Fun with Firefighters

About two weeks ago, B and I went to the associate party at a fellow attorney's house. When we pulled up, some folks were standing outside and said we couldn't go in. We laughed and said whatever, and then they said, no really, you can't go in, the carbon monoxide detector is going off and the fire department is on the way. Sure enough, a big fire truck pulled up a few minutes later to check it out. They brought a full crew in a full size truck, and the guys let us explore it while a few went inside with the carbon monoxide meters. After a few minutes, they came out and gave us the all clear; the detector seemed to be malfunctioning. We then went inside and enjoyed the party.

Fast forward to Saturday afternoon at our own house. B went upstairs to take a nap, and I was watching Band of Brothers in the basement. Suddenly she called me up and said, the carbon monoxide detector in our bedroom is going off. I thought maybe she was playing a prank on me, as what are the odds of that happening twice in one weekend?!? However, it really WAS going off, and we weren't sure what to do. I changed the batteries but it kept beeping and telling us there was a carbon monoxide problem. B then called a non-emergency fire department number, and they said to call 911 and get out of the house. So, B called them and we went to sit on the front steps. And once again, we encountered a giant fire truck pulling up to a house! The guys were in full gear, and they went in to check it out. Also once again, the detector was malfunctioning - their meters read zero. Odd. I took the batteries out (the beeping drives Matty crazy), and decided to buy a new detector.

Now that we're back from our NY trip, I decided to try the old one again, just to be sure. Lo and behold, the stupid thing now works fine! I guess I can take the new detector back. I feel a little nervous that maybe I shouldn't risk it, but we have detectors on the main floor and in the basement as well, so I think we will be okay. I hope so anyway, two visits from the fire department is plenty for me - and I'm sure for our neighbors as well. :)

I could have sworn I was only 32...

When I was an athlete in high school (and even when I played intramurals in college), I never bothered with stretching or warm ups, and I never put much thought into cooling down either. I figured I felt great and that would never change. Stretching and all that other stuff was for old people, and I had better things to do. I also played sports for about two to four hours each day and never gave that a second thought either. I was young, in good shape, and felt great.

Fast forward to today - I'm only 32 and my body is falling apart! My right ankle is structurally unsound from all the sprains, and the tendon inside it is splitting. I demolished my right knee almost four years ago playing softball (tore the ACL, MCL, and both menisci), and that's never been the same. I had severe tendonitis in my right elbow during high school, and that still bothers me. My left elbow is super sore from - get this - carrying heavy bags on the train. How pathetic is that? And to top it all off, I'm pretty sure I have a pinched nerve in my lower back, as my back hurts and the pain runs down my left leg - a fiery sort of pain. My doctor wants me to have an MRI on my back, but I'm trying to save money for the house so that will probably have to wait a bit.

All these ailments make me look pretty funny from time to time. I have knee braces, elbow braces, and ankle braces. I have ice packs and heating pads, and lots of mineral ice. I wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and literally hobble to the bathroom, hunched over. Honestly, if someone didn't know better and couldn't see me, s/he might guess that I'm 82 rather than 32. Funny. Sad and funny. Good thing I at least have my youthful looks; no one ever guesses I'm even close to 30, let alone 32.

Anyway, looking back, I'm not sure if my lack of stretching and all the sports actually caused any of these ailments, but it's hard to imagine they didn't at least contribute to some of them. Overuse injuries in kids are becoming more and more common, and I was probably the queen of overuse when I was a kid. Overuse in combination with no stretching, etc. However, even if I could pinpoint all the childhood sports as the cause of my current condition, I'm not sure I would change a thing. I loved every moment of my athletic days! I guess my creaky old body is something I have to live with in exchange for the fun I had back then. Stretching once in a while probably wouldn't have hurt though - a lesson to pass on to my kids I suppose. As if they'll listen...and then the cycle will begin again! :)

In all seriousness though, I do recognize most of these things are not a laughing matter, especially my back. And I worry that I maybe inherited my mom's bones/joints, which means I will be in REALLY rough shape in 20 years (Mom - I mean that will all due respect. I hope you know that). I actually decided to really commit to losing weight via Weight Watchers because I recognized something had to change if I wanted to feel good in 10 years. My poor joints are in rough enough shape without all the extra weight to carry around. Plus, I figure being a lot lighter can help delay and decrease some of the genetic trouble I may encounter later. Even though the damage is already done, I don't have to worsen it by carrying extra pounds. Knowing the potential health consequences of being heavy makes my weight loss even that much sweeter - it's easier to stay on track when I have a concrete reason to do so. I hope I can keep that perspective as I continue on the journey, as it's a long one; a lifelong one really. I guess I have no choice but to stay the course, as I really want to be able to play catch with my kids in a few years or to walk when I'm 70. I don't want to feel like I'm 102 when I'm 52! I can only imagine what that might look like... :)

Rage Against...Everything?

