New Battlestar Galactica Promo Picture Look Familiar?

See the picture here but be warned, a video add will come up. It's definitely a take on da Vinci's Last Supper. I guess they are ramping the religious theme even more (if that's possible) this season.

Some Good Health News for a Change

Today, I visited my doctor and it was really positive. My tests all came back clean and the stomach trouble is "only" an infection. My insides look surprisingly good. My doctor is really impressed with my efforts and that made me feel a lot better about myself. It's easy to get down when you feel like crap. I left my doctor's appointment feeling really positive about my efforts to manage my health and empowered by my doctor to keep at it.

I've come to realize that a key aspect of managing fibro is finding a doctor who is a partner with you. His listens to me. We talk about my symptoms and share notes. Today, I brought him "new" data about my problems with cold. He took notes, offered thoughts and gave me guidance. He doesn't just toss drugs at me and hustle me out the door. He's often swamped (today I waited 45 minutes for my appointment,) yet I find he's always prepared for my visits with data and direction.

The Duhks

The Duhks

I caught a bit of a PBS special the other week about a Bluegrass festival. During the interviews a lot of the participants were asked about the other bands and which they enjoyed. The Duhks came up several times. I'm a huge fan of folk music and love bands that use "traditional" sounds from all over. I tend to not like when the sound gets too country or too glossy-pop. The Dukhs totally keep the sounds folksy and I love their style.

This excerpt from their bio page is spot on:

"...Duhks-alone blend of soul, gospel, North American folk, Brazilian samba, old time country string band, zydeco, and Irish dance music, and the attack they bring to these interwoven acoustic styles—which might as well be called sheer rock and roll."

It's like someone took all my favorite musical styles and all of Slick's favorite musical styles, tossed in some samba and made a band.

They came up on my "Wailin' Jennys" Pandora rotation the other day. I liked the song so much I clicked the iTunes link and got a copy. (Christmas iTunes money FTW!) Luck would be with me for once because I also found a copy of "Your Daughters & Your Sons" in the CD collection at my regional library. Slick fell in love with them instantly and has taken the CD from me...Typical!

Not that I didn't download the music to my iPod already...no, I would never do that!

Apparently, they are regulars at MerleFest. It's not far from here. Someday, I'll be healthy this time of year. I know Slick would love to go. I've already noticed that Ollabelle will be there this year and Slick really likes them. It's so tempting!

Inertia

I'm awake and restless. I feel bleh but better. I feel a "do stuff" urge but a "settle down now" gurgle (literally.) I've sat at the computer for the last hour reading news, watching stuff on Hulu, eating my banana and thinking about all the stuff that's been left undone for the past week. I know that the medication is giving me a boost of energy and dulling the pain. I don't know if that's just cause for me to try and accomplish something or if it's a signal to let the drugs do their thing and continue to give my body time to fight the infection.

I suppose I'll do a load of laundry, and defrost something for Slick's dinner. It's going to be 80-deg here today. I considered dragging a chair out on the deck, but then I remembered that one of the meds says I'm supposed to avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight. Seriously!

Anyway, I'm still here. I thank you for your indulging me and my rant from last night.

Argh! Could all this be the &^%$@ Fibromyalgia?

I'm going to rant and I'm not really giving a crap about elements of style or narrative. I'm just ranting!

It started last week. Something wrong with my digestive system. Since irritable bowl syndrome is a major problem for fybromyalgics, I probably waited longer than I should to seek medical support. By the time I saw the doctor I got put on a liquid diet and was sent for tests to make sure I don't have diverticulitis. Don't worry, I don't! The antibiotics and pain killers seem to be helping. I've even been granted access to some solid foods like bananas.

I found an article online (completely random) today called Fibromyalgia and the Pain Barrier. I followed a link on Digg to the site and then saw a Fibro link. Anyway, check out this excerpt:

"The next time, two years later, Jemma was crumpled with stomachache. Her appendix—which turned out to be just like any other appendix: evolutionarily redundant but not inflamed—was removed. And Jemma’s ache stubbornly stayed for another year and half."

