Posture Nazis - Microdiscectomy +46 (6 weeks ish)

The end of the beginning
So it's been a fortnight since I last blogged. In that time there has been more physio (more on that later), steady progress with my recovery, and last week just 2 days short of 6 weeks since the op my Doctor said I could return to work on a phased basis.

This means that I will be working mostly from home to start with, and a couple of days a week in the office. They will be short days to start with as I can't sit for too long and I need to keep exercising. The commute to the office will be off-peak to avoid being crushed or having to stand on my journey to and from work.

I have to say at this point, that work has been very supportive both before and since my operation.

So how did I feel about going back to work? Well it was a milestone for sure. I didn't know if I was physically ready but I was sure mentally ready to return.

I am 6 weeks into a 6 month recovery. Churchill put it very well when he said:

"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning"

Of course, the operation he was talking about was a military one. But a turning point is a turning point.

Physio has been good. Nice and structured. A couple of new exercises have been added:

Hamstring stretch

Sit on the edge of the bed or sofa. One foot on the floor. The other leg lying flat on the bed or sofa. Then lean forward and try to grab the ankle. Feel the hamstring stretch and hold.

Then reverse and do the other leg.

Spinal loosening

Take a bath towel and roll it into a sausage. Then lie down with it across your spine. Start midway up your back. Relax. Feel your spine bend around it. Then move the towel up and repeat until it passes your shoulders

At one point it will feel like your spine must snap. But relax. Allow the vertebrae to articulate. Popping/cracking sounds are ok.

Refinement of glute bridging and core activation exercises

It sounds odd, but I now have to flap my arms up and down with these. I can't remember why this is a good thing, but apparently it is.

Sitting exercises.

I asked for some exercises I could do in long meetings. So I was told I could:

- rock my hips back and forward

- cross my legs in the figure 4 and it will provide a gentle stretch.

- clenching my buttocks

- Doing the core activation exercise but in a sitting position

Posture Nazis

So I went to the office for the first time since the op today. I had asked the train company if I could sit in 1st class where the seats are better for my first few trips. Despite them having had 6 weeks of income from me for nothing, they claimed I was trying to ask for something for nothing. They said I would have to buy an entirely new ticket for each trip, despite already having a season ticket. I couldn't even upgrade. So thank you First Capital Connect for your total lack of understanding that your overcrowded standard class coaches are not good for people with recently sliced open backs.

Getting off the train I reflected that before the op I had needed to hold the hand rails on the stairs at Farringdon station. Now I didn't. This is progress. This shows the op making a tangible difference. I like such things.

When I got to work at 11am I was shattered. The train journey plus around 30 minutes of walking had taken it out of me. But it felt good to be back. My beard caused a stir in some quarters but was generally approved of. I brought the back support from my car and attached it to my chair. That made sitting down relatively comfortable and promoted a good posture at my pc.

I met each of my staff for a catch-up and I compared how I felt talking to them before the op and now. My mind felt so much more alert. I have catching up to do, but not being drugged up on painkillers makes a difference.

I asked my team to tell me if I was stooping as I stood/walked. I need to make sure my posture is good. Dave said "So you want Posture Nazis?", and then in the way that he does, he took a slightly surreal leap "That sounds like something you see advertised on daytime tv. Is poor posture getting you down? then buy Posture Nazi from JML. 'It changed my life' "

You know, that's not such a crazy idea though. Some sort of motion sensitive device should be able to alert you to poor posture. Anyway I digress...

When I left work I could feel soreness in my lower back, particularly to the right. It got worse as I walked. I walked less fluidly. Shorter steps. Slower. Then I realised that I could feel a tightness in my groin/inner thigh. What the hell? This had to be the result of walking oddly. By the time I got to Farringdon I was in a lot of discomfort. I got a seat on the train and whipped out my back support. It did the trick. By the time I got to my home station my back was more relaxed. But the 8 minute walk home took 15 minutes, and as I came in the door I was shattered.