I'm not sure what is going on with me lately, but little things irritate me to no end. Meaning, I'm getting furious over idiotic, daily life things. It's like I have 'roid rage, but without the steroids. Odd. Perhaps mildly justified (see below), but really, still out of proportion.

A few examples: I stopped at McDonalds the other day to pick up a hot fudge sundae for B, who wasn't feeling well. I wanted to do something nice for her; alas, McDonalds did not assist me. Why? Because apparently their idea of a hot fudge sundae is a squirt of chocolate on the bottom of the cup, a ton of vanilla ice cream, and then a drizzle of chocolate on top. And to make it worse, it had to be the slowest McDonalds ever. Honestly. So normally, this incident would leave me mildly irritated. Not last week though; I was seriously angry. So much so that I complained for a long time to B. And I think I twittered about it too. Whoa. Like I said, I think I had a right to be irritated, as I paid for something and didn't receive it, but come on - get a grip!

Another example: I grocery shop at Target a lot. I find the experience to usually suck, as they are normally out of many, many things, and their produce goes bad in approximately 3 minutes (okay, okay, more like four days). Plus, it's always overcrowded, and people drive their carts like they drive their cars - idiotically. One of my biggest pet peeves at Target is the cashiers. Usually, they are slow, and half the time they have no idea how to bag groceries. Sometimes they attempt to use all plastic bags without asking (when I'm shopping, I buy a lot of food - WW makes me eat at home a lot more). What, am I supposed to carry out 20 plastic bags? How does that make any sense? Another thing - they always try to put the fruit in with the cans, which greatly bruises the fruit (which then shortens its short life even further). And the other day, my cashier packed ALL of my cans in one bag. Hello moron! How am I supposed to carry that bag without having it break into several pieces in the parking lot? And he also forgot to use my coupons (after HE had pushed them to the side). When I mentioned that, he said I had to go to customer service if I wanted the credit. Now, it wasn't like I was going to be saving a lot, but it's the principle really. How can someone do their job so poorly??? I left Target feeling so angry that I actually vented to Karen on the phone. I swear I need daily Xanax or something...

One more example - I paid for a car wash tonight and the car wash failed to finish washing my car. I was in a hurry, so I asked the cashier if I could have my money back. He refused and said I could have a free wash, which meant having to go to the end of the line and waiting again...for a car wash that may or may not work. Again. I didn't have time, so I took the free wash and left in a huff, vowing to myself to never shop there again. Honestly, how can all these places be so craptastic? How can I learn to accept that I live in a mediocre, at best, world? Perhaps I need to seriously consider my xanax idea above...

Or maybe it's not totally me, and maybe we are just living in a world without customer service and without quality products, making me rightfully disgruntled, at least somewhat so. I don't remember things being so awful even five years ago. I'm not sure what is happening, but customer service seems to be completely dead. I really don't think it's too much to ask for decent service and a decent product when I'm SPENDING money on it. Come on people, get with the show! I also hate the argument that people don't want to work hard because they aren't paid well. Hello, I worked at Wal-Mart and Byerlys as a kid, and I busted my ass for my tiny wages. I guess some people just don't believe in working hard or even just doing a good job anymore either. Sad, but true. This is not to say that I don't believe in paying people livable wages. Obviously I know many people are paid horrifically, particularly teachers, but that is a post for another day. However, along with my belief that we should pay people better, I guess I just believe people should work hard and do their best too, no matter what their job is.

Unfortunately, I don't think the world is going to be changing any time soon, so I need to figure out how to implement an attitude adjustment if I don't want to be a raging bitch all of the time. I think lowering my expectations is a good place to start, and perhaps I need to reexamine where I choose to spend my money as well. I used to love Target, but it's not the same as it was even 5 years ago. Too much cost cutting has led to some horrible experiences, and they have changed their political priorities as well. Maybe it's time to shop elsewhere, though I refuse to go to Wal-Mart. Same goes for eating out - maybe I will only choose places that still value service and provide quality food. Might cost a bit more, but probably worth it.

Regardless of what I change, I know I have to do something. If I don't, I'll be the mad woman driving around screaming to myself in a Honda Civic...watch out world! :)