Yesterday and today seem to be red letter days.  Little to no fatigue and the left hand is progressing incredibly.  I'm considering a return to work on Monday.

Piano playing seems to be the best therapy for my hand (and I'm sure it's great for the mind also).  I was never a strong left hand player - playing mostly octaves and a few steps. My accuracy is much better on piano than typing and after I play piano for awhile, my typing accuracy seems to improve a bit.  I think it is the stretching, rather than the lazy contraction of my pinkie.

Results will be in from the MRI on Monday.  I can't wait.

YouKnowWho needs to lower his salt intake.  I'm making a vegetable soup with a base that has little to no salt.

Does anyone have suggestions to spices that would enhance the flavor?

Sarah asked, on another thread, about my "progress".

Today is MRI day in Tacoma.  Hopefully, this will tell more about what really happened.

Fatigue is the main challenge.  It sets its own schedule and I have to follow.

The left hand is still not functioning well - especially the pinkie.  It's amazing what that little sucker does for you!

Piano playing seems to be less affected than typing.  I think this is good.  Putting the headphones on and cutting loose is really nice.

I'll keep everyone posted on results.  Thanks for asking.  HEY, I just typed "thanks" twice without a typo.  That's progress!

It seems that, last Thursday afternoon, I experienced a minor stroke (TIA) while at work.  Either that episode or a subsequent TIA has limited the usage of my left hand.  I spent the weekend at St. Pete's.

Part of my rehab will be typing, but it is very difficult as I don't have sensation in my left hand, thus I miss a lot of keys and have to correct typos.  I'll try to communicate and use Olyblog as a therapeutic aid, but my posts will be short.

I was just reading Onry's blog on not shutting down posts.  I have to support her 100% on this.  Knowing right now how difficult it it for me to communicate my thoughts, the need to be brief and to the point could be miscontrued by some as being "vitolic", especially if there is some emotion on what is being said.

Please be patient with me as I work my way though this challenge.  Most of my cognative thinking is OK, but I do get a bit confused a times and might come out on blog sounding different than what I intend.

I'll stay in touch as I can.

(CNN) — Tuesday morning seemed to bring the debut of yet another McCain-Obama flap – this time, Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama.

As she introduced her husband John McCain, the likely Republican nominee, at a campaign event, Cindy McCain told the crowd I “am proud of my country. I don’t know about you, if you heard those words earlier — I am very proud of my country.”

The comment seemed to be a response to a remark from Michelle Obama the day before. On Monday, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama told a Wisconsin audience that “For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country, because it feels like hope is making a comeback… not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change."

After Tuesday’s event, the McCains were asked if the Arizona senator’s wife had been responding to that comment. Cindy McCain did not directly answer the question, responding: “I just wanted to make the statement that I have and always will be proud of my country.”

On Monday, Obama spokesman Bill Burton released a statement in response to the controversy: “Of course Michelle is proud of her country, which is why she and Barack talk constantly about how their story wouldn't be possible in any other nation on Earth.

“What she meant is that she's really proud at this moment because for the first time in a long time, thousands of Americans who've never participated in politics before are coming out in record numbers to build a grassroots movement for change.”

OK...let's look at the two ladies in question:

The Republican Party has a nothing candidate.  He was nothing 4 years ago and nothing 8 years ago.  Now unless someone can tell me what the new and improved John McCain is, I'm saying he is still nothing.  A distant runner up to George Bush who enjoys the distinction of the lowest ratings of a president - second only to Richard Nixon.

So, in the midst of nothing to say about the nothing candidate, the Republican Party is now carrying water for Hillary Clinton's campaign with ridiculous charges of "plagiarism" because he used someone's quotes without giving "credit" to them.  When you see the Republicans get in bed with Hillary and Bill Clinton, you know something smells foul.

Hillary Clinton is the best target the GOP could have in November.  Scandalous talk of oral sex in the White House is exactly what they want in a Presidential election.  Obama offers none of this. 

Politics makes strange bedfellows, for sure.

There is a lot of talk about "liberals" and "conservatives" and even some about "independents".  I can only speak for myself, so this won't take long.

When it comes to social issues, I'd call myself a liberal.  When it comes to fiscal issues, I'd call myself a conservative.  On some issues, I'm close to the middle, which might make me independent.  Considering that I realize the differences in myself, I'm confident that I can recognize a liberal, a conservative or someone more mid-stream.

I have a dear friend (the guy that took care of Gary while he was dying).  Rand is a self proclaimed conservative.  He calls me a liberal and then he smiles and laughs.  I call him a conservative and I smile and laugh.  We do this because both of us just lost a dear friend and we know that the really important stuff has nothing to do with silly labels.

Rand is a conservative, but he's not a jerk.  There is a difference.

The Second Amendment, as passed by the House and Senate, reads:

the original and copies distributed to the states, and then ratified by them, had different capitalization and punctuation:

from another blog - I'm thinking another planet:

A list of "wants" from self-proclaimed Right Wingers - my responses in light faced type.