I'm in pain.

20-some years ago, I had an accident surfing. The nose of the board purled under and I hit bottom face first.  Ever since then, I've had a recurring back problem. I don't know if it's muscle or nerves or what, but there's a spot just between my left shoulder blade and spine that acts up from time to time. Usually, I can roll around on a tennis ball and it snaps back and everything is A-OK.

Not this time. This is worse. Much worse. I'm in agony here. I haven't slept in two nights. Every time I move, there's a shooting pain in my back and at time it even makes my arm numb. It's hard to hold my head up (which is sort of important for cycling). I mean, my feet are way attractive and everything and I have some really swell shoes, but I'd like to watch where I'm going. Not to mention the New England Classic starts a week from tomorrow. I can't lay down, I can't sit up, I can't stand.

So I went to a massage therapist today and she worked on me for an hour. It's no better. She worked on it "really deep" and she's not kidding. She said that the muscles have loosened up, and I shouldn't be having those shooting pains any more. She said, "I almost never say this, but you should probably see a chiropractor."

Weah.

Today's update: It's better and worse today. I have a better range of motion today, but I'm still sore as hell, but at least no more shooting pains. At least not as of about noon. It was hard to get out of bed, though. I think I'm bruised where she worked on "that spot". I'm hoping that by tomorrow I'll be back to "normal."

Phone: Phone's still out. They're supposed to be fixing it on Monday. I hope so.

Video: 1899 Fixie Tricks

Bike: T-8 Days to the bike trip. Parents arrive Thursday for dog sitting duty.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling

[amazon] [MBLN]

I ran out of things to read and looking over my bookshelves, I realized I never read this after buying when it came out.

The sixth in the Harry Potter series. Harry's 16 now.

What can you say about these? They're great. Some dismiss them as fluff, but I disagree. Several years ago when #4 came out, I was travelling through an airport in Greensboro, I think, and every kid in the place was reading it. Anything that gets kids (and adults) to read like that is a good thing. Period. Full stop.

So anyway, Hogwarts is under attack and Harry must help Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix do battle against You Know Who and his minions. Malfoy and Snape play an increasingly important role, and this volume the Weasleys are even more prominent. It picks up where Order of the Phoenix leaves off and ends on a cliff hanger such that the wait for the next volume will be a long one.

Excellent, excellent.

Kiss Me, Kate: For the last week or so, they've been setting up for Shakespeare on the Common. "Taming of the Shrew" this year. They're setting up on the Parade Grounds this year, where it always ought to be. The ground slopes the right for more people to get a good, unobstructed view.

And with that, the weekend is arrived!