h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

[MTG]

It sort of makes sense to me that if someone is expecting a procedure to hurt and then it doesn't, the sense of relief would be so great it could be interpreted as "feeling better", which could explain a placebo effect in acupuncture. But I think acupuncture works, though I've never tried it (looks like it would hurt too much )

/* Helps himself to 3 of the sauerkraut dishes, another burger and a hot dog, plus a hot dog for Zeppo */

[Hati]

[fg]

MR, are you having the laproscopic surgery? Do that if you can. It's much easier on the system.

All this kraut talk has made me hungry for a ruben sandwich.

Agapanthus, it's not that time, is it? I always get that way around a certain day of the month - cry at telephone commercials, sappy songs, etc.

And if you're looking to do some repair work on your clothing, try basting tape. It irons on and it's basically like taping your clothes together - except it stays.

Ben - Tell me how you attached the mosaic tiles and glass beads to your mirror. I've got a bathroom mirror that's in pretty good shape, but it's old and the frame looks terrible. I'd like to add some blue glass beans around the outside, but I'm not sure what to use.

Laparoscopy? I think that's what my dad ended up doing. After the surgery, Dad kept feeling ill - at first Mom and I thought it was a reaction to grease. (After gall-bladder surgery, you'll be much less tolerant of grease ) But it turned out to be the pills to assist digestion. Can't remember which one it was, but the symptoms do include nausea, cold sweats, etc. Something to watch out for.

Good luck! It'll be a bandaid procedure, but don't overdo it in the first week.

I'm not sure whether acupuncture works or not. It has all the hallmarks of quackery - claims to cure anything, specialized knowledge known only to a few, 'ancient chinese secret,' etc. But I know a lot of people who swear by it - so who knows?

fire is the only thing I know of that cures everything

I meet with the surgeon next week, but I am hoping for the laproscopic version, yes.

I used to think that chiropractic was a bunch of hooie, but I went to one out of desperation when I started having severe sciatica, and now I can't say enough good things!

While we're talking medical, may I share a frightening experience I had this evening with my eyes? It was scary enough for me to want to talk about it...

I'm working on both computers this week. Usually I just use this one for email and housekeeping, and do the graphics stuff on the other one over there in the corner. "This" is my older machine, Shaftoe, with a Microtek flat screen monitor. It's not brilliant, and sometimes it flickers and strobes. The good machine, Waterhouse, has a big Mitsu flat screen CRT monitor and I can work on it all day without side effects.

Right now I'm doing short runs on Waterhouse for the Rinconda, but the book illustration project is on my mind, so I started playing with Painter on Shaftoe, working up some sketches.

Two hours later I broke off to feed the cats and immediately became aware of something in my vision, something like a brightly patterned translucent snake in my right peripheral field. Computer eye drops did nothing but make me realise that I hadn't been blinking enough; the snake thing writhed gently along the edge of the field of vision, turning into a vivid hallucination when I closed my eyes, all light tan, powder blue and blood red with black borders. Not at all what I had been working on, either!

I made dinner and sat down to watch telly, and the phenomenon was gone in about half an hour, but not before it scared me silly.

I'm ok now, really. But it highlights that when I'm ~painting on the computer, I'm gazing much more fixedly and intensely than when I'm just chatting or doing the books...

[GDZ]

First of all, Lil, have you ever done any hallucinogenics? These will make you susceptible to the 'moiré' effect, especially when your eyes are tired.

However, it sounds more like there was a light tear in your retina, or a wrinkle. These happen all the time to me - I'll suddenly notice what looks like a translucent string across my vision, that seems to move a bit when I blink. It usually isn't accompanied by bright colors, but there's usually a variegated pattern around it.

If it happens again, call your optometrist! It might be a little more serious than just a wrinkle.

Dave - Fire is the cleanser!

Wrinkled retinas??

Oh, and I haven't touched a hallucinogen since 1987, and that was not oregano. Mescaline and LSD were one-off experiences of the sixties.

dave, now that the paper is done are you going to have a bonfire of your notes? Will you be using the grill for that? Because I wouldn't mind another cheeseburger.

Yeah, it sounds scary, doesn't it!

Caerwynn - We're not quite at the point where I'm going to recommend that R. get into a support group. Part of the problem is that he's quit smoking at the same time that he's going through the stress of getting a stent. He's smoked since high school, so this is a pretty big monkey to put in a cage. I've told him that he may need some counseling if we're not able to deal with this ourselves, and left it at that. All in all, though, he's dealing with it pretty well.

Doing any sort of hallucinogen makes you more susceptible to see patterns, especially when your eyes are tired. But in your case it sounds more like a wrinkle in your eyeball.

Let's cook some more burgers first, then throw the notes on there in a big 'ol bonfire. Toss a can of lighter fluid on top.

Bon Fire Good

Lil, I get something similar on occassion but without the colors. I have been told that it is due to astigmatism in my case. I would recommend seeing the eye doctor soon, just to be safe.

Eatsmice burnt down 15 hectares of Magic Forest a few years ago. He did it with fireworks. Which reminds me that we need to start designing our fireworks for Guy Fawkes Day, when we'll have a humongous bonfire down on the beach. Maybe I should start a thread of things to go in the bonfire!

I'm not at all pleased with the idea of having wrinkled eyeballs, you know. It doesn't sound at all sexy. And I think of myself as a well-ironed sort of persona. I was actually wondering if what I saw was akin to migraine images.