I LIVE!(?)

I've been trying to recover from a shoulder injury for the last 2 months. What I originally thought was a rotator cuff injury seems to be more of a shoulder inpingement (a diagnosis from a top notch medical student). As a result, I've climbed very little since November - a top rope here or there, a boulder problem with easy moves occasionally, etc etc. Nothing really at my top level.

This week I went to my original climbing stomping ground - the Outback Climbing Center at UCSD. It is the womb of my climbing self - that is where I discovered my love for climbing. That's where I found new friends, a new outlook on life and new strengths - literally. Tonight, that is where I went to experience my rebirth as a phoenix.

I started off easy with a bunch of 5.6 climbs and steadily worked my way up. I took long breaks between problems, drank plenty of fluids and stretched my shoulder VERY well. At the first sign of pain, I would back off - that was my plan. By the end of tonight, I was cranking on other people's projects. My shoulder feels a little stiff at the moment so I took some NSAIDs (ibuprofen) to keep any potential swelling down. Can't say I'm 100%, but it feels damn good to know that I'm starting to recover.

Now onto some sillier stuff:

Has anyone wondered if the reason why Vader was making that raspy breathing noise is because his breath filter was clogged and needed to be changed? I do.

They say you learn something new everyday:

Your toxic post-"completely drunk off my ass so badly that I decided to make out with the toilet" breath has some levels of formaldehyde (sp?) in it. Apparently, while you're suffering from the worst hang over in your life, you're also spewing the same chemical that they preserve cadavers in. This from a medical doctor (not the student - an actual doctor).

Yummy.