10 years and me....

Sitting on ya arse with nothing much to do has always been an incentive for me to become creative. In recent months/years it's been with the still camera, but occasionally, I have been known to fanny about with the camcorder.

Usually this has been around my "brother-from-another-mother" Goober, when he's been either gigging, rehearsing or maybe the odd road trip.

So. I dug out the "Simon Wood shagged this Video" DVD which I compiled in 2003 from a weekend trip to Cambridge in 1998 where we (Goober, Simon, myself and not forgetting Pete Moore) hired a studio for no other reason than to celebrate 10 years since the last time we were actively in a band.

So it's 10 years on. Lots of things have changed. I no longer have to imagine what it must be like to work alongside The Wonder Stuff, nor do I feel the need to ignore Mr Wood..... maybe I need to explain.

Mr Wood and I seldom got on (he's the guitarist.... actually, do any drummers and guitarists get on?), lets just put it down to a personality clash.... He probably had one and I didn't.... or something along those lines. Anyhow, I've not spoken to the fella since August 1998, and I think it's worked out just fine but I'm always open to new experiences and if anyone from "Edd Smash & The Dinosaur Wangs" wanna do a 20th anniversary get together then I guess I'll be up for it....... I even know of a decent rehearsal/studio.

I digress..... I sat down yesterday morning, and played the DVD "Simon Wood Shagged this Video". I was quite surprised how good the "shagged" bits were, even more surprised how funny the The Wonder Stuff piss takes were and just a little impressed with Goobers "Miles Hunt" impressions.

So, here they are, warts and all.

Pete Moore: Rhythm method guitar
Goober: Bass, Vocalist, songwriter and Vehicle delivery operative
Simon Wood: Lead Guitar, antagonist and shagger of videos, accommodation
Dave Dawson: Drums, gobshite, cameraman

My first day back in the flat didn't exactly go to plan. It's only now I feel sort of OK to get anywhere near the PC.

There's no mincing words here, this is painful. It's not the hip itself, to my astonishment the constant grinding pain I've had for the last 4 years has gone........ sorry, just reading that, and feeling that has me almost in tears...... pull yourself together man!... its the muscles... and not just the ones in my leg. My entire center region, back, and right leg is murder as I'm compensating for being partially turned inside out. My left thigh with its two large drain holes and foot long incision isn't exactly in party mood either, but that should have calmed down within a few weeks.

So, after getting rather frustrated last night with pain, things being outta reach, other things getting in the way I managed to lob several items around the room before limping very slowly to bed where I spent the next 3 or so hours asleep. Unfortunately, the dreaded night sweats made short work of any sleep and I ended up back in the living room feeling useless, tired and awake again...... but as a better man than me once said.... "and the sun that beats on the window, in the morning, is a doorway"**

Another reason, which I knew was coming but has been conveniently ignored by the medical people (I'm not apportioning blame here, it was all my own doing) is the withdrawal from my one time saviour Tramadol. Having JUST stopped reading some reports of prolonged use of Tramadol and subsequent withdrawal symptoms I think a trip to the Doc is advised sooner rather than later..... Night sweats, joint pain, sleeplessness, depression, mood swings, rapid beard growth and speaking in tongues have been reported.

This all could look like I'm already after another debilitating excuse not to get myself pulled round. Maybe it is, but I'm not clinically qualified to interpret my ID, or even to remember where I saw it last.

So, in good old Dawson fashion I'll retreat to my old reliables who have helped deal with the mental assault courses I've ran in the past...... Mr Hunt, Mr Scobie and Mr Adamson, stage right if you please.

All that..... I'll be fine once I've had a Kebab.


** Stuart Adamson, Big Country, "Seven Waves Away"

Thank you.....

Ok, I'm writing this from my hospital bed, morph'ed up to the eye balls 'cos the Physio wanted me to play hopscotch....

No not really, just standing is enough right now.

I'm no longer tethered to a couple of Tesco's carrier bags and tubing draining what seems to be a rainbow of coloured liquids from me. The catheter was hardly noticeable when it was removed, but when they pulled the drains outta my leg I swung for the nurse...... at lest I would of if I wasn’t screaming uncontrollably and biting my way through several sheets and a mattress.

But that’s all over with now, I just have to concentrate on learning to walk again.... The physio is thorough, which matches my determination to get the new hip working again.... but it does take its toll. Just standing takes every bit of strength I have, at the same time I'm trying to block the pain and not think about the prosthetic sheering off (it can happen) and leaving me with shards of bone sticking through my thigh.

