The good news about being here in the Dallas area is that it is a WHOLE lot warmer than Minneapolis.
Any thought about playing some rugby down here in Big D has to be weighed very carefully. There are pros and cons to working as a travel nurse-and I won't bore you with the details. One quirk of this 3 month posting in Texas is that I won't be accruing any sick leave hours. (I do, at least, have health insurance)
So what does all of this mean to a middle-aged prop who would not mind getting a run in an Old Boys game here? I have never been badly injured playing rugby-a few cuts, scrapes and the odd sore neck. When I had my pulmonary embolism almost two years ago, that had nothing to do with playing rugby-it's just one of those odd things that just happened. That said, it is a physical game. People
do get hurt. (All you have to do is read some of the rugby-centric message boards out there) A significant injury could cost me more than a couple of days working, which could cost me anywhere from a couple of hundred to over a thousand bucks, depending on how many days I miss. That's money I can use not just for paying bills, but also putting into my "Kiwi Fund" for going to the RWC in New Zealand later this year.
What can I say? I miss the well-educated, diverse and interesting people who seem to be drawn to Rugby...
It's a tough call. If I was really that concerned about my health, I never would have started playing 5 years ago at the age of 45. I know I had a great time playing last fall with the Metropolis Old Boys against the East Side Banshees and playing at the Ruggerfest in Aspen. It's something that I have not totally decided on, but I have been giving it a great deal of thought.
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