Thankfully salvation was at hand in the form of a lovely hot herbal bath and a very good book. After the bath I felt relaxed. The pain and soreness had largely melted away. 

mmm bubbles

My first day back was not an unqualified success. I probably stayed in the office longer than I should. 

The first is the worst said a friend on facebook. I hope he is right. I have 2 days at home now, but I'm back into London on Friday for a conference and then a friend's birthday in the evening. I hope the second is better than the first.

Onwards and upwards!

Jane Lui and the Circle of Geek

Every now and then you 'discover' something or someone on the internet who totally absorbs your attention. In this case it is a singer/songwriter/performer called Jane Lui. A good couple of hours were spent in her company today.

It started this morning when the sumptuous Felicia Day posted a video she had done with Jane Lui. It is a mash-up of  Payphone by Maroon 5, and Someday My Prince Will Come, by Disney. It's good to start with anyway, but then at about 2m20 something special kicks in and that was the point at which I got hooked by this amazing artist. She uses such an array of traditional and frankly bizarre improvised instruments that I wanted to know more. 

So I looked for another mash-up and found her mash-up of Moves Like Jagger (by Maroon 5) and Rainbow Connection (by the Muppets) . And then Crazy For You, and Rain (by Madonna) which is beautiful. There are others, which can all be found on her youtube channel.

It turns out she also writes and performs her own songs, of which a number are online including:

Heaven On A Hill, Jailcard and Goodnight Company. I guess they won't be to everybody's taste, but I like her musical sensibilities.

And then there is the really goofy stuff. With a chap called Paul Dateh she has recorded a medley of cartoon tunes played on a multitude of instruments. In fact she's done two versions: a 2min30 against the clock version and a 5min53 version with added trivia.

But the goofiest of the lot is a History of Hip Hop medley with the vocals done using a range of impersonations. As with all impressionists there is variable quality but it's fun.

Jane also played Penny (the character played by Felicia Day) in a stage version of Dr Horrible's Singalong Blog at San Diego Comicon. So the circle of geek is complete :)

Microdiscectomy - One Month on

One month after surgery for a herniated L5-S1 disc, here are some FAQs answered, and a digest of my experiences for the benefit of anyone considering such surgery.

Firstly a caveat. These are my experiences of surgery to my L5-S1 disc and my observations relate solely to my experience. Your experience may differ.

How long will I be in hospital?

You can be out of hospital the same day. I was the first person operated on that day and was on my way home less than 12 hours after entering the operating theatre. However, if your operation is later in the day or your reaction to the anaesthetic is less problem free you may well find you spend one or maybe two nights in hospital.

You should plan to spend at least one night in hospital

How long will I be off work?

I was advised 4-6 weeks before my operation. 

You are well enough to answer emails etc within a couple of day or two of the operation. So if keeping in touch with the office is critical then you can do it. The problem is that sitting for long periods will cause you discomfort. Bad discomfort for the first couple of weeks, getting better progressively. Let's face it, if you are putting yourself through this surgery you need to put yourself first for a while. 

After 4 weeks I felt ready to work, but my back was still not deemed strong enough by the doctor and a further two weeks off work were certificated.

After that 2 week period a phased return is in the offing with a combination of home working and limited travel to work. Gradually getting back to normal patterns of work.

You should definitely plan for a 4 week physical absence from work. Any work you can do remotely should not involved prolonged sitting, and you should take advice re: home office ergonomics.

How long before I am back to normal?

One of the aims of the op was to relieve my sciatica symptoms. It could take up to 6 months to see if this is a success.

My back pain is gone. I can bend without the pain I had before the op. But the strength isn't there. It could be 6 months before I am able to lift any significant weight.

I should be fit to umpire a cricket match after 12 weeks, and fit to resume playing more active sports after 24 weeks (6 months).

Don't expect to be fully recovered (or as recovered as you will be) until 6 months have passed.

What is the operation like?
You are under a general anaesthetic so you won't know anything about it. The operation takes anywhere from 1 to 2 hours. Because you are on your front for the duration of the operation you will have red marks on the front of your body and your face. These will fade. I was taken to the theatre just before 9am, was awake in recovery by around 11.30 and back on the ward by midday.