And interestingly enough, all day today the area at my appendix has been hurting more than the other areas. Yes, I will tell my doctor on my follow-up visit on Friday. Could all this be the fucking fibromyalgia? And did I mention that the nurse didn't even know that irritable bowl syndrome was a symptom of fibro? I guess I'm glad that the general public got a clue about the pain and fatigue. I guess I'm also glad that my doctor knows these things.

Of course the article, like MOST articles about Fibromyalgia is on a "women's" site and talks about women with fibro. Most articles that deal with men only seem to make passing comments about the low number of men with the condition. *SIGH* Yes, it's great being a guy with a "woman" problem.

Wait, I'll go somewhere with this...

I did find a website, men with fibro (A crappy looking, poorly designed site) that was done by a guy with Fibro. I feel bad for knocking him, but man that site needs a make-over. Still, I liked what he wrote on his What's It Like? page. He at least totally gets it. He said, "Well, it is like Samson, when Delilah cut off his hair." And it's true. Sometimes, I feel castrated. I'm not the same man I was before this started. I'm the 50's house-wife with-out the kids. Sure, my health is improving! Sure, who knows what I'll be like in a year if I keep this up! Sure,...and sometimes that feels like a load of fucking crap. I'm a man! Maybe I'm a "modern, sensitive-type," but deep down I'm also "Tarzan to her Jane" man, dammit! Except right now when I'm wasting away, moving from couch to chair to bed to couch!

Deep breath! AND...exhale!...Well, I feel better. You?

Good things did come out of my rambling web searches tonight. I found this great link with a list of fibromyalgia symptoms that had details that I've not seen before, but really make me feel better. Specifically, this (see below) started this winter and has been driving me completely nuts. I knew it was the fibro, but man has it been getting to me trying to adjust to it.

Temperature Sensitivity: Persons with fibromyalgia tend to be highly sensitive to ambient temperature. Some often feel abnormally cold (compared to others around them) while others feel abnormally warm. An unusual sensitivity to cold in the hands and/or feet, accompanied by color changes in the skin, sometimes occurs in persons with fibromyalgia. This condition is known as "Raynaud's Phenomenon".

Any temperature below 70-deg and I have to be fully clothed. I've started wearing double-layers of socks from REI. (One layer of thin nylon blended socks and a top layer of wool.) My collection of long-sleeved t-shirts has doubled. I carry ultra-light weight gloves with me and catch myself wearing them in temperatures below 60-deg. The kicker is that the second the weather goes over 75-deg and I'm back to my old self. I'm warm and I'm comfortable in shorts. Still, seeing it documented makes me feel better.

It should also be noted that I've read the entire list and have them all to some degree or another (well except the sleep apnea and the "female" problems.) The paresthesia is annoying since I type on the computer a lot, but it's the only symptom I can always block out.

I'm learning how to compensate for the "general" fibro-fog. I take lots of notes. I keep my routine rather simple. I never cook from recipes anymore. I park in the same sections at the mall or store. It's annoying, but I manage.

Anyway, if you want to know a little more about what it's like to be me or any Fibro sufferer, I encourage you to look at the list.

Sorry for the rambling, but that's one of the reasons I started blogging. Sometimes I just need to vent about this.

Makes My Blood Boil

"Bush's War" is really good. I knew it would make me upset, but I didn't realize how frustrated I would get with the segment involving Colin Powell leading up to his address to the UN. I remember watching 1/2 and listening to the other 1/2. It was that address, given specifically by that man that made me believe that Iraq had WMD's. I admit that I supported the war based on the integrity of one man and a belief that our intelligence agencies had done their jobs. Perhaps that was naive of me.

