INJURY #4,972

I haven't been on a spin bike in a solid 3 month. I hadn't exercised the month prior to my fall, and then I couldn't exercise for the 6 weeks after. But now I'm back in the gym and have a personal trainer who's helping me rehabilitate my knee(s). It's great. I usually count my Professor walks as cardio, since we're out for a solid hour to an hour-and-a-half. But since he's incapacitated, I need to get my cardio elsewhere. Eventually I'll work up to 30 minutes of spinning on top of our walks. My knee is pretty much in a place to handle that.

Yesterday I did spinning for 30 minutes. Seeing as it's been more than 3 months since the last time I was on a bike, my clothing options were the last thing on my mind. I was in my gray sweats, since I'd just finished a 50 minute session with Jenny. My routine goes like this: 30 seconds in position 3, heavy load. 30 seconds in position 2 with a few turns of tension off. 30 seconds seated, even less tension, sprinting. 30 seconds recovery, all tension off. Repeat for 45, 60, and 90 seconds. This totals 15 minutes. Do it twice and there's 30 minutes of cardio. Perfect. Everything's going as planned until I get to my first sprint. My left pant leg gets caught in the pedal. As I'm going as fast as I can. My foot is jerked off the pedal (by the way, I was wearing spin shoes which locks you into the pedal. So you can imagine the force it took to unlock my shoe and pull my foot off), which skids down the back of my calf. But since I was going so fast and I'm trying to stop myself with my injured right leg, the pedal is able to make a second rotation. This time my achilles is the next part of the back of my leg to get hit. Luckily I'm able to stop after those two rotations. It takes a minute to get my pants unwound from the bike. They're torn. Damage is done to my back leg. It feels like someone punched me with sandpaper fists. Twice.

At first I was afraid to look at the damage. I was in enough pain, and because of the was I was injured (it felt like all the skin had been scraped off), I figured I'd be dripping blood. Then I remembered my body does not show injury signs. Although the lower half of my leg is warm to the touch and the muscle underneath hurts anytime it moves, there are only two slightly red marks indicating anything even happened. Man, I'm totally missing out. That should be a serious war wound. Oh well. I was able to finish my cardio. It hurts like hell today, but you can barely see any indication on my leg.

Online dating

A friend of mine signed up with OK Cupid not too long ago. I decided to give it a try. Partly in solidarity with her, and partly to meet people outside of the improv scene. I did eHarmony when I was in LA. There were several reasons. First, eHarmony costs money. None of my friends had any kind of disposable income. I've been the breadwinner in most of my relationships. I lent a few thousand dollars to one to pay off his bad debt. I thought, if I marry this guy (and we were in a relationship where that was a possibility), I don't want his bad credit to affect our home-buying ability. It took him a couple of years--after we broke up--for him to pay me back. I'm not looking for a rich guy. Just someone who can support himself. Most of the guys I knew in LA were barely scraping by. Mainly, I didn't want to be the one to pay every single time we went out. And I wouldn't expect him to--I'm all for going dutch. Anyway, I figured if guy has expendable cash to do eHarmony, that's one requirement out of the way.

Another reason I tried a dating site was that I was looking for an actual relationship. There were plenty of guys in my circle of friends I could've hooked up with, but I wanted an actual boyfriend who had actual feelings for me.

I went out on 2 dates during my 3 month trial of eHarmony. The guys were nice enough, but when we met there was an awkwardness about them that went beyond the I'm-meeting-an-internet-date-for-the-first-time weirdness. Neither date went past that initial meeting. I'm a very outgoing person. I'm not on an internet dating site because I have a hard time meeting people. I was in it because I wanted to go outside my circle of friends. These guys, clearly, had a hard time talking to girls. They were on an internet dating site b/c that's where they felt the most comfortable.

I already had a bad taste in my mouth when I tried OK Cupid. Or, perhaps it was more of a trepidation towards the site, and towards the whole idea of internet dating. But in Austin, I'm always at the theater. My only friends are improvisers. I wanted to stay away from that pool because it can be so incestuous. Also, they're all really young. I was pretty much against dating someone younger than 30, but the more I'm here, the more I realize I need to get over that prejudice. There are some really amazing guys in their twenties. Plus, the older you get, the fewer options you have. If I want to be in a relationship, I need to be less picky. Ugh, I hate that sentence. It makes me sound desperate. I guess what I mean is I need to be more open-minded to the possibility that a younger guy can meet my expectations, and the older you get the less age is of importance. It's more life experience. I know a few 35 year olds I wouldn't think twice about b/c they're just not at the maturity level I can deal with.