How will I feel directly after the operation?
You are clearly still full of drugs. I was told I could have various painkillers right up to liquid morphine if I needed it. I didn't. I was stiff and achy, as if I had freshly injured my back (which in a way I had), but apart from some soreness I was not in too much discomfort.

A couple of hours after the op I was able to walk to the toilet to urinate. Upon my return I was able to dress myself.

Depending on when you have your operation and how well you respond to the anaesthetic determines when you will be released from hospital. I was fortunate enough to have been first in theatre that day and was released in the evening.

The 1 hour drive home was not too uncomfortable. Make sure you have soft pillows available to support your back on the journey home.

Plan your journey home with comfort in mind.

What medication will I take?

You may be prescribed a painkiller such tramadol, and make sure you have a supply of ibuprofen at home. The ibuprofen will help to reduce inflammation as well as ease pain. Gabrapentin may also be prescribed if you have neuropathic pain such as sciatic symptoms. I was given two gabrapentin tablets to take the day after the operation and was advised by my doctor that I could have more if I felt serious sciatic pain as my sciatic nerve came back to life.

For a while I took a tramadol and a diazepam tablet each night in order to give me a good start to my night's sleep.

What pain will I be in?
Discomfort and soreness characterise the pain you feel in the first week. If you sit for too long you get sore and stiff. If you walk too much you are sore and ache. There is no getting away from the soreness. But it is manageable with ibuprofen and tramadol.

In the second week I developed more localised pain in my left side. This is the side that the disc was bulging. It may have been a side effect of the exercises I was doing, or a natural reaction to increased activity in general. Within a week this pain had passed.

It is likely that within 2-3 weeks of the operation, any pain you are in will be significantly less and more sporadic than the pain you had before the operation.

After about 10 days, around the same time my mobility real increased. I developed pain and spasms when turning in bed. In order to ensure at least a partially good night's sleep I took tramadol  for the pain and diazepam to relax my muscles. These spasms lasted for 10-14 days but gradually became less frequent.

After 4 weeks you will feel very good in yourself and pain will come and go depending on how well you look after yourself.


Listen to your body and manage your pain



What will my wound be like?
The wound is around 2 inches in length. Neatly sewn with dissolvable stitches. At first look you wonder what kind of scar you will be left with . The sewn up incision is significantly raised. The wound is tender at first but never excessively so.

From 48 hours after the operation significant bruising emerged. It looked blotchy and red. Due to concerns about infection in the wound area I had it checked by a doctor, but it was just natural bruising in reaction to the operation and sitting still.

The dressing on the wound must stay on for 48 hours after the operation. After that there is no increased risk of infection from showering (though a bath is not possible). You are not supposed to soak the wound due to the stitches. I used the antimicrobial wash that I had to bath with pre op. Spread it over the wound and then by the time I had washed my hair I was ready to rinse the wound site and then immediately dry (patting with a towel rather than rubbing).

Scabs will form on the wound. It might itch occasionally, but resist the urge to scratch. Serious itching may be due to infection so keep an eye on the wound (I took photos each day to check if the wound checked in appearance).

In just over 3 weeks the wound was clear of scabs, smooth and well healed.

Look after your wound, keep it clean and if you are concerned about an infection get it checked asap.

Are there any unexpected side effects?
What they don't tell you is that a common side effect of this surgery is that you often get constipated. That's not usually such a big deal, but when your lower back has been sliced open, it is not much fun trying to persuade your body to expel several days of waste.

Try to avoid getting a cold. You don't want to sneeze. For at least 3 weeks this would be very painful. 

When will I be able to drive?

There are several things you need to be able to do consistently and without causing pain before you can drive:

Twist - This is especially the case if you need to reverse.

Emergency Stop - you need to be able to stamp your foot hard onto the brake.

Sit for periods of 30 mins plus - I tried a short drive 12 days after my operation and it left me sore. 4 weeks after the operation I have driven for 40 minutes with no ill effects.

