Wahh! I missed Nickelback!

Last week was as nuts as I expected.

Monday I just sat in the stands at Ford Field as the dancers learned their choreography.  I have to believe the director was making stuff up as she went, since it changed at least 700 times.  Then after they'd been on the field for a good 2 hours, someone representing Nickelback got the microphone and said that 5 minutes before, the band had called her and instead of doing 3 or 4 snippets of songs, they wanted to do the full version of "When We Stand Together".  I'd never heard it - it's a good song!  I really don't understand WHY people hate on Nickleback.  I don't see what's so horrible about them. And people were signing petitions & stuff because they were signed on to do this show!   Being Canadian isn't a crime, last I checked.  

Side story - I missed the exit leaving Ford Field to go home and we ended up on the surface streets instead of I-75.  Apparently the stretch of Gratiot we were on is NOT the one a person cruises in their car!  But I didn't turn around since I knew it was taking us in the generally correct direction.  Before we even left the field, I told Angel & Maloree to lock their doors & not make eye contact with anyone outside the car.  I finally found a road I knew came right up to Shelby Township.  However, I didn't know it also went right thru the worst part of Detroit's ghetto imaginable!  And of course, TweedleDee & TweedleDum had their faces plastered to the windows, looking at the creepy blight buildings & graffiti.  They noted that there were a lot of "Houses of Prayer" and also auto body shops.  So when Mal called her Mom, she told her we were driving on the Holy Collision Corridor.  They also noted they saw no medical facilities and joked about if you needed an auto body place, you'd probably need more than Jesus to help you survive!   Mal wanted to stop at this really creepy gas station and hug this hobo they saw and Angel waved at another homeless guy sitting under an overpass.  I think they were trying to get us killed!

Tuesday we got to start learning the Mosh Pit.  We had to divide into 2 groups and when we heard a certain line in the song, we were to rush the stage and as the director put it, "BE the party" in front of the stage.  Basically just dance around & clap & have fun - right in front of the stage.  Then at another part of the song, we started going the arm motions, fist pumps, waves, etc as the dancers. It was so much fun!!!

 Our whole group. Angel is in the striped hoodie. 

 The stage.

Corey is from another studio but visited everyone - all the kids just love him!  

He's one of those people who knows no strangers.

 It was Corey's idea to go out on the field & plank.   

He was like the Pied Piper, since all our girls followed him without hesitation!

 Also his idea to spell out LIONS using their bodies. 

Wednesday was dress rehearsal with the band & everything.  Fox was there testing their cameras.  We had to do several full run-thrus so they could get the timing down with the stage set up, performance & stage tear-down. OMG, it was a riot.  Until like the 2nd run thru.  We were waiting for our cue to run out on the field.  I was one of the first 4 in our group to go out - I took off running & felt something pop in the back of my right calf.  I really thought someone had kicked me, but no one was around.  I made my way out to my place & I kept looking at my leg, it felt like something was running down it!  Anyway, I was hobbling the rest of the night.  It sucked.  I even sat out the last run thru, since I couldn't keep up with the rest of the mosh pit!

So Thursday I woke up (I'd slept with a bag of frozen veggies under my calf) but I still couldn't walk.  In fact, I was in tears when I stood up out of bed, since I couldn't put any weight on it at all!  It took a few minutes, but then I could a little bit.  I made the decision to stay home from the game.  I was sad!  I got hold of Terina from the studio to let her know and then Nikki who lives down the street to ask her to drive Angel to the bus with her Shelby.   I really wanted to go and watching it on TV - I so totally would have been on there!!!  I saw quite a few of the other ladies from the studio! 

 Angel all ready for the game!

 This is actually a better video than what was on TV, since you can see the whole field & not just the band.

 I would have been in the group running in on the left 40 yard line..

At least Angel got to do it again.  She had so much fun!  She went 2 years ago for the Motown Tribute, but missed dancing for Kid Rock last year (because she didn't pay attention of the signs around the studio - neener neener!)

You can see the bruising on the back of my calf & around the ankle this morning. 

I don't know why it's bruised!

At least the swelling is down - at this moment anyway!

And yes.  I will be going to the doctor to get it checked out.

Edit:  I did go to the doctor and then to get an ultrasound on my calf.  it was not comforting to lay there and hear the doctor say "Oh My" as soon as she saw it.  I ruptured my plantaris tendon.  From what I Googled, it's a common injury in tennis players, caused by starting & stopping abruptly.  There's nothing they could do for me.  So I've sucked it up and dealt with swelling & really colorful bruising.  Good news is that they don't expect there to be any weakness or recurrences.