I can't even describe this mess...

Well, it's not been two posts in a week, but not nearly as long of a hiatus as last time.

Last time I dusted off the portal to this blog, I was saying that I was hoping that 48 was a better  year than 47.  After having accomplished my 48th journey around the sun, I was kinda feeling like this year was going to keep ramping up into something great.  Mother Nature was finally cooperating and I was getting some rides in, I was getting up and riding with Eric in the mornings, and mostly I wasn't injured.  Things were looking up!

The weekend before the 4th of July was a normal weekend here around NSS HQ.  A little work at the store, a little yard work,  a little MTB ride before an afternoon thunderstorm shut things down for the day.  Little did I know, that MTB ride might be my last of the year and the thunderstorm that ended that ride might have ended my riding for the year as well!

The next morning, my Lovely and I got up early as we usually do, had a little coffee and played a little Yahtzee (I am 48 years old for chrissakes) waiting for the hardware store to open so we could run a couple errands.  On our way to the hardware store, we had a load of branches from the previously mentioned yard work to drop off at the yard waste bins at the baseball fields.

We got there and found an empty dumpster, unloaded the branches, and were pulling out to head to the hardware store when my Lovely and I notice this little, old lady trying to push a bag of yard waste up and over the dumpster.  Since the dumpster was about a foot taller than she was, she was struggling.  As my Lovely started to say, "Do you think she needs some help?" I was already shifting the Pequod into park and jumping out to run over and help her.

I sprinted (at least as fast as I can sprint) over to her and just as I got there, I felt the ground give way.  I was sliding on a blanket of leaves, pine needles, twigs and small branches over a sheen of mud on the asphalt.  Everything was lubricated well from the previous evening's rain.  As I was sliding down, I put my hand out and shoved the lady's bag into the dumpster and then I hit the ground.  As I was going down I felt a big *POP* in my left knee above my kneecap.  I looked down and saw my flesh all sucked down into what appeared to be a hole inside my leg.  I thought I might have broken it.  My Lovely rushed over and helped me up, I hobbled back to the car and we drove home. At least I got her bag in the dumpster and didn't take her out when I went down.

Looking like it was about to give birth.

My Lovely had a meeting in the early afternoon, so I said I'd lie down in bed and see if it felt better in a little bit.  If it didn't by the time she was done at her meeting we'd go to urgent care.

Well, when she before she even got home I knew we needed to go.  My knee was starting to look like a water balloon.  Off to the orthopedic urgent care we went.  Long story short, the nice doctor that saw me said that she thought I had a full thickness quad tendon tear, but we'd have to have an MRI ASAP to verify this.  With the long holiday weekend looming, time wasn't on my side.

My new hardware.

An MRI the next day did verify the full tear of the tendon.  Shit.  When they called me back with the results, they said I could get in for surgery on Monday.  Ummm, nope, that won't work I explained to them.  I am self-employed and we have an open house at the store this next weekend.  If it could wait until the following Monday, that would be ideal I explained.  I could hear the person on the other end of the phone shake their head.  "Time is of the essence with his surgery," she explained.  "With the brace on you'll be able to stand and do work for your open house." Well, kick-ass! In the words of that stupid fucking comedian, "Let's get 'er done!"

This website lied to me...

I looked my surgery up on a medical website.  Ah, that's not too bad I thought.  It said people can be down from it for a few months up to a year.  Shit, I am a PT PRO, so I won't have any problems!

Monday finally came and I got to have my surgery done.  Ummm, what the hell?  I didn't ask for a fucking zipper to be installed on my knee.  I mean, shit, I realize that I have had some accidents recently, but no need to put a quick access on my knee, is there?  Obviously, the surgery was a little bit bigger than my findings alluded to.  Crap.  If I get to ride my bike again before the end of

I'm still looking for the YKK symbol on here.

2019, I'll be stoked.

So, maybe it's not the 48th year that is going to be a better one, maybe it's the 49th.  Yeah.  49.  That is the square of 7.  Thats gotta be good luck, right?