Operate the pedals without discomfort - for obvious reasons.

It may be 3 weeks before you can cope with a drive of 30mins plus with negligible side effects.

What exercises will help?

You should try to be active from your first day at home. Certainly, sitting around all day does nothing to benefit your back. Don't sit for too long. Set an alarm to prompt you to get up regularly. Initially sit for 30 mins and get up for 5. Build to 60 mins with a 10-15 minute period of activity. I filled that time with a rudimentary step routine on my stairs. 50 steps.

A set of light exercises provided by the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals are designed to gently stretch you and maintain flexibility were part of my programme. It said to so them 3 times a day but I didn't get to that level until into my 2nd week. Take advice prior to starting any stretching exercises.

Later I walked with a book balanced on my head to encourage the right posture. There is no sense healing your back into a slouch.

A couple of days after the op I was able to walk 1 mile. It was very tiring but great for my morale. Gradually the walks got longer and the tiredness diminished. The walking became more fluid. The trick is to keep walking regularly.

Walking on uneven surfaces is more of a challenge. After a couple of weeks of very little exercise, your muscles will have weakened, particularly those muscles that give you stability on uneven ground.

My physiotherapist gave me a new set of exercises at the 4 week point.

I will be starting to swim, and my physio recommends backstroke or front crawl. Breast stroke and butterfly are not advised.

Take advice from your surgeon and doctor before the operation to ensure you have an appropriate recovery exercise programme. I wish I had had one from the start. 


Nourish your soul
You will have a lot of time to think. Fill your time productively. Have people visit you and take you out from time to time. Read, enrich yourself by what you watch on tv. Interact with people. You will have a lot of time to yourself. Don't waste it. Construct a plan and get things in place before you have the operation.



Final thoughts
Is this something to be worried about? All surgery has its risks so it would be stupid to say no. But in the hands of a good neurosurgeon this is a routine operation. The results are not entirely predictable however. But if a herniated disc is making your life a misery, or stopping you from being as active as you would like I would recommend it. It is worth the level of discomfort I have had in order to see if it works.

Physio - Microdiscectomy +31

This particular blog post is solely concerned with my trip to the physio and the exercises he gave me.

A tale of two physios
Before my herniated disc was diagnosed I was referred by my doctor for some physiotherapy. While I was waiting for the referral I paid to see the physio on a private basis. There was a noticeable change to how I was treated when my NHS referral came through. As a private patient I received a full 30 minutes of massage, ultrasound and manipulation. As an NHS patient I was given a bit of a stretch, a lower back massage and some ultrasound treatment. None of which did any good, and routinely my 30 minute appointments lasted 20 minutes.

Today I saw a difference physio - a salaried NHS physio rather than a private physio taking NHS referrals. Despite having a far greater degree of information available to him than my previous physio (notes from my surgeon etc), he was so thorough. More thorough than the private physio. He also spotted something that I knew deep down but had got so used to that I thought nothing of it. My lower back is healing well around the site of the operation (he was impressed - yay). It needs strengthening but that is natural. What the NHS physio noticed that the private physio hadn't, was that from the top of my spine downwards there is an incredible degree of stiffness (both muscular and spinal). This is down to a prolonged period of compensating for my weak lumbar region. I have had periodic neck, shoulder and upper back pain which I had put down to commuting, a bad posture or sleeping in a bad position.

So as well as working on my core, the physio will also be working on loosening up my upper spine and surrounding muscles.

In one session I feel much more confident that this physio knows what he is doing. I also saw the difference between NHS staff paid to give the best /most appropriate treatment, and the private sector doing the least possible for their NHS referrals. I'm more convinced than ever that the government's privatisation of provision will lead to a drop in standards?

My New Exercises
So this is what the physio is getting me to do until I see him next in order to ensure my back is more flexible and my core strengthened. This set of exercises to be repeated 3 times a day.

