the tragedy of an amateur snowboarder, part 2

After getting settled in at my new apartment in Reno and getting the hang of things at work, I finally got around to going snowboarding. At first I had planned on buying a board to use again next year, but then decided to rent one more time to make sure I really wanted to spend the money on one. Good decision. On March 11, I bundled up, packed my gear, and drove the short distance to Mount Rose. I'd found a ski shop at the bottom of the mountain to rent a board from, since it was cheaper than renting from the resort. Also, Thursdays being "Ladies Day" at Mt. Rose, I got a discount on my lift ticket. (I'm trying to look on the bright side here - at least I didn't spend much money to break my body. Beforehand anyway.)

Most of the day was pretty uneventful. I went alone, so just listened to music on my ipod and mostly stuck to the green slopes. I did ok, but for some reason had a really hard time getting off the lift. Especially when the ski instructors asked me to ride up with the "Rosebuds" (very small children on skis). It does not do great things for your self-esteem to ride up a ski lift sitting in-between a 5 year old and a 6 year old, watch them zoom off gracefully upon reaching the top, and promptly fall flat on your face. Oh well, it probably made those kids' day. It really was a perfect day to go - sunny, clear, not too cold or windy, and the snow was great. By the end of the day I was getting bored and wanted to do a couple of longer runs before going home. So I hopped on the lift to the top of the mountain, to the blue slopes. What I didn't realize was that in addition to being a little bored, I was also very tired. And not paying much attention to what I was doing. Anyway, shortly after I started the run I was shifting from the heel edge to the toe edge of the board and lost my balance. As Jonathan later said, I apparently tend to hurt myself in the most unimpressive ways. I mean, when people ask me how I hurt my leg I say "snowboarding," and they act all impressed, like I was doing a flip off a half-pipe or something. When really, I basically just fell over while going very slowly in a straight line. Lame. All of a sudden I found myself on my face (again), with the board bending my feet up at a very sharp angle towards my shins, and excruciating pain shooting up my feet throughout my entire body. That's when I started screaming. When I'm hurt, I scream. I don't cry or cuss, I just scream. I think it freaks people out. This nice lady on skis came over after I stopped screaming and tried to help. Our conversation went something like this:

Nice Lady: "Are you ok??"

Me: "Um, I don't know yet." (breathing heavily and starting to shake)

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Oh, just give me a minute. I need to get my board off." (For some reason, I thought that if I got the board off, my feet would be ok. I got it off, and they felt worse).

"Do you think you can get back down the mountain, or should I get one of the first aid guys?"

"Just a minute. I think I can do it. I just need to rest first." (meanwhile both feet were swelling up at an astonishing rate)

"Well, I'll stay with you til you're ready and then help you get down the easiest way, ok?"

After a few minutes of sitting there trying to convince myself that I was fine and it was just a sprain, I strapped the board back on and stood up. And immediately fell over. And maybe screamed a little bit more.

"I (pant, pant) don't think I can do it."

Nice Lady then flagged down one of the first aid guys, who in my opinion had very little medical knowledge. His name was Hans, or Lars, or something, and he had a thick German accent.

Hans: "What happened?"

Me: "I hurt my ankles."

"Which one?"

"Um, I think both of them."

"So, the right ankle?"

"No, both ankles."

He asked me a few more questions, then started talking into his walkie-talkie. "I have a 24-year old female with a sprained right ankle at the top of the Northwest Magnum. I need a sled."

I really did not want to ride the sled down the mountain, but didn't exactly have a choice at this point. Another first aid guy drove up in a snowmobile carting a sled and the 2 of them got me into it and mummy-wrapped me in velcro straps. First Aid Guy # 2 started pulling me behind him on his skis, while Hans took my board down on the snowmobile, and everyone else on the mountain stared. So in addition to being in terrible pain, I was claustrophobic and self-conscious, and also a little bit in shock I think. After I got over the fact that everyone was staring at me, all I could really think was, "Get down mountain, get home, get in bed, prop up feet, then everything will be ok."

to be continued...

the tragedy of an amateur snowboarder, part 1

Well, it's been over a month since the bone-shattering event that interrupted my tidy little life plans, and I've been told that it's time to tell the tale. A certain friend has said on multiple occasions that anything is worth a good blog story. We shall see. To begin, a little background information:

When I started travel nursing back in October, the first job I got was in Colorado. I was a little nervous about spending the winter in the midst of so much snow and ice, but was excited to learn how to snowboard. During my childhood in Texas, the closest thing to snow sports I ever experienced was to "sled" down Grandma's wheelchair ramp after a night of freezing rain. My family stopped taking ski trips to Colorado when I was 2, and I always wished that I had learned how to ski. We did, however, spend almost every summer at some lake or another tubing and water skiing, so I really wasn't that deprived. When I was 16 I switched from water skiing to wakeboarding and never went back. I never was spectacular on a wakeboard, but I could do it well enough to have a good time. Since I enjoyed it so much more than water skiing, I figured I'd feel the same way about snowboarding and snow skiing. So, when I headed out to Eldora ski resort in Colorado last December, I decided to take the snowboarding class. I learned how to get down the green slopes without killing myself, and over the next 2 months went out every week or so. The first time I tried a blue slope, I sprained my wrist. That was a big red flag I should have paid more attention to. But no, I just took some ibuprofen, slapped on a wrist splint and kept trying. By the end of my Colorado assignment I could spend a day on the slopes, have a good time, and walk away without being covered in bruises. Satisfied with my first traveling experience, I got ready for my next assignment in Reno, Nevada.

to be continued...

back in magnolia...

snowboarding is lots of fun. i'm just not very good at it. i sprained one ankle and fractured the other a couple of weeks ago. so now i am jobless, homeless, and somewhat legless. the good news is, my family has an overabundance of wheelchairs. and a twisted sense of humor.

pictures at Mount Rose

these are a few pictures i took at Mount Rose the other day, during my last snowboarding adventure of the season.

and this is why i won't be snowboarding again for awhile

three-grain apple cinnamon granola

after my friend Katrina posted a recipe for chocolate granola on her blog awhile back, i wanted to try making cereal. i found this recipe in my cookbook. it's yummy, so i thought i'd share. and i like taking pictures of food.

preheat the oven to 300. i cut way down on the baking times, because the first time i made this recipe the cereal tasted burnt.

combine on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes:

2 cups oats

1 cup barley flakes

1 cup rye flakes

add 2 cups chopped walnuts,

1/2 cup wheat germ,

and 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, and bake for another 5 minutes

add 1/2 cup dry milk powder (optional) and 1 tablespoon cinnamon

heat, stirring, until blended:

1/2 to 2/3 cup honey

1/2 cup oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

add the oil mixture to the dry mixture and stir until coated. spread on the baking sheet and bake, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.

stir in 1 cup chopped dry apples, and 1/2 cup raisins

let cool, then store in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 month