Internet dating is just as hard as real dating. It's difficult to write a summary about yourself so you don't sound like a tool. Basically, you are judged by your photos, which, let's be honest, is pretty close to real life. On OK Cupid, you can instant message people who are also online. I liked this feature when Emma and I were on together. But I do not like this feature when random people try to start up a conversation. I don't know you. I'm not interested in chatting with you. On the other hand, I don't want to be rude. The not wanting to be rude aspect is odd when you think about it. These people have never met me. They are not a part of my daily life. If they send me a message and I don't answer, it doesn't matter. But, for some reason, I feel inclined to answer every email, even for people I'm not interested in. There's one guy who keeps emailing me. I take at least a week in between answering, and I never ask questions back. If you had any social skills whatsoever, you would take the hint. The guy has gone as far as sending a second message prior to my answering the first one mentioning it was taking a while for me to respond. I ignored that message, answered his questions, and did nothing to further the conversation. I need to get over this being nice crap.

I've met one person from this site. We had drinks last week. We'd been messaging for over 2 weeks, pretty much every day. By that point, I figured it was (pardon the expression) time to shit or get off the pot. I asked to meet him for drinks. He accepted. I almost asked why he was trying a dating site, just to satisfy my own curiosity. We met. He was pleasant. I enjoyed our conversation. But I felt like I carried it. There were down times in the conversation and I sort of waited for him to pick up the queue and start a new topic. Mostly, that didn't happen and after awkwardly staring at our drinks for a few seconds I started talking again. So much that I got on my own damn nerves. I'm sure that guy walked away from the evening thinking, man, she never shuts up. But he wasn't doing anything to make it easier, and I'd rather talk than sit uncomfortably. Needless to say, we aren't going out on another date. Again, he was really nice. That wasn't the problem at all. We're just very different. I'm a performer, he hates public speaking. My personality would've eclipsed his. I need someone who can be just as loud and obnoxious as me.

This made me reconsider my ban against dating improvisers. The guys who are on stage are much more similar to me than someone I can meet on a website. I'm still checking OK Cupid when new matches are sent to me, because maybe there is someone fabulous I could potentially meet that I wouldn't otherwise. I'm not discounting that. But I'm not really going to look at it as my source of potential dates. It'll happen when it does. I just need to be patient.

Ahhh!! I am having horrible feelings of guilt! Professor Snugglebottoms is making the saddest noises. He's whimpering and shaking and has this weird noisy sigh that's new. The Cone of Shame is preventing him from doing just about everything. Since he's so low to the ground he can't go up or down stairs. He's bumping into things. It took him a while to figure out how to eat. He's knocking into the wall. It's really funny, then I immediately feel bad for laughing at him. I gave him a pain pill, which definitely helped. He complained the entire way home, but wouldn't take the pill unless I hid it in his food. So, for about an hour he was really unhappy.

But the nice thing is I can tell a difference already. I took him out to pee before the car ride home. Instead of going 8 different places, he let everything out all at once. Also, I have an estimate for the knee surgery, and it's about half of what the other place was going to charge. Plus, they are only going to do one knee since the other one isn't that bad. I'm still going to wait a year. I need to get my insane debt paid down first.

So, 10 days of Cone of Shame. 5 days of pain meds. In 3 days I can take him out on walks again, but not brisk and not for very long. I wish I could fast forward to day 10 for his sake. Poor little booger.

Well, since the system is down, I figured I could do a dog update. I took him to the vet this morning to get fixed and was back by 8am. I need to get 8 hours in today before I pick him up this afternoon. That is now physically impossible at this point. Also, work added another telecommuter to the Student Accident product. I'm really frustrated with myself. I told Marlynn I'd do 300-350 claims per week. I've been doing 200. If I'd kept my promise, we wouldn't have another analyst. Not that it's bad. It's just easier if I'm the only one processing claims. I won't have to decipher anyone else's notes. If I was doing 300 claims/week, I would be able to handle this product without another at-home analyst. Also, I would be able to pay off my debt. I recently laid down a ton of cash for a personal trainer. Plus next week the dog starts training as well. That program is $1000.00. We are 6 weeks into the year. I could have $2400.00 more in my pocket if I was working as much as I could.

