So today I finally got my MRI scan. Had to wait a few extra days for my insurance company to authorize the procedure and it still cost me $600. Every time I get an MRI I’m convinced a Vulcan must have designed the machine. What a completely inhumane and uncomfortable experience. If you’ve ever had one done in an old-school closed machine you know what I mean. You have to lay perfectly still for 25 minutes in something that feels like a coffin buried underground. I’m not very claustrophobic, but with my arms pinned down by the narrow girth of the machine and my face 3 inches from the top of the tube I found it very difficult to breath. And, the noises! Holy cow, only some logic-first brained engineer could make a machine that sounds like that. So loud and so crazy, popping and ratcheting and whining and humming. And no rhythm. I think that’s the future, an MRI machine with rhythm would be so much easier to take. Just keep a beat and we’d all be able to relax so much more. After every MRI I always feel like my skin is burning, but the techs just laugh at me and tell me its all in my head ’cause you can’t feel the magnet going through you. Bollocks I say to you, bastard Vulcans!

Might not be green blooded, but he sure ain’t human. Ruben Alcantara is one of my heros.

Speaking of Vulcans, since I’ve been down and chilling I’ve been watching lots of movies. Saw the new Terminator movie which really confused me as it seemed to have no story of any kind, went and saw Up in 3D which was super fun and amazing. (Do you know that’s what I wanted to go to school to learn to do? However, back in ‘91 when I was in college there wasn’t even one computer in the entire art program at the University I went to and art professors were still saying that anything made on a computer could not be considered art, I dropped out to ride anyway.) I watched the new Star Trek movie too and had a great time. Lately I’ve been watching all the old ‘Trek movies over again and they seem so much better after having seen the new one. I think they did a really good job of keeping the spirit and story line of the old ones going… good fun when you’re spending most of your days laying down.

Another hero, James Sheperd. SPRFLS posted a rad Sheep Bites article he wrote a long time ago. I miss you writing Sheps! Check it —->here.

Anyway, back to backs. Ruben Alcantara wrote me and I think I am inspiring him to deal with his ongoing back issues. He said he went and saw a really good doctor in  Spain who is going to help him. His back problem is the L5 to S1 disc which is more or less what my problem is too (although I also have a damaged disc between L4-L5 too). The L5 is your lowest Lumbar vertebrae and the S1 is kind of like inside your pelvis. I’m sure thats not the right way to put it, but dam it Jim, I’m not a doctor! Sorry… too much Star Trek. And, hell, I just spent a while searching for a good picture, but they all seem pretty copyrighted. Just do a search for spinal regions if you care.

Ruben is going to try a drug cocktail for a couple weeks that Google can’t seem to translate for me. Lyrica, Dacortin, Artrinovo, and Omeprazol is what he’s going to be on, swallowing or injected with… I don’t know which. I assume that is some sweet new medicine that we don’t use in the US because that’s the way it usually goes, but if anyone can translate that into English I’d be interested. Its probably roughly translated into: Coffee, Chilling at the beach, Eating good food and a Glass of Wine. He says there is a chance that the medicine can help relieve the nerve trauma and he might not need surgery. If not that he says ‘then surgery fuising that disc with screws, plates and full up with pieces of your bones.’

Ruben, you can not have my bones just yet.

Crossing my fingers my MRI results are in tomorrow so I can get them analyzed by my doctor, if not, he’s taking a 2 week vacation the next day.

Ok, on to Star Trek 4 for me….

Saw this happen a few weeks ago while I was still in Cleveland. Am I still moving there? I don’t know anything right now… all up in the air till I deal with my back.