on and on

wait, i thought it was march.
part of the reason i am living in NC instead of, say, massachusetts, is that march is not supposed to mean ‘time for snow!’. it is supposed to mean time for blooming flowers, 60 degree days, and the debut of sandals and springy clothing. although i will admit that a not-so-tiny part of me is hoping for an immense blizzard tonight that would wipe out my AM clinic. since i’m not on the wards or doing anything else essential tomorrow (no ER shift!), it may be my only chance for a snow day in residency. bring on the cocoa and fuzzy slippers!

hip update
yep, still hurts. and it definitely feels just like it did when it was injured last time, complete with an odd popping sensation when i get up in the morning. part of me still thinks it’s a tendon problem (iliopsoas tendonitis, to be specific). i suppose i could go back in to see sports medicine, but to be honest since this injury feels like the same as my last one, i doubt they would have much to offer me. i know that i need:

1) rest. ie, time off from activities that hurt my hip. last time, i was able to cycle and use the elliptical without pain, so starting tomorrow i will try those out at the gym. i will not even think about trying running until i can wake up and not feel the pain upon stepping out of bed. if i am SUPER lucky, i’ll be healed in time to do the charlottesville half marathon for fun at the end of april, and the NC half in may. i honestly think that i’m going to give up on marathons for a while, and potentially forever. for me, training for them has truly done more harm than good. and i’m actually okay with this.

2) stretching. i think i really, REALLY need to work on my flexibility. i was once super-limber and now my tendons all feel like they are made of metal. i feel brittle. and i think that this kind of tightness really sets me up for injury. i have done some half-hearted stretching post-run and a weekly yoga session, but it’s not enough. fortunately, tina from the very cute and delicious food blog carrots ‘n’ cake is hosting a 31 day yoga challenge for the month of march, which is perfect timing. i’m SO in. and of course i’ll report on my yoga adventures daily!

3) a positive attitude and perspective. in the past, i’ve been bad about letting injuries really get me down. but honestly, they’re a part of running (at least for me) and i’m getting used to them. i now know from experience that taking some time off will not turn me into a lump of quivering jello in a week (or a month). i can actually allow myself to enjoy the rest and the excuse to try new activities. i now know that it isn’t that horrible to have to rebuild a running base, and i am optimistic that i’ll be able to run once again at some point.

our new pet!
just kidding, we’re dog-sitting. but isn’t this shih tzu cute? if we don’t get a westie some day, we will get one of these. his name is major deegan and he is extremely sweet and cuddly. i even let him nap on top of me on the couch.

he hearts this orange ball and will go around with it in his mouth for hours.

restaurant experience: poole’s downtown diner
i had been wanting to try this restaurant for quite some time, and josh and i finally had a night off together! we met up with 2 raleigh friends for a celebratory dinner (because we closed on our house!). it was raining, so we thought maybe there wouldn’t be crowds, but apparently poole’s is quite popular and raleigh-ites are not afaid to get wet, because the place was packed! we were extremely lucky to snag 4 seats at the curved bar pretty much right away, and we ended up just sitting there for dinner. because of the shape of the bar, the four of us were able to see and hear each other despite the bar seating (although admittedly my throat is sore this AM!).

the atmosphere is great — the interior is a cross between an old-school bar and a diner, but it’s classier than either one of those things. the menu is written on 2 chalkboards placed at the front and rear of the restaurant, so you need to stroll around to see what the food options are. while some people might find this annoying, i thought it was kind of neat.

as for the food — WOW! since we were celebrating, we started with a bottle of sparkling wine (i think it was a california blanc de noirs, although i don’t remember the exact type). josh ordered a leek soup appetizer that was creamy and heart-warming. for the main course, the four of us decided to order 3 side dishes to share in addition to our main plates — the place is known for their sides, including a famously fantastic mac ‘n’ cheese. and it was crusty and sharp and creamy all at once, fully living up to its reputation!

the other sides were roasted white sweet potatoes (they looked white, but tasted like sweet potatoes! so cool!) and some sauteed beet greens which were delicious. i barely had room for much of my main course, which was off of the salad menu — roasted beets and goat cheese with thinly sliced avocado. YUM. josh had a ‘royale’ (burger) with brie on brioche, and he was very happy with his selection. finally, we ended with a shared chocolate bread pudding — this thing was a-ma-zing, capturing the best attributes of bread pudding AND a warm brownie. deep dark chocolate bready gooeyness.

obvioiusly, we had a great night and i definitely recommend the restaurant. and, in case you were wondering, despite being on a flipped schedule all week i managed to sleep for 9 hours overnight. i think getting 5-6 hours of crappy interrupted daylight sleep per day for 4 days really caught up to me. it’s great, because now i’m back on a normal schedule. hooray!

all right, this was a marathon-length post! i think i’ve been sitting here writing for an hour and a half. time to actually start the day!