What did the doctor say???

I've gotten this question over and over, so I will post it for all to see, rather than calling everyone individually.

If you don't know the story behind this, here you go:

My first time skiing.

Vanessa and I went on a Christian Singles Retreat a couple of years ago, and one of the activities they had wa snow skiing and snowboarding. I'd never been snow skiing, and I was a little apprehensive about it (I mean, I'd been water skiing before, but how were they going to get a boat up the mountain?). But, a few inspirational words from Vanessa, and I donned my snowsuit, and walked my skis and poles to the "Bunny Hill." Our instructor spent the next two hours teaching us to "ski." Actually, he just gave us mental images and pushed us down a hill. If we wanted to slow down, we should "picture" our skis as a slice of pizza, and point the tips together slowly, to slow us down. If we wanted to go faster, we should "picture" out skis as french fries, and point them straight ahead, parallel to each other. So we'd get instructions like, "Pizza, French Fries...ok, Pizza, PIZZA PIZZA PIZZA." followed usually by a CRASH as one of us hit the ground. Vanessa did a great job, and was skiing without much effort, while the rest of us wished we were eating, rather than "picturing" pizza and french fries.
Eventually, we made it. Well, we weren't skiing...we were, what I like to call, "not falling down as much," and the instructor guy decided that was a good time to take us to our first "easy hill." "Hill" is a funny word. To me, the word means a gently sloping land mass, not rising much more than ten or twenty feet at it's peak, and sloping down at a 50 to 25-degree angle until reaching to bottom (with close to a quarter-mile radius). "Hill" to my instructor was different.
The first thing you learn about skiing on the real hills, is how to ride a charlift. A chairlift is a nice little seat attached to a wire that carries you up a mountain to the top of a particular ski slope, and drops you off. THIS WAY, you are forced to ski (or find some alternate means of getting) down the "hill" or mountain. If it's your first time skiing...DO NOT RIDE THE CHAIRLIFT!!! You WILL have to find your own way down, and gravity is NOT your friend on this trip.
Back to our group, we rode the chairlift to the top of the "easy hill" and followed our instructor's directions on how to get off without falling flat on our faces. We did that without a hitch. Some people skied right off the lift, whil others stepped off. Then all of the beginners started making their way down the "hill." They'd go for a little bit, then slow to a stop at a pre designated point. The plan was to start and stop as a group all the way down the "hill."
BUT!!!
When I tried to slow to a stop after initally starting down the hill, I found that "picturing" the pizza wasn't working. Not only wasn't I slowing to a stop, but I was picking up speed as I moved down the "hill." I tried again and again to bring my toes together to make a wedge out of my skis - to no avail! I just kept picking up speed. This whole time, I was looking at my feet, tryig to make a "V" out of them...but then I looked ahead and saw them...PEOPLE. I had forgotten that there were other people on this "hill." Unable to slow myself, I began leaning and pushing my weight to one side or another in a desparate atempt to not hit anyone else. Amazingly, by the Grace of God, I missed every person on the way down. I'm sure to the casual observer, I looked like James Bond escaping from goons on skis the way I weaved in and out of groups of people. And remember, the whole time, I was picking up speed. PICKING UP SPEED!
When I got to the bottom of the hill, I felt relieved that this ride would be over soon...and then I saw them...PEOPLE, more people, and all of them in a line to get on the chairlift. There would be no way to weave in or out, as they were heel-to-toe in a straight line. I began to panic, I was going way to fast, and the pizza thing wasn't working. It was either stop somehow, or mow these people down like a renegade bowling ball. So I thought to myself (and this was totally the WRONG thing to think, I know) "How have I seen people in the movies stop themselves?" Answer: They turn their skis sideways and stop immediately. So that's what I did.
I lurched my body so all my weight was in the air, then turned my skis perpindicular to the direction I was just going in. Then my weight came down, and I stopped, just like in the movies! Well, I stopped, but not like in the movies. You see, I was going at about 90 mph when I thought up this little plan to stop myself. So, I jumped, turned, and planted my feet at 90 mph. My left leg did just what it was supposed to, it stopped right in it's tracks. The next thing I remember, was the world spinning, because even though my left leg stopped, that 80 mile-an-hour momentum made the rest of my body keep going, and since my left leg was firmly planted...the rest of me flipped over it. If you've never had your ear touch the side of your thigh, I don't reccommend it. When it was all over and done, I laid on the ground, unable to feel anyhting, but glad that I had "save the lives of countless hundreds" in line for the lift.
About two minutes later, our ski instructor skied up to me. He asked me if I knew how fast I had been going, and I said no. He then told me that HE was going 80 mph, and it took him 2 minutes to catch me, so I was going at least that fast, if not faster.
I did a self-assesment of my body for injury, and found that my left leg hurt...A LOT! I asked the instructor to remove my skis, carefully, and then laid there while continuing to feel my body for injury. After a few minutes, The rest of the class made their way down the "hill" and Vanessa came to my side. I decided it was time to try to stand, and with the use of both ski poles, I could, but I had to lean on my right leg. We had to get me to the lodge, and I could limp, so it wasn't that bad. But, I haven't gone snow skiing since. It's too bad, becuase I'm going to a land renound for ski slopes this year.

Anyway, that's the history of why I have had leg problems...and as a promise, I went to the doctor (again, two years later) to get it looked at.
So, I went in to the X-ray tech, got my x-rays done on New Year's Eve Eve, and they told me to come back in a week to get the official word, because the doctor was on leave. They have nurses and assistants that can take the X-rays, but those same people who probably know more about the whole system, can't officially look at the X-rays and tell you what's wrong. They have to have a doctor do that. That's your tax dollars at work, folks.

So, there's really no news. The doctor should be able to tell me more on Friday. You'll have to hold on until then.

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HAPPY 2007!

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I adore Vanessa's New Year's Resolution! I hope we can both stick to ours. It's only the second day, and I don't miss it like I thought I would...but then again, I haven't had to work these past two days either. We'll see how tomorrow goes. One Day At A Time...





ULI

Happy New Year!

2007 is just about here, and for most of you, it already is!

I hope everyone is blessed this year, as I plan to be:
4 more months until I get to see Vanessa,
In 3 more, we'll be man & wife.
I'll also get to see my family again in July.
I "should" be out of debt by then as well.
I'll be living in Germany, the land of my forefathers,
With access to my Mother's ancestral home (Spain).
And I continue to get paid to do a job I like.

I hope you have more reasons to celebrate a new year.

My New Year's Resolution:
QUIT SMOKING! My Father is going to quit, and to show solidarity, I am quitting with him. I really hope we can both do this one. In years past, I have heard him make the same resolution, and within a day or two, we were both puffing away again, so this time, I really pray it works.

So, that brings me to this question, for you my readers...

WHAT IS YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOULTION?
Post it in the comments section!


See you soon!

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ULI