Here is something that is perhaps relevant that I've just found on the web: "Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common source of hand numbness and pain. It is more common in women than men and affects up to 10 percent of the population. It is caused by increased pressure on a nerve entering the hand through the confined space of the carpal tunnel. Symptoms usually begin gradually without a specific injury. Numbness, tingling and pain in the hand are common. You may experience an electric-like shocking feeling. The thumb side of the hand is usually most involved. Symptoms at night are common and may awaken you from sleep. During the day symptoms frequently occur with holding a phone, reading or driving. Symptoms may occur at any time. Moving or shaking the hands often helps decrease symptoms. Sometimes strange feelings and pain will travel up the arm. Initially symptoms come and go, but over time they may become constant. A feeling of clumsiness or weakness can make delicate motions like