But watching this show, I see that data was being manipulated to support the assumption instead of letting it stand for itself. As a student of science and as an American it makes me angry that we sent good men & women to die because they didn't just get it wrong, but that they did it wrong.

It's dishonest and wrong.

Protecting the Faith!

Apparently, there's a blogswarm this weekend against Theocracy. BostonPobble's Sunday Question is devoted to it...sorta... I'm personally against the concept of a "Theocracy." And am a firm supporter of the separation of church & state. You'll remember that I recently wrote 2 posts entitled Our Civil Religion and Civil Religion - Establishment of Religion.

You should also know that this week marks the first viewings of the controversial film Expelled. The premise of this documentary is that there are "educators & scientists being persecuted for their belief that there is evidence of design in nature." (Wikipedia)

There is a funny story about the free screening at Mall of America that you should read. (Thanks to GamerGeek for sharing the link with me.) The short of it is that PZ Myers was not allowed in to see the film, but his guest, Richard Dawkins got in.

Who are PZ Myers & Richard Dawkins? Scientists, atheists, secular humanist & most importantly two men who were duped into appearing in the movie under false pretenses.

Now, make no mistake, I'd probably not want to spend time with either of these two camps. I'm generally of the opinion that the Intelligent Design movement is heresy and should be condemned by the leaders of just about every Christian & Jewish organization. I've also gotta take issue with a guy who writes a book calling religious faith a delusion. Still, I'm definitely going to have to side with them godless scientists against them heretical crusaders. Perhaps this is the rational man in me. Perhaps it's the science degree I "mostly" earned. BUT I digress...

This is the playing field. Those are the teams. This is the power and danger of the first amendment. Here in America, they both have the right to spew their crap. It could be worse, they can generally spew the same crap in most of Europe. People just don't care there anymore. Maybe it would be better if both of these camps would just disappear. I'm not sure. Sometimes, I think it's all part of the universe trying to figure itself out. If we didn't have discourse, we would not grow. Sure, it's frustrating that such raw antagonism exists, but that's also life.

In conclusion: Theocracy BAD! Secular Humanism...not a fan! First Amendment ROCKS! Keep your why out of my how and stop disrespecting my why just because your how says my why is lunacy. And if you understood that last sentence, seek professional help!

"Bush's War" on Frontline this Week

Frontline on PBS will be airing an episode on March 24th entitled "Bush's War" on the 5th anniversary of the Iraq invasion. Check your local listings and watch it.

March Madness

I'm sitting here watching the Tar Heels make the Mount Saint Mary look like a JV Squad as I continue to get over this odd stomach bug that came at me from nowhere. I'm not sure but I think that Hansbrough is the definition of a "man-child." Seriously, how can someone with such a boyish face be that big and powerful? And it's deceptive. He doesn't look huge and he doesn't look ripped. Then suddenly, this big white dude is above the rim for the put-back. Or he gets double-teamed and both guys have their hands on the ball and he still nails a perfect pass for an easy assist. Seriously, he's just everywhere and nobody from the Mount can stop him.

I wasn't expecting the Mount to put up a real fight, but I'm amazed by how fresh the Heels look after the ACC Championship. Those games were intense.

Will the Heels repeat this year? What do I know? I know that someone will have to stop this kid to do it. It doesn't hurt that they essentially have home court advantage playing right down the road at the RBC Center.

Well now it's a 40-point game and I'm considering reading a book until the move to the next game. Just sick. Dare I say...Madness?

WTB Map To Promised Land

Pobble Thoughts message for today, I wonder if we'll do it questioned if "we" would open up and discuss racism. Admittedly, I've been thinking a lot about the subject these last few weeks. It started when I took out Ken Burn's Civil War series from my library while Slick was away for her conference. I struggle bringing up the subject of prejudice because I'm a straight, white, middle-class male. I regularly question my right to speak on the subject. No, this isn't guilt. I'm just mindful of how it looks and feels for me to speak about someone else's story.

