Surfing The Web So You Don't Have To
Within the next 24 hours, Lydia and I should be holding our 2nd baby in our arms. Lydia’s been having fairly steady contractions for a few hours now, and we’ll probably be going into the hospital once they get closer (we live really close, so we’re putting it off as long as possible).
So there won’t be much blogging for a couple days, but I’ll be sure to try to get some baby pics online once it decides to arrive. Stay tuned…. .
…I don’t have an access point. Anybody got one to get rid of? Meanwhile, I’m searching around the area for hot spots and I’ll have Netstumbler running on my drive home to see what can be found. Probably not a whole lot, but I did already find the SST-PR-1 mystery SSID that nobody can seem to identify (most folks are sure it’s a Sears truck thing).
Update on 7/26: Read the comments below to see what I’ve found….
While I can design fairly well, coming up with a logo design idea is one of the hardest things for me to do. I managed to come up with the one for UtterlyBoring.com, but most of the other sites I’ve done were pre-existing logos or logos designed by somebody else.
Are there any folks out there who would like to design a quick little logo for a non-profit in the area? E-mail me at jake at orty dot com for details. It’s for a non-profit in the area that I’m a part of, and I know they have no money at all. It needs to be something that will work online and in print. E-mail me for more details if you’re truly interested. There will probably be no compensation, other than a possible link on the Web site for the non-profit.
Warning: This is one of my more personal blog entries, so be prepared.
My leg pain, despite my stretching, exercising, etc…isn’t getting better, but worse, if anything. Yes, I know, “Give it some time,” you’ll say, but, really, I need to be at least functional before my baby’s born in two weeks.
I got home today from work, and I could barely walk. I sit in an uncomfortable office chair all day, getting up when I can to stretch and walk (usually at least once an hour). I’ve tried rotating chairs, but still can’t get comfortable. Right now, I’m doped up on Soma (which is really cheap if you buy it just across the border — my grandparents buy it, and send it up from Yuma), and that’s helping, but the stuff makes me sick if I take it too often.
But then I started doing research. As I mentioned before, I had prostate trouble about six weeks ago. It was prostatitis. The only reason I went in and spent nearly $300 on the urologist was because I had pretty bloody semen (and let me tell you, that scared the living bejesus out of me). I still can’t believe I paid somebody that much to stick their finger up where the sun doesn’t shine. To use the doctor’s analogy, I felt like I’d gotten really drunk and had too much fun in San Francisco. I took some really strong antibiotics, blood was gone in about 3 weeks.
I never really had pain down there at all, and I still don’t, but about the same time I noticed the blood was gone, I started getting this leg and lower back pain (primarily upper leg). I thought “OK, pinched nerve.” And looking at my x-rays at the Chiro, that was pretty much confirmed. However, I’m not so sure if a screwed up disc or messed up back is causing the pinch. After doing a bit of research on Google, a swolen prostate could be pinching the nerve as well, causing the pain.
It get worse — a swolen prostate that pinches the nerves could indicate (in some cases) that cancer is developing on the prostate.
I need to quit browsing the Web when I’m in pain and doped up on pain meds. I get more depressed when I find stuff like this. Anybody want to send me a few hundred bucks to go back to a doctor, as I sure as hell can’t afford it…
OK, I’m done with the pity-party crap. Back to your regular blogging….
Update: I think I’m going to have to start wacking off more, as apparently that helps lower the risk of prostate cancer Link via Fark.
Just for kicks, I’m going to try this week’s Monday Mission (after already done a Friday Five once). Got the idea from Neil’s site, so I figured I’d give it a whirl.
Last night, I did a bunch of the exercises and stretches that Steve at HillTopDesign.com sent me, as well as a few of my own, plus a (really slow) 10-minute wall. Man, it hurt like hell, but it needed to be done.
I woke up this morning, there was a bit less pain in my leg and my back, so it’s getting there. Slowly, but surely.
Thanks to Steve, and everybody else who have been e-mailing me. It’s been really supportive, and I’ll be sure to keep you posted via this blog to my progress.
First off, I want to thank the pile of people who have e-mailed me and offered their support and ideas on how to take care of things (more on my problem here). Your support has been really helpful, and has gotten me motivated to take care of this in the only way that I can: I’m going to work through it.
Just a bit of background of me, here. Distance running and bike racing used to be my life. I did it all through high school, and through most of college, running for college teams as well (Division IA, mind you). I was in great shape, lifted weights and stretched all the time. I could, confidently, sign up for any race longer than 10K, and know that I could do pretty damn well. I had a pretty-much injury and pain-free running career.
My sophomore year in college, I had surgery on my foot to straighten a hammer toe that was aggravating me more now that I was racing and training more. That laid me up for about 6 months in a specials boot. Immediately after getting clearance to run again (about 10 months after the surgery), I started training again. After about a month, I was getting really weak, really fast. Diagnosis, too much class-time with little sleep (I was taking my upper-division J-School classes at the time), and I managed to get mono. I was pretty-much non-functional for about three months. Had to take incompletes in some classes, drop a couple, etc… .
Long story short, it took me about four years before I managed to get time away from my family (my wife and daughter) to drag myself into shape, and run a race again: 2002’s Hood To Coast Relay. I was slow (running about 6:40/mile — I ran 5:30s last time I ran this), but I ran it.
But I know in those years since I competed on a regular basis, I probably beat up and didn’t take care of my body like I should have. I want to compete again, and I know that doing what I did prior to my surgery kept me in shape, and had no problems with my back.
I want to get back to that point. No doctor’s going to be able to help me get there. I’m getting a monthly pass at the local municipal pool, and I’m going to get my strength and flexibility back. It’s going to hurt like hell, and I may never be able to run a 4:15 mile again, but damnit, I’m going to run a race here someday, I’m going to do it without pain, and I’m going to love every f**kin’ minute of it.
Wish me luck.
OK, I’ve put this entry in to an extended entry (so it didn’t take up so much dang room on my page). Click on the “Read More” link below to read the full post.
I’m surrounded by illegal fireworks and loud explosions all over the place. I’ve got some loony behind me about to burn down the neighborhood. The folks next-door are having a party with really bad live music. And it ain’t even 10 o’clock, when the fireworks are supposed to be launched off the Butte here in Bend (we have a good view from our house, that’s why everybody flocks to our neighborhood).
Just as long as my house is here in the morning.
I’ve been periodically checking in on Friday Five to see if they have questions worth answering on this site. The premise behind the site is simple: Every Friday, they publish five questions that you are supposed to answer on your respective blogs. So, per today’s Friday Five, I’ll try to answer some of the questions.