The same thing goes for my left shoulder. My left shoulder has periodically hurt for no apparent reason since I was ten. My doctor (at the time) diagnosed it as "bursitis" and prescribed pain relievers, but he didn't even put my arm in a sling and the pain was short-lived. Usually the shoulder pain goes away if--again--I just don't use the shoulder. Sleep a certain way and don't do any heavy lifting for a few days, and it'll be fine. Most of the time I don't even need pain pills for it; in fact, it's better if I don't take any medication, because then I don't put any strain on it: without the pills it lets me know if I'm doing something wrong.
My back problem stems from an evening in 1988, when I brought home a Beetle engine and had to move it from the trunk of the car to a makeshift workbench in the garage, without the benefit of help or any kind of wheeled conveyance. I was 21; I got the engine level with the trunk lip by rocking it onto some boxes; then I squatted, hooked my forearms under the cylinders, and picked the thing up. WTF, it's not like it was heavy or anything.
Okay, about 200 pounds--but I had picked up 200 pounds before. I knew it was a big lift, and I was mindful of the fact that it was big enough to cause permanent injury to my back or other parts if I did it wrong. So I was extra-careful.
My mistake, I think, was that my destination was about a foot lower than it should have been. I set the engine down but when I straightened, there was an odd little twinge in my lower back, something I'd never felt before. But it wasn't really painful and it went away after a few days. For years afterwards, every once in a while it would give me a little poke to remind me that everything was not 100% perfect back there, but it never hurt.
Well, in 2004, I foolishly tried to push a non-running Fiero off of a car dolly, and that little "twinge" went spoing...and I've been having the occasional back pain ever since.
*sigh*
It could be worse, of course. It's probably a herniated disk or something similar, but having surgery to correct the issue would probably be a hell of a lot more trouble than it's worth. Most of the time there is little or no pain; the majority of the trouble I get from this is just some stiffness. And WTF, I'm in my 40s: some of this nonsense is to be expected.
* * *
Obama's apparently not going to push for a repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act.(DoMA) At least, he's removed language from his web site that identified the repeal of the DoMA as a goal for his administration.
This has got to have the homosexual advocates up in arms, but WTF are they going to do? Vote Republican? Don't make me laugh. They can either like it, lump it, refuse to vote at all, or throw away their votes on the Green party. (The latter two cases will help Republicans.)
The Democrats know this. They also know that the gay community comprises--at best--four percent of the US population. With or without the gay vote, Democrats can get their people elected, and they know it--especially since the gay vote will not vote Republican. At most it will refuse to vote.
On the other hand, enough of the Democrat constituency is anti-gay that they cannot afford to ignore them.
* * *
Scythandra, my 64th level death knight, has been running around in Stranglethorn Vale trying to get a bunch of low-level quests done. Why? Well, I have two reasons. First, they're easily accomplished since nothing in the zone can really hurt me; second, they build reputation. I've seen a bunch of DKs going after paltry quests and I can only assume it's for the reputation points.
Besides that, the quests I've been concentrating on are the "Hemet Nesingwary, Jr" quests--"The Green Hills of Stranglethorn" for one thing; and these count towards making achievements.
I don't know why I care about achievements; it's not like you get anything for them. I just like accruing them.
* * *
I think I need to go play WoW now.