I am grateful that I have had great role models and experiences. I know that my choice in president will not be based on race or gender. I am not naive enough to believe that race and gender are not major issues in this election and for this country.

Let's face it prejudice and bigotry exist in this country no matter how much we might want to ignore it or legislated it away. I know that I have benefited from institutionalized racism & sexism in ways that I can not even begin to imagine.

At my last job, everyone was very politically correct. Diversity was beat down our throats. Just about everyone hated the training and wondered why we should have it. I would always remind them about my Jewish friend in Tenn who told me a story about co-workers telling blatant anti-semitic jokes at the lunch table next to her.

Just in case I want to dismiss my friend's experience as isolated, I remind myself of the last football season. When I read the reports about Eagles fans on the upper deck wanting "that n****r" off the team, I wonder if I ever want to return to the city of brotherly love. Even in the "progressive" birthplace of this great nation a well-educated, charismatic leader like Donovan McNabb is just another n****r. (I will not dignify that word by writing it out in my blog!)

But the drunks in the upper deck of the Link aren't likely voters or policy-makers! I mean, our elected officials know better right? Then I remember my post about Sally Kern from last week.

Then I begin to wonder if part of the problem we face today are the generations ahead of me. Yes, those who forget history are doomed to repeat it, but those who lived history often become lost in it. There is wisdom in understanding why the Israelites spent 40 years in the desert. They could not see the Promised Land until they could look forward. Unfortunately, then I remember the racial tension from this summer. What was the name of that small town? The one with the noose? Yeah, the youth of America will save is! *Sigh*

It's easy to spiral down this lost road. It's easy to feel hopeless. Our so-called "fixes" have created a new era of backlash and angry white males. And the cycle continues.

It's easy to wonder who, if anyone, might know the way. When Obama spoke on Tuesday, I begin to hope that perhaps someone has found a map. No, I'm not naive enough to think him some sort of prophet. He's just a person. The point is that he's given us the chance to openly discuss the elephant in the room again. He's encouraged us to end the cycle of blame and continue down the road.

Was he Presidential? Hell yeah! But even if he doesn't become President, I hope that we continue to discuss his speech and use it to keep the discussion alive.

Anyway, there you go Pobble. Just a few of my thoughts. I had a lot more. Most were about rampant sexism in television and the social impact of Joss Whedon...but that's a post for a different day.

And The Vultures Circle In Their Old Pickups

So, today is the aforementioned town-wide spring clean up. The pile Slick and I put out yesterday was rather large and took up the space of a car at the end of my driveway. It included 4 tables, 2 old desks, a bookshelf, some old kitchen stuff, an old 19" CRT computer monitor and piles of little junk. (The neighbor's 3 teenagers took the TVs.) We did this yesterday around 1pm. The vultures started circling almost immediately. Before sundown last night, all the kitchen stuff was gone. The morning when I went outside, a table & the bookshelf were gone. Every 30-40 minutes or so, the dog starts barking. That's the sign that some old pickup truck is pulled up outside my house picking through the carcass of my large pile o' crap!

Just now, I walked by the window to see a guy in greasy coveralls with a cigarette hanging loosely from his lip deposit the computer monitor into the back of an 20 year old Ford POS ranger piled high and pulling an unlicensed trailer w/ one working break-light.

Even if the actual trash hauler misses my street, 70% of the stuff is gone. I can deal with what's left if I have to. There's something about the southland in the springtime! Blooming flowers & beat-up pickup trucks circling the neighborhood just fills me with a warm feeling. Or is that my allergies?

WTF - Economics

This one is for all of us "average Joe" Americans who are unsure about what's happening. Are we in a recession?

The Idiot in Chief refuses to use the word recession, but did admit that we are in a tough period. The talking heads & doom-sayers have been yelling recession to anyone who will put them on TV. What gives? Here are the facts.