I know that’s all sounds rather depressing, but the nurses here a lords and are quite happy putting up with my rather different approach to healthcare...... or anything really.

I have to say a very large thanks to Pooch and John for keeping me entertained and supplied with bits and pieces..... Emily came in yesterday to see me, although you could see she wasn’t too happy seeing me like this, but it made a colossal difference to my mood.. So, thanks to Gary for driving both Sue and my little fruitloop in to see me, very much appreciated.

and a massive thank you to all the people leaving messages on this blog, sending txts and phoning me, sometimes I forget there are genuine people out there who care.

I think I'm ready to zonk out again, physio is back in a few hours to point and laugh......

Oh well never mind then.

Sushi'ed

Monday 18th February.

Is fast approaching. This will be the day I get my hip resurfacing done. Hurrah!

Of course I'm not looking forward to.... errrm, well...... a multitude of wild and mostly unpleasant experiences. Of course it's all for the greater good, but it simply wouldn't be ME if I didn't stick the knife in (pun intended) and grind away at the bits medical professionals put in the file marked "This may be a little bit uncomfortable Mr Dawson".

Now, lets get this phrase into context. "This may be a little bit uncomfortable Mr Dawson"

A quick Google for "Uncomfortable" pulls up this definition:

providing or experiencing physical discomfort; "an uncomfortable chair"; "an
uncomfortable day in the hot sun"

Yes, that's it, an uncomfortable chair or a day in the hot sun.. That would be my definition too. Which makes me wonder just what the feck these doctors are sitting on at home and how often they are holidaying in Death Valley.

There's just no mention ANYWHERE of jamming a tube up ya japs eye then inflating a large balloon inside your bladder...... Nor the mental anguish and anticipation of being wide awake when its removed. It's just something I don't equate to sitting on a lumpy sofa. I would imagine the orderly who drew the short straw (pun not intended) would agree.




Another "uncomfortable" situation the doctors would like me to experience is walking the length of the room just HOURS after being filleted, drilled, rivited, welded, knifed, stabbed, stapled, stitched and punched until unconscious. They say it's to get the circulation going again, but I would suggest the blood sodden dressing and the rivulets of claret matted with my leg hair would be evidence enough my circulation is coping fine.

All this while screaming like a girl for my mother is not something I'd ever imagine doing after a day in the Hartlepool Sun.

Anyhow, I'd just like to take this opportunity to let people know that should I kark it on the table all my worldly goods and numerous insurance policies should be used to pay off my debts and the left over be put into trust for Emily....... The rest of the Dawson family can get knotted, I know that sounds ungrateful, ignorant, uncaring and selfish but does reciprocate the general attitude experienced over the last 15 years.

Obviously, that's not gonna happen, so If you are reading this Sis/Bro/Dad then instead of getting all "How very dare you" on me just think on who's got the most healthy kidneys for transplant should you need one.

This could be the very last entry before my Op..... or ever. So, if you're still reading this, and have NEVER commented before then please leave a message... you don't even need to sign up to anything, just leave it as anonymous.

Love light and happiness.

David...

Number one's and Beats Per Minute

The BP is down to a level more fitting for an overweight middle aged Caucasian.

I just need to ring the hospital to tell 'em its all under control.... I'll do that later, when I've remembered my designated Nurses name.

The beard is coming along nicely, for a week old beard.

Saturday and Sunday I was involved in recording some of the "tracks" for Scree. And I can report back that it was a hoot. Everything was put down but we need to do more work on fixing some of the bum notes and miss queued bits. Once that's done we need to agree on the mix (those of you who've already been through this can stop laughing now). Having listened to what we have now I have to say its not bad at all.

UPDATE: it would seem that Scree is again NUMBER 1 in the pop charts.... Obviously, not the pop charts anyone would recognise, but some obscure and free internet thing... but hey, someone is clicking those buttons (but why?)

I'd like nothing better than to put a little snippet up here for your perusal, but it's too much of a fart on.

Instead here's some pictures....

The light! it seems so warm and inviting.....

Day 5 in the house.

• Growing a beard.
• New hall carpet
• Not enough space to defend myself
• Just a quick note to say I'm not a jibbering wreck

Ok, so.... Day 5 of my attempt to reduce my blood pressure so I can finally have this new hip.

Up'till today my BP has dropped dramatically, for some unknown reason this mornings reading was 205/138. If thats correct I'm due for an aneurysm any minute now..... so dont be surprised if this post suddenly trai