ARCHIVES - 1996 to FOREVER

We had to park on Mass. last night, no big deal there, we were about a block and a half from the Bottleneck.

The first band was an all-girl rock band, I think a trio, with a lead/rhythm/singer and a bassist and a drummer. Not bad, I guess, as rock bands go. The instruments kinda drowned out the vocals, though, so if there was a message there in the lyrics I certainly didn't get it....

Lawrence has recently instituted a no-smoking-inside-anywhere law, and in my mind it really ruins the whole club atmosphere. We started off sitting at the bar, and had to go outside to smoke, of course. It's a hassle, that's what it is, but it accomplished it's purpose... we did smoke less, and there was no pall of smoke hanging over the crowd.

And the crowd... well, there were a lot of short people there. Eventually, though, all of the tall people moved up to the front of the crowd. I don't know how that works, but it does.

And the mainliners were good, two girls on cellos and a drummer... who was a guy with a long beard, a beat-up cowboy hat, no shirt, and suspenders. Looked like a real character, he did.

I really liked the music, but I didn't really like the venue... people standing between me and the musicians. It took a lot off of my enjoyment of the music.

The singer/cellest (?) was an excellent singer, and I can't really speak to her cello-playing, 'cause I've never really heard a cello played in a situation like that, but the crowd sure did like her.

22:08...
Another simply beautiful day, I just can't believe this wonderful Kansas weather... in July, even!

I drug JD with me when I went to the doctor, and he was bored. First we went to the hospital, where I returned the pager and some borrowed CDs and a book. JD got to meet most of my co-workers, then we went down a few blocks to see my doc.

It didn't take long to get in to see him, and he looked at my toe and remarked that it sure looked like it hurt. Gave me some heavy-duty anti-inflammatory and told me to call next week with news, or sooner if it got worse instead of better.

And of course, it was better today anyway, the swelling has gone down a little bit, anyway, and it doesn't hurt so much to walk on it.

He said that there were many possibilities, and what he wanted to do was treat it and then see if it recurs... if it does, then we'll do more testing. More extensive, invasive and expensive, of course. But he did want me to get it x-rayed, so we went back to the hospital and I got images done... which I will publish here next week, of course.

JD was impressed with the quantity and quality of the females that I work with, heh. And a coupla them were, I think, impressed with him too.

Anyway, we looked at the images and sure enough, there's some arthritis there. Not a lot, but it's in an odd place for being the degenerative kind. It's on the big-toe side of the first interphalangeal joint, not a joint that's noted for being primary weightbearing or really subject to any kind of wear.

So... I'm kinda thinking systemic here. And gout is on the top of the list, of course. But it's a long list.

Mmmm... something else that I just thought of... I have fractured that toe at least once that I can remember. And an injury through the joint would cause arthritis 20, 30 years later.

As to why it would flare up now, nobody knows.

I think that the proper medical term is, "shit happens".

Anyway, I'll take my pills and see what happens. I really expect it to just get better and go away completely, and happen again so far down the road that I'll have to use the search engine on the site to find it.

I hope so, anyway.

Lots happening in politics right now, and I really don't feel like getting into it, other than to say that Bill O'Reilly is an asshole and so are all of his buddies in the white house.

And I would vote for Bill Clinton again in a heartbeat. O'wait, I haven't ever voted for him before, what am I saying? I voted to Perot and... who was it? Nader? In '96? Doesn't matter, I guess.

So, gotta get up early in the AM, brush and floss and stuff so I can go see the dentist at 07:00. Why the hell I didn't change that I'll never know....