Quite the Evening

I was feeling crappy earlier today. Moody... On edge... I worked most of that out, lifting weights and throwing punches until my heart beat against my ribs. I took a shower and tried to leave all that negativity swirling down the drain. I dressed up in clean pants and a nice long sleeve button up. I tied a tie with precision sloppiness and left my cuffs unbuttoned. I styled my hair the way my barber had when I got my haircut last week; she made it look so good.

I felt good. I went out for Thai food with my roommates. It was a fine evening, with gorgeous weather and pleanty of people out and about. I was feeling significantly better.

I dressed to impress, but it didn't do me any good. None. All it did was draw the eyes of the table of gay guys sitting across from us in the restaurant. I don't need that kind of attention... I really don't.

When we got home, Jin and I decided to practice jumping off the kiddie playground--Parkour fantasies that will probably never take shape. It was fun, exhilerating. The adrenaline was flowing free in my veins, and my body felt alive, powerful. I jumped into a tree and hid in its shadows. I dropped down and sprinted across the grass... I was fast, I was agile, and I was quiet. I was totally fucking thrilled.

Old motions came to my muscles. I tucked my body carefully behind the tree, and peaked across the darkened park and visualized my opponents: I was playing paintball again. I fired my phantom at a head. It tucked in and the instant it was behind cover, I lept from my tree and sprinted toward the position. I would bunker him. Shoot him at close range and use his cover to take out his team mates.

It didn't work. He peaked out again, and saw me running up. He shot. I slid to avoid the ball.

I slide on my left side. Its my baseball slide that I learned so many years ago. I hit, I slid on the damp grass... My left elbow touched down as I slid and wrenched my arm over my head. Aww Shit. This, I realized, is exactly how I dislocated my shoulder the first time. I was going to bunker Anthony, I slid and popped the joint out. Shiiiit.

I don't think it was as severe this time, and it was not nearly as painful: The cherry was already popped. I still had some motion, and had a good sense of where my joint was in relation to the socket. I lifted my elbow toward my head. Abduction, its called. There was some crunching involved, and the gross feeling of sliding joints. It went back in, and my muscles tightened around the joint. Swelling would ensue.

It did, though the ice helped. So did the liquor. I'm bummed that I did it again, and worried about the recuperation process... But I am very glad that I didn't have to go to the hospital to have it reduced. I think the time it took to get the joint back in did serious damage, stretching muscles and nerves to the point where I was in a sling for a month (or was it more?) just to keep the joint from falling out again. I feel a little sore, but I reduced the dislocation quickly enough that there was little to no nerve damage, and the muscles are still tight. I will be staying off it for a while, though, to be safe.

I'm feeling fine now. I'm in a good mood again, and ready to beat life into submission.


Take THAT, Life.