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

Really, now? Would you care to elaborate?

Umm... no.

Just spent the guts of three hours on the phone to someone worrying, fretting and advising. Some people have more compassion than time-zone-awareness.

You know what the most damning accusation in history is?

"(S)he meant well".

When I was diagnosed with cancer for the first time, my cousin sent me an uplifting book about a woman who heroically died of cancer in her husband's arms after years of treatment, beautiful to the last inside and out... the very last thing I needed! I rarely throw away a book, but that one made it into the bin. And nothing terrible happened, I am still very much alive!

He certainly meant well... he has Parkinson's disease, and written a rather successful book about accepting the illness and living with it.

Er, read different books - preferably minus the uplift. I recommend Ian MacEwan, he's good for the brain. And tell people there's a 5-minute limit on the medical updates, after which you intend to discuss the oeuvre of your favourite folk singer at nauseating length...

You are not about a disease - you are about you. If they don't want to talk about what you're interested in, they can go watch 'House' reruns.

Yarreau, you must know an even worse class of sentimentalist than I do.

"House" re-runs, D? You're a cruel man. (Am I the only one, incidentally, who just can't buy Hugh Laurie with an American accent? )

I just can't buy that series. Hugh Laurie's accent is okay, but he's the most annoying doctor I've ever seen.

They diagnose everything in the world before they accidentally get it right. I usually say, 'It's obviously the big toe.'

So the other night we were watching, and the patient was being misdiagnosed because she lived in Antarctica and was wearing socks...

Turned out it was her big toe. I can die happy.

"the patient was being misdiagnosed because she lived in Antarctica and was wearing socks"

Ah, yes! An all-too-common occurrence. If I had a penny for every time I've heard of such a case, I'd be a wealthy man.

It should be in the textbooks. Or on powerpoints.

I've only just found this journal and caught up with the backlog.

I can't do the jokey stuff, so I'll leave you to it and .

Hey, that's cool, Bel. You don't have to.

...But don't feel pushed away, or that if you want to post you have to fake light-heartedness or something. It never really crossed my mind that it might make some of you feel uncomfortable!

I'll take care of the fake light-heartedness.

I saw a beautiful documentary last night, about some schoolchildren in Tennessee and a project they had. Their principal said, 'We're in what is called a depressed area. We aren't depressed - we're just poor.'

Ok. To be slightly more serious for a minute.

News (such as there is) is that the prognosis is very good. Weeks is overly optimistic, but the whole episode could be over and done with in a few months (apart from the periodic check ups routinely after that). Symptoms - well, I get tired annoyingly easily, and occasionally slightly irritable, or feeling like crap. Certainly nothing life-destroying, but it looks like the camping holiday's scuppered (for a little while, at least).

And I'm developing a strict list of places to be and times to be there that's a bit uncharacteristic for me.

But, in all honesty, it could be a damn sight worse, and it's nothing to what some of you have been through yourselves.

That sounds pretty darned good. Best of .

Well, that sounds encouraging. And worth sacrificing a holiday or two...

Ooooh, good news

Good news indeed.

Ja, good news...is it included in Gideons ?

You are definitely welcome here, TRiG and Gnomon, Lil,Toybox, Mal and many others have my email...not difficult: hootoo nickname above followed by three At Gmail Dot com...after the fun and games at German meet, i am wondering about trying to organise an Eye Rich one.

As to big toes my probs started there, one of the more unpleasant names for my yukkiness is " Ascending Paralysis" ...jeez, how far does it ascend and is this related to not saying prayers at Easter or what?



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We can simply have the Irish Meet here