meg_the_expat: Yawn/stretch

Maybe my brain just refuses to rest, because it seems like I have a two-hour maximum that I can comfortably sleep before I wake up. Then I go back to sleep during the day, whenever possible, like some sort of crazed insomniac/narcoleptic.

Life hasn't been half bad. This weekend, specifically, was super busy. I went to cover more stories for the Blenheim Spring Classic III in San Juan Capistrano, for PhelpsSports.com.

My press pass/lanyard

The opportunity to write and have my name on a byline again is really satisfying. I had to blow the dust off my tape recorder that I use for interviews, I almost forgot the fun of the ping pong between the reporter and the interviewee where I wait for the perfect quote to turn on a light bulb in my mind. It's a game of luck and skill, because some people are just better spoken than others, and sometimes I don't ask the best questions so it's no surprise I end up with patchy answers. Also, I like to have more interviews than I may need because it's much easier to widdle down a too-long story than one where I have little info about what happened.

The stories I covered this weekend were the Hunter Derby and another $35K Grand Prix. The next show I'm planning to cover is in Del Mar, another Blenheim show. It's under the same umbrella as the Oaks, but there are different photographers, specific staff, et. al. All part of the fun, though, seeing how I like the constant change and lack of routine involved. Clearly some parts are constants, like the Grand Prix at "AA" shows, but the faces of both horse and human switch up all the time. I've already met so many riders, course designers and trainers than I ever thought I would, but there are still so many more out there I'm ready to meet. I just have to bide my time until our schedules intersect.

Next show is in San Diego, the Showpark Ranch & Coast Tournament starting May 11th.

As for non-work, my hand is still "ehh."

A few weeks back, I wore the splint over my gloves

I was warned there'd be good and bay days, and ain't it the truth. It's frustrating because you can't not use your hand, or at least I'm much more aware of that fact now that it's still healing. The worst pain comes from pushing or pulling any amount of weight with my left hand, so I try to avoid that. Also, I have a habit of resting my chin in my hand and that can aggravate it. I've found that if I lift an object in a particular way then I completely avoid the injury site.

Here's where the screws are, exactly, holding the break in place and realigning the displaced metacarpal bones.

Closing my fingers is still a challenge, though, at times, and my hand will either shake like I have Parkinson's (tendon trauma) or just feel generally stiff/sore. Now I also have to be aware of the scar, and not just for the aesthetic reasons. Scar tissue is both underneath the incision wound and above it, so I have to massage the scar so it remains pliable and I have further range of motion. Not only that, I have to keep it out of the sun as much as possible and keep it warm and moisturized. Every other night I use a heating pad on my hand for 15 minutes and then use vitamin E oil to massage the scar, then I do my physical therapy. PT includes stretching the affected fingers, making a "hook" fist and then a real fist, and tapping my fingers. Obviously typing doesn't bother me anymore, which is a welcome relief, since I'm always clacking away at the keyboard for some reason or another.

I'm back to riding, although I don't lease a horse and that might not happen again for awhile, unfortunately. Luckily, my trainer is nice enough to allow me to ride his 7-year-old Hanoverian gelding/equitation horse, so that's what I'll be doing. His name is Elton and he's cute. At first I thought maybe a bit funny looking face, but it has grown on me, like a mother who is aware her baby isn't cute. A bit shy on the ground, but he already seems to be gaining trust in me, which is always a good feeling w/ naturally skittish animals like horses. Horses are just like people in regards to personality, moods and work ethic. It all can be molded and trained to an extent, but what's naturally there, talent-wise, is what you take and run with it.

Elton