I came across a video journal from a year ago, and I was expressing the same frustration with myself. So, to make it worse, a year has passed and my behavior hasn't changed. And it's not that I'm doing anything worth while. Friday Emma came up and we took the dogs out on an hour walk. Then we went shopping. Then we hit Red House for happy hour/dinner and headed someplace else for desert. Then Kate and I saw a movie. Saturday I spent the entire day catching up with my online watching: 30 Rock, The Office, Jersey Shore. Sunday I finally worked a couple of hours, but I had 2 shows starting at 7 and grabbed drinks after. Yesterday I worked for a couple of hours, but didn't do anything after I hit the gym. I finished Gandhi. Today I was all ready to process starting at 8am, but can't access the files I need b/c the remote user is down.

Ugh, anyway, this was about the dog. I'm hoping that a year from now I can look back on these past few weeks and think, it's not so bad. The first couple of days were hard, obviously. Then I took him to the vet for a pre-neutering appointment and they found he has bilateral luxating patellae. Bad knees. Like his mama. Unbelievable! I freaked out about that cost, and applied for pet insurance. Which, of course, does not cover pre-existing conditions and now his knees are considered pre-existing. But I got a second opinion and they said he's not in any pain. He will definitely have to have surgery at some point, but it's not immediate. I can spend this year paying off my credit card debt and hopefully will be able to afford the surgery next year. Assuming I work more.

Since he's not trained, he doesn't know "drop". This is especially difficult when we're out on walks and he comes across food that he eats. Bones are his favorite. Who knew there were so many freaking bones out there! Last week he ate one before I could get it out of his mouth. The next morning he threw up on my bed. He spent the next two days whining the entire time. Including all night. I was sick and not sleeping since the dog wouldn't shut up. I have a new appreciation for single moms. I can barely take care of this dog without getting super frustrated. Moms have a whole human person to deal with. I finally took him to the vet after 2 days of not sleeping and some poop problems. They gave me antibiotics and prescription food, which he loves. Unfortunately, that visit was over $200.00. His neutering today will be close to $150.00. I just feel like I'm hemorrhaging money with this little guy.

But I'm so happy to have him fixed. He's been doing things to my pillows that I cannot repeat. If I don't make my bed and leave my door open, he'll go in there and ball the spread up and hump that. To completion. My current bedspread is getting cleaned after the first time he did that. I've been using a duvet cover the past week. Which, by the way, was much easier to wash when he threw up on it. So, silver lining!

He's also taking up more time than I had planned for. If I had an older dog, I wouldn't need to play with him as much. We go out in the morning and the evening for 30 minutes of sniffing, marking, and exploring. We have an afternoon walk which lasts about an hour and a half. There've been a couple of nights I've come home late and the only thing I want to do is go to bed. Nope. Must get bundled up to take him out. I'm worried about him being bored. Which is another reason I'm looking forward to training him next week. The program I've picked has him come to the center two days a week for 2 hours a day. He gets to socialize with other dogs on top of the training. Then I get homework. The main two things I want to work on is "drop" and having him off a leash. When we go out for bathroom breaks, I would like to be able to let him wander, so I don't have to follow everywhere. But the fences wouldn't hold him since he's so small. I need to be sure he would stay right by me and come when called. Even if something exciting like another dog or a bird was on the other side. We'll see. I might never be able to have him off a leash. Who knows. "Drop" is the main thing. I don't want him to get sick and die because he's eating things he's not supposed to.

Don't get me wrong, I love this dog. When I'm working sometimes he'll start to snore on the couch, which makes me smile. Normally I have him sleep in his crate, but sometimes I let him sleep with me in the bed. He's a great cuddler. It's nice to have another living being around. I'm just looking forward to having a well-trained, well-behaved dog.

A while ago Matt said he was going to post some old journal entries from college. There are some intimate details about us in there and he wanted to make sure it was okay. I said yes. And then wondered if his mom read that site. But didn't really care because the girl in those entries is another person in another lifetime.

Reading them has made me nostalgic for simpler times. We were 19 and buttcrazy in love with each other. We talked about our futures--both together and separately. Our hopes. Our dreams. We were in college and didn't have to worry about jobs or any real responsibilities. We lived in a dorm and our food was made for us.

