Couch Potato

Things have changed dramatically since I injured myself. I used to spend my days snowboarding and ice climbing; now I go to physical therapy a few times a week and spend a lot of time at home. Luckily there is much here to keep me occupied. I just finished reading "Endurance" by Alfred Lansing, which recounts the harrowing tale of Ernest Shackleton's expedition to the Antarctic gone wrong (a truly amazing tale, I highly recommend it). Now I'm about halfway through "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy. Also, the Olympics are on television from about noon to midnight here, so there is always something to watch. I've seen at least some portion of every single sport, and I've watched many events and matches in their entireties. Seeing the world's best athletes compete for glory is as inspiring as it is entertaining. Finally, I have my music. Starting the new blog has re-energized my endless quest for fresh sounds to stick in my ears. So despite the change of pace in my lifestyle, I'm still keeping busy.

Regarding my arm, I had X-rays taken a few days ago to make sure no bone fragments had chipped off the ball & socket joint. All clear on that front. My range of motion and the associated pain are increasing and decreasing, respectively, for most movements, but if I move my arm in certain ways it's still pretty bad. The physical therapist is concerned about this rate of recovery. Right now we're still watching and waiting, hoping that the tear can heal itself in time, but if I don't show improvement soon I may need an MRI to better assess the damage.

In other news, it's been snowing on and off for the past five days in Queenstown. Usually the snowfall at low elevations here melts away quickly, but this accumulation has persisted. Everything is white white white. I might be more excited about the snow if I could shred it on my snowboard, but hey, it still looks nice.