Good morning. It’s been a minute. The last thing that you heard from me is that I was taking Youssouf to the Texas Tech football camp, which is exactly what I did on Wednesday. I need to back up though. A week before this past Wednesday I had tweaked my back while doing bench press. Nothing big, it was achey, but not anything big. I was fine. Fast forward to the Wednesday I was supposed to take Yo to Lubbock, I got up and ran 8 miles, no problem, but the longer I was hanging out after the run, including getting a haircut it really started hurting in the front of my thigh, but again, not debilitating.

So we hit the road. For the past 2 years, I had promised Yoyo that I’d take him and I didn’t want to break that promise.

I usually take 180 West and by the time I hit Breckenridge, the pain is pretty severe. I’m able to hobble around a grocery cart and purchase a heating pad that I can put in my truck as well as a portable massage gun that I can try to work out what’s bothering me (foreshadowing: I am not successful). We get to Lubbock and I go lay down in the back of my truck. I was lucky that it was a beautiful day in the 806, not hot, just sort of perfect weather.

When it’s time to take Youssouf to the sports complex, I am a in quite a bit of pain. I can walk about 10 steaps before I have to stop and I am hunched over, basically a hunchback at this point. My hands are on my knees and just sort of plodding along.

I get Youssouf checked in and he’s at a point where he’s on his own and I start live-tweeting the event. I am laying down because it hurts the least laying down. The camp is 2 and half hours and he’s doing exactly what he always does, which is display his athleticism. He said afterwards the kids couldn’t believe that he was entering the 7th grade. He’s very big for his age. When I signed him up I said he was a wide receiver, so he did receiver and defensive back drills and they also noticed that he has an arm, so they had him throw at quarterback too.

You can check out the action on X/Twitter where Yo got a photo with Joey McGuire and I posted some video as well.

It’s time to leave and by this point I can barely walk 4 or 5 steps without having to stop. Multiple coaches ask if they can help. Clay McGuire, Juice Johnson, and Tim DeRuyter all stopped to ask if they could help and I tell them I just need to get to my truck so I can hit the road. The plan has always been for me to drive home that night, but I didn’t think I’d be in such pain. The walk from the SPC to my truck was the longest walk of my life.

Yo helps me to my truck after 20 minutes of walking4 steps, resting and walking 4 more steps. I let out the loudest gutteral yell I’ve ever yelled. I’m in pretty severe pain. I should also explain that my family and I are set to go on vacation on Friday so I have to get home, that’s my thought. I start the long drive home and by Snyder, the leg isn’t hurting as much so I’m surviving at this point. Prior to this I was able to stop in Post to pick up McDonald’s. It’s been a couple of decades since I’ve had McDonald’s, but I don’t have to leave my truck.

By the time I hit Sweetwater I’m getting tired and the last thing I need to be is careless and have an accident because I’m tired so I google for a Walmart and try to figure out if I can sleep in the parking lot, at least for a few hours. It says that you need permission and I can’t really get up to get out. I noticed that there’s a small hospital or emergency room area there next to Walmart and that’s where I decide to stop. So yes, Yoyo and I sleep in the truck for a few hours, which I understand is really not ideal, but I’m pretty well desperate. And I don’t want to go sleep in a bed because the last time I laid down I could hardly get up again. I couldn’t let that happen.

Side note: I had purchased a coffee in Post at the McD’s and used that same cup to go #1. That’s how bad I didn’t want to leave my truck and or get up.

I think by the time we stop it’s close to 11:00 p.m. and I wake up and hit the road at 2:00 a.m. I’m feeling immensely better, at least I’m awake and feel that I can make the drive. I stop at some point along the way to get coffee and pull into my house at 6:00 a.m.

By this time, I have dead leg, it’s just weak and not strong at all and I have numbness down the side and kneecap of my left leg. I had called my doctor (I do have his cell number) and told him the situation and I had muscle relaxers and medication waiting on me, which I took immediately when I got home. I slept for 2.5 hours because I had a full work day ahead of me where I was working from home.

It’s now Monday and I’m feeling better. The dead leg is gone, but the numbness is still there. Quite the vacation. I’ll get with my doctor and whoever else when I get home and try to get fixed. And that’s why you haven’t seen me the last few days. It’s been a bit busy. I’m probably going to take off the rest of the trip, but will be back better than ever later in the week.