Doctors visit

Went to Doctor Sterret, down in Vail yesterday and went through my MRI from before the race where I thought I had rehurt it. The MRI looked good, but since there is a lot of fluid in my joints, there is something mechanically wrong. Sounds vague? That's because it is. Since I got a repair on the meniscus already, on the inner back corner without much bloodflow for healing, the problem could be one of many things. The repair could have not worked at all, meaning they would "trim" my meniscus back smooth. A stitch could have broken loose, creating a floater (fancy terminology, I know). That would just need to be removed. The worst case scenario is if it did heal and there is a new tear, which would mean another repair, six weeks in a straight leg brace and a really pissed off athlete. Either way, the doctor need to go in and take a look, so I am scheduled for surgery on the 25th... wish me luck!

Dill pickles, greek yogurt and egg beaters, oh my!

I arrived back home safe and sound. After months of longing, I have finally been reunited with my three main food-groups... Fage greek yogurt, dill pickles, and egg beaters! After having my fill, I bundled up to give my dog, Sandy a walk in the foot of fresh snow. Comfort food = good; jetlag = bad.

Change of plans

Last week, my knee filled with a moderate amount of swelling and wouldn't come down. After talking to the doctor and getting an MRI, it was decided that the problem was mechanical within the joint, and the next step is surgery back in the states. Unfortunately, that puts an end to the race season. Even though I will not be competing this year, I will be coaching some juniors on the US team along with other things. I may be down, but everything happens for a reason, so I am going to make the most out of my situation.

Lac Leman tidbit

Lac Leman is what Swiss people call Lake Geneva everywhere except in Geneva. Whether that makes it two lakes or not is not the point. The point of my tidbit today is to tell you the fabled story of the upper lake island. As I said, there is an island in the upper part of Lac Leman and on it is one lone tree. It is said that Switzerland gave this teeny island to the Queen of England some years ago, so she could have a little piece of Switzerland. She cordially accepted the gift, but a few years later, the Swiss government started taxing her on her little piece of Switzerland, so she gave it back. I have no idea whether the story is true or not, but I hope it is because it makes me chuckle every time I look at the tree.

Cleaning out the pantry

During yesterday's tour around the lake, I met Captain Stan. If you picture what the old man and the sea looked like with a long gray ponytail, blue sea coat and a pot belly to match, Stan was it. After talking for a bit and learning that he was an expat Californian, making IT programs for banking companies and sailing in various parts of the world during his downtime, he invited me to lunch on the ship today to help him clean out the cellar for the new year with a few friends . As it turned out, his cellar consisted of many truffles, a dozen or so bottles of champagne and plenty of good story telling. From spontaneous races to being kicked off his own boat, it made me want to get on a sailboat ASAP. I guess I will just have to wait for the ice to melt off Steamboat Reservoir first!

Happy New year

To usher in the New Year, it was the sunniest day since late October here in Montreux. I spent the day enjoying vitamin D on the ferry around Lac Leman. I hope the new year will be just as exciting as the last!

Swiss food for thought

When I was in Middle School,we had "life skills" for one year, which included making brownies and learning how to sew on buttons. Not ground breaking stuff. Yesterday, when spending some time with one of my junior teammates, I learned that all Swiss schools have five years of cooking classes and learn from a cookbook-textboook. This book of recipes are of course all Swiss recipes, so along with guaranteeing that everyone knows how to make a croissant, it also preserves their food-culture. Not just croissants, the book has nutrition advice and teaches the schoolkids exactly what is in everything from bolognese to choucroute chou. Isn't that smart: creating heathy eater without them even realizing it!