Whoops!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted and I’m pretty sure everyone’s already heard why, but just in case you’ve been left out of the loop, I had a little accident.  Well, maybe that’s a bit understated.  

The quick version of all this is I took a bad fall bouldering 11 days ago and have been in and out of hospitals ever since.  Had I been bouldering alone (something I do ALL the time), you’d have seen my name in the obituaries last week.  

I owe my life and limbs to a number of people.  Bob Banks is one of these people and he’s written an account of the recent events weaving together an epic experience with classic wit and soul.  READ THIS!  It’ll be the best 10 minutes of your day.  I promise.  

Micah and Bob go Bouldering, by Bob Banks

I’ve already begun writing my own short story of sorts but I can’t guarantee it’ll be done anytime soon.  Unfortunately I’ve already experienced a few set backs, which are sapping the energy required to write more than a few paragraphs at a time.  Unexplainable night sweats are robbing me of sleep and I’ve already returned to the hospital due to a developing infection in my leg.  Upon hearing about the infection Bob immediately expressed regret in posting his story, but I don’t agree.  Bob’s written what might be called the first chapter of what is sure to be a long and arduous process and he’s done so beautifully.  

So now, I’m back home again waiting for a nurse to stop by.  Today I’m learning how to self administer I.V. antibiotics, something I’ll be doing for the next 6 weeks.  The possibility of a bone infection with all that metal in my leg is no laughing matter and the Docs are hitting this with everything they’ve got.  This treatment will surely wreak havoc on my liver, kidneys an entire digestive tract, but in doing so will hopefully save my left leg.  

More to come. 

Lama Legs

Can you feel a change in the force?  Do you sense the presence of something special?  Your intuition that someone important has arrived is spot on.  Bridget has returned from the mountains of Bolivia, bringing with her stories of lamas, bowel movements, 17,000 ft alpine peaks, medicine men and a whopping 18 units of college credit for her struggles and research.  

After a good nights sleep in a warm house and her first warm shower in 6 weeks she and her altitude trained body joined me for a barefoot run on the beach.  I’ve spent the past month attempting to develop my abilities as a runner in hopes that the leg powered sport will distract me, if only a bit, from all the shoulder intensive sports that I love.  Oddly, for the first time ever, I’m enjoying myself during quick outings on the beach.  Years of barefoot walking/hiking/yoga seemed to have served me well, as my joints are accepting the mild punishment that running brings.  Of course running on the beach is not without peril.  During our workout I managed to step on a bee mid stride.  Of course my foot swelled almost immediately.  Sandbagged.  We were only half way done.  However, Bridget reminded me that adrenaline is the treatment for allergic reactions.  So we returned to a quick pace.  Interestingly enough, The symptoms of the sting were gone in under a minute and I forgot about the incident within the hour.  Science!

In another interesting turn of events I received a phone call from my would be clients on Padaro lane a few days ago.  Turns out they will be offering me a job afterall.  The chef originally hired for the position is so good at what he does that he’ll be taking over their main residence in New York.  He’ll need some time off when they return to Santa Barbara so I’ve been called in to support.  So of the 5 chefs auditioned I guess I came in second, not a bad place on the medal stand.  Feeling motivated by this mild success I invited some friends over for dinner, or I should say experiments.  We all were very happy with the results.

Surf and Turf

-Grilled Coffee and Black Pepper crusted New York Steak

-Shrimp in Paprika Butter, Thyme, and Garlic

Flame Kissed Broccoli and Oyster Mushrooms

Warm Radicchio Salad with Caramelized Onions

Unemployment is Hard on Soft Tissue

Its a well known fact that I posses an uncanny ability to injure myself.  After receiving the results of my left shoulder MRI, I can now officially add yet another soft tissue injury to the resume.  Dr. Proctor tells me that the labrum in my left shoulder is definitely torn to some degree.  The MRI also indicates possible damage to the insertion point for one of the two bicep tendons.  Neither of these injuries will heal on their own (or at least thats what I’m being told) so surgery is the recommended treatment.  However, Dr. Proctor also believes that neither of these conditions should worsen much if I’m judicious with my shoulder use and is totally comfortable with me limping forward on my own.  He’ll happily cut me up any time in the future with no hesitation, additional office visits or charges.  After all, the best way to see what’s wrong is to get in there with some scopes and see for yourself.  

So I’ll hold off.  I’m not ready to spend thousands of dollars to possibly be “on the bench” for 6 months (assuming the tendon needs repair).  I believe I can manage for at least a little while longer.  Afterall I’m more or less functionable right?  Truth be told I’ve had torn cartilage in at least my right knee since 2004 and although its limited my ability to torque on the joint I’m still able to do most “normal” activities.  Maybe some day when life is more predictable I’ll settle down and get these “issues” taken care of”.  For now, I’ll continue to roll the die and hope for the best.  

I mean, cmon, I’ve got projects at the Tor right?  How could I slow down now?  Last weekend I reached a new high point on No Skill 5.12c, about as high as one can get without ticking the damn thing.  I fell with the anchors in my face and rope in my hand.  There just wasn’t enough gas in the tank to get the damn rope through the cold shuts.  So I got on Chips Ahoy 5.12d. Even though a little voice in my head was telling me to stop while I was ahead a slightly stronger voice chimed in,  “If your project feels hard, just get on something harder.” And... I tweaked my finger clipping off the two finger pocket down low.  I don’t think its major, but I probably won’t be cranking for a few weeks.  I need a job ASAP.   

Oh to be young... 13 year old Kevin Ott locks off at his waist on Auto Magic 5.12a