The Santana Cam server is down so I am very sad today.

But I have lots to be happy about anyway!

I met with my PT last night and she said it is a GOOD sign that my knee didn’t hurt during spin. She said soreness after is to be expected and the fact that it didn’t last more than a day is also a good sign! She put a laser on my knee which is supposed to help with the pain and did some massaging. I told her how difficult it was for me to keep my knee stabile while in the standing position, which leads her to believe that the problem is stemming from my pelvis and feet rather than the knee itself.

Also interesting to her is the fact that I have the same alignment issues on my right and left side, yet only my left side hurts — and only my left side seems difficult to control during spin.

So for now I have some foot exercises to do in addition to my balancing butt ones. She also wants me to try running 1 mile on the treadmill. She suspects it will be similar to my spin experience — I will feel fine during it and be sore after. I am also seeing my doctor on Thursday so I’ll see what he says. PT does think that if I improve my pelvis and feet, the soreness after spinning/running will cease.

But more worrisome than my knee these days has been my shoulder. A few months ago, I began experiencing sharp, intense pains in my left shoulder and upper arm. It would happen if I bent my arm back to put on a scarf or coat, or if I leaned on my arm. I had an MRI which revealed bone marrow edema and went to physical therapy (not at the place I am at now).

But the pain never stopped. Rather, it morphed. I no longer feel a sharp, intense pain in my shoulder when I bend it. Now, I feel a constant dull throbbing ache that radiates down my arm, sometimes to my fingers. The ache never goes away, although it is intensely worse in the evenings for some reason. I have a limited range of motion in my left shoulder as well, and something as simple as shrugging has become painful and impossible.

The doctor mentioned last time I was there, about 6 or 7 weeks ago, that if my shoulder still hurt in a month I would get another MRI, since bone marrow edema should heal on its own by this time.

I started calling my doctor last week to find out if I could go in for my MRI before my appointment with him this coming Thursday. This way, he would have the resuls right away so we could get started on what to do.

Let’s just say that 7 phone calls and 6 days later, I did not speak to the doctor and therefor could not get an MRI before my appointment tomorrow. He finally called back, though, and told me he was in the Bahamas. Which is strange, since every time I called the receptionist yelled at me and said he was in surgery. I think I’ll start using “surgery” when I really mean “Bahamas.”

So I will update you on that visit on Friday. I am eager to get the shoulder and arm MRI (which will hopefully be Friday or Monday morning) because I am dying to know what is wrong. When the boy presses on the line of pain down my arm I can feel the pain buzzing. Even right now, as I type, I have the dull ache and can barely move my shoulder. What did I do to myself??!

Hair!
In better news, tonight is my haircut at Devachan, the curly hair salon! As you all know, I recently made the decision to transition to my natural curls. Tonight I will get a MUCH needed haircut, learn about my hair and how to style it in the transition and after and hopefully figure out how to not look so ridiculous with 3 curly inches on top and many straight inches all the way through! I brought my before and after poster with me so the stylist will have a full understanding of my true hair so he can give me the best cut possible. My hair is ready to go — they have you come in with your hair dry and cut it that way because of the unique nature of curl springiness. I have read nothing but amazing reviews on the stylist I will be seeing (explains the hefty price tag, but hey, I need to learn this!) and am very excited. I’ll recap tomorrow!

These photos show my current state of curly top, straight bottom!

      

Sante Fe Review
And now, lastly, FOOD! I am proud to announce that the boy and I officially found our favorite restaurant. Whenever we want to go out to dinner close by, we are plagued by our limited options. Amber is a decent default, but we wanted something different, something we could love and go to not as a default but as the place we always WANT to go.

We didn’t know where to go out to dinner one night so I opened up MenuPages and started browsing. I spotted a restaurant that I’d never heard of and was close by. “Have you ever been to Santa Fe?” I asked the boy. “No but I’ve always wanted to,” he replied. And the decision was made!

We both LOVE Mexican food (who doesn’t?) but aren’t fans of the super high price of the convenient Rosa Mexicano. We had wanted to find a good, not so expensive Mexican place nearby for awhile so this worked out perfectly. We immediately walked over. The restaurant was right off a major street, tucked away a little. We walked in and I was immediately happy. It was cozy, with tables on one side and a bar on the other. Walk a little further in and there is an entire dining room. Much bigger than it seems from the outside!

The boy and I have been there twice and the first time we sat at a table by the bar and the second time in the back dining area. Service was impeccable both times. I had a Sangria (my favorite summer drink!) the first time and it was delicious. The next, I opted for their top shelf margarita which was so yummy it tasted like lemonade. They have a major selection of frozen margaritas, which they are known for and voted best in NY in this category in something that I can’t remember. Next time I will try one of those!

We both loved the guacamole, which is a major indicator of whether a Mexican restaurant is good (much like Lo Mein is an indicator in Chinese Food in my family). Black Bean Dip aged cheddar, chopped onion, and sour cream, amazing. I had a hard time deciding between Steak Quesadilla grilled onion, skirt steak, jack and goat cheese with poblano puree and a turkey burger (seems strange but it fit right in!) I opted for the turkey burger but will definitely go back for the quesadilla next time! The boy loved his Black Bean And Sweet Potato Burrito in a spinach tortilla with tomato salsa and rice (YUM) the first time and salad the second. We never got dessert but I saw CHURROS making their way to a table — which the boy has never tried before — so I am sure that will be making its way into our mouths sometime soon.

The menu is large enough that there is a variety of foods I would eat there, but not so large as to be overwhelming. I am a big fan of the drink menu which included a sangria topped frozen margarita!

An observation I made about Santa Fe is that it is always filled with people, but never jampacked or uncomfortable (based on two weekend nights). So far, there has not been a wait but it has been boisterous! I’m not worried about them closing and yet I don’t have to have a reservation to eat there.

I am disappointed that we have so many plans this weekend and won’t make it back there — that is how much we like it! I am thrilled we have “a place” that we both like (it never works out that way!) and can just go to whenever we have nothing else to do, or whenever we want!

Sante Fe is our official favorite restaurant of the summer.

Coming this week: Whole Foods Almond Cake, Orthopedist Appointment, Haircut Results, New Approach to Food

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