The Man, The Myth, The Legend...

So once upon a time, there was a beautiful and brilliant diabetic girl who spent 13 years holed up in her own world of academics, rocks, and sweet flour-y things. Despite being diagnosed at a very young age, she had never really known any other fun and enthusiastic kids with diabetes. She never went to camp (for reasons that are still unknown but mostly amount to too much studying) and never really participated in interactive outreach events (there were a few JDRF walks I vaguely remember as a kid and a couple of expos). One day (not too long ago), the light switch went on. There must be other people out there like me. People who live and breathe with music. People who bake things covered in real sugar. People who skydive, rock climb, and ride their bikes across the country. People who REALLY live life to the fullest in spite of a silly chronic condition. So she went hunting on the Internet and built a life. A persona. A circle of friends that she had never really met...

My very first "real" Diabetic meet up was the UNite for a Healthy Future event in NYC just a few weeks ago. But it was a little unusual. I met amazing and fantastic diabetics with crazy lives. People like who I had run into online that looked and sounded nothing like I would've expected. People who did make my eyes gleam like a fan girl despite my subdued manner. It was spectacular and I met all of these people who shared great stories and skills. People who didn't look at me funny when I tested my blood sugar or chomped down on glucose tabs.

My second and third Diabetic (swap-story)meets were JDRF walks. I did two in NJ along the shore. I met lots of families. I did pump bumps with kids. I met mom's and dad's who littered me with stories about how well or poorly their children with Diabetes were doing. I smiled and enjoyed the sun and answered questions.

Not to say that those moments weren't special and that I'll forget them, but this Sunday night was different. I was anxious. Excited. Teeming with energy. I wanted to run and jump and scream and shout. I was wandering into a big city by myself to meet just one stranger. One specific stranger. A stranger who anyone (and everyyyyyyyone) could tell was special in the way he related to others. In the way he spoke. In the way he tweeted song lyrics. I had seen a lot of his posts on Twitter and said to myself, "He's way too awesome. Why would he care what I have to say." But I think he's already demonstrated in his short time stateside that what I (and every other diabetes blogger) do matters.

I knew he was meeting up with people in Kansas City. I didn't even know he was going to be in NYC until a week ago. Already signed up for a 4 day conference in Hartford, I knew I was going to miss the bowling extravaganza. I, for some reason, assumed he was leaving on Sunday before I'd be back in NJ. And then, on a whim, I tweeted him. And he responded. And said he was leaving Monday. And my adrenaline kicked in.

He called and my knees shook in the wind (like a well composed fan girl). "I'll be the one with an accent," he nonchalantly concluded with. I didn't need to ask for clarification. After seeing a picture (or several dozen) and hearing his voice (both on the phone and on a DSMA webcast), I didn't have a hard time placing him. He just looked different. More alive. Less pixel-y. Thinner and taller. And I instantly felt less alone.

I don't really know how to describe the rest of the evening. We just grabbed coffee, sat in Times Square, and talked like we were new-but long lost friends. I sat there in awe of him and he just kept telling me how smart I was.

AND to top it off, I got meet Caroline (@carobanano) who I can only describe as PURE sunshine. She reminds me of my favorite roommate from college. Singing at the top of her lungs (she has a fantastic voice in case you didn't know). I'm definitely planning to go back and see her in Brooklyn. I already have a teeny-weeny SURPRISE present for her.

Like the three sugar-free Musketeers: We soaked in the lights. We posed with Batman. We made funny faces. We grabbed dinner at the Ruby Tuesday's in Times Square (and died a happy death over their cheese biscuits). We discussed music (the difference between Coldplay and the Cure). We rushed for trains that weren't quite there (neither my roommate nor I can appropriately read a weekend timetable). We just laughed (at Shhs and Soda-names) and enjoyed each other's companies. I savored each moment.

Looking at us, you'd never know we had diabetes. You'd just think we were friends. And now, that's all I ever have to say we are. (And friends will ALWAYS see each other again. One way or another).

No D Day!

So today is the day. The No D Day. No Diabetes talk. Not on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or where ever else you love to talk online about your best friend for life, Diabetes. To see some awesome stories, go here and check out George, the guy who came up with this fantastic idea.

(For a little bit, I thought No D Day was supposed to be a little like Fight Club. The first rule of No D Day is that we don't talk about Diabetes. We don't say the word. It's really about finding out more about who a person is without Diabetes. But the thought made me laugh.)

So I anyone who has been reading about me already knows about my love for Rock Climbing (thus the blog name) and Ultimate Frisbee (the 10 or so discs on my wall shouldn't tip you off at all). You know I'm a giant science lover (but one who has social skills and can rock a dress), which is apparent from my 6 years of higher education for Biomedical Engineering with many more ahead of me. So what else don't you know?

