Javaun's Ramblings

Poised to strike.

Near miss. Not quite the same as stalking the feather toy.

Attempting to reacquire the target.

Escape. Intent on self-immolation, the hunted eludes its hunter.

So today, I’m sitting on the couch watching Off Road to Athens and eating a salad. Disclaimer: I’m not normally this big of a slob, but I happened to be reclined with my leg up.

As I get up, a spinach leaf tumbles off my shirt. It must’ve been there for a while and I didn’t notice because… TA DA, I was wearing camo!

This is fantastic! How about camo for all kinds of situations, like dress shirts that have ink stain or coffee ring patterns. 

Notice how the foliage blends into the natural curves in the tshirt…

Note: This is a dramatic re-enactment of the actual event

Matt’s artificial whitewater course is about to launch! Matt, Kiki, and the 4 kids moved up to western Maryland back in August, and I can’t believe how long it’s been. I think I miss those two more than anyone else.

Matt was featured on channel 9 news in DC. He’s so cool and articulate.

Article and video here

I got out of the house last night and needed to go no further than my neighborhood to see Marc Hirsh, Forrest, and Mark Baldwin.  I’m starting to realize how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many great people who tolerate all my quirks and inconsistencies.

Molly dropped by to see me for coffee today, which made my morning. She also dropped off a bunch of cycling (and zombie) movies. Aimee and Robb came by for a visit tonight and we chatted for an hour. Again, great people.

From there, they dropped me off (around the corner) at Fellini’s, where I met Jono, David and Artur Sagat, Mike Harris and Matt from Atlanta Cycling. I’ve known the Sagat’s since they were barely teenagers tearing up the junior divisions. Obviously, Mike and Jono and I go back years. It’s like we grew up together here. We talked about all the great times we’ve shared riding, all the shared experiences from some very memorably GAP and 24 hour races, and all the people we’ve known and where they’ve gone. We’re laughing like idiots and they’re watching me practice my “crutch stand” techniques.

Ed Moredith was actually in town and seated at the table next to us! And Mike Kotzen came walking by with his dogs.

I have all the best people right here at the streetcorner, and I don’t often think I appreciate enough. Got Eddie O a phone call away. On top of that, I have Blaine and Scott constantly calling to see how I’m doing (and make fun of me.). I don’t think I could be any luckier than I am now.

The recurring nightmare theme I’ve had is that I do something to sabotage my recovery: get my cast wet, fall, or forget that I have a broken ankle and walk on the cast.

Today was especially freaky. I woke up to the smell of smoke: specifically, the unmistakable smell of burning wood. I got up, grabbed my phone and keys, and started checking out the usual suspects: the outlets, the kitchen, etc. I wasn’t freaking out but was more than highly concerned. If I had any time to grab something, what would I grab? How would I get myself and the cat out of the house? What would I do if the stairway was impassable? Throw myself out the window?

We’d had electrical problems before, and I paid special attention to the outlets. I went outside and milled around. My sense of smell is so bad that I couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from.  

Since Molly was on her way over, I asked her if she’d mind looking around the neighborhood to see if there was an impending fire. Her sense of smell is unreliable too, but she’d heard on the radio about how the shifting winds brought smoke from the fires on the Georgia/Florida border to Atlanta. Apparently, the whole city is under a blanket of smoke.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WEATHER/05/22/wildfires.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest

My parents were gracious enough to come down and stay with me for the first week. Jen had to leave for DC, so without my parents, I would’ve been on my own. 

By the end of the week, I was able to make very short trips out of the house. I’m actually fine with the crutches, but my leg has to be constantly elevated or it swells immensely. My cast must weight 6 lbs, and the weight of it also cuts off my circulation. Can’t wait to get my new cast on Thursday.

Revvy commandeered my parent’s foldable chair. She’s actually still sleeping in it now.

 
Jeff and Louis at Dr. Bombay’s, right before he passed out.

At my dad’s friend’s house.

World’s biggest dog looking at the world’s smallest dog

Big Dog wants to know what’s going on…

Just in case you missed this:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10283518

We noticed a few days ago that the bulbous cast on my chicken leg looks suspiciously like a celebrity appendage.

I have been eating a lot of spinach.

I’m getting around really well, though technically I’m not supposed to be up for more than a few minutes each hour. I feel really good whenever I get up, though I can feel the blood pooling in my ankle, which means it’s time to sit back down. Still, the lack of activity is killing me.

I’ve already watched ROAM at least 3 times in two days.

I get up to go to the bathroom, go to the kitchen, and then back to the couch. When I need to carry something with me, the dilemma is whether to give up a crutch arm and hop, or carry the object in my mouth.