1, Knee Rocks
Lie on your back with your knees bent and pressed together, feet flat on the floor.
Slowly rock the knees (together) from side to side. Gradually increasing the movement as the back stiffness eases.
Do this for 45 seconds

2, Figure '4' stretch
Lie on your back with your knee bent, feet flat on the floor
Cross one leg over the thigh of the other.
Gently pull the knees towards your chest and hold for 10 seconds.
Repeat 3 times on each leg

ignore the instructions on the illustration

3, Glute Bridging

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat to the floor.

Contract the muscles in your bottom and slowly curl your pelvis off the floor.

Hold for 5 seconds

alternate this with the following exercise 5 times

4, Core Actvation

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat to the floor

Draw your belly button in towards your spine

Then push your tummy muscles up

Keep breathing as you do this

To tell that this is working - find the bony front of your hips and push fingers in either side. Your flesh will feel soft. You suck your tummy in as if pulling on tight jeans and then when you push the tummy muscles against your fingers you will feel the soft flesh become harder as the muscles push against the fingers.

I'm seeing the physio again in a week's time

Life begins - Microdiscectomy +30

The hardcore recovery stuff. 

4 weeks and a day have passed since my operation. In myself I generally feel well. At times I could forget I've even had the operation, which as I mentioned very early in these blogs is a dangerous thing. It tempts me to overdo things. Odd as it may sound to consider being sedentary as overdoing it, too little movement can cause as much pain as too much. At other times simple actions can cause me a twinge or some soreness and I can't see a reason for it other than a fundamental weakness around my spine.

On Thursday I went to see the Doctor, and in his opinion I was still not ready to return to work. So I was signed off for a further 2 weeks. That will make 6 weeks in total. It's not that I'm not recovering well, but the Doc reckoned that my back needed strengthening a bit more. I'm not up to prolongued periods of sitting working at a pc and in particular I'm not ready for the weekday commute and the potential to be squashed and bashed by fellow commuters.

In the interim I will be starting physio tomorrow and will also start swimming. Hopefully after the next two weeks are up I will be in a position to have a phased return to work. That would mean a combination of home working (on reduced hours) and off peak travel to London one or two times a week. With the balance  shifting in favour of more office work/travel and less home work until I am back to normal.

Before I can do any work in the office I also need to have a work station assessment done, and in particular I will need a more supportive chair. My work is mostly desk based and so I will need a chair that supports my lumbar region as much as possible.

On Saturday it was my 40th birthday (more on that below) and I ventured into London on the train to meet some friends. Without doubt this was the toughest test for my back yet. First, a walk to the station of 3/4 mile. Then 50 minutes on a train where the seats were uncomfortable (as always). By the time I got to London I was feeling some lower back pain and so I took a tramadol to take the edge off the pain. A short tube ride and then a walk from Covent Garden to Shaftsbury Avenue and then back to the pub where I was meeting my friends. An hour of walking took a toll on my back and I was grateful to be able to sit down. By the end of the night my back was causing significant discomfort. The lesson learned was that the travel was manageable but coupled with the walking etc my back was still not strong enough to cope. The Doc was right.

However the pain did not put a damper on my birthday celebrations.


Life Begins At 40 
Yeah yeah, that's something only people over 40 say. You don't get 20somethings or 30somethings saying "I'm just treading water until I hit the big 4 0. Everything up to then is a mere rehearsal and quite frankly just the warm up to the main event."

Truth be told I have not been looking forward to turning 40. It's one of those landmarks. All of a sudden you fall into a different age range on surveys. When you are 39 you can still kid yourself that you are young. You share a first digit with a 30 year old after all. At 40 all such self delusions disappear. 40 is middle aged in anyone's book. Yes, turning 40 was not something I was looking forward to. But as George Burns said about getting older "It's better than the alternative."

Present-wise I did rather well and I won't embarrass people by mentioning who gave me what, but I am uber grateful for my new laptop, dvd box sets, books, vouchers, florentines (the biscuits not the people) etc etc. Thank you one and all.

