The MRI shows I have a spinal cyst at C5, and the tests show it's causing weakness & tingling in my upper arms. I need another MRI to see it better, but there isn't time to do it here before I leave. Stay longer? Sure, but the machine's scheduled already & the tecs want to go home for x-mas. So I've got a script to get it done at home and the 411 sent out here so the neurosurgeon can have a look. We expect OWCP to balk at authorizing it as "it's not caused by the origional injury" in their mind, but they're not doctors. They're just paper-pushers with a Napoleonic complex, so with a little "convincing" the authorisation should come right along. At least I hope. If not I'll have to get a bat again.
So that's that.

I installed a web board over on crew13.com so that those of us who are dealing with OWCP can give each other clues, as the Work Comp folks sure as hell aren't going to tell us anything. I figure once I promote it a bit and get a bunch of us on there we can pass info back and forth and not get screwed as much.

I asked OWCP some questions because as I've said, they loathe to give me any information. In desperation I decided to ask. Well, they answered. See if you can figure out what they meant.

They've told me I'm not authorized to have spare wheelchair tires and a cusion. Can you believe that crap?

Ok, that's all I know. I think I'll prolly be back here at Craig soon so the Doc can have a look at this cyst... He's on vacation right now. So I dunno if I'll be going to school for a while, as those sort of surgeries (decompression with fusion) apparently can take up to 9 months to heal.

Merry Christmas huh?

Here's our new baby weasel, Piglet. We picked her up yesterday here in Denver. Saw a Petco, went in... There she was...
Ferret-Math strikes again...

So hopefully she'll have lots of fun with Francis, Casper & Reubin when she meets them. She's going to have her own cage for a while tho untill she gets big enough to move into the palace.

Talked to a mechanical engineer here who makes stuff for the gimps. You know, just like what I do except he has all the bitchin' machines & the piece of paper on the wall. And the catalogs and he knows the names of all the cool little things to make the project come together. Like that flexible pipe stuff they use to hold the helmet-cams on fear factor? Yeah that. I now know it's called "Loc-Line" and I know where to get it.
So anyway I talked to him for a while and decided that's what I want to do. So when I get back to school I'm gonna look into havin' them train me up as a mechanical engineer. Hopefully the math doesn't suck too bad, but at least I'll know I'm going to use it rather than just get tortured & forget it.