Wildly fluttering woofer

I am going to check out Ukulele Orchestra. The name alone has my interest. Have you ever heard Vaughn Williams "Concerto for Tuba"? I couldn't resist that title.
When I landed on my head the force broke C1 into three pieces. It's called a Jefferson Crush Fracture and it's similar to what would happen to a pretzel ring if you slapped it on a table. C1 can only absorb so much force, after that it splits. A bad bop on the head is all it takes.
The C1 fracture wasn't as life threatening as the subdural hematoma, in fact the C1 issue wasn't realized for two days. I told the doctor that my neck hurt but not in the usual way (I had C5-C6-C7 fused the year before because of herniated discs). In fact, during the car ride to the ER I supported my head in my hands because it felt like it might fall off of my neck. I walked into the ER supporting my head, covered in blood looking like Carrie at the prom, and passed out shortly after.
After I awoke from the brain surgery, the doctor asked me if I had a runny nose, to which I replied "funny you should ask". He shot a picture of C1 through the roof of my open mouth which showed the C1 fracture as well as a fracture to the spenoid bone, which is behind the ocular orbits, one of which was also fractured. My "runny nose" was my cerebral spinal fluid leaking out.
Fortunately for me, I needed no further surgery, just rest and a halo to keep my head on straight so C1 could mend. Because of the trauma, the retina in my left eye also detached, but laying in bed for a few days gave it the opportunity to lay back down and re-attach by itself. That issue was realized many months later during an eye exam. I complained of blurry vision while I was in the hospital, but by the time they got an ophthalmologist to examine me, the retina had already settled back, my vision cleared up, and nothing was seen till scar tissue formed later on. The runny nose stopped by itself, and thank god my body did a great job of healing itself. I just needed food, rest and time. I was forced to take the summer off, so I adapted and made the best of the situation. No complaints, I could have easily died, or worse.
As a bonus for my pain, I got a great torque screwdriver out of the deal. It's very precise and calibrated so the halo can't be over tightened to the skull. The halo is in my shed hanging from a hook.
So take it easy and try to enjoy the down time. If you're like me, you'll come out of the gate fast once you're medically cleared. You just have to be patient.
Rich

Reading your medical story was a harrowing ride. Since I'm an atheist, and don't believe in miracles, your'e one lucky audiophile. My "pinkey" story is, hands down" almost like a burp in comparison. I hope you buy lottery tickets because it seems you buck the odds.
Whenever I need a little pick-up I give the U.O.o GB a listen on you tube. A friend in London turned me on to them two years ago and I saw them live in Santa Barbara, California a few months ago. Afterwards my wife told me I had a grin on my face for the entire concert. They were almost as good as Versed and Demerol.
My wife started a "social enterprise" called Kishe' foods about a year ago. Her goal is to support small scale coffee farmers in Guatemala and also diversify their sources of income. It's a giant undertaking as my wife(2nd) has no prior business experience. We have 37,500.00 lbs. of green coffee arriving on the west coast in two weeks and we're still trying to develop a marketing plan. Please visit kishefoods.com and check out the web site she's building. Let me know what you think. We could use your writing skills.
katz1

The big thing around here is Rook Coffee Roasters
http://www.rookcoffeeroasters.com/

There's one not too far from my house. Not at all fancy, it operates out of a converted garage. No tables or chairs, it's take out only. Unbelievably popular, never enough parking and the lines are out the door. Patrons are of all types, students, yuppies, executives, professionals and construction workers.

I don't get it myself, but my daughter thinks it's the bee's knees. These places are rolling in cash.

Me...I'm happy with a cup of Maxwell House, a crossword puzzle and my turntable.

Good luck!

Thanks for the Rook information. We might send them a sample of our Speciatly organic Guatamalan beans. Every lead is an opportunity worrh exploring.
Meanwhile no word when my 3B or the SDS from VPI will arrive. I can listen thru the Yamaha C 60 but the air and holographic sense are missing.
Regards, katz1

When you get your equipment back, you'll appreciate it all the more.
If you need someone to proof read your website, I can ask my daughter, she's very good. She majored in English (which most people think is a worthless major unless you're going to become a teacher) but knows the rules (every language has it's rules) and works for an event planning company. She impressed her boss during the interview when she corrected a document and explained why. I'm always asking her things like "what's the difference between "paid" and "payed" or when to use a semi-colon. She's having a hip surgery next month and will be idled for 6 weeks. If she's like me, she'll be looking for things to do.

You said I was lucky, but you didn't get the full story.
A year before I had my accident I had two levels of my cervical spine fused. There were three options I could choose from.
1.Steel cage inserted between each vertebrae
2.Bone spacer from cadaver
3.Bone spacer from my hip
Very often, the also screw a plate across the fused vertebrae to keep things in place while the bones fuse together.
Since the first method was fairly new, I had my reservations, I opted for the third method because it's been tried and true for more than fifty years and I didn't mind a little extra discomfort.
I told the surgeon "no screws or metal in my neck please. Who knows, maybe I'll have a car accident in 20 years and my neck breaks wrong because there was metal in it".
During my convalescence I read about a woman who used the first method (cage) and suffered the same crush injury as mine. Unfortunately for her, the cage collapsed under pressure and she required further surgery.
Another bullet dodged.
I was out of work for a month and went crazy. When I broke my neck a year later and found out I'd be out 4 months, I rolled over in the hospital bed and thought to myself "I barely made it one month, how am I going to do four?"
I wouldn't call myself an atheist, but I would say that I don't have the capacity to understand a god if there is one. I use the analogy "Is the line on a piece of paper aware that I put it there?" I just don't think it's possible for us to know why or what purpose we serve in the grand scheme. When people ask me what I think the purpose of life is, I tell them it's to have fun. Simply enjoy the gift while you can.
I was very lucky that night. My son had a funny feeling and came looking for me. He found me within 154 minutes of my fall. I could barely crawl so he helped me into the house and called my brother for a ride to the ER. If he hadn't found me, I probably would have died right there during the night. At the hospital no one suspected my neck was broken, and luckily my head wasn't tipped back when they intubated me for the craniotomy. Everything that needed to go right did, and anything that could have gone wrong didn't. I was extremely lucky and realized it immediately. I could have easily been a quadriplegic, worse than death to me.
After my accident, I have enjoyed every day off as if it were my last. That's how fast things can happen. In my line of work (pharmacist) I meet a lot of people. Some get a lucky break, some things just go wrong for others. Those that catch the lucky break are in "The almost dead club".
I can't complain, I have no right to.

Keep getting better! It ain't so bad, you just adapt and find other things to do.