A recession is defined as 2 or more quarters of decline in the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) in a year. Quarterly reports come out 1-2 months after the quarter is over. We are in the first quarter of 2008 and indications are not looking great, but we are not yet, statistically speaking, in a recession. The fourth quarter of 2007 saw GDP growth of 0.6% (annualized.) While it might suck, it's still not a decline. It was the weakest quarter of the year, but the economy still grew overall.

Yesterday's Bear Sterns bombshell was bad. I mean, it was really bad. The good news is that the Stock Market was "flat" for the week. Was it an ugly week? Yes. Did your portfolio take a hit? Probably not.

What does this mean? I'm no expert, but that rainy day your Dad told you to save for...well I see rain coming. How bad? I think Robert Reich is on target. We're going to be hit with a major correction. Real people are going to feel the pain of it. We're going to have to stop living on credit.

Will there be a recession? That's for the markets to decide.

Laid Low By Fibro-Fog Week Continues

I'm feeling better today, but man it's been a rough week. I keep reminding myself that I still feel better than some of my best days last year this time. I'm "functional" when I force myself. I'm frightened that I used to try and go to work like this. Driving more than a few miles scares the shit out of me because it's so hard to focus. My online crew has been really great. My gang dragged me around a low-level instance. "Go tank that!" "Uh, OK!" And the other hunters in my raiding guild are filling my slots all week. I'm just glad I grilled a whole chicken on Monday. Yes, I'm sure Slick is tired of leftovers made 4 different ways, but she'll get over it.

Still, I can't complain. The ACC Conference finals are being shown on CBS all day today. I love free sports in digital HD! UNC just won their game and Virgina Tech is playing right now. I've been watching the games from my chair while reading Marvel Comics Online on the laptop. This old clunker may not have a working battery, but it's still fine for surfing. I'm essentially caught up with the events of the Marvel Universe from 2002-2006. Some good & some bad. As usual, Chris Claremont's work starts off strong and seems to get lost. Other stuff, most notably Exiles & New X-Men started weak but have grown on me. I'm also getting more and more interested in stuff from the 1970's.

I felt really bad for tossing that comment about FBoFW w/out a spoiler warning yesterday. I've actually been careful to not blog much this week. I've been working on a very detailed instructional post for my WoW blog, but keep losing my train of thought when I try to write-up the math, so I'm just sticking with updates here until I feel better.

My Dirty Little Secret

My dirty little secret? I'm a complete sap. I get "misty" in those touching scenes in my action movies. You know the ones. Like in Best of the Best when a battered Dae Han offers himself as Tommy's replacement brother...it's just so *sniff* touching! :-D

Even more so, I'm a hopeless romantic. Hey, I wish everyone can find their soul mate like I did! Even fictional people. So, when I loaded today's For Better Or For Worse, I was gratified to see that Anthony finally proposed to Elizabeth! I am a long-time reader and have been pulling for them. Even after Anthony got married and Elizabeth met the pilot, I secretly hoped.

For Better or For Worse: Anthony Proposes

Random Updates

Our Great Explorer Returned Mostly Unscathed
Slick, returned from her conference on Friday. It was a day late. Her seat on the airplane was broken and overbooking meant that there were no available flights until the next night. She had already checked her bag. She spent the night in a crappy hotel (last one available) and flew home first class. The airline also gave her free round-trip voucher for a later date.

Que Sera Sera Update
My World of Warcraft Guild (Club) finally beat the insanely tough challenge that we've been working on for almost 2 months. One more "boss" and we'll be able to join the "elite" guilds in the hardest areas of the game. I'm relieved and admittedly a little burned out by experience of defeating Lady Vashj. Lady Vashj is known in the gaming community as the "guild killer" because of the sheer number of guilds that get to her and are so overwhelmed that they break up. Technically, there are tougher fights ahead of us. But if a guild holds on to defeat Vashj, it means that they've developed the teamwork, skill and perseverance to make it into the elite zones of the game.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
I picked up the first book of the "Wheel of Time" series. My close friend, Crash is a huge fan of the late, great Robert Jordan. He may be best known for his work on Conan the Barbarian stories. Anyway, I had to reserve it from another library branch. When I asked for it, the librarian went out of her way to remind me that I had 3 weeks and could renew. It makes Harry Potter books look like light reading. The scary thing is that he wrote 11 of these books and died before he could complete #12.

