Snowboarding is difficult

I am in complete and total denial that yet another weekend has almost come to a close. It was at least a full one.

Spent Friday night at the Blazer game and I can honestly say that I have never seen such an exciting ending, certainly not live. A turnover by San Antonio and a game winning basket by the Blazers in the last 0.9 seconds. I have tremendous doubts that the team will survive past the opening round of the playoffs yet again, but at least they are fun to watch. The ride home on the max with the drunken revelers was less fun, though also entertaining in its own way. Note to self and others: do not pick a fight on packed Max car with someone who will literally be standing within 6" of your personal space for the next 10-15 minutes at least. I was glad I was not on that max car.

Saturday was work. Epic. I am very rapidly losing interest in the entire process, though I know that it will ultimately make me more marketable as more and more systems switch to it for electronic charting. That said, I have spent no less than 12 hours in classes at Conway, another few in classes at our campus, a handful of hours in meetings related to its impact in the clinic, and I have 6-8 more this week. On the good side, I finished up early and was home napping by 1. Any Saturday (or any day really) with a nap in it is a good day! Followed that up with a birthday gathering for Joe.

Sunday was tumbling down the side of a snow covered mountain at high speeds with a polished piece of wood strapped to both feet............or, snowboarding. I have to say, I am more and more coming to realize that perhaps snow and I only agreeably mix on flat or relatively flat surfaces. If an incline of any sort need be introduced into the relationship, I need to ensure I am on something large, inflatable, and almost impossible to fall out of. I can't say I hated snowboarding, but I can say I will remember it with every ache over the next week. I think, much like skiing, there is an exhilarating freedom once you get moving forward at speed, but that is strongly undercut by the terrifying realization that, somehow, you have to stop and that, due to a rather novice understanding of how to do so combined with a staggering lack of grace and coordination, the only way to accomplish that is by using less aerodynamic portions of your body to loosely 'anchor' yourself to the surface of the mountain. For a split second you think this might prove effective and, if not graceful, at least effective and injury free. But then, shockingly, you remember that you have tethered yourself to the aforementioned snowboard and grace will be the last word used to describe the arms akimbo ragdoll you fully resemble. Suffice to say I did this a lot.

I hope everyone else survived their respective weekend adventures. As for me, it is time for a beer to salve the pain, which is a cure as good as any I know.