I'm so Bored that I learned to walk

This post is a bit delayed, but I've been sorta busy.

In case you forgot, this is what I did this summer:

And you thought you had seen this picture for the last time...

Of course, contrary to what some people mistakenly believed, the purpose of ^that was not to stay like this:

I have hair, y'all...

And since my only options in life were getting a prosthetic leg and learning to walk, ^that, or this:

Actually, this is kinda sounding like a fun option right now

I obviously chose to get a prosthetic leg and learn how to walk. 

This was obviously not working, though

Luckily for me, though, after I wrote the blog post about breaking my leg, another amputee, whom I will call "Show-off," managed to quasi-fix it. 

This really is good for pretty much anything.

After a trip home did not result in me being able to get my prosthetist to fix my leg, Show-off took me to his prosthetist here, who amazingly made me a new leg for free. 

Shameless plug time: Check it out!

Over the last few weeks, I've been learning how to walk, mostly aided by Show-off. 

And even though Show-off is sometimes something of a bully and reminds me constantly how out of shape I am,

I am not "out of shape." I am simply a different shape than would be preferable...

I can now walk without my crutches, so I guess it's working. 

<

But if you're reading this, you're still a Show-off. 

Bored Game Time!

Answer: I will be in Spain. Move forward one space if you knew that. More specifically, I will be in Palma de Mallorca en Las Islas Baleares. If you knew that, move back one space, stalker. 

Question: What toy animal did I steal from a Child Life Specialist when I was little?

I'm so Bored that I gave a talk

If you've known me for a few years, you probably think I'm really outgoing.

If you've known me for a really long time, though, you might just remember that I used to be a pretty shy kid, at least in large groups.

Of course, this may have just been because I was scared of pretty much everything.

I called something that looked like this "Scary Man" for years...

Whatever the reason, I did not like giving speeches when I was little, or even talking to strangers in general, including Santa Claus. 

What kind of "jolly old saint" watches children all day and night?

When I was diagnosed with cancer, that did not magically cure my fear of social interactions.

I once agreed to be interviewed for a radiothon but then sat in the room the entire time (about an hour, I think) and didn't say anything, not even "No, I don't want to say anything."

Think about that for a second. I refused to speak.

Luckily, I went to summer camp, and over the next few years, I completely lost all sense of what "social awkwardness" even means.

Absolutely all sense

The good news is that for years now I have been able to speak in public without feeling like my heart's going to pound out of my chest, and last night, I went to my first ever Relay for Life and gave the Survivor's talk.

People asked me for my story, and words actually came out of my mouth. 9-year-old me would be super impressed.

But that was the same girl who thought one of these would make a great pet, so I wouldn't trust her judgment too much...

 Bored Game time!

Answer: OWLS!!! If you knew this, you're a creeper, but you may move forward one space. 

Question: Where will I be next semester?

I'm so Bored that I had a baby just so I could carry it upstairs

So, that never actually happened, but let me explain.

This summer, I was in physical therapy, learning how to walk, and my physical therapist and I were discussing boys and how they have a bad habit of dropping me when they try to carry me up the stairs.

If these were the stairs, that would explain a lot...

She said, "By the time you're finished with physical therapy, you can carry them up the stairs."

I opined that they were too heavy, so she said, "Fine, you'll be able to carry a baby up the stairs." 

You see where this is going, don't you? 

"I don't have a baby," I said. 

I dropped him in the rain...

"Borrow one," she replied. 

Done.

"I don't think anybody's going to let me borrow their baby for physical therapy," I said.

"Well," my therapist said, "I guess you'll just have to have your own." 

So I did [not]. 

Bored Game: 

Answer: This number keeps changing. I believe the answer is currently 9. If you guessed 8 or 9, you may move forward one space. 

Question: What animal do I collect pictures/figurines/etc. of?

I'm so Bored that I fell in the lake

Due to studying for biology and Spanish civilization exams, I'm a bit behind on my blogging. How far behind?

Well, for starters, I fell in the lake in June.

I was at camp, my absolute favorite place to be. It was a sunny day, kids were laughing, everything was great.

It doesn't seem so smiley when you run out of sunscreen halfway through the week...

I, however, was late. I was supposed to lead canoeing with one of my fellow counselors-in-training (CITs), who I will here refer to as Christian because that's what I kept accidentally calling him, but I got down to the lake a few minutes after the round started. 

When I got to the lake, I found that only one kid had showed up for canoeing, and two CITs had taken her out in a boat, leaving no one on the shore to tow them back in ... except for me. 

Lesson number one: these things are heavy

I figured that I could tow them back in okay, as long as everybody stayed calm. I have pretty strong arms, after all.

I know, you'd never have guessed.

When I stepped towards the shore to pull the boat back in, though, one of my crutches collapsed into the mud. Still, I was okay, and I grabbed hold of the canoe to pull it back in.

One of the CITs, though (here referred to as Frankenstein) decided to steer the canoe away from me then try to stand up and get out of the canoe. After I finally convinced Frankenstein to sit down, I fell over, having been knocked off balance by trying to reach for the canoe as it steered away from me. 

I fell into the lake. 

Okay, so I actually landed mostly in the mud beside the lake, with only my head going into the lake itself. 

That water tastes awful. 

One of my friends, hereafter referred to as Just Visiting Camp Because She's Married and Has Kids, had told me that trying to tow the canoe in by myself was a bad idea prior to all of this, but I was a little too insane to listen to her.

I mean, I was days away from doing this...

Luckily, Just Visiting Camp Because She's Married and Has Kids pulled me out of the water, and Frankenstein and Christian ran up to the lodge to get Jerbear, who drove me back to my cabin. 

I just wanted a picture here. 

Long story short, I ended up going to take a shower, and the camper ended up running away from the session looking traumatized. 

For the rest of the day, people kept asking me how my swim in the lake was. 

Oh yeah, it was great. You should give it a try!

Bored game:

Answer: I am a Spanish major. If you said neuroscience, though, it still counts, as I haven't turned in my paperwork yet to change my neuro major to a minor. If you were right, move forward one space.

Question: How many (pretend) spouses do I have?

I'm so Bored that I spilled coke in my foot

I know, this sounds weird, but trust me, it's actually extremely weird.

The other day, I decided to be awesome at physical therapy and wear my prosthetic leg all day.

Le me doing a funky dance because I'm wearing my leg. 

Given my luck, the outcome was pretty much inevitable.

The swelling in my residual limb decided to go down during the day, which was awesome ... except that it made my leg too loose, and I didn't have any extra socks with me in my backpack. 

Plus, adding more socks during class was going to be a bit difficult to explain to my professors (without using English*)

Seeing as I am absolutely brilliant, I decided to just leave my leg on my scooter during my classes but wear it when I was scootering around. 

No, it doesn't fit. Yes, I managed to use this picture again. 

Everything was fine, until I got to the checkout counter in the dining hall. I couldn't find my ID card to pay, so I set my tray on the counter so I could look in my purse.

And this entire cup of Coca-Cola spilled all over my lap.

The Coke ended up all over my lap and my leg, inside my leg, and of course, inside my foot. 

I never before in my life thought I would have to try to get a fountain beverage out of my foot. Out of my shoe, maybe, but never out of my foot itself.

I obviously do not claim to own either of the photos in this compilation, and I am not implying that anyone would purposely pour coke in a fake foot (except possibly me...)

Bored game time!

I know you've all been waiting for it, kind of like you wait for the dentist...

Answer: My cat is named Shadow. But since I'm not home, Sad is also an acceptable answer. You may move forward one space if you know me and knew that. If you knew that but don't know me, go back one space for being a stalker. 

Question: What is my major? If you need a hint, look for the asterisk above.  

I'm so Bored that I made a shameless plug

Hi, blogosphere!

I am currently in charge of  finding between 50 and 60 volunteers for the Merrell Oyster Race in Nashville, TN on Saturday, Oct. 6.

It is an amazingly fun race, as you can tell from this video:




Anywho, there are a little over 2 weeks left until race day, and so it might be a little late for you to find a team, although if you want to register, you still can.

What it's not too late for you to do is get involved, for free!

Volunteer at the race, and you will get to be an integral part of race day (and know stuff before the racers do). You also get free lunch afterwards!

The best part: all of the proceeds benefit Camp Kesem Vanderbilt!

Still not convinced?

The first person to register to volunteer (and tell me in the comment section) will receive a free Oyster Race t-shirt.

The first five people to volunteer (and comment) will receive a batch of homemade cookies, which I will deliver to you on race day (tell me if you have any allergies or aversions).

The first 10 people to volunteer (and comment) will receive a friendship bracelet made by me, in true Camp Kesem style.

Everyone who volunteers (and comments) will receive a personal thank you on this blog and a hug on race day.

And yes, the prizes are cumulative, so the first person will receive a t-shirt, a batch of cookies, a friendship bracelet, a thank you, and a hug.

How do you volunteer? Glad you asked.

For my regular followers, the Bored game will continue next post.

I'm so Bored that I broke my leg

So, for anyone who either knows me or has been following this blog, you're probably thinking, "Didn't we already cover this? I mean, you got it amputated, right?"

You thought I would never find another way to use this picture, didn't you?

And you're right. The prosthesis in my leg breaking is old news. However, I am actually so talented that I managed to break my new leg!

The foot should be facing towards the camera...

There's really no fancy story behind this at all. I just tried to move my leg and ended up twisting it around. Now it won't twist back.

Anyway, that's just a short update on life. Now, on to the Bored game!

Answer: You may only go forward one space if you did NOT say "African or European?" If you did say that, go back to Start.

Question: What is my cat's name?