I love to bake. Not cook. Because while I can whip up some delicious stuff with herbs and spices, my stomach really loves the satisfaction of good cookie or fresh pie crusts.

Apple Heart Pie!

Turtle Cheesecake

Pumpkin Pie from Real Pumpkins!

(Why don't I have pictures of my cookies? They all get eaten up too fast...)

Other cool things about me? While I don't sing nearly as much and as awesomely as Zooey Deschanel on the New Girl (if you're not watching it, you have to see the pilot!), I sing along to anything whether or not I know the words. I'll sing loudly and softly. In bed. In the shower. Especially in my car. I used to sing in the choir from grades 1 to 10, and then science took over my life (all those AP Classes saved me some time in undergrad). I'm thinking of joining some sort of casual singing group (in all my extra free time...). Also, despite not celebrating Christmas, I absolutely love Christmas carols. Once when I was in high school, I actually got to sing at Carnegie Hall with the NJ Children's choir. That was an incredible experience.

Other random tidbits?

I don't own a TV. If I did and I had cable, I might never get out from in front of it (happens with Netflix/Hulu sometimes).

I'm really lazy with certain chores. One time, I actually bought myself something to wear for 2/3 more days from Walmart because I had avoided doing laundry for 3-4 weeks.

I love filing my schedule to the brim. Back to back appointments 24/7 if I could. I like being busy, and I've learned to stop complaining about it. I can't handle the restlessness of having nothing to do. I've only recently started being more prompt for things. Otherwise, I'd always be running between 5 and 15 minutes late.

Sweatbetes Week!

So it's the first week since I've moved to this new-old place (moving back to the state when I grew up but an hour away from the actually city I grew up in) that I've managed to do something awesome and outdoorsy. The awesome part of this week is that I got to do both things that made me so happy as an undergraduate after not experiencing either in a while (2-3 years and 2-3 months). Mind you that sweatbetes and I (while on fairly good terms) haven't hung out in a while...

Ultimate Frisbee and I used to be best friends. I was one of the few women that played in our small college's mostly male intercollegiate team (apparently I'm not eligible for intercollegiate play anymore [alas getting old really does happen]). My living room at my old apartment was decorated with my large (and ever growing) frisbee collection. A disc is never more than an arms reach away for me, but unfortunately, I haven't been playing Ultimate in a very long while. Our friendship got strained by real life issues. Pick up games can be hard to find sometimes because of the number of people required (5+ on a team) and my schedule for the last few years has been, well, unpredictable so playing in a league has been out of the question.

After scouring the internet for hours, I found a pick up game that is fairly consistent and not too far away. Despite my fear of being wayyy to out of shape (isn't round a shape?) to handle the required running, I dusted off my cleats and walked to the park a few blocks from my house. There were many more people than I was expecting and the game was intense as always. But I survived. And felt amazing as I left.

There's something freeing to me about making a little piece of plastic fly. I forget about my diabetes. I forget about my schoolwork. I forget about my problems. It's enthralling and cathartic to run my heart out and make a Frisbee soar. I can feel the wind it feels (as crazy as it sounds). I missed it. I'm glad I didn't let a little anxiety keep me down. Or low blood sugars. Glucose tablets cure me (Thanks to my Dex for warnings!).

In addition to squeezing in an hour and a half (with breaks) of Ultimate, I managed to go rock climbing at a gym with one of my buddies from high school. He's learning for the first time, but I'm getting back into learning technique & balance so it's not a bad fit. We're trying to make it a regular thing. [In case you didn't know, my love of rock climbing is what lead to the name of the blog ;) ]

The silly thing about rock climbing and diabetes for me is that unless there's a 30 minute hike to where the climb is, I need more insulin to get my act together otherwise after one climb (aka 40-50 ft in my case), I'll be in the low 200s while I start in the low 100s. So after some experimenting (a la Ginger Vieira), I've learned that an extra bolus before I climb helps keep me in range. No lows while climbing = more fun!

Why do I love climbing? It doesn't quite make sense. I have a fear of heights, so I never look down on the view of a climb until I've done it at least once comfortably. There's something about the puzzle aspect (where do my hands and feet go exactly?) and the amount of finesse required to accomplish overcoming a giant wall that is extremely rewarding. I love the feeling of leaving all my energy on the wall. If I'm not tired by the end of a day of climbing, it wasn't fun. I forget about the D when I'm trying to solve a climb. My brain gets into the zone. Sooo much better than playing with equations all day long.

Sweatbetes 3X this week is a win. I'm trying to squeeze in some at-home stuff/school-gym stuff. Step 1: Gym bag with necessities in my car. I'll keep you all posted on how it goes.