I miss the innocence that comes with that time. And it's interesting to see how our friendship has changed over the past 14 years. How *we* have changed. After we broke up there were several months where we couldn't see each other. Then our hearts healed and we continued the next phase of our relationship. He is, to this day, my very best friend. We've been through a lot both together and separately in the years we've know each other, and I'm thankful for him. I know that no matter what happens, I can always count on him to be there for me.

My friend, I stand by what I said. You can do anything. And so can I. And so we will.

This post falls under the category of "TMI". But it's been on my mind lately, so I'm gonna write about it. You've been warned.

At the end of this month--assuming I can hold out that long--I will celebrate my 2 year anniversary of self-imposed celibacy. This is no small feat. I love sex. I'm good at it. I haven't had a lot of partners, but I've had a lot of sex. Part of that is due to the fact that I was in two serious relationships that lasted almost 5 years combined.

I made the decision to stop when Foxy Boy moved back home. We'd had an on-again/off-again relationship that spanned nearly 7 years. We cared about each other very much, but he wasn't someone I could see myself with long term. He was never interested in marriage, and I couldn't really see myself married to him anyway. However, of the few guys I've slept with, he's the one with whom I was most sexually compatible. We both have big appetites.

But we weren't good for each other in many ways. I don't know how to explain it, but sometimes when we were on-again, it was dark. Like, there wasn't any emotion behind it. We were just fucking. That's not a place I want to visit again. I remember the first time we slept together after J and I broke up. I didn't want to be with Foxy Boy, I wanted to be with J. But he was house sitting and I went over there and there was a hot tub and alcohol and I was lonely. I cried quietly when we started. He didn't know. Then I shut down. I left the next morning feeling empty. That afternoon I went back to the house. We started sleeping together regularly after that, but for a while it was a hollow act. I just didn't care.

I remember one of the last nights we were together. He thought I was asleep and he whispered "I love you." That's kind of a big deal for this guy. He doesn't exactly say that a lot. So, it's not like there was nothing there. He was one of my best friends. We hung out quite a bit. I miss him terribly. But when he left in February of 2008, I decided that I would not have sex again unless I was in a serious relationship. Part of it is emotional, and part of it is my number. I remember the day I went from 5 to 6. I had to use two hands to count the number of guys I'd slept with. I felt completely slutty. So, I decided I wouldn't do more than 10. There was no way I would resort to my feet to keep tally. Some people think I'm dumb for thinking that and number doesn't really matter. Well, that's just the way I think.

Casually dating does not equal serious relationship. I don't want to sleep with every guy I date. However, when you reach a certain age, sex is expected. Pretty much immediately. There were times I had to turn guys down in the middle of a make out session. It shocked me how nonchalant their attitudes were. Well, your top is off, so let me grab a condom. Slow down there, buddy. Sorry, but this is not gonna happen. I was on the verge a couple of times, and would have caved had circumstances been different. Will and I hung out for a few weeks. We'd been friends prior, and he knew about my No Sex Policy. Then we dated for a bit. Things got pretty intense, and he was the one to stop it from going further. I was the one who kept pushing the boundaries. He was basically like, this was your idea and I'm going to honor that. It was frustrating in the moment, but the next day I was always thankful that he'd stopped.

Then there was Character Workshop Crush. The more we hooked up, the closer we got. And he certainly wasn't going to stop. I called him on my birthday last year. Birthday sex doesn't count, right? He was working and had to close that night. Another time I gave him a ride home b/c he was super drunk. He asked me to come over on our walk to my car. Dude was wasted, so although I said yes to avoid confrontation, I had no intention of going up. When we pulled up to his place, I didn't even look for a parking spot. He turned to me and said maybe this wasn't a good idea. I'm pretty sure he threw up as soon as he got inside.

There were a couple others, but those weren't hard to say no to. I didn't really know the guys. They were just random hook ups. And I didn't want to sleep with someone who was willing to sleep with basically a total stranger. Have some respect for yourself, said the girl with no clothes.

Anyway, there's been a new kink in my determination. There's a guy in Austin on whom I had a harmless crush, so I flirted thinking he would have no interest. I'm 8 years his senior. He's a kid. With no interest of having a relationship. We're on the same page with that one. If he was 30 and I was 38, that's a different story. But people in their early twenties should just enjoy life and not be too tied down. In my humble opinion. So, we got together a few times back around December. But then he was out of town and I was out of town and then injured, so I hadn't seen him for a while. We saw each other in passing, but last night was the first time we'd hung out in a social setting.