Nom nom florentines

So faced with the inevitability of the calendar ticking round I planned to make the best of it. And then my operation was postponed from February to March and everything was thrown up in the air. Not knowing how my recovery would go I wasn't able to plan anything for my birthday until pretty late. But come the day, an intrepid group of friends gathered at Philomena's Irish pub on Great Queen St.

For a group comprised of Uni friends, former colleagues from different work places, someone I met whilst filming a tv quiz show, and the new girlfriend of one of my mates* it was remarkable how well everyone got on. Time flew in the pub and then we made our way to Suda Thai restaurant nearby. Again, time flew and having arrived at 8.30pm we left at 11.30pm. One more drink at Philomena's and then off home.

It was a night of many highlights. Having been sequestered for 4 weeks it was wonderful to have my friends around me. I received some wonderful gifts from those in attendence, although in truth the greatest gift was my friends' company. Jo made me a wonderful handmade card that appealed to my inner geek.

Jo also made a cake for me, which rather took me by surprise. My head was in a whirl as my friends and many others in the restaurant sang happy birthday and I blew out the candles. I've often been on the other side, but not since a child have I had that experience and it was brilliant.

I expected my beard to come in for a lot of piss taking but actually it was rather well received. Perhaps people were just being nice, but I didn't get that sense. The net result of a great evening was this pic of me beaming like a loon at the camera with my cake.

So curiously, after wishing quite a few times** in the lead up that I hadn't bothered organising something for my birthday I am really glad that I did. I am grateful to my friends for coming out and for making it a special night, and I feel blessed to have such fabulous people in my life. Gush complete ;)

One final thought. In the age of social networking, even when people can't make your birthday in person they can still help make it a great day. I lost count at around 80 sets of good wishes. Each and every one made me happy and added to the feelgood birthday vibe. Just 7 years ago I would have received a half dozen cards and a few emails and phone calls. That was the norm. This time people from all over the world: from Texas in the USA to Tampere in Finland; and from Peterborough in the UK to Pietermaritzburg in South Africa got in touch. I love the internet age! Gush really complete this time :)



*a special mention for Michelle who was wonderful company.
**many many times in fact

Where's your head at? - Microdiscectomy + 26

Not much has changed on the recovery front. I see the doctor tomorrow and I will find out when I can return to work. I will tell you what they say in the next blog. But as leaning over the sink trimming my beard caused pain I suspect I am not entirely right yet. After the Doc yesterday I will have to pick up some plughole unblocker because rather too much of my beard hair ended up down the sink, which is now errr blocked.

The Beard
I bought some beard clippers the other day and as I mentioned above, today was the day that I set about taming 3.5 weeks of beard growth. But never having had a beard before I didn't know what style would be best. Obviously I had suggestions from friends and the consensus was to tidy up what I had. But I went online for some advice and the first thing that seems critical is: What shape of head do you have? 

There are apparently 8 male head shapes:

Now I was a little unsure what shape I was. I think I either have a round or an oval head. I think it is naturally oval but rounder than it should be. Fortunately the guidance online pretty much agreed with my friends: that trimmed and neat would do the trick. With a round head you should keep the bit on the chin longer so that it elongates your head. Sounded like a decent plan to me.

The next question is: A beard...really? You haven't forgotten you have grey head hair and a ginger beard have you? Well in the last blog I discovered that Brian Blessed has the two tone look. A fine role model. But the other day, in a photo album about his US tour I discovered that Billy Bragg, the Bard of Barking, is one of us too. Saints be praised!

All Hail The Bard

That was enough for me. And he has an oval head with the trimmed look. It was a sign. I was going to do it Billy style!

So the third and most critical question was: You've never done this before, are you going to screw up horridly and end up clean shaving yourself?

Well in truth it came close. I went little by little but a look in the mirror showed I hadn't been as precise as planned. But I rescued it I think. Here is how I look now:

What's the verdict from the blogosphere?