The Chieftains
Last night, we went to see the Chieftains perform at the "Belk" theater here in Charlotte last night. They are an amazing Irish musical group that's been together for over 40 years. Slick and I danced to their version of "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" at our wedding 9-1/2 years ago.

Health
I'm fatigued and in pain this week, but I'm managing. I've had "the fog" since Monday. That makes doing anything unappealing. So with the exception of last night's concert, I've been taking it easy and watching movies from Netflix & the Library.

I was also 182.5 lbs when I weighed myself this morning. I'm getting closer and closer to the 180 lb mark. I went from 224 to 190 in under 6 months, but 190 to 182.5 has taken 4 months. As Slick says, "Slow and steady wins the race."

Simplify
My great quest to simplify our lives continues. We're getting rid of a ton of stuff in the town clean-up days. (Seriously, it could amount to several hundred pounds of crap with desks, book shelves, computer parts, etc!) Imagine a town-wide dumpster-dive/swap-meet. Everyone puts their useless junk out on Sunday night. Your "neighbors" go trolling in their cars. On Monday, the town sends trucks out to collect what's left.

We gave our neighbor w/ the three kids first dibs. The oldest son took all our old golf clubs. The youngest took my basketball. And they will probably take our 13" & 19" TVs. I'm obviously keeping the HDTV but we are seriously thinking about getting rid of the 27."

We're also giving away a bunch of our "geek" stuff to our other geek friends. Some wives are not pleased, but at least there's no money involved. It's mostly books for role playing games like D&D and World of Darkness.

Next, a good-will run with clothing and a trip to the main branch of our library with books. I just need to make a list in case we need them for taxes.

I'll probably make a pile of stuff to sell at the neighborhood yard sale or online. But in the long run, it's just easier to turn my trash into another person's problem.

It Makes Me Sick

I'm sharing this because this kind of hate speech must not be hidden. A free and just society brings evil to light. Hate cloaked in Christ's name is hate!

I was watching news videos on CNN.com and they had a segment about the homophobic speech made by Rep Sally Kern of Oaklahoma (R). The speech itself took place some time ago, but the posting in You Tube got so many hits that local news in Oklahoma ran a story which, in turn, hit CNN this week.

She flat-out states that the gay lifestyle is more dangerous for the nation that terrorism. She goes on to spout the most hateful and ridiculous propaganda I've heard since I've watched video archives of Nazi speeches.

In the news show, she tries to defend her "free speech" and tries to back-peddle by saying that she was speaking out as a Christian. I heard nothing remotely Christian in her comments. Hate is hate. Bigoted comments about both gays and Islamic people do not, in any way, follow the teachings of Christ. This is the same BS kind of argument that slavers & segregationists made about Blacks. In the Civil War, it took good people of faith to stand up and point out evil. In the 60's, Dr King had to die to end segregation. Haven't we learned out lesson yet?

The arguments made in her anti-gay, fundamentalist rant is the same illogical stuff I've heard over and over. I have said, more than once, that I will respect a person's faithful belief that homosexuality is a sin. I disagree, but I'll respect it. What I can't respect, is propaganda and hate-speech. If someone wants to draw a line and avoid "worldly" behaviors they deem sinful, fine. If that same person wants to make theological arguments for the avoidance of behaviors, fine. I'll pray that they see the light. They'll pray that I'll see the light. It's not great, but it's a start.

Instead, we get gay-bashing and fear tactics.

I'll stop here before my rant goes on further.

Included is one of the many videos on You Tube that captures her speech and a link to the video segment on CNN.com.