One of the reasons I don't drink that much is because I know I will throw my decision out the door. I don't want to have meaningless things in my life. And sleeping with a guy I have no intention of being in a relationship with is meaningless. I am more than my id. I can control my actions. It is a spiritual, moral, and practical choice. So, it frustrates me when I come close to giving that up. Why is intimacy that important? Why can't I just shut that part off until a guy comes along who actually wants to be with me? Aren't I worth that? Two years is a long time to be without something I would do every day if given the opportunity. And I wrestle with my decision. Why is it a big deal to me? *Is* this a big deal to me? Would I feel differently about myself if I slept with someone? A woman in her 30s is supposed to be at her sexual peak. I should take advantage of that. What would the consequences be? Do I just *think* I should feel a certain way and do or not do certain things? You only live once, so you should live a life you enjoy and do things you enjoy. It's all very confusing.

Last night, after an evening of drinking, I asked to go home with him. He offered to walk to our cars and think about it. If I'd pressed, he totally would've said yes. Instead, I said it's okay to say no. My feelings won't be hurt. There was a part of me that wanted to go home with him, but there was a part of me that obviously didn't. I mean, I've come this far. Why not keep going? Why not hit the two year mark? Or, at least wait for someone with whom I'm in a relationship. Or, at the very least, wait for someone who would go out with me a couple of times. This would be a purely sexual situation with no relationship behind it. I don't think I want that. But there's a part of me that's just like, oh stick it in already!

Because of last night, I've re-established contact. He knows I'm interested, and he knows what the outcome would be. If he calls, I'll go over. If he calls, I won't be able to say no. I hope he doesn't call.

...I hope he calls.

Birthday Shenanigans

So, I had a pretty fabulous birthday this year. Things had been a bit stressful, but everything is settling down.

Friday: Faith flew in Friday afternoon. I'd spent the morning cleaning and preparing for her arrival. I miss her a ton. It was hard to live with her at times, as I'm positive it was hard to live with me as well. But when it comes down to it, she's my best girlfriend, we've been through a lot over the past 4 years, and I miss the hell out of her. As soon as we got home from the airport, we got ready for drinks/dinner at Eastside Showroom, which is where Leah works. It was really great for Faith to meet some of my friends. We had a great time and were there for a few hours. People still wanted to hang out after, so I invited them over to watch Up. I've been working on scheduling a time for a Pixar party, and this seem as good of a time as any. People got to meet Professor Snugglebottoms. He did fine until Steve arrived. Then he went nuts with the growling and barking. I had Steve feed him a treat, which calmed him down for about 30 seconds. It wasn't until Steve laid down on the floor to watch the movie that The Professor calmed down. When the movie was over and Steve stood up, he started up with the barking and growling. I'm convinced it's the hair and the height.

Saturday: We had to be up early to head down to Embellish for some pampering. Lisa and Brammer had appointments as well. There were going to be a couple more, but due to work schedules and a festival, they had to drop out. (side note: my toes still look hot) Before we left, I punched "Embellish Austin" into Google to get their address. We arrived at the address on South Lamar at 10am. It was much farther south than I though. We couldn't find the place, so I called them. Oh, they're on NORTH Lamar. Google has the address wrong. I should've gone straight to the website. I get there about 20 minutes late, but they offered a mimosa, which I gladly accepted. This place is awesome, and I will be getting my pedicures there from now on.

After toes, Faith and I were heading up to The Steeping Room for lunch. Lisa came along. It is no secret that I adore Lisa Jackson. Faith is now in that fan club as well. We had an incredibly nice long leisurely lunch at an outside table. The past two years in LA, it poured rain on my birthday. I especially enjoyed the warm, sunny weather! My tea was excellent, and my Mediterranean Plate was amazing! I definitely want to go back there. It's a bit hard, as that place is expensive and none of my friends have any money. Anyway, we had such a great time just hanging out and talking. One of the things I discovered was that my voice mail wasn't working. I haven't had one single problem with Verizon since I moved to Austin, and the day of my birthday, the phones are jacked. I guess that was the trade off for having a sunny day.