Movie Watch

Brave 3.25
It looks beautiful as all Pixar movies do. But what kind of film is it? An adventure? A fairy tale? An advert for Visit Scotland? Billy Connolly as Fergus and Julie Walters as the witch stand out in this film, but there are not enough laughs or genuine excitement to really engage you. There are some great ideas in there, but it feels like a first draft in need of a re-write. Oh and the music. My god, if ever a film was angling for the best song Oscar it was this one. Sadly the songs just weren't good enough. Unless you like the blandness of Enya etc.

There Will Be Blood 3.5
Maybe I missed something, but this film was ok but what was all that Oscar fuss about? It's good, and Daniel Day Lewis is as always, superb. But it just didn't do it for me. This sort of thing used to be the stuff of a Sunday Night mini-series. I don't know. Maybe it needs a re-watch but right now I don't have the urge.

Gordon's Alive!!! - MIcrodiscectomy +24

Recovery Update
The spasms have stopped and my walking is getting better and better. I went to the pub quiz again last night and whereas I seized-up from sitting down last week, this week I wasn't badly affected at all. So this is welcome evidence of improvement. I still can't sit for too long without pain and stiffness, or be too active without soreness. Last thing at night I sometimes find the twisting motion of rolling over painful, but even that is less and less the case. Things are moving in the right direction. On Thursday the Doc will tell me when I can return to work, and on Monday I have my first physio session.

I need to build up my physical strength again. Before my op, on every working day I was walking for 50 minutes just getting to and from work. A month without even that degree of exercise has taken its toll. I have little stamina at present. I suspect it will be a while before I build it back up. So more walks are in order, and when I'm allowed some swimming and hopefully I will be on my way.

It's been a while since you've had a scar pic. Well this is the state of my wound 3 weeks and 2 days after the operation. Ain't the human body brilliant! As crappy as my spine was, you can't argue with my ability to heal myself. Having said that, the spot where my cannula was placed still feels bruised. So perhaps my resilience is patchy.

An honourable beardy precedent
I'm getting quite fond of the beard, but there remains the two-toned hair issue. Hair on the top of my head going grey, hair on my face a melange of brown and ginger with hints of grey. So imagine my joy when I spotted a precedent. Ok, so I won't go as big and bushy, but even so...

"Gordon's Alive!!!"

Gruff's Geek Zone
A few websites for you. I'm not claiming to have discovered them, but I do like them:

XKCD.com
Billed as "A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math and language" xkcd is one for geeks with a science bent.
The comic section is a mix of the funny and the niche. Try clicking the random button and see what you get. My latest click got me:

Better than the cartoons in my opinion is the uber geeky What If section. So someone poses a question such as: 

"What happens if you try to hit a baseball pitched at 90% of the speed of light?" 

Without wishing to spoil it, the net result looks like this: 

Whether this is serious science or pseudo science it is great fun.


whosampled.com
Love music and want to waste hours of time? This is the site for you. Take a musician or composer and it will tell you who has sampled clips of their work. The site even places the clips side by side. Or on the flip side, take a song you like that features a sample and this site will tell you where it came from.

Some are obvious samples, lifted direct from a record. Others are well known to be based on an earlier piece of music, and some are potentially spurious. For example, We Will Rock You by Queen is alleged to be 'sampled' from Fanfare For The Common Man by Aaron Copland. I wasn't convinced and had never read that anywhere before, but listen to this.


knowyourmeme.com/
It's hard keeping up with the latest memes. You have just cottoned on to Gangnam Style while all the cool kids have moved on to Harlam Shake. Of course by now the really cool kids are on to something else.

To keep up with the world of memes, work out what the hell is going on or how the meme started, or just for an entertaining surf visit this site.

You know when someone posts a cool pic or video on facebook? The chances are that's because it has gone viral. So if you are the kind of person who thinks a pic from the top of the Great Pyramid is cool:

or saw that pink equals sign in a red square, was mildly confused and is now bamboozled by variants:

or you simply want to know if Cancer Slam is the new Harlam Shake then make sure you check out the Daily What section. Knowyourmeme and Dailywhat are actually part of cheezburger.com but that's a whole new kettle of kitties. Prepare to surf for a long time.