Progress Report

Today marks my 26th day post op on my knees. Right Knee acl reconstruction. Left knee Scope(cleanup). My left knee is doing very well and is almost back to the same size as it was pre op. My right knee is a different story due to the severity of the injury and invasiveness of the procedure. It is weak and scrawny looking. In order to get to the point where I can start rebuilding the muscle I need to flush all the swelling out and get my knee to hyper-extend. Both are really close. This is probably the most frustrating part of the recovery process for me. I'm at the point where I'm not supposed to do a whole lot of activity, yet walking and biking are a piece of cake. Walking and biking unfortunately help to create more swelling and tend to stiffen the joint. Even though my body can physically perform these functions, I shouldn't be. How can I not be antsy when this used bike I purchase from Scott arrived last week. I am seriously torturing myself...

Thank you Adrian at Scott Bicycles... You're the MAN!

I have a workout routine that takes me a couple of hours to complete it its entirety. Although the subject demonstrating the workout is cute, she doesn't make me break a sweat...

My philosophy on working out: If you don't break a sweat... you're not working out!

On the other hand, I did reach a milestone today. I was able to get rid of my dirty, decrepit, dead skin laden leg stocking that prevents blood clots. I assure you, you will not be missed...

At the first day of PT a couple weeks back, I stripped off the stocking and a blizzard of dead skin fell to the table practically covering it. I probably shed a couple of ounces right there. Well, I think the worst is over. Life is Good! Out.

Supercross comes to Utah!

Fortunately I was able to get out of the house for the evening and get down to see some supercross action at Eccles Stadium. Unfortunately I am going to have to buy a bike as soon as my acl recovers. Could it be a dumb idea... Yes... but I somehow convinced myself I would stick to trail riding exclusively. Hopefully I can stay true to that. Here's some eye candy from the event.

Grete can't wait for the show to start!

Here's the Track

The Salt Lake Syline from the stadium

where's waldo?

Any Supercross fan loves fire!

The resulting smoke rings...

The final showdown! Bubba took the win!

Wow!

Some things are just so amazing that they need to be shared. I saw this on another blog and decided I had to put it on my blog so maybe the three or four people who read my blog will also get the same feeling as I did when I watched this video. If you aren't that impressed in the beginning, just keep watching... it gets better and better and better...
Inspired. Danny MacAskill from dave on Vimeo.

Testing mobile blogging

This is pretty clever marketing!

Reading is fun...

I recently read The Road by Cormac McCarthy. My friend Margo sent it to me and once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. OK that's a bit of an exaggeration but I started on the 10th and finished on the 15th. 300 odd pages, bold lettering, easy reading, not much dialogue. It was beautiful yet dark and hopeless, primal and instinctual. What really hooked me was Mr. McCarthy's writing style and the way he created the setting in which the story took place. If you're looking for a book, check this one out...

RC Fury

The Death Gap 30+ft


Packing the inrun for ultimate traction


Glen Airin it out for the first time. Came up a little short... Result: Broken Bushing


Doing a whip with The XL.... coming up short... no big deal...


Launching!!!


Broken stabilizing arm... but that didn't slow me down.

Result of Death Gap: Two Broken Cars, One trip to the RC Shop, $40 and Two RC Geeks

My Friends a Pro

Yo J Symms and C West! When's your LP commin' out Dogs? I wanna floss that in my whip and drive down tha strip foo...


TEAM USA - My Friend is a Pro (Album Version) from Mike Thomas on Vimeo.

En Route America

Nimbus does America! After watching the En Route America webisode, I feel like Nimbus is starting to come into it's own. I loved it! Good work boys. I wish I could have been there. Check it.

Finally

About 2 years ago Anthony Boronowski made a handful of prints for his friends and sent me one. It was a very thoughtful gesture. I've had it hanging in my room for the past couple of years in it's raw form and whenever I looked at it It said. I need to be framed. After so much nagging it's only a matter of time before it got what it was looking for. I picked up the framed version today and placed it in a spot where it could be admired by all...


Thanks Tony!

Best SW 1080

I was perusing John Symms blog for a few laughs and came across a video he posted of the winner of Level 1's SuperUnknown Contest. At about 36 seconds, Niklas Eriksson, throws down hands down the best sw. 10 I've ever seen. If you've seen me ski then you probably know I'm a 5, 7 and if conditions permit I will sometimes throw a 9 kind of guy. On a couple of occasions I have gone to 10, just to prove to myself I could do one. Anyway with that said I like slow calm almost lethargic looking rotations. This trick he does is similar to a sw.7 I pioneered in 2002 and I have to admit... way Better! RESPECT BREDREN!



Niklas Eriksson SuperUnknown09 Winner from Ante Olofsson on Vimeo.

Rockin' the Couch

Last week I had surgery on my right acl (anterior cruciate ligament - located in the inner knee joint capsule). When I became mobile, aided by crutches, walking up and down stairs became a whole new and albeit complex endeavor. It seems such a simple task which doesn't require any thought, it's virtually as simple as walking. You don't look at the stairs with contempt and think... Oh no, I have to walk up those 8 stairs. Now... that is exactly what happens. I begin to rationalize each trip up or down. Is it really that necessary that I use the bathroom? I can hold it. Now I seem to have to form a strategy before ascending or descending them and plan on inhabiting that area of the house for a considerable amount of time before I inevitably have to attack those dreaded stairs again. The task was confusing at first I must admit. I now have auxiliary legs where my arms used to be in the form of metal objects that have to support my weight. If any of you have been on crutches, you know what I'm talking about. I've since become much more proficient doing this menial task and now have a new found respect for Stairs.