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

On Tuesday I found the little leaflet that they gave me when I left hospital before Christmas.

It seems that if I suffer from any of four symptoms including difficulty concentrating, then I should refrain from:
Going to work, watching television, drinking alcohol, smoking, and playing sport.

Since returning to work on Boxing Day, I've had two days off. My work involves being surrounded by about 40 monitors. I've had the odd pint or glass of wine or two over Christmas, and I went for a run the other day, which f***ed up my neck for a bit.

Not the best recovery plan, with the benefit of hindsight.

And I've been making silly mistakes at work. Putting Liverpool on a graphic even though I knew - if I'd thought about it - that it was Newcastle United who were playing West Bromwich Albion. It's been a lot of that kind of thing - basically little lapses in short-term memory, forgetting details in between starting to do something and actually doing it.

So I went back to the doctors today, and they said I need to take a complete break and relax to let my brain recover.

So tonight I'm going to the Darts at Frimley Green, Saturday I'm going to see Argyle at home to Everton, and on Sunday I'm going to watch Yeading v Newcastle United.

The last one's technically working for Radio London, but someone else is going to be doing the commentary and I think really I'm only there for the ride - Yeading asked for me to be sent to the game 'cos I'm their lucky Cup mascot, which was nice of them.

Got to be the right idea.

The ability of the brain to recuperate is amazing, but I guess you have to let it have some downtime to do so.

Re role as lucky mascot - if they beat Newcastle, then I think you should consider hiring yourself out by the hour. That would be lucky...

sprout

Hope that the time off gets whatever's messing up your concentration sorted out

Thanks chaps... and in the meantime let's! play! darts!

There's a documentary on dart's player's wives on Skyone this evening - now from my experience that could be worth watching....

You probly shouldn't be sitting in front of h2g2 if you're supposed to be relieving all strain on your brain, Six

I don't know about that.

I can think of some areas of hootoo that involve no brain activity at all...

Thingites and nighthoover threads for a start - there may be others

sprout

Almost every thread at Ask... although I haven't been there in over a year. Perhaps things have changed

Good luck with the recovery.

And Gosho - ask h2g2 has settled down a bit now.

Thanks - and it's a good point about sitting in front of the computer. I've got a lot of driving ahead of me during the next three days, and very little computer time, so hopefully that'll help.

But the doctor did say don't worry about watching television if I don't get a headache and I find it relaxing, so I've been thinking of h2g2 the same way.

All I have to do now is decide whether I drive to the West Country tomorrow and come back after the game on Saturday, or drive down on Saturday and return on Sunday morning... and talk to my friends in Exeter and Bristol and work out who's going to put me up!

Oh, and the darts was great - particularly enjoyed Darryl 'The Dazzler' Fitton, who takes to the stage wearing shades and doing the dance to 'One Step Beyond' by Madness. The nearest thing to a darts player you'll get! Of course, I wore my second-best grey three-buttoner and claret Fred Perry to make sure I looked the part...

I've got a pound on the Dazzler at 10-1 to win the tournament, but he'll have to go some to get past Raymond van Barneveld in the semi.

And I'm no great shakes at the old arrows, but we were lucky enough to get backstage and get a go on one of the practice boards, and I managed what for me is the dizzy heights of a 56 checkout. For the darts aficionados among you (that's Master B, I believe) I was aiming for single 16 and double top... but accidentally hit double 11 with my first dart, recovered it with a single 2 and surprised everyone (most of all me!) by nailing the double 16.

Anyway, these days I'm too thin to be much cop at darts. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

I was thinner when I played darts 4 nights a week.

- Diet food

>>>I can think of some areas of hootoo that involve no brain activity at all... Thingites and nighthoover threads for a start<<<

It's always nice to know that someone agrees with you...