Handsome/footsome

I don't think I've mentioned here before -- since my time in the wheelchair, I've experienced periodic numbness in my right hand. It's been off and on since early March, and so for a long time now I've been avoiding things that seem to aggravate it -- video games, sleeping on my stomach or side, rope suspension, etc. On Memorial Day weekend, I figured I'd play some League of Legends with friends since my hand hadn't acted up in a while. I hoped maybe my hand was better. But no -- for several days afterward I experienced lots of tingling and numbness -- not just in my fingers, but in the whole hand and even a little on my arm.

So now I'm waiting to get test results back from a couple Fridays back, when I went in to have a lab tech shock me repeatedly up and down both arms. They were specifically testing for carpal tunnel issues, for which there is apparently a relative straightforward surgical fix. My suspicion, though, is that the problem is further up the arm, maybe even having to do with my weakened back muscles. Here's hoping the answer is more physical therapy, rather than getting cut open!

In other news, I've started a new job out in Bothell. My desire to minimize my driving commute has moved me to get back into bike riding for the first time since grade school -- I'll be taking a refresher bike-riding course in a week or two. In the meantime I've been exploring the Burke-Gilman Trail on my rollerblades. It's exciting -- I've always loved assembling a mental map of an area that's informed by my own personal wanderings. I feel like I'm finally becoming oriented to how neighborhoods I'm familiar with actually patchwork together in context with the local bodies of water. As footsore as I get, nowadays, it's a great feeling to be able to cover so much ground in a way that doesn't hurt. Bikes make it even easier to travel long distances, which makes me think I'm going to have a lot more fun on the trails very soon. I'd love to be able to incorporate some amount of biking into my commute... we'll see.