Too Much Information

Last week I went on my first bike ride since surgery. Actually it’s my first ride in months since I wasn’t able ride with the numbness before the surgery. All in all, it went really well for my first trip out. It was a bit windy but otherwise was a nice day and it worked well for taking a bit of a chance at some good exercise. I did put some plasters over the heel of my hand to protect from friction as it still feels a bit weird to use it. I don’t think I really needed them but it gave me some peace of mind. The ride itself was only about twenty minutes each way. I stopped at the local electronics/computer shops to browse for a break and then came home afterwards. I was enjoying myself so much that I almost went riding longer but opted to play it safe this time. Also my tire wasn’t aired up quite enough so I was concerned about tire issues. I made it back with no problems and had a decent amount of exercise. It’s either rained or been forecast the last few days so I haven’t tried again but plan to ride again on the weekend when it warms up again.

Last year it was announced that Lindsey Buckingham had been fired from Fleetwood Mac and that Mike Campbell (of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) and Neil Finn (one of my musical heroes) were taking his place in the band. I will admit I was stunned and really couldn’t imagine this scenario. It just seemed a bit too weird to think of Neil, one of my favorites, playing as part of FM, a favorite band of mine going back for several years. There was quite a furor in the media at the time and people were very much divided. I didn’t think too much more on it at the time but did start hearing reviews of shows once the tour began. Surprisingly, there was a hugely positive response at the time. It now was a matter of if and when the shows might reach Australia.

In January the announcement did come and when tickets went on sale I was a bit torn about whether to get tickets or not. In the end I decided to go for it and went online to purchase. Initially I had found tickets in the first block but had some technical issues when trying to make a purchase and so ended up with seats in the next section back. This was still quite a reasonable view so I can’t complain.

Months passed and my mind had the idea the show was mid-late August so was taken by surprise when I discovered the show was on the 9th. The Scientist and I had intended to go see a friend playing with her band in a local venue that night. I made my apologies and my friend was quite forgiving and said if she had tickets she’d be missing her show too. She’d been to see FM a couple years back in the rain and loved the show despite being left with a nasty cold afterwards. That show had the classic lineup which we haven’t seen before. The Scientist and I saw them on the Behind the Mask tour when Rick Vito and Billy Burnette were in place of Lindsey.

Friday arrived and the Scientist decided to work from home so he could get ready sooner. We made the unprecedented decision to take public transport to the show, partly due to it being included in the ticket price and partly to avoid driving in and the exorbitant parking fees. Anyway, we got ready and left a bit early to walk to the bus stop. We were first to board, having walked to the terminus. Once in town, we walked to the venue, which was a short distance from the bus terminal. Our plan was to get a bite to eat at Pita Pit, a local favorite eatery that had announced their presence. We discovered three food trucks on-site so had a look at the fare for the other two. When we arrived at Pita Pit, a worker that we know from our local store approached us and gave us discount coupons. That kind of decided us and we managed to get our two meals plus potato wedges for a mere $14.

After eating we walked across the side street to the venue and ventured in. Over the loudspeaker there was an ongoing announcement being broadcast in an annoying gee whiz kind of voice about getting into the venue. I can’t recall what it was but we heard it while eating and then while waiting to get inside and it was highly annoying. Once inside we went in search of water fountains to fill our water bottles. It’s not often we’ve been able to enter an arena with our own so it was good to take advantage. It took a while to find them but they seemed kind of obvious once we did. Then we went inside the arena and were ushered personally to our row since the crowds were still pretty limited.

The show was set to start at 8pm and there were still a lot of empty seats even ten minutes before that. I guess most people just assume the start will be late and act accordingly. Or they were all hanging around the bars getting drinks and didn’t care if they were late to the show. The start time rolled around and people were still flooding in. I should add there was no support act for this show, something we both found rather unusual. The lights finally went down at a quarter past and the band were soon onstage to a roar as Mick Fleetwood entered the stage and took his place at the drum kit.

Soon they launched into The Chain and it was a good start. I’m so used to the original lineup with this song that it didn’t seem possible it would be as good. But it really was well done. After the song finished, Stevie spoke up and told us this was the 63rd show of the tour. And of course it was the first for Australia. The band launched into Little Lies with Christine McVie singing lead vocals. Her voice sounded a bit rough for this one, which was a surprise since it’s been Stevie’s voice that has been a bit off in recent years. Still it was a good performance overall.

