Nerve blocks HURT!

I was back to the neurologist in Altoona on Tuesday morning and he decides I need to have an occular nerve block, just to keep me from going completely insane. (Stop laughing!)

I had no idea what it meant and just asked if it hurts. He says "Yes." Good grief, doc, lie to me. The assistant comes in with this HUGE needle and I really start to worry. Do I really need to function? Maybe I'll just be on my way. Too late, he's back and had me sit on a stool, lean over and put my head on the exam table.

Next thing I know, there's this blinding pain as he start stabbing me with that HUGE needle. There were at least five stabs into the base of my skull before he left. ARRRGGGHHH!!! I go horribly sick from that. Luckily, I hadn't eaten before the appointment.

I have to lie down in the dark for about 5-10 minutes because I literally couldn't stand up after that. When I did leave, I was still pretty shaky. What a nightmare that trip was. Didn't even have the energy to stop at Hot Topic! Yes, I was that sick.

I'm able to sit up now and the pain is a very low level. This is the first relief I've had in about a year. I go back in March, unless the block wears off. I'm hoping it just keeps working and no more needles are needed.

New credentials approved

Just got a call that my request for credentials to photograph Penn State gymnastics has been approved. :) That means I'm allowed on the floor for all their meets! They're hosting several big meets this season, so I'll get some awesome photos.

The first meet I'll get to is this Saturday. I'll be at two meets earlier that morning and afternoon, so it's a full day of gymnastics for us. Hubby also is a photographer and got his credentials as well.

Our kids will go with. T will videotape for us and A always likes to run numbers for the judges and time the balance beam for them. She hopes to join the local high school team next year when she hits 9th grade.

After the last meet, we'll stay with my brother and Sunday go to a State College Spikes (minor league baseball) fan fest. I hope to get credentials for that sport when it starts up this spring. Never tried before, so I have no idea how strict they are about freelancers getting on the field.

St. Marys Vs. Ridgway High School Gymnastics

Last night was our first chance to see the Ridgway gymnastics' team when they travelled to St. Marys. They had several injured girls and didn't have a full line up for bars. St. Marys also had several injuries, including their stand out Meghan Kronnenwetter who was out with a badly sprained ankle. She was injured at the DuBois meet last week.

St. Marys won the meet 114.07 to 93.975. Photos from the meet are in the group photo section or on my homepage.

The next meet I'm scheduled to be at is on Saturday, Jan. 27. I'll be at Bellefonte for a YMCA meet, then a high school meet. After that, I'll be at Penn State for their meet against NC State.

I love Jack Black!

Altoona Vs. St. Marys gymnastics

Went to another high school meet last night. Altoona beat St. Marys
131.75 to 120.775.

It was obvious that several of the Altoona girls were club kids.
That's something that isn't readily available to St. Marys. The
nearest competitive club is about an hour away.

Altoona's floor and beam routines were outstanding. I was shooting
beam when Altoona was on the floor and just hearing the music, I
could tell they routines would be excellent. I switched over to floor
and I wasn't disappointed.

St. Marys has some nice routines, as well. Their stand out is Meghan
Kronnenwetter. She took third place overall.

Still waiting to see some higher level skills, but Altoona is the
best team I've seen so far.

I've added several photos from last night. Hard to pick just a dozen
of them. So many striking poses on the floor and beam to choose from!
Take a peek and let me know what you think. Thanks!

The next meet is Friday in DuBois. St. Marys will be there.

Apple's new IPhone

So, Apple has unveiled their newest toy - the IPhone. The cost is a sweet $499 and $599. I'll run out and buy them for everyone I know at that price! How about you?

Does the world really need another cell phone, even one with all the bells and whistles this one has. I have a Verizon Q and it does all the cool things I need - make calls, take photos and videos, check e-mail, keep my schedule and contacts, play music, play card games, browse the web and text message friends. Would I trade it for the IPhone? Nope!

I have a laptop computer to do everything else. Why would I need anything else? In the high tech world we live in, can there really be too much? I think we're getting there. My son is already asking to trade in the cell phone he got for his birthday three months ago for a "smart phone" like I have. He's 12! He sees all the fancy phones out there and thinks he needs one, too.

As you can tell, I'm passing on this new phone. Time to be satisfied with what I have.

PLEASE NOMINATE ME FOR A BLOGGIE

That's right. I'm begging for help. If you think "Gretchen's Travels" deserves a 2007 Bloggie, please go to the 2007 Bloggies nomination page at http://2007.bloggies.com/ and nominate me for a Bloggie in the Best Topical and Best Photography of a Weblog categories. Nominations close soon.

You do have to nominate at least three separate blogs total, so please feel free to add some of your own suggestions. Thanks!

High School Gymnastics

I haven't been to a meet in several years, but last night Randy had the night off, so we decided to go to the St. Marys/Bellefonte meet and try out the digital cameras. I've always shot film and he videotaped at gym meets, so I had no idea what to expect. The lighting isn't very good, so the photos came out a wee bit dark, but they can be lightened up. We'll adjust for that next time.

The girls and one boy did a good job. They all really tried their best. Some of them have some good tricks down. Since it's early in the season, I can see all of them getting even better with their routines.

We'll be going to as many of the meets as possible the next two months. It was nice seeing all the judges I knew from "back then."

Bellefonte won 123.1 to 122, so it was a very close meet.