January 4, 2019 HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT

After four months of TAKING IT EASY--I decided to try to run again. NO CAN DO--without pain. Did I mention the tingly sensation in my foot too? It actually gets NUMB after 3 miles.  YUP--  Finally went to see an orthopedic doctor. After several XRAYS-- that will most certainly cut my life expectancy in half--he concluded that there's nothing wrong with my hip. No rubbing of the bone--cartilage issues-- back looks okay too. Step 2-- Getting an MRI on Monday. Not too sure what that entails but apparently he will be able to see actual images of the INSIDE of my body. In my warped scenario he'll see-- A HUGE--swollen--THROBBING--brick colored--oblong muscle--thumping much like a heart beat--COMPRESSING  my sciatica with every beat--while it helplessly cries PIRIFORMIS SYNDROME over and over begging for relief.  Okay--back to reality. Step 3-- having a CORTISONE SHOT on Wednesday.  YIPPIE--always wanted a shot in the ASS. Hopefully--by the end of next week-- I'll be sittin' pretty and running pain free. That's my New Year's wish. 

Thought I'd start the New Year off on a good note and have some fun too. So I decided to read another David Sedaris book. This collection of essays was written in 2013 and is called Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls Essay, Etc.  Not sure how it happened, but I seem to be reading his books backwards. This collection of stories is equal parts funny, sad, insightful and pure genius. At times I literally laughed out loud--he is that funny--while other times I was left shaking my head thinking you've got to be kidding me. The stories that include his father are my favorite; especially, "The Happy Place"--about his first colonoscopy, and " Memory Laps" where Sedaris recalls competing for his father's attention while swimming at a country club. Equally entertaining are "Standing Still", "Standing By", "#2 to Go" and " Understanding Understanding Owls".  Although Sedaris' essays seem arbitrary at first,  they all share  common bonds--family, love, friendship and the craziness of everyday life. I encourage you to read his work--maybe not backward to forward--but whatever it takes. This book is about 275 pages or a 4 mile run thats easy and fun to read. Enjoy.