Next up is Dreams and we’re into the stuff that made up the heart of my love of Fleetwood Mac all those years ago. Stevie is in her element on vocals and the tambourine and the evening is heading into the magical realm at this point. Then we have Second Hand News and this is where I find Neil Finn makes it seem real to me. I am just so used to Buckingham vocals on this but Neil honestly did a really good job on this.

I can’t recall all of the songs played but the next of note is their new version of Black Magic Woman, with Stevie on lead vocals. This was my highlight of the night with all performing so well and the audience was very appreciative.

Suddenly we’re onto a Neil Finn creation with the song, I Got You from his days in Split Enz. I will point out that band was huge in Australia, making Neil and his brother Tim rather honorary Aussies as opposed to Kiwis from across the pond. I came to hear this song long after its heyday but it’s a big staple in the Neil Finn catalogue and the crowd loved it. Everyone was on their feet and it was reminiscent of seeing Split Enz in the frigid Burswood Dome in winter 2006 and everyone was up and dancing. You’d have thought the crowd was there for Neil on this song.

Moving on we get to Rhiannon which is another magical performance. And next we move on to World Turning which was a big Lindsey song. But with Neil and Christine on lead vocals, it was amazing and this led into a long drum solo by Mick Fleetwood, and eventually onto more amazing drumming with the addition of Taku Hirana on drums beside him. It was another highlight of the show before other members of the band gradually returned to the stage to finish up.

After this Mick comes to the front of the stage to make proper introductions of the band. There are cheers for the additional players on stage. One of the greatest cheers comes for Neil, which is amazing seeing he is the youngest and latest to join the band. But it’s like he’s the hero of the night and he looks so happy to be there. Just like a kid at times. The biggest roar comes for Stevie a bit later, which is fitting since she is the often the leading star of the show for the band.

A bit later in the show, the song Oh Well is played. This is another throwback to the early FM and Mike Campbell takes the on the vocals and gives another amazing performance. It’s truly rocking blues number that evokes the late ’60s era from which it originated.

We get Gypsy and Landslide from Stevie and then You Make Loving Fun and Hold Me from Christine. Another fabulous performance of Gold Dust Woman by Stevie, a dark and riveting number that kind of feels like black magic…

In the midst of all these lovely songs is Don’t Dream it’s Over with Neil and Stevie sharing vocals and the local crowd just erupts. The love for Neil and this “Aussie” classic is palpable. Plus there’s the awesome sing-along of the crowd with band during the chorus.

The set finishes with Don’t Stop, which brings the house down and the band leave the stage for a time. When they return the screen behind the band shows images of Tom Petty as they go into the Free Fallin’ with Stevie taking on the vocals. The feeling in the crowd is of sadness but admiration for the close friend of two of the band members.

Finally, the band plays it’s finale of Don’t Stop and the crowd is roaring and on its feet. Well at least up where we are they are standing and joining in the song. It’s a fitting end to the show and it kind of leaves you with the feeling of hope for the future.

The band lingers on stage for a while and Neil takes many bows as he moves across the stage. Again, he’s having a wonderful time and I can’t help feeling it’s a bit like a homecoming for him to be back in Australia with a “new” band. Stevie also moves as though a queen and pays respect to the crowd from various parts of the stage. Finally it’s just Mick Fleetwood who leaves with heartfelt words to say for us to be safe on our return home and to be good to one another.

The lights come up and we wait for a while as the crowd pours out the exits. I figure it might be awhile until we get out but things move along quickly and soon we are heading back to the bus terminal. It’s a pleasant night and if not for a bit of rush to catch our bus, I’d have liked to have hung out a bit along the way. In the end it wasn’t the rush we thought it was but at that point it felt better just to get where we needed. We thought initially we’d have missed the 11pm bus but we arrived with plenty of time, which is good since it would have been a hugely late night for the Scientist.

Surprisingly I felt really tired when we got home and went to bed kind of early, which is quite different to usual when the buzz of the night keeps me going for long time after I’m home.