CNN video

Experience

Remember those job interviews where you were told you lacked experience? You know, the ones that were entry-level in your field to begin with. If I can't get the job, how do I get the experience? How do I prove that I've got enough training and talent to do the job without it?

I think about those interviews every time I see McCain or Clinton question Obama's experience. If anyone called them too old to be president, then there would be an outcry about the ageism. Nobody every questions a "lack of experience" statement. It's not like any of them have been President before.

Perhaps I'm of that age where I see the value of experience and the power of youth in the right handsPerhaps, it's also personal experience.

In my last job, I worked with a lot of solid individuals. Our top person, the one with the most skill, natural leadership, talent and sheer brain power was only 23. He was taking a few years in business so he could build a network of professionals to help him get into the best graduate program. He was amazing. He was my only "peer" in the department that could be promoted and garner my immediate respect and support. Yes, he didn't know everything. He didn't let that slow him down. He used his resources. He and I would have long talks where he would grill me on my perspective about the world as an "experienced" person. He listened, he absorbed and then he made his own decisions.

I do not deny that my friend could use some more life-experience. But his readiness to lead was self-evident even without it. Perhaps he's the exception to the rule, but I also know that so-called experienced people can rely on tired old methods to deal with problems without looking for new and better solutions.

I simply believe that Obama's leadership and direction as being far superior to the experience of McCain & Clinton.

Accuracy, Loft & Distance

My in-laws passed through town on their way to Florida for the month. While Slick & the Queen went shopping for skinny clothes, flyDad & I did "guy" stuff. We hit the driving range, the "Golf Galaxy" shop, and finished off at the Hickory Tavern to watch the second half of the NC-State vs Duke game. Fun times!

The year that we moved south, I got a new driver for my birthday & irons for Christmas. Spring came and I used them once at the driving range. Then I got sick. I don't think I used them since. That was 3 years ago. Beautiful new clubs & I couldn't use them. It's on my top-ten list of most frustrating things about the fibro. I've been unable to swing a club, but unwilling to give up & sell them.

Even as I've started feeling better, I've been really hesitant about golf. I'm really worried about injury & pain flare-ups. Pain is really difficult for me to judge. I always have some sort of dull throbbing and tingling. If I used the "don't do it if it hurts" rule for exercise, I would never do anything. If I want to have fun and/or accomplish stuff, I have to push through that. The catch is learning what pain is normal or a warning sign for a potential flare-up or a real injury. I've already determined that I can't do anything high-impact. I know I must avoid heavy lifting. What about swinging a golf club?

I hit a 1/2 a bucket of balls. I used my 7-iron almost the whole time. I took it really slow and stretched a lot. Actually, I had good results for someone so rusty. Only about 1/5 shots was a complete dud. Most of my shots were solid. In fact, a lot were straight, with good loft and went out about 100-110 yards. flyDad was really surprised. In some ways, I think I swing the club more cleanly than before I got sick. I had to relax & take it slow. I swung with care and didn't try to drive the ball. It took me longer to go through my little pile than I used to take on a jumbo bucket. There's a lesson there somewhere...

I did finish with about a dozen swings with my driver. They were all painful. They were also ugly shots. On the last ball, I felt good and drove it straight out about 250 yards. I think, given the amount of pain the swings caused, that I will probably need to avoid the driver & fairway woods for a while.

If things keep improving and I'm able to keep getting out to the range, maybe Slick & I will look for an executive course. If I can't swing my driver, at least I'll be able to play a short game. Still, I'm not going to get my hopes up. Today, I'm more uncomfortable than usual. On one hand, this could be completely natural from doing a physical activity I haven't tried in 3 years. On the other hand...well, let's not go there...

A Gift for People You Hate

It's an alarm clock that simulates the sunrise. The review is rotf funny!

Rise and shine? Well, not exactly...

P.S. From now on, whenever something strikes me as especially funny, I'm labeling it "For Posey."