Counting Sheep

Disclaimer: This post will most likely be incoherent, babbling nonsense. Be warned.

I'd like a decent nights sleep. I haven't had one in well over a month. Make that years but you'll understand the month part in a second. I finished phase one of P90X last week. What's the one thing you always hear about working out? It helps you sleep better at night. Not so for me.

The first part of the night I sleep pretty well. At some point I wake up and it's over. I lay in bed listening to the sounds going on around me. Perhaps Jason is snoring. Murphy could be snuffling his bum. Occasionally I'll hear Colin's voice from across the hall. I don't go back to sleep for the rest of the night.

I've had issues with sleeping well at night for years. Throw kids into the mix, one snoring husband and I don't know what a decent nights sleep is like. Finally being almost consistent in working out I thought a change might happen. I'm being denied one of the best touted benefits in working out. No sleep.

I demand a refund on the sleep crap. If you find out who I can write too, I'll be over in the corner with my coffee.

Gym etiquette rant

Since I've been working at the gym I don't workout there as much. One thing I'm trying to do is continue with the spin classes. I took my first two last week and would very much like to continue. The first instructor said it takes a person a good six weeks before being comfortable with spin and this is going twice a week.

There is a spin class 6 days a week with some days having class twice a day. The only catch is getting there early enough for a bike. The room where it's located is small so the gym doesn't have nearly enough bikes for the demand. There is talk about relocating the spin room but there's always talk of something or another going on at the gym. Hell, there's a whole second floor the gym could utilize and they don't.

This morning I get to the gym 15-20 minutes early, drop Jake off, chat a few and head off towards the spin room. Every single bike was spoken for whether the person was physically in the building or not. I still don't understand how you can claim a bike for a person who isn't in the building. And the regulars are chatting it up like they own the place. Wait, they think they do because it's their class and fuck the newbies.

I hop on the treadmill only to notice a mom/instructor head off towards the spin room. She was going towards daycare with her boys while I headed out into the gym for the class. Apparently she claimed a bike before dropping her kids off. I don't understand how a person can justify this. I was ready for class walking into the room whereas she wasn't. I could have had the bike she claimed if she didn't stop off first with her boys.

Gee, just because you've been at the gym longer then me or the next new person or you teach a class here and there doesn't mean you can piss all over anyone trying a class for the first time. Or third. Have a bit of respect for those challenging themselves or getting healthy. We all start out new at one time or another.

Why go to the gym

if you're not going to break a sweat?

I know I'm far from the last person in noticing this phenomena with certain gym visitors. There is one person who looks perfect but actually kicks ass in her workouts. The perfect hair, perfect gym clothes and doesn't break a fucking sweat. Only I've seen her lift so I know she's in shape.

This morning someone was talking on their cellphone while using the elliptical. Half the time I refuse to use mine while sitting outside because of the sweat so I can only imagine how lovely hers would have been if she actually got a workout. Others have full on normal conversations without pausing for breaths or sweating buckets. I don't understand why they even bother. My neighbor calls them cheerleaders for wanting to look good without effort. They are also the same ones who usually have make-up.

Me? I'm red faced and sweating 10 minutes into my cardio. By the end of my hour, my t-shirt is damp, my hair is damp and I've been sweating in places you didn't think you could sweat. One of these days I may actually get a kick-ass workout without being drenched but it won't happen without sweating a shitload in the meantime.

I want a healthy household please

I got a call about Jake throwing up after his nap on Wednesday which meant Jason or I needed to pick up him. After getting an earlier phone call about his general clinginess in the morning I called for an appointment. Helps I knew he already had HF&M so we just needed the confirmation.

The diagnosis? Double ear infections, strep throat and HF&M. For a child being this sick he spent the rest of the day on Wednesday running around like a banshee. Yesterday was pretty much the same only he was more pissed off in not getting allowed to play outside. The neighborhood didn't need a HF&M infestation going on.

On a wetter note, we got bombarded with water during our fire drill this morning. So woefully under prepared for this annual event. Bear pulled the alarm for our monthly fire drill with a giggle. The trucks were waiting for the kids by the fence to all line up before the onslaught began. No water balloons on our part. No water guns. Nothing but soaking wet kids who enjoyed the hell out of themselves.

Ow, my aching back. Or how I love my physical terrorist.

In the ongoing saga of my back the latest chapter started on Saturday as I got J out of his crib. The slight turn to the left shifted my spine. Don't ask for I couldn't even tell you exactly what happened. I didn't think much as I finished getting everyone ready for the Easter Egg hunt. A few hours later saw me hobbling around the house everytime I stood up from the couch or chair.

My back hasn't hurt this much in many years. Even with the car accident I never had a time where I couldn't put my full weight on either leg. This time everything is different. My back didn't go out on some type of bending move. There are times where I can't put my full weight on my left leg. Oh, and the L3 is acting up again. This disc is the start of my back problems from the tender age of 11.

Fortunately I already had an appointment with my physical terrorist this morning. The moment she saw me bracing myself in getting up from the chair she knew something happened. Since I've been going to her this is the first time my back's gone out. Barb knows my history and knows how the past year has seen a difference in how things go out of whack. She actually experienced what my back does when the shit hits the proverbial fan. So much so, I'm seeing her again on Wednesday. We've been okay with my going in every other week for the time being. I've been there, done that with physical therapy since the car accident and the workouts I'm currently doing have increased my flexibility through my lower back and hips.

At one point, I told Barb I'd considered calling Dr. M. so he could see the difference. Since I'm relatively new in his practice I wasn't sure how they handled same day phone calls along the lines of 'I'm in serious fucking pain without any good drugs see me now!' Back in Atlanta this wouldn't have been a problem. Here in the neighborhood this side of hell, it's slightly different. Dr. M. considers Barb to be a saint with regards to physical therapy and uses her as a second opinion. I know this morning she'll go into detail for him which is why I held back in making a phone call.

Dr. M. and I have talked quite a bit about how my back has changed from the car accident and having three kids. J really screwed me up in so many ways from how I carried him. I went through two pregnancies with normal aches one experiences. This is highly unusual considering the soft tissue damage, bulging disc and squashed vertebrae, 8 mths of physical therapy and one cortisone shot in the disc I received from the car accident. When I first got pregnant with B, my doctor in Atlanta didn't sugar coat what I could go through while pregnant. Everyone was surprised when pregnancy helped me even though it was a slight possibility. Love pregnancy hormones.

Anyways, this past year my pain has evolved and so does how I get said pain: no warning. I appreciate being in physical therapy but I can't help but feel surgery is in my future. Dr. M. isn't one for surgery being the first option. I appreciate this, truly I do because I'm not exactly looking forward to my spine being tinkered with. Only, I don't know how it can be avoided for much longer especially considering the bone compression I have going on. Oh well. At least I have tender, pain giving hands with my physical terrorist.