All in all it was a wonderful night that will long be remembered.

We’ve had another run of unseasonably warm days and chilly nights that ended yesterday. Well it was cool enough last night but today is not particularly warm and it’s rainy too. Enough that our garden needs some mowing at this point.

My left hand is healing well enough and I’m using it more and more. I am still following doctor orders to avoid lifting things but it’s progressing. I took off the bandage last night and I’m hoping to keep it off.

I tried to break my little finger (right hand) last night going into the bedroom in the dark. I rammed it into a corner on the wall of the room where it meets the closet wall and it really hurt, enough that it took me a bit before I could answer the Scientist’s query about what happened. It eased off after a minute or so but today it’s swollen and sore.

Friday night, the Scientist and I went to see Fleetwood Mac. We saw them once around 1990 when we lived in North Carolina. Funny thing was I thought we saw them in Greensboro but the only show on that tour near us was in Charlotte. Must have been one of those visits home for a weekend things. I do have more to say about the show in a separate post but for now I will just say it was amazing and will be remembered for a long time.

I filed my taxes and already have my refund. I’ve never done it so early before since I’m a first-class procrastinator. It’s now so easy that it seemed reasonable to go ahead and I did when the Scientist needed my income amount to complete his.

I have continued to hold my tongue when seeing the crap posted by certain family members on Facebook. It still frustrates me but I think my mental health is better when I’m not engaged in useless battle with people I care about.

I saw my surgeon on Friday at an office closer to home than my first visit. This was convenient due to proximity but he was running way behind schedule and I didn’t get called in until at least half an hour past my appointment time. So more waiting than I’d have liked although the Scientist drove me there and was good company for the duration.

The weird thing was when I got called back I was taken to a room and left there, in the style of doctors I would see back in the US before I left. That doesn’t happen here at all. In hindsight I wonder if this was done to speed up the process of getting through patients as it was the receptionist/secretary who put me there.

Anyway, I didn’t have to wait all that long once I was back there. The doctor came in and took me to a different room to remove the stitches. First he had to cut off the bandage and some cotton that was all that covered my wounds. I was surprised to find no dressing there. Then my stitches were taken out, which didn’t take long but was uncomfortable for short bits of time. He put some tape over the wound and said I could wash normally. But lifting is a no-no for the next several weeks. Again he didn’t rush me out at all and I was pretty happy with the visit. I have to go back in a month to follow up.

So I’ve had my hand moving more freely now and it felt like it was much more vulnerable at first. Now it’s seeming pretty normal aside from the fact I can’t do much with it. Tonight I accidentally tried to use my hand to cut a muffin in half and that was kind of painful but more interesting was the feeling in my arm afterwards. It was kind of a ghostly feeling of something going up my arm and it didn’t feel quite right even though it wasn’t painful at that point. I think with the bandage I was less likely to do things spontaneously with my hand but now it feels more free and I don’t even thing.

My palm looks rather bruised for what can be seen of it right now. When the bandage was removed the area where my stitched are looked purple so I guess that was some sort of antiseptic or something. There’s still a bit of tape left on the wound so I can’t see it much aside from a bit of a dark patch under it. I think it might come off when I have my shower tomorrow but I might keep it covered after since it will look rather icky, which might be stressful for Lego Lover who is quite sensitive to that sort of visual.

In all events, it seems to be healing fine at the moment.

I typed this all out and must have hit a key that sent me back a page and lost everything. Sigh. Starting again…

I went back to see my gp after my neurologist appointment and was referred to a surgeon, who I saw a few weeks ago. I am pleased to note I didn’t have to wait long after my appointment time to get in and the doctor was pretty good. I wasn’t in for long but I was never rushed and he explained the main bits of surgery and the options on anesthesia. Then we chatted briefly as he noticed my American accent and it turns out he did his fellowship in Pittsburgh. That’s two medical professionals I’ve met who know about western Pennsylvania and don’t automatically assume it’s the Philadelphia side. Another note is this guy is left-handed, just like the neurologist was. As another lefty, I notice these things. :D Anyway, I went away and the surgery was organised for July 24th, less than two weeks later.

