December 28, 2007: I pulled up to the Dupage Center for Surgery to undergo a bunionectomy on my right foot, surgical procedure to remove a bunion. A bunion, contrary to popular belief, is not excess skin on my foot or a variation of a wart.
My friends at Wikipedia define it as "a structural deformity of the bones and the joint between the foot and big toe, and may be painful."
Basically, I've had bunions on both of my feet since I was 15, but it wasn't until college that the excess walking finally caused the pain to be too much.
January 14, 2008: I remember the day back to school perfectly. My parents pulled into the NDSP parking lot to pick up my candy apple red #4 scooter, little did I know how much that scooter would change my outlook on everything.
My scooter and I have been through a lot, I mean we've lasted 3 months together, that's longer than most Frosh-O relationships. However, it hasn't been totally easy, our relationship has hit a couple of rough patches.
For example, one time I woke up in the middle of the night with erupting fracture blisters that caused me to go home in the middle of day and use one of my precious gym skips.
My scooter wasn't really involved, but it was still sad leaving it plugged in the Pangborn lobby. Then there was that time that I was just scooting my way to DPAC for my FTT class, when all of a sudden I heard a pop and my scooter immediately swerved off the road. It turned out that one of the tires popped and caused me to be late to my Tuesday night screening.
The only upside to that event happened when NDSP came to pick my debilitated scooter up at Pangborn. I am told that the one NDSP car accidentally bumper kissed the other while trying to back up into the Pangborn staircase. It was apparently hilarious, I was sad I missed it.
There's also the many times that my scooter has skidded on icy sidewalks which have caused several near-crash experiences. Luckily it hasn't been anything too bad. I really can't complain though, I would have been lost without my scooter during these past three months.
One thing I have noticed is that the handicapped doors sometimes don't open when you press the button (going into Reckers, right side of the entrance under the Main Building, sometimes DeBartolo on northwest door.) I then have the choice between waiting for someone to open it or trying to maneuver it myself, which is quite difficult.
However, the first choice has led me to realize how nice the people are here.
The point of this rather long column is to say thanks for these past three months. Thanks to everyone who ever opened the door for me, held the DeBartolo elevator for me and not getting mad when I just had to go to the floor, whoever filled up the huge potholes on that Road between South and West Quad, NDSP and Health Services for letting injured students be mobile during recovery, and the nice ladies at South Dining Hall who had to put up with my indecision to get a pizza or make a salad.
