Bag of Randomness for the First day of May 2017


  • That guy definitely has a case of the Mondays.
  • Going into the weekend, all the local weather experts told us to expect a lot of storms, to move any outdoor activities inside, and soccer and baseball games would be canceled. Not one drop of rain hit our area. We actually went into the weekend with the mindset our kids’ games would be canceled and were a bit bummed when they weren’t.
  • We ate at Whataburger last night and for the first time since I was a pre-teen, I ordered a burger sans cheese. For dessert, I asked for a small shake, half chocolate and half vanilla. The employee kindly told me that can’t do half and half shakes. I thought it was weird for a place who advertises how many different ways you can customize a burger to not easily give me a half and half shake. I didn’t make a stink about it but just thought it was odd.
  • My back doctor feels the only thing that really will relieve me of my back pain is fusing two of my vertebrae together. But in the meantime, I’m going to have an epidural steroid injection and start physical therapy. Before any surgery, I think I’ll have a second opinion and explore other surgical options.
  • I understand how polarizing a figure Bill Maher is, but I thought he did a standup thing. Back in January, ten minutes before he was to take the stage at the Music Hall at Fair Park, his show was canceled. He blamed it on airplane mechanical issues but stated he’d return and for those coming back, he’d provide BBQ. Well, last night he returned and the event was catered by Hard Eight BBQ for the 1,000 or so who RSVP’d. Also, he didn’t take any money for the show, instead, all proceeds went to local charities. Two charities were animal/pet related, one poverty-related, and the last one helped a double-amputee veteran.
    • I was surprised at the choice of BBQ. I’m not a fan of Hard Eight, but I expected he’d get a more “spare” place like Spring Creek or Dickies.
  • I met my high school and college friends this weekend to select a recipient for a scholarship to honor our late friend. This year one applicant stated her mother graduated in the same class as our late friend. That’s one sign that we done got old.
  • Cowboys fans the world over will now take a bullet for Drew Pearson who trolled Philly fans on their home turf. Man, this was great, just hilarious. Sometimes sports feuding is fun.

  • I liked how Gil Brandt followed up.
  • Ray Bradbury’s hometown is crowdfunding a statue in his honor – Donors who give $150 get a book from Bradbury’s personal library
  • DaughterGeeding had a solo in a church musical. I thought she cheated by reading from a paper and not having her lines memorized. BoyGeeding also makes an appearance singing along.

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3 Responses to Bag of Randomness for the First day of May 2017

  1. Bryan says:

    As someone that's dealt with back problems off and on since my late-20s (I'm 41 now), I would encourage you to be patient and use caution before having surgery. I herniated a disk initially and dealt with the sciatic nerve pain for a couple of years. I decided against surgery after the neurosurgeon offered it without a terribly strong endorsement, did an epidural injection and physical therapy. It improved over time and just occasionally flared up. I reinjured it about 8 years later and again avoided surgery. My copay on outpatient procedures went away in the meantime, so I didn't do the epidural that went from a $300 to $3000 procedure. Over 4 months (and after a huge stress relief at work in the form of a promotion), the pain subsided. I still deal with occasional issues: long car rides or sitting in the same position for 2-3 hours (like on an airplane) usually end with shooting pain down one leg, one of my legs is longer than the other (noticed by a tailor altering pants for me and confirmed by the physical therapist). I'm also very careful when it comes to lifting heavy objects.

    All that said, I was told many a scary story about back surgery not fixing the problem or making it worse and I'm glad I listened.

    • Geeding says:

      I really, really appreciate you taking the time to share about your back experience. I was hoping someone like yourself would weigh in and give me some insight.

      • Bryan says:

        No problem at all and the best of luck to you. I would be lying if I said the whole thing wasn't very difficult and depressing at times, especially the second time around when I thought I had moved past it after the first injury. Feel free to shoot me an email if you have more detailed questions you don't want to hash out on here.

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