Not Sure This Makes Sense, But There You Go

Theoretically, Maria Von Trapp said that the beginning is a very good place to start, but for some reason, I feel like starting at the end.

Ish.

The vehicle we were travelling had some issues.  It's a long, long trip, and it's an old (old) vehicle.  The fellow who drove it bought it this summer, so it was new to him, and this was his first big test of it.

I have to say, we were incredibly lucky.  The problems we had all occurred in a safe way in a safe place.  It could have been horrible and dangerous to have a breakdown on the highway or in the middle of an unpopulated place.  We were lucky that she wouldn't start when we had already stopped, or were able to get to a place where we could get fixed.

But knowing that we'd already lost a day on the trip down, and knowing we had to stop for more repairs on the trip home, I was a little nervous.  My time off from work ended on Wednesday, and we'd thought to be back Tuesday, so I was relieved to set foot back in Victoria early Wednesday evening.

By then, either the stress of the trip back, or the week in general... where I didn't take particularly good care of myself, or eat really much at all, or just being in the alkaline air and returning to sea level and ocean air, I was feeling exhausted and run down, and so by the time I ate late Wednesday, I knew I was fighting something, and so I called in a couple of sick days to take me to the weekend without having to deal with the added stress of work.

Oh, and my period came early.  Just by a few days.  But all of us in our camp had that happen, anywhere from a week to two weeks to two days early, even those of us (ahem, me) who have cycles that are hormonally controlled.  So there's that, if you end up going to Burning Man, expect your period, and also, I tend to be more run down around that time.

So, yeah.  Home, and sick.  Not quite strep throat sick sick, but close enough.  Spend the rest of the week and weekend resting, trying to eat, and taking fluids and vitamins.  And wishing I was still there.

I remember half waking up, it must have been Friday night, and feeling silly that I'd brought my entire bed down to Burning Man but man oh man wasn't in comfortable?  Weird that I'd brought my chests of drawers too though.  Go figure.

Weird also to try to sleep in the quiet.

Amazing what I so easily adjusted to.  Sleeping through noise, and lights, and just delightfully mad chaos all around.

I threw in some vinegar into the four loads of laundry I did, and I sprayed down my bike to try to get rid of the dust.  But it was dark by the time I got to do that and I wasn't thinking and so I didn't wipe it down, and so by morning it had rusted a fair deal.  I cleaned it some more the next day and tried to grease it, but I have no real skill or knowledge there so I'll have to take it into a shop or something one of these days.

I need a different bike though.  That one was great, but for riding here, I need something that has me not leaning forward so much, and if possible, not breaking my wrists.  And I completely understand why so many people retire to warm places.

I can't ride here for more than ten minutes without my wrist hurting.  At Burning Man?  Didn't bother me at all.

In fact, nothing really hurt.  Other than my shoulders feeling sore from a) wearing a halter top all week and b) all the biking.... the hours and hours of biking.  *happy sigh*  But yeah, no real aches and pains to speak of.

My legs are covered in bruises that I have no idea where they came from, and my fingers are pretty shredded and some weird thing happened to one of my toes.  But really, being home, I'm a little dazed, a little sort of sleepy (napped a lot the first two days back) but my throat is the only thing that's bad.

And, like I think I babbled earlier, I don't know if it's just being run down in general or if it's my body trying to adjust (again) to the change in temperature, altitude, and air acidity/quality.

So.  Home.  Not feeling great.  Took two or so days to get everything tidied and put away.  Haven't dealt with my tent yet, and am not sure if my hiking boots are cleanable or just dead.

Not looking forward to re-integrating back into work, but when do I ever after time off?

Oh, and my body still hasn't figured out the whole heat thing yet either.