My surgery was organised for a small hospital that isn’t too far from us. It was a really nice one, from what I could see of it. The Scientist drove me in on the day and I got checked in pretty quickly and was soon led back to a four bed room to await surgery. Only one bed was occupied when I arrived but they were all soon filled as patients checked in. A nurse came and did the usual checks and then the anesthetist came and a local anesthetic with sedative was chosen. I had to have an ECG at some point which was done quickly but I was first in the queue for surgery and they were ready for me even before I was done with all the things required. Soon I was taken back for surgery and left the Scientist to go walking.

The walk to the theater was quite short which was nice because I no longer had my glasses on and couldn’t see well. I had to wait a few minutes once inside and the surgeon came and drew an arrow on my left arm and was gone. A couple minutes later I was in theater and was moving to the bed for the surgery. The anesthetist came in and punctured by wrist for an IV. That was pretty painful but that was the only pain I felt. Sedative was pumped in and I got a bit drowsy and then a bit more and I was out like a light. I woke up in recovery after more than an hour and soon was being wheeled back to the room where the Scientist was again waiting for me.

They brought me some sandwiches to eat and then I got dressed and was discharged with minimal instructions. No painkillers prescribed but I did have some naproxen left from when my gp had prescribed it for the carpal tunnel issues before. I didn’t need anything for many hours as my hand was was quite numb, like when having dental work done. It did start to wear off and the first thing I felt wasn’t pain but itchiness. It was probably about eight hours later the numbness disappeared and I took a tablet at that point before it started to hurt too much. The naproxen is slow release so it was well suited to keep me pain free for the next day.

The first couple of days, I couldn’t do all that much with my hand but as the week has gone on, I have been able to increase activity enough that I can do a bit of writing, a bit of typing and I can sort of use a fork for a little while. I have been mostly off painkillers aside from the first couple of days. I did kind of overdo things one day and it started throbbing a bit. It feels pretty decent now although I can’t do weight or much pressure at the moment. That’s a bit tricky at times but my body tells me when it’s too much. :) I see the surgeon again on Friday and probably the bandage will come off. It was supposed to be for ten days but I can’t see him taking it off to look and replacing for just a day. I think the surgery has rid me of the numbness. Not that I haven’t had any at all but I think that’s more from my hand being wrapped up and compressed at times than any internal issue. I started driving a couple days ago and it went better than I expected. Today I did my normal job and it was fine although my hand is feeling fatigued. I will be resting it a bit more tomorrow.

I think I’d written a bit more before but cannot recall what else I said. Probably nothing important.

One thing about social media, particularly Facebook, is that it has a way of really showing the ugly side of people. The problems continue with family members who post items that fire me up. A few months ago I did resolve to avoid engagement since it really served no purpose aside from giving attention where it wasn’t really needed. While I’ve kept to my resolution, a couple others still fall into the trap and in the past day or two, a big storm appeared on one of the threads. I didn’t see the original post but it was mentioned to me and when I checked later it had expanded and then further so by this morning when another family member added in more rude and obnoxious comments.

A while back the original posted of this thread had been quite upset when called a troll by another. Funny thing is I don’t think this person quite understood what the term meant at the time because I posted a joke image that references online trolls and this person didn’t quite understand it until I explained. It was made clear at that time this person was still upset about the comment. My thoughts at the time were that the term used may not have been quite so accurate and perhaps a difference wording might have been used. But thinking about it further, perhaps this person really is stirring the pot when posting some items. I feel some posts are aimed squarely at those of us who disagree and sometimes it’s pretty much stated so. In that way, maybe it is kind of trolling. Of course when called out, the perpetrator makes out like he/she is the victim.

I came to this idea after I made messaged a couple of those involved currently to support them. I did say maybe we needed a support group to keep us steering clear…lol. Anyway, thinking of how it’s important not to engage made me think about how trolling works and this kind of is it, even if it’s not out and out trolling in the more “mainstream” sense.

I will admit that seeing this stuff really turns my stomach and makes me feel really awful. I want to privately address this with at least one of these people but have yet to figure how to do it without causing personal hurt. I don’t suppose there’s any way really but I would like it to be so. Meanwhile I will just continue to avoid engagement.

It’s a sad state of being for the world when it’s come to such divisions between family and friends.