Well....I think I'm going to live. :-)

The Neurologist did indeed send me to get an MRI, and the results came back normal. I had some additional bloodwork done to test my thyroid and that came back normal too. So we're guessing that the headaches are a result of stress, and my muscles back there forgetting how to relax.

Then the doc promptly went on a 10 day vacation, so I'm kind of waiting around for him to come back and tell me what I need to do to get better. I want to get better soon...the wife is losing her patience with my complaints.

We are heading to San Antonio, TX next month for a business meeting. It's going to completely suck for us to buy a plane ticket, but I want Brandi to go. We're staying near the Riverwalk, and last time I was there on business I spent most of the time wishing she was there with me to see it. Now that that has a chance of actually happening, I want to make sure she has the opportunity.

So all I have to do now is survive another few plane rides and I think I can relax about the death thoughts for awhile. Amazing how getting a procedure like this done makes you think the worst, no matter how unlikely the worst actually is.

In other news, God help me, I have set up a MySpace profile....

Once it seemed solely the realm of children and child predators, but somehow while I wasn't looking it appears that MySpace has evolved into an almost Napster-like phenomenon. You hear it mentioned in movies, you see integration with it as a feature for new techie toys. Everybody from famous personalities to that weird dude in high school seems to have a MySpace profile up and running. I had two family members who hadn't talked in ages get together last Christmas and start geeking out about how they found each others' MySpace profile and started chatting online.

Now I'm not the most social person in the world, and I generally like to control the amount of time I'm being bugged by other people....especially those I feel somewhat obligated to actually talk to. But so many people seem to be jumping on the bandwagon that I figure something must be up. Even the snooty Geek Elite have stopped making XML web applications and sticking their collective noses up at the latest games long enough to establish a presence on MySpace. So I'm curious.

I don't have a URL for the profile yet, and my title name is....(get ready to be amazed)...Christopher. No info is up yet and I've sent one friend invite to a buddy who has also set up his own profile. Oh and I think I signed up as an alumni of my high school. But when I get anything more up there I'll at least post here about it. I figure I'll give it the ol' college try.

Sophie is doing well. The ball of fluff is about ten times the size she was when we got her, and well over ten times the energy level. She can walk beside me nicely now and can sit on command....both only if we have her collar and leash on her of course. The dog is smart, and she is smart enough to know when we can't catch her. :-P

I recently ordered the 12th installment of the Final Fantasy series. Man they are becoming less games and more events lately. This one distinguishes itself by having a preorderable Collector's Edition, complete with bonus DVD for the low low price of $10 more than the already huge price of the game and the strategy guide (which also has a collector's edition). But Square Enix can sell the games at those prices, because people will pay any price for them and still count themselves lucky.

I count myself as a rabid, drooling, absolute fanboy of any and all Final Fantasy games. I own all of the US releases (yes even Mystic Quest) and have even, thanks to the development of blatantly illegal game ROMs, played lamely translated versions of the Japanese-only games. Note I said owned not necessarily finished...but I try. That fact being what it is, I cannot help buying the Collector's Edition, for fear I'd miss some wonderful bit of knowledge or artwork on the bonus DVD that I'd forever kick myself for later in life. I knew as soon as my buddy Aaron told me about it that I was going to somehow scrape together the $60 for it. I whined and complained and stormed and raged against every stupid Collector's Edition ever made....but in the end my butt was still at Software Etc. preordering the damn thing.

The major effect this has had is that I have to cancel my World of Warcraft subscription for the next few months, which means I'll be late on getting the expansion pack for that one (which also has a Collector's Edition). I haven't been without a functional MMO account of some form since waaay back in the days of Everquest. Thus far withdrawal has not hit me, but I haven't had my share of nights with little free time since I ordered it.

See the advantage of WoW is that it's mindless, and barring a few major event dungeons, EVERYTHING can wait for the casual gamer who has like 30 minutes or so to play. Granted I don't get a lot of socializing done that way, but somehow that comforts me to know I'm once again in control of when people communicate with me. Final Fantasy....as with many console RPGs...is not so amicable. It can be a vindictive mistress, demanding your attention for hours at a time, because 1. you can't just save and log out anywhere you want, and 2. the storyline is ALWAYS going on. This means you turn on the PS2 and you commit to it for awhile. Not something easy to do for someone who is already stretched to the limit for time.

So why did I buy it anways, knowing all this? Easy. It's Final Fantasy.

Brandi doesn't quite get my insane need to hand over another ten-spot to a company for a bonus DVD I can just watch at a friend's house yet, so I'm going to check the market for Collector's Edition shoes and purses. I figure I can make my first million right there.