Well, I’m off to get a camera stuck down my throat again. Wish me luck.

Back later: Well, that was a bit anticlimactic. The biggest annoyance was that I had to wait a full 2.5 HOURS past my appointment time before I got in to see the doctor. (I sent the Snook home rather than have him sit in the waiting room all day.) I have no idea why the Inner West Endoscopy Centre was so backed up, but it really sucked. Especially since I had to fast beforehand, so it was nearly 20 hours before I was able to have a proper meal again. Anyway, they put a line in my arm and shot me up with the drugs. I was determined to really pay attention to the procedure this time, and I remember them starting to wheel my bed into the surgery. Instantly I was back in my little recovery cubicle, dozing on my side and waiting for the process to start. I finally lifted my head and asked when it was my turn. “You’re already done,” the nurse said. I missed it again! I don’t know what they gave me – GHB? – but man, I like that stuff. I wish I could take it at night to help me fall asleep. So I sat up and had some tea and cookies, and I SMSed the Snook to let him know I was done. By the time I was up and dressed, he was there to pick me up. We waited around to talk to the doctor… who basically admitted that they didn’t see much. There was apparently some slight damage below the duodenum, but it sounds like it was a lot less than last time. They took quite a lot of samples to biopsy so hopefully my doctor will be able to tell me more next week. As for now, I’m just going to eat and sleep and enjoy these last few hours before the sedation finally wears off (and my stomach starts hurting from all the poking around).

How to Win Over 15 Male Software Developers:

1. Make banana pudding.
2. Bring banana pudding to work.
3. Profit.

I felt a little ashamed of myself, actually. I’m supposed to be revered for my mad PHP skillz, not my pudding-making ability. Oh, well.

Obama’s Harbour Bridge of Hope
I just received word from Democrats Abroad that Obama supporters “are gathering at famous bridges for a global photographic campaign to show support for their candidate.” The photographs will then be edited into a YouTube video. The Sydney event is taking place this Saturday, May 3rd, at 11am at the Opera House steps. I plan on being there, and I urge any of you similarly-minded people (whether American, Australian, or whatever) to come along too.

Sweeeet. A real estate expert has declared his opinion that “Inner-western Chippendale, the site of a planned $2 billion redevelopment of the former CUB brewery, is Australia’s best investment opportunity.” This is the kind of news that makes the mortgage payments a little more bearable. (Link courtesy of Life in Chippendale.)

Check out this excellent and easy-to-understand explanation of the whole “Microsoft trying to take over Yahoo” schmozzle. Very interesting. (Link courtesy of Daring Fireball.)

Nerdy Things We Have Debated at Work Today:

1. The Vulcan Salute
2. WWF Wrestlers of the 80’s and early 90’s
3. The Snorks

I’m sure there’ll be more.

I ran 16 kilometers today. That’s TEN MILES. [chart / route map] I’m a little surprised myself! Since my lower back is still bothering me, I slathered on some pain relief gel and took a prescription anti-inflammatory before I went out. (I had to get special ones from the doctor because normal ibuprofen is a NO GO for my stomach.) It still ached a bit, but not enough to hold me back. I did 5:1 run/walk intervals for the first 90 minutes before switching it up to 4:1 towards the end. Halfway through, I stopped in a convenience store and bought a bottle of Gatorade. Carrying it with me was surprisingly less annoying than I’d expected! I discovered, though, that Gatorade makes my mouth feel all gummy and dry so I still hit every water fountain that I passed as well. At the 14K mark, I crossed the threshold into Longest Run Ever territory. (The 14K City 2 Surf was my previous longest distance.) In terms of cardio fitness, I am fully confident in my ability to run the half-marathon without any trouble. It’s like I’ve had a breakthrough with my breathing, and at my normal pace I finally feel able to carry on a conversation without huffing and puffing. It’s really cool, actually. (Although I still gasp like a fish when I swim. Odd, that.) I think the real limiting factors are going to be my legs, feet, and back. I’m feeling some real soreness on the outside of my thighs, which is probably a warning sign for IT Band Syndrome. (I don’t feel any pain on the outside of my knees, so I don’t think it’s too far along.) Two hours of pounding on pavement just, you know, HURTS. So I’m going to take it easy this week and try to recuperate. I’d like to do one more long run this weekend (hopefully 18K) before the race, but with my endoscopy on Wednesday I don’t know how I’m going to feel. I’m just going to bask in this feeling of accomplishment for a while…

Weekend Update… and it isn’t over yet!
Three-day weekends are so nice. Yesterday the Snook and I went to Newtown to meet up with Steve (visiting from London), Kenya, and Sal. Most places were either closed for the ANZAC Day holiday or packed with people playing two-up, so we ended up getting lunch at Kelly’s on King. It was good to catch up with friends we hadn’t seen in a long while.

Today was a busier day. I talked to both my parents on the phone, and my Dad mentioned how impressed he was with how far I’ve been running. I was so tickled I went right out and did five miles! Then I headed to Newtown for SSK, which featured the usual bunch of great folks. I finished one Twisted Flower Sock heel and got started on the second. On my way home, I stopped in Better Read Than Dead and picked up a new copy of American Gods (in preparation for Neil Gaiman’s visit next week). When I got home, the Snook and I headed over to Broadway to look at digital cameras. My old Canon had finally given up the ghost and I was looking for something small and light to carry with me. An hour later, I walked out of Harvey Norman with a brand new Fuji Finepix Z20 in cherry red. It’s so tomorrow! I love it. We also picked up a new litter box for that cat. You know how she likes to hang her butt over the edge? Snookums has finally gone for the nuclear option, purchasing a giant plastic storage tub that she has to jump in and out of.

Finally, there was food. I made homemade pea and ham soup from a Rick Stein recipe in delicious, and it was very tasty. I started by boiling a ham hock to make some stock. (Quoth the Snook: “Hot ham water? YUM!”) For dessert, the Snook cut up the pineapple I bought at the markets last weekend and created a from-scratch pineapple upside-down cake. We had it warm from the oven with ice cream. SO GOOD, PEOPLE.

And the best part of the weekend? That I’ve still got one more day of it left. Ahhhh…