|
|
Perhaps this entry should fall under the heading of "Stupid Southern Californian," because I know that there are parts of CA where people are not stricken with this particular problem.
This is my first time (since I was seven) that I have spent a considerable amount of time in icy conditions. Until now, I only ever saw snow was when I wanted to, namely, when I went snowboarding. Now, however, snow and ice have become a part of my daily routine.
While this may not seem like such a big problem, I have an inherent inability to walk on ice. A genetic origin is the only way I can explain why I continue to fall down, when others around me walk just fine. An alternate explanation could be my shoes, and I intended to from a committee to inquire into possible remedies.
As it stands now, I have fallen flat ten times. This includes my worst day ever, when on Wednesday I fell three times. For one of those falls, I wasn't even walking when it happened. I was just standing still, perhaps on an embankment, when all of a sudden up fly my legs (a feeling I'm quite accustomed to by know) and I land flat on my a**. One of the side benefits of almost always carrying my backpack is that it has provided cushioning for nearly every fall. I would be in much worse pain if not for this valliant companion.
I'm thinking about having a running meter on my sidebar. Perhaps I could have a special symbol when a fall results in blood being drawn. That ought to up my traffic flow from search engines.
Seeing as how we're not even in winter yet, and I have more than three months of snow to go through, I expect my fall number to pass 100. I'll have to do something special to commemorate when that occurs.
I did go to a Russian Army-Navy surplus store a couple of weeks ago, and saw some sweet boots with steel spikes on the soles. I'm thinking about purchasing a pair. As well as some Spetznaz shirts.
HAHA you have to make a meter that shows how many times you fell! Its genius. And you could have links to describe each fall.You could be like "yeah i was walking to get some donuts and then i slipped on a step and was like =o!! And when i hit the ground i smacked my head and was like X-|"
Posted by: The Gavin at December 20, 2003 03:28 AMHere's a lesson I got from Capoeira: if you know your legs are going up, then kick them up even harder. You'll do a backflip and land on your feet. Not only that, but it'll look cool, too. That may not be the smartest idea, though. Momentum will carry you forward, and you'll start the process all over again.
On second thought, that's probably not a good idea. But wouldn't it be cool if you saw somebody doing a perpetual backflip like that?
Posted by: Jason at December 20, 2003 04:21 AMUm. Ok, so unless you're Jason or Chow-Yun-Fat, you may want to what the rest of us do: take small, controlled steps. This may sound obvious, but in reality, it's pretty hard to do. Native Russians suffer injuries and even fatalities in winter due to "gololyed" ("naked ice", i.e., mirror-like, frozen over sidewalks). So, at least you're not alone in your predicament...
Posted by: Bugmaster at December 20, 2003 05:20 AMGoodness Owney has your computer been in your backpac for all these falls? Buy some better boots. Take care and I think of you all the time. Stay healthy and SAFE!! Love you, Mama
Posted by: mama at December 20, 2003 07:05 AMWe've been pretty lucky here, only puddle ice so far and no snow. All the Bulgarians keep looking over their shoulders when they talk about this winter, as if they expect the real winter to come and attack them when they're not looking.
But Bug is right, small steps are the thing to do, and when all else fails, just shuffle everywhere. Winter is not the time to maintain dignity when walking. If it gets really bad, I sometimes won't lift my feet at all going somewhere. As long as they're on the ground, everything is usually okay.
Posted by: Rob at December 20, 2003 05:58 PMAt least you have an excuse when you fall. Some of us are just not as graceful and gravity takes over from there - without any need of ice.
Still, either get cracking on Capoeira or buy some sweet boots with steel spikes on the soles. Just don't do both: backflips with spiky boots can injure any Russian passers-by.
I think I speak for everyone here when I say: buy the spiky boots and injure everyone. It's the only way to make sure.
Posted by: Bugmaster at December 21, 2003 03:48 AMI agree with Bug.
Posted by: Jason at December 22, 2003 12:15 AM