I was already pooped from having to be up early and running around all morning, so Faith took The Professor on a jog while I laid down. I didn't really nap, but I did enjoy some quiet relaxation for about 45 minutes. We then got ready for my Stool Pigeon show that night and headed out to the theater. Matt called to wish me a happy birthday. The tone of his voice made it clear that he'd just gotten laid then smoked. I asked if he was coming to the show, and he said he didn't think so. But it was super nice that he'd called to say hi. Then, just before the show starts, Matt and his girlfriend show up. Seriously, that guy is top notch. I joke with him about the fact that I'm gonna clone a 10 year older version of him. I was a little disappointed at the turn out of friends at the SP show. We didn't have plans after, and I'd just thought that whoever was there, we would figure out something to do. Cortnie left right after her show. We probably missed her by 5 minutes. It sucked that she couldn't have stuck around to meet Faith. Whatever. I can't change anything. Also absent was Brian. I hadn't heard from him in more than a week. Considering we hung out about every other day at the beginning of the month, I was a surprised that I didn't even get a quick email. After the SP show, Liz and Steve took Faith and I out to Rio Rita for a slice of pizza and a drink. Faith's favorite people that weekend were Liz, Steve, and Lisa. We had a fun time hanging out, and I was glad they included us in their plans.

Sunday: Faith and I were up early yet again to hit Round Rock Donuts before heading up to the outlet mall. I missed the exit and we ended up driving an extra 10 minutes just to get turned around. There aren't a lot of exits that far north. The mall was supposed to open at 10am. We make it there at 10:02, and none of the stores are open. We needed to leave by 1pm to make it back to the Alamo to see Sherlock Holmes, so I was a bit stressed when we found out the mall changed it's hours in January to 11am on Sundays. We scouted the stores for a bit, then sat in Starbucks waiting for it to open.

I'd put on 15 lbs between Thanksgiving of 2008 and NYE. I managed to keep that weight on for all of 2009. My plan was to get a personal trainer at the beginning of January so I could be down a bit by my birthday and could enjoy shopping a little more. Unfortunately, due to my genius knee injury, I've been out of commission since December. Anyway, Faith was in the same boat--had gained weight and didn't really want to clothes show. This worked out well since our shopping time was cut down by an hour. She bought a Swarovski ring--the same one I have. Then we both got those Sketchers shoes that are supposed to tone your legs. Even if they only work a fraction better than regular tennis shoes, that's great as I'm now walking an hour a day with the dog. Also, they happen to be really comfortable and I needed new gym shoes anyhow. We split up at one point. Faith needed luggage and I needed a new bra. Bra shopping is hard for me b/c my boobs are so damn big. A couple of years ago, Faith went with me and finally understood the hell I go through. Stores rarely have my size, and when they do, it's nothing cute. I can never get matching sets. Well, since I'd put on some weight, I knew I'd be a bigger size. I figured I'd be a bigger band width, so I grabbed about 6 bras to try on. 3 in 36 and 3 in 38. Then the woman offered a free bra fitting. Sure thing. She told me I was between a 34 and 36, which I thought was impossible since a 36 has been feeling tight. Then she told me my cup size. I literally almost started to cry right in the middle of the fitting room. Instead of going up a band size like a *normal* human, my boobs decided to go up a cup size. An entire, freaking. Cup. SIZE. I text Tosha. I call Faith. She looks on the bright side and says, well, if you ever have kids, you now have maternity bras. Ohdeargod. I can't even imagine how giant my boobs would be if I got pregnant. I would probably be bedridden and unable to sit up. My poor spine. As I'm trying on the new, correct-sized bras (which are now feeling much more comfortable, dammit), I recommit to losing 30lbs. Over Christmas I'd mentioned to a friend that amount, and she was like, you don't have 30 pounds to lose. I jokingly said it was mostly boob. Turns out it wasn't so much of a joke. So, I suck it up and buy three bras at the outlet for less than I would spend on 1 bra at a normal department store. That's at least good. And I've been wearing them and they fit much better.

So, after we finish up our purchases, we head down to the Drafthouse. The movie was really good, the food was really good, and Faith liked the concept of being able to eat and view at the same time. We head back home to take The Professor on his walk. I think it's around 5pm. I haven't stopped since Friday, and I'm completely exhausted. On top of that, my knee is killing me from all of the walking. So, I decide to pull out of the Escape Hatch show that evening. We ended up watching Seabiscuit, which I really enjoyed. I got ready for bed, seeing as how Monday was *also* a big day. We needed to leave my place at 6:45am so I could get her to the airport and be back for my follow-up knee appointment. It sucked saying goodbye. She wasn't here long enough. We didn't really get to explore Austin. But it was so great to see her. Best birthday gift I could have asked for. Next visit, I won't try to cram 80 million things into 1 day.