Blog Reboot #1

So, I'm baaaaack!

My last post was nearly 4 years ago. Crazy to think about how much can happen in a few years' time. What's been up in my life?

Well, I'm counting down the days till I finish my 5th full year of teaching.

The last 2 years have been hellish. Being split between 2 schools is no picnic. I drive to work at the first school, teach a period of science, run upstairs in the 5 minute passing period, teach french, hop in my car and drive to the 2nd school and teach one more class of french and 2 more classes science (a different science than the first science). This is my last year of having a schedule quite this crappy, but I'll still be split next year. What joy is mine... Needless to say, I've been sick quite a lot this school year. Which brings me to my next event:

 I've gone to the emergency room for the first time since I was a child. When I was a kid, my dad pulled my arm out of its socket and they had to get a tutorial on how to pop it back in. Good thing the parents did learn as it popped out again. I got lucky enough to go to the emergency room a few months ago. I caught what I think was a virus that affects the digestive system. I started upchucking every 4-5 minutes until I had only bile and blood left or just dry heaves. After a couple hours of this, the hubby decided he needed to get me to the emergency. I slooooowly get myself dressed with his help and get to the door and then it hits. Shit. Literal shit. I literally had nothing left coming out of either end at this point. I had to hobble to the nearest bathroom and peel off my clothes and throw it in the tub and try and clean myself up as best as I could. Then, we finally get on the road with my bucket in tow. It was nearby thankfully, and 2 liters of fluids later, some zofran (BEST GODDAMN MEDICINE EVER!) to stop dry heaving, and 500 dollars later I was on the mend. I was weak and exhausted for 2 more days. Let's not do that again, mmmmkay? Thankfully, I've been pretty darn healthy except for dysmenorrhea, which brings me to my next event:

I've decided to go off birth control. I've been on it since 17 years old due to having severe flu-like symptoms (the d-word) with my period. Since that was 12 years ago, I don't know what it's like anymore to not be on it. It was wonderful. It cleared up my acne, made me have super light periods, and absolutely annihilated any flu-like symptoms. I didn't have any ill effects for many years. But now, I'm thinking it's keeping me from being able to lose weight and has reduced my sex drive to almost nil. Well, I won't know till I try and I'm super curious to see if I still have dysmenorrhea, if I do have a libido hidden somewhere, and if I can lose weight. Speaking of losing weight:

I'm a rower. Not really to lose weight, but it'd be nice. I love it, but it's f***in HARD. Holy crap. It's amazing how horrible it can make you feel and yet how you keep going back. Let me explain.Yes, it's the rowing where the people sit in long narrow boats with seats that move back and forth as they row. I started last June and it was all fun and games during "Learn to Row" or LTR. Those were the days you just tried not to tip over and were trying to find the water with your oar at somewhat the same time as everyone else, all the while failing miserably I might add. Then came "sweep and scull" or SAS where you think you're really getting the hang of it and then the coach finally thinks you're good enough to hear all of the things you're doing wrong all at once as they yell at you from the "launch", with you just hoping you'll hear a compliment someday. "Stop cracking your wrist, you're opening your back too soon, you're looking soft, catch together, straight up and down the hull, don't dive at the catch". Then, you sign up to race. You attempt to prepare for said race. You start the race with jitters and adrenaline with your teammates and then you're off! Down the course. Only 1000 meters. And then you get to 500 meters and you feel like you're literally going to die. You.can't.get.your.breath. You.feel.like.you're.made.of.lead. You have absolutely no idea how you're going to finish without risking heart attack. And then ages (2 minutes) later you finish and sag on your oar and attempt to breathe. An hour later, you decide you should do it again at the next regatta, because you're insane and it just didn't seem that bad afterwards. Then, you get to ASS, yes ASS (Advance Sweep and Scull). The intensity increases, your technique is always off, some days are awful, some days the boat is jerking side to side and you leave depressed. But some days, some brief moments, you hear the bubbles under the boat, as everyone moves in unison just for 1 or 2 strokes. You feel like one long, single organism. You feel the boat float along seemingly without effort. And, then you take another stroke and it all goes to crap again. But it was so magical, you keep rowing hoping it'll happen again. *sigh* That's rowing for ya. Now I bet you all wanna try right? 

I've been honest enough for today. Later!