Brain Blog 2004 #4

HANK'S BRAIN BLOG 2004 #4

Hello everyone and greetings from San Diego. I

apologize for being out of touch for awhile, but I'm

back online now and happy to be in your inbox.

RECOVERY

My recovery has been a rocky road as I've been dealing

with all the pain and incapacitation one expects from

being screwed, drilled, cut, tunneled, inserted, and

plugged then being stitched and stapled 32 times. In

addition I'm in the process of overcoming temporary

side effects such as dizziness, nausea, imbalance,

sensitivity to light and moving objects, inability to

concentrate and focus, memory lapse, and overall

lethargy. The good news is that these are indeed

temporary and should subside over the coming weeks.

OTHER SIDE EFFECTS?

I've also noted the appearance of other possible side

effects, including what seems to be the development of

a rather large soft spot in my distinctly hardened

exterior. After watching "To Kill a Mockingbird" I

found myself in tears at the ending! Certainly this

had to be an anamoly, except that it happened again

when viewing "Field of Dreams". Could it be permanent?

Does this mean I'll now be nice to children and small

animals?

What else could be different? Wheaties instead of

Grape Nuts? MaryAnn instead of Ginger? Hey, maybe I'll

make some open lay-ups now!?! One thing I'm certain

hasn't changed is my political bent: W has still got

to go!

Another side effect has been the severe trauma caused

by a whole week in front of a television set; is it

normal to witness 100 murders a week? (not to mention

thousands of mind-numbing commercials). Thank heavens

for the Science Channel!! And also kudos to my locally

owned and operated neighborhood video store, who've

kept me stocked in archival classics, foreign titles,

indies, and documentaries to retain my sanity.

BACK IN THE SADDLE

I visited the doctor this week, got the staples

removed from my head, and received the all clear to

return to work (ever so slowly). So tommorow it's back

in the saddle again for a short ride, and I'm very

glad to be climbing back on that horse. Then the next

milestone is scheduled for July 27 when they activate

my stimulators. Until then, it's a slow but sure road

to recovery. Thanks for reading this and I'll talk to

you soon.

Cheers,

Hank