Day by Day cartoon

Monday, July 02, 2007

Trying to catch up

Its become apparent to me that there is just no way I can live my life and blog about it in nearly real-time too. The best I can do is offer compilations and Readers Digest condensed versions of all the good stuff that goes on from day to day. Real-life intrudes but I'm liking it too, so sometimes the blogging will just have to take a back seat. That's the way its been for the past couple weeks anyway. Not being able to properly blog from the cubicle further complicates my ability to keep you enthralled with the mundanity that is my humble existence.

But at any rate, things are good. Getting much better now that the muscle spasm in my back has subsided allowing me to walk upright and get a decent night's sleep without crying. Its been a combination of pain meds, muscle relaxers, heat and cold packs and a trip to a new chiropractor last Friday that finally has gotten me standing upright without grimacing. I'm back to the chiro's office this afternoon for x-ray reviews and another adjustment. After that, I'll be accessing how often I need to be seeing him and how much money I need to spend for long term improvements. I'm about 90% well right now and that is a huge improvement from this time last week.

To preclude the posture problems while playing my guitars that caused the spasm, both of my guitars are now equipped with straps. Using them has been a whole 'nother adventure in guitar practice. I've never before tried to play while standing up, and I'm still not as comfortable as when I'm sitting but at least now its possible to stand. I did get a few hours of practice in on Saturday and Sunday. I still have a long way to go, strumming in rhythm baffles me and I'm still no good at keeping up with chord changes but I am getting better. I can read music better than I ever have before and I'm starting to learn to read tablature too but picking up any song book other than one that has the word "Beginning" in the title still leaves me completely lost. Still playing and making music, (sort of music) is fun and challenging and its keeping me thinking and working.

Which leads me to another nagging question floating around my household the past couple weeks- that is, should I begin my Masters Degree program... The BSU has given me the go-ahead and is even promoting the idea more than me. Class starts in just about 1 month. Its expensive and this time I wouldn't be getting paid by the Montgomery GI Bill as I did previously. My company will reimburse me, after I submit a passing grade at the end of the term but I suspect that means I would have to cover the first 2 terms at $1000 each and let the reimbursement for the first term cover the third term. And it would be 2 years or more if I just take 1 class each term. I don't know if I have the motivation. I know I should go ahead with it and I actually liked going to school before but it is a grind that I'm just not sure I'm ready to recommit to. We'll see. Does anybody else want to pay? That might encourage me.

There's a vacation coming up later this month, the annual haul-the-camper-to-the-Oregon-coast for the BSU's family camping weekend. Its actually a pretty good weekend but it sure is a long drive and it will be expensive than ever with the cost of fuel being what it is. The good news is this year I won't be writing a term paper at the picnic table or cramming for a final exam as I have the past 3 years. I'm also hoping to take an extra day on the way home to see Crater Lake and some other parts of the country I've not yet visited.

That's it for now. The BSU and I have been to a number of movies in the past few weeks but they deserve a separate post. I've got to make some phone calls and see if we are going to a Raptors game tonight and if so, how many folks are going along. Then I've got to buy the right number of tickets and still get to my chiro appointment on time this afternoon. I've also got to gather some links for some of the local news stories that bear my attention in the next day or two.

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