:eek3: Holy crap.

Just got back from the doc.

Read the radiologists report from my MRI last Friday. Brief summary: two discs in the lower back (L4-L5, and L5-S1) herniated and desiccated, a third (L3-L4) bulging, degenerative changes in the rest of the lumbar spine (expect chronic arthritis to settle in), and, oh, by the way, we noticed a 2.6cm hyperintense T2 signal lesion in your right kidney which was incompletely characterized in this imaging series that, in the vast majority of cases, is a precursor to dementia, multiple sclerosis or an autoimmune condition, or cancer.

So that was kind of a bummer.

Got an order for a lumbar epidural steroid injection (haven't made the appointment yet), and electromyography will probably follow.

On the plus side, the folks down in NC just emailed me a plane ticket for next Thursday. So I'm gonna go down and check it out.

Also, I keep seeing all these news reports about hot female teachers being arrested after having long-term sexual relationships with their male students.

Seriously, where the fuck were you gals when I was in High School?! I was tall, well-endowed, and had a football-player's body (despite not being on the football team, much to the chagrin of the coaches who pestered me endlessly.)

"degenerative changes" is very common. In other words, you're getting old, it sucks. Expect the worst, hope for better.

Lesions on the kidneys and liver are a hell of a lot more common that you would think. I have one, spotted several years ago. Nothing to do except keep an eye on it. More trouble to biopsy than it's worth.

Steroids are also common, and usually do nothing. If you're lucky, they will improve things for a couple of weeks, but it's S.O.P. because they are cheap compared to surgery. Expect to go back to the doc for a follow-up, where they will then schedule surgery.

Get additional opinions, from other specialists that is.

That's the plan.

I've never been entirely happy with the practice I've been going to (it's a small pain-management clinic I wound up at on a referral six months ago when I was in such agony that I literally couldn't stand up), but it was convenient because it's halfway between work and home, and because pre-existing relationship.

Now that I have an MRI which shows a clear pathology, and an order for spinal steroid injections, I'm going to apply for treatment at the Chicago Back Institute at Swedish Covenant Hospital. They're pricey, selective, and a bit out of my way, but they're supposedly the best. If I do wind up going under the knife, i want it to be there.

Unless, of course, I wind up moving to North Carolina in a few weeks, in which case we'll begin this whole saga again...

Anyone on here live in or around Minneapolis? Im gonna be out there for 3 weeks on business. I may need help finding the good local bars and restaurants.

Serious question:

Why the hell do I have to deal with product-placement contracts when trying to figure out how the anchors' new laptops are going to integrate into the news set?

Yes, it's going to be on TV, but it's a fucking computer, not a soft drink or a brand of clothing. They glance at it occasionally to see what's coming up beyond what's displayed on the prompter. All I need to know are the overall dimensions and what ports are on the back / side of it, not the minutiae of contract negotiations between Dell and Apple. If I wanted to deal with that shit I'd have stayed in law school.


And let's be honest. Even if Apple wins, the news director is going to over-rule anyway, because four highly reflective white / silver objects on the anchor desk looks worse on-camera than a pile of rancid cat assholes.

JUST TELL ME WHICH MODEL NUMBER DELL IS PROPOSING TO GIVE US ALONG WITH THE PILE OF MONEY, AND I'LL DESIGN AROUND THAT.

Grrrr.

As much as I'd like to see Samsung up there, they're not in the running. (I probably just violated several contracts by posting that, but fuck it, I don't have time for this shit.)

You're sounding like a guy not long for the job...

I'll admit that I did buy a new pair of shoes today:


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c7f254244d.png

Macy's had exactly ONE pair of shoes in my size, and this was it. There were a couple of "well, we have this in size 13, why don't you try it on?" and I was a trooper. I tried to fit those fucking baby-shoes over my feet. Not happening.



EDIT: I'll elucidate by adding that this was at an outdoor shopping mall:

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...83a2299445.png

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...c739ab93e1.png


Now, I've shopped at many such locations in the past, but they've always been in places such as California, Arizona, and... well... California.

How the heck does a place like this not merely survive, but prosper, in suburban Illinois? I mean, this is what I think of when I think Illinois Shopping Mall:


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...79f41ff26c.png

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...d13f43b508.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...b1a5b66b03.jpg

Ooohh! Nice taste. Classic wing tips only with contrasting soles.

Was there a lockdown or bomb alert? Maybe it was shooting hours and you didn't know it.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...659a9b12ee.png

Wut? Sorta... :slap:

https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/br...hoe-guide-men/

Perforated cap toe's.

And joe, concur with the others re: degen changes not being a big deal. I had some when I got an MRI when I was 22 lol. Everyone has degenerative changes. It basically means that you're a bipede and that they're just covering their ass to say that they actually looked at everything in the image.

I hope the epidural helps you. I had moderate success with them.

wingtips will have the "W" shape on the toe in some form. The straight line on that toe indicates it is a cap toe. It's perforated and pinked, which is pretty normal.

That's all. Just shoe bro nonsense.

A while back I got a screamin good deal on some custom made wingtip boots. They're made of horween dublin leather that has all sorts of light/dark patterns depending on how it's creased and bent. I need to wear them more.


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...3f0fd9665c.png

I guess they wouldn't work with a suit huh? Kind of a NY Wall Street 'fuck all you cowboys' kind of look.

So apparently there is a guy down in South Africa that is currently deep into his build of putting a Toyota V12 motor w/custom ITB's into an NB. The thread is over on M.net, but it is well worth a look (i.e lots of car porn everywhere) if anyone is interested. I guess this might get more notice in the build thread section here, but since it's not mine, I thought I'd just drop it here. Mods feel free to move it if you see fit.

https://forum.miata.net/vb/showthread.php?t=629783

Enh. As far as I'm concerned, the final nail in m.net's coffin was when they started rejecting browsers with adblock turned on. If they don't want me to go there, then I won't go there.

--Ian