiding out. It's like, do I really need to break a limb in order for all these people to appear? You would be surprised at the number of random strangers willing to help a girl struggling to get into a building. According to my boyfriend, they are always hiding because they don't want to get hit by the crazy bikers of Champaign. That in and of itself is a good excuse to hide. Not only are people willing to help into me buildings but helping find my lost belongings. After Sam and I made our way back to my dorm yesterday, we get to the elevator only for me to say, "Where are my crutches?" I then realized they were back in the art building bathroom. So, we went all the way back to the art building and ask some nice strangers to go into the bathroom to get them. Here's to the nice people of the world, thank you very much and one day if I see you struggling, I may very well help you in return.

Monica Takes a Nasty Spill

So, the inspiration for this blog came around about two weeks ago. I was going to class on my Razor scooter, and then within seconds was in pain writhing in pain. I heard that crunching that just about anyone who has broken a bone knows. It doesn't sound pretty. Thus, as I was on the floor attempting to get up, immediately fell over. My leg did one thing and my ankle did another. That's never good. You would think that in a heavily traveled area someone is bound to stop and help a crying girl on the side walk, this is not the case on the streets of Champaign. It wasn't until the call to my boyfriend had been made that someone came to help. Thanks to all the kids coming out of Illini Towers that didn't stop to help. As I made my way to the Champaign hospital and 2 mg of Morphine later, things started moving pretty quickly.

X- Ray time and the results are: A broken fibula and broken ankle in two places. Good question, how does one go about fixing this? One word. Surgery. The heart rate went up on that one. After a 15 lb plaster splint, and now 10 mg of Morphine later, it's time to go home.

Upon returning, I realized, how would I get my new jeans off over this cast? The answer: Have your roomie cut them off into shorts. Bye bye new jeans.

Monday Nov. 8.

Surgery time! After an an hour and a half of prep time and a sexy hospital gown, it's time to go under. About an hour and forty five later, I awake from surgery. Unable to feel my leg due to a nerve blocker, I make my way back to consciousness and am greeting with an apple juice box and graham crackers. Yummy.

Tuesday Nov. 9.

Wakey- wakey leg! It's time to feel the pain! But flowers from some people help throughout the day and make things better.

Wednesday Nov. 10.

Monica learns the importance of Vicodin and how to use it wisely. It does marvelous things.

Friday Nov. 12.

I make the adventure outside my house. To eat mexican food I go!

Monday Nov. 15.

One week after surgery. The plaster comes of and survey says: 30 staples in my leg!

Got a lovely purple cast to match the bruising on my foot. It looks delicious. It's time to go back to school, things are going to get interesting.

Tuesday Nov. 16.

You would think that if you saw a person in a wheel chair crossing the street, you would stop and let them cross, right? Apparently not the situation in Champaign. Almost got hit by 2 cars. It's just like every other day.

Wednesday Nov. 17.

Note to self: Saw dust on floor of art room= no no for crutches + a nasty spill.

This blog is dedicated to the daily struggles, mountains I must climb and stories I have to tell.

Airport security: Beware. I have a lot of hardware now. I'm not afraid to use it.