For about two months now, I have been suffering a mysterious pain in my right middle finger. I thought maybe I was playing too much Nintendo DS. Or working too hard. [But no, THAT wasn't it!] The pain worsened and worsened. Here is a list of things I have been unable to do without incredible pain the last few weeks:

1] shift gears
2] steer
3] type
4] carry anything
5] use utensils
6] hold my cell phone to my head
7] work the TiVo remote

Basically, all of the things that make life worth living. So Friday I went to the doctor, who took X-rays and poked and prodded the hand and told me I have tendinitis. Of course I wept because I am such a big baby with sickness and things, and a flawed tendon on my finger is devastating. To make matters worse, I am supposed to wear an aluminum finger-brace-thing, which does relieve the pressure on my tendon, but which looks dumb and prevents me from doing most things I need to do in order to survive, like eat, and instant-message. I am also supposed to ice the hand several times a day, so I have become best pals with a certain bag of frozen corn. [Love you, Frozen Corn. XO!] The icery feels good. But the hand still feels VERY BAD. Having been the recipient of karma before, I know that this is really about how very, very freely I’ve wielded this particular finger on the freeways, and since I am deserving, I am trying to suck it up. But I’m not very good at that. And so, Tendinitis, all I can say to you is this.