(OT) A "Television Moment" for Me --

Okay, this really isn't a "biggie" . . . but it was kind of cool anyway.

My favorite baseball team is the San Francisco Giants . . . (notice I don't claim that they're the best team . . . but I saw my first Giant game back in 1958 when they first moved west).

Anyway, being in the wilds of Canada the only way we get to see them is to watch the San Francisco telecasts on the computer. They have a feature where they have people send in questions and the announcers answer one each day on air during the game . . . well tonight's question was from "Jeff in Canada":

"Do switch hitters use the same bat from both sides of the plate? Or do they use different bats tailored to their different swings?"

Yup, that was from me.

They said it was a really good question and spent most of the inning discussing it. Their conclusion was that most of the switch-hitters they knew used the same bat but that some who had very different swings might use different bats . . . and they said that they would call some about it (although I doubt that they will).

Anyway, a small (rather anonymous) moment of fame.

On a different subject, I (in the persona of my "evil twin") am still waiting for Stokes to post the results of the first round of shooting in the Stollen - Stagonia battle for the Sawmill Village.

-- Jeff

I'm Back Online, Gout Better --

Yes, after three weeks, my computer is back online (yippee!).

And my gout has subsided a great deal. To the left you can see what my foot currently looks like.

It isn't great by any means . . . but it is so much better than it was! And the swelling has really gone down a lot.

Yes, it still hurts, but not nearly the way it did (I was more-or-less zonked out with painkillers).

For those fortunate enough to have never had it, be thankful. When full-blown, even the air is excruciatingly painful.

But I'm feeling much much better . . . and I most sincerely thank you all for the many kind words I have received from you.


-- Jeff

Getting Better --

The good news is that I'm doing a lot better than I was. My gout has let up a considerable amount and I can now get around the house with a cane . . . I was barely able to move with a walker for a number of days. Oh, my foot still hurts a lot (and I'm still keeping a rigid schedule of pain relief) . . . but it is waaaay better than it was.

The bad news is that my computer is still down (I'm typing this on my wife's machine) . . . and is likely to remain so through mid-week at least. Between my gout and his work schedule, the friend who is helping me won't be available before then . . . *sigh* . . . so no email for a few more days . . . but at least my foot feels a lot better.


-- Jeff

PS, my grateful "thanks" to all of you who wished me a quick recovery . . . I truly DO appreciate it.

Owwww, I Hurt! --

Not only is my computer still down, but I have managed to acquire a very painful body since my last post.

I am again posting from a different computer . . . and I had a pretty violent sneeze the other day and felt a "pop" in my chest. I had popped a rib on my left side from the cartilage that attached it to my sternum . . . and, yes, it hurts when I laugh (or cough or sneeze or reach for something, etc.).

But that isn't the worst . . . I woke up in the middle of the night a couple of days ago with my left big toe hurting like crazy.

I haven't had a full-blown gout attack in years . . . but I've got one now. And while we might chuckle at the image of a foot all bandaged up, trust me . . . gout is extremely painful.

This is no fun at all!


-- Jeff

(note -- any misspellings or lack of sense is the result of the pain and/or pain medication -- I hope that you never get gout.)