Looking behind, looking forward

January seems to always have something in store for me, and this year is no different. I started the year off in Manila with my boyfriend, his brothers, and a few of their friends. We drank bubbly in the hotel lobby bar while enjoying an 80's cover band interspersed with breaks played by a Beatles cover band. They were both pretty impressive and got a lot of people up and moving to their tunes!

After many, many miles, two planes, and a 13 hour drive, we arrived last Sunday evening to an icy, snowy Atlanta! Back to our little place, our kitchen, our own bed, and the comforts of routine. Monday morning found us back to work, and I was just plugging in my computer to get back to the daily grind of PhD work, when I stood up and felt something pop in my knee. Not just any knee, this was the same patella that was traumatized almost exactly 4 years ago. I hoped it was something minor, so I went about my day, but when Wednesday night came and I was still having popping (and mind-bending pain under certain circumstances) I finally admitted that this might need to involve a doctor. Thursday morning the sports doctor for Tech did some quick movement tests and took an x-ray, which confirmed that I most likely had torn the meniscus in my right knee.

For those of you who are not in the orthopedic field, your body has a nice cartilage layer between the femur and tibia/fibula that keeps your bones from rubbing together and causing you pain. This layer is essential for painless full-range motion in your knee joint. So I had to submit myself to my first MRI on Friday, and now I wait to get another appointment with my doctor to diagnose and start a course of treatment. Keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't involve surgery!

In other Januaries past, I have found myself falling in serious love for the first time (2004), falling off a moped (2006), and finally committing to a serious diet (2005). The most productive of the three was dieting, because I was able to look back in July at 25lbs that had gone from my hips!

5 years later, I find myself flirting with my previous weight on the scale which scares me. I thought once I lost it, I would not have to worry about gaining it back, at least until I had children! Since I have been talking about losing weight for at least 6 months now with little in the way of real progress, it seems that some public accountability is necessary. So, be it hereby known that as of today, I am committing to a regular diet and exercise regime so that I can be back to my goal fitness and weight by June! Just wait for the before and after pictures!