IMHO: Don't Tear Your Achilles Tendon

It isn't worth it.

Really, there's almost no upside that I've been able to see so far.

Day 1: Tues, Sept 25
I tore an Achilles tendon a couple weeks ago on a work trip to the SF Bay area.
As is apparently the norm for these injuries, I was playing basketball when it happened.

Funny thing is, I had a feeling beforehand that I shouldn't play.
Didn't have my basketball shoes or ankle braces that I'd normally wear, and it just didn't feel right.

Well, ten minutes into the game, I was playing well and then, when going after a rebound, I suddenly felt like someone had kicked me in the Achilles as hard as they could. Searing pain and an inability to put any pressure on the ball of my foot were what got me worried immediately about a ruptured Achilles, but I hoped it was just a really bad sprained ankle. I really, really, really hoped.

On the night of the injury;
yes, that's a McDonalds to-go bag filled with ice.

Day 2: Wed, Sept 26
The leg continued to hurt like crazy the next day, and I couldn't walk very well on it. However, since we were on the business trip, we still went to the client site and I just hobbled around.

Hobbling through the airport was not too fun, but I was happy to be getting home where I could rest easier and get it checked by a doctor if it didn't feel better after a few days.

Next evening, back in SLC

Day 3: Thurs, Sept 27
My family had a few Bledsoe boots laying around from high school injuries, so I used one of those to be able to get around and function semi-normally. Driving my car was impossible, since it's a manual transmission, but my dad was kind enough to lend me his auto transmission car for a little while.

Day 7: Mon, Oct 1
Unfortunately, my walking ability hadn't improved after a week of that, so I figured it was time to visit an orthopedic specialist.

The docs at TOSH were booked through November, but they referred me their colleague, Dr Spencer Richards, at Intermountain Healthcare's Sports Medicine Specialists Group up in Bountiful, UT.

Fortunately, he could fit me in for an appointment the next day.

Day 8: Tues, Oct 2
Dr Richards was very friendly and easy to talk with, and he used an ultrasound to see clearly that my Achilles tendon had fully ruptured.

Let's just say the big black gap in the middle is a bad thing

Since Dr Richards doesn't do too many reconstruction operations, he referred me to Dr Troy Gorman at LDS Hospital, who has lots of experience and could probably fit me into the operating schedule soon.

Day 9: Wed, Oct 3
Wearing my Bledsoe boot, I hobbled into Dr Gorman's office, and he was able to quickly agree with Dr Richards' conclusion. Just to be sure no bone fragment had been ripped from my heel when the tendon tore, he took some xrays of my ankle. Thankfully, my heel was perfectly intact.

Things seemed to be moving very quickly at this point, and Dr Gorman said he could fit me in for surgery the next day. Yikes. I was a little nervous, but I knew it needed to be done and that I'd rather do it sooner than later, so he added me to the operating schedule and I spread the word to family, friends, and work.

Day 10: Thurs, Oct 4
My mom gave me a ride to LDS hospital bright and early. I checked in, filled out the necessary paper work, and got into this super awesome patient get-up. One nicety is that they let you wear your own underoos plus those pants, so your derriere isn't open to the world in the back of the smock. It's all about the small victories, right?

I kept the other sock, too, so I'd have a matching pair after.

As for pain management during the operation, they used both a nerve blocker and a general anesthetic, so I didn't feel anything and I couldn't even move my leg to cause any complications. I'm glad they did, because it would have been weird to be awake for the 1-1.5 hr surgery.

I don't like needles, but this one was absolutely necessary.

Afterwards, I was in the post-anesthesia room for a bit, and then my mom and I got to hang out in a private recovery room for maybe 30-45 mins. When I felt ready, they wheeled me down to the front doors, put me in the car, and let my mom take me home.

Yes, I was groggy at this point, but aware enough to ask my mom to take a picture haha

I know I've still got a lot of healing and then rehab ahead, but I'm glad to be on my way to recovery. And I'm grateful to all who have helped so far as well as those who will help in the future.

You can bet there will be updates and further posts in this 4-6 month long road to full health.

Say It Ain't So! [MCA, Maurice Sendak, Utah Jazz]

It's been a rough couple days.

We lost two legends, one each from the music and literature fields.
In addition, my NBA team got swept out of the playoffs. Boo.

MCA (aka Adam Yauch)

As one of the three Beastie Boys, MCA made a huge impact on the world of hip-hop music. I still remember listening to their albums with my older brother when I was a kid, and how cool I felt rocking out to them while driving my first car. He'd been battling cancer for three years, though, which I can only imagine would have been very difficult for both him and his family and friends.

Maurice Sendak

He was the acclaimed and sometimes controversial author of many children's books, and was most-known for Where the Wild Things Are. I didn't know much about him as a person until recently, when Stephen Colbert interviewed him. Such a funny, self-deprecating, and crotchety old man.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Grim Colberty Tales with Maurice Sendak Pt. 1
www.colbertnation.com

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Grim Colberty Tales with Maurice Sendak Pt. 2
www.colbertnation.com

Utah Jazz
This is just a quick one. Last night the San Antonio Spurs completed their 4-game sweep of the Jazz in the first round of the NBA playoffs. I didn't expect much from the Jazz against the Spurs, but I'd hoped they'd at least win a game or two. Oh well, there's always next year, right?

The first two are definitely sadder than the last, and/but hopefully the next couple days are bummer-free.

Jimmer Fredette Came to Visit DC

Remember Jimmer Fredette?

He's the BYU player who lit up the college basketball world last season with his incredible scoring ability.

Last night, Emily and I attended the BYU Alumni event to watch the Washington Wizards play against the Sacramento Kings (the team that drafted Jimmer Fredette out of college).

Jimmer didn't get a whole lot of playing time, but every time he stepped on the floor there was a big round of applause from all the BYU alumni in attendance. And he did score 8 points in his 12 mins.

Observation: there were way more babies and little kids in the stands than normal. Typical BYU!

We had a fun night out seeing some NBA action, and, since we didn't care either way and actually left before the game had officially ended (to beat the metro masses), it was fine that the Kings came from behind for the win.

Now when do the Utah Jazz come to town...?

Always the Bridesmaid, Never the Bride

No, not me.

But thanks for your concern, Mom and Grandma.

I was thinking about sports stars that were overshadowed by someone just a little bit better.
If not for the super-star, these guys would have owned their era, winning championships or tournaments or races all along the way. And their names would be the ones synonymous with excellence.
Note: I'm not saying they aren't champions; they just didn't get the glory they would have received if not for their contemporary.

Here are a couple I've identified [tormentor in brackets]:

Karl Malone & John Stockton [Michael Jordan & Scottie Pippen]
The Utah Jazz stars played over 1,400 regular-season games together and went to the NBA Finals in two consecutive years. Unfortunately, Jordan and Pippen were waiting for them both times, and the pick-and-roll just wasn't enough to steal that elusive championship ring from the Bulls' clutches.

Jan Ullrich [Lance Armstrong]
Everyone knows who Lance Armstrong is. Pretty much only cyclists and cycling fans know who Jan Ullrich is. That's because Jan only won the Tour de France once (1997) prior to Lance taking the cycling world by storm and finishing in the yellow jersey 7 times in a row (1999-2005).

Phil Mickelson [Tiger Woods]
Yes, Phil has had a whole lot of success in his career, and he isn't done yet. Their rivalry has defined an era in golf, with most people remembering Tiger's ability to finish tournaments. On the flip side, Phil too often let leads slip away late in the weekend. Time remains for Phil to catch up, but at present Phil has 4 Major championships to Tiger's 14. Better get on it, Lefty.

Boston Red Sox [New York Yankees]
I have love for both teams, but you have to admit the Yankees have had more success when it really matters: the post-season and especially the World Series. Prior to Schilling's bloody sock in 2004, the Sox suffered an 86-year championship draught, during which the Bronx Bombers won 26 titles. Ouch.

Cameron Brown [Tim DeBoom & Peter Reid]
Outside of triathlete circles, not many people know of Cameron. At the Ironman Championships in Kona, HI, he took top 3 in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2005, as well as two other top-10 finishes, but was never able to cross that line first. To his credit, Cameron has dominated Ironman New Zealand with 10 wins and 2 second-place finishes from 2000-2011.

All these poor guys/teams sadly had their incredible careers which happened to coincide with other guys/teams at a slightly higher peak. We still applaud their skills and accomplishments, but the rivalry didn't come out in their favor. Tough break, but that's the way sports are.

Say It Ain't So! [Steve Jobs, The Simpsons, NBA Preseason, and Arrested Development]

"Say it ain't so, Joe. Say it ain't so!"

Though apocryphal, that's what a young boy reportedly said to "Shoeless" Joe Jackson in regards to his involvement in the 1919 World Series Black Sox scandal (in which Joe hit .375, hit a home run and 3 doubles, and had 6 RBIs).

Clip from the movie "8 Men Out", about the Black Sox scandal.

And so, in the spirit of that little heart-broken boy, I will start another semi-regular series on my blog.
When things happen that actually or sort-of break my little heart, I'll blog about it. Right now there are several, but luckily one positive news story has softened the blow somewhat.

RIP Steve Jobs
This is by far the biggest and saddest "say it ain't so" story of the week. He was a remarkable man who revolutionized our technological world. Our nations' president summed up Steve Jobs' impact well by saying,

"The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented." - President Barack Obama

You will be missed, Steve

In the wake of his passing, many of Steve's quotes are being shared, and I find this one to be especially telling of how clearly he saw life as he neared the end of his own (due to a rare form of pancreatic cancer).

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart." - Steve Jobs (Stanford's Commencement, 2005)

No more episodes of the Simpsons?
After 23 seasons, Fox is considering canceling the Simpsons. The studio wants the voice actors to take a 45% pay cut in order to continue making new episodes. The voice actors offered to take a 30% pay cut, if they could also get a small percentage of other revenues (which are undoubtedly massive).

Don't go! We'd all miss your broad topical range!

The Simpsons characters cover the spectrum.

All I know is that Fox and the voice actors had better work something out, because a world devoid of new Ralph Wiggum quotes makes me want to hasten the new Apple Siri's development into Skynet and subsequent hostile take-over of the planet.

Update: Many of the show's top-level producers have offered to take a pay cut [source]. No final word yet, but I sure hope their offer can be worked into the deal somehow and the show can be saved.

Update2: I heard on the radio that an agreement has been reached at least through 2013. Crisis averted for the time being.

No NBA preseason?
The NBA owners and players are embroiled in a lockout and it looks like the real losers will be the fans. Commissioner David Stern announced that the NBA preseason was officially cancelled.

Are regular season games next on the chopping block? I sure hope not, but it doesn't look good [source].

Update: The first two weeks of the regular season have been cancelled [source]. Idiots.

On the bright side...
Arrested Development is returning!

According to the tweet below from Jason Bateman, they'll be back for another 10 episodes and then a movie. We're already planning to watch them, and possibly in costumes. I'm gonna need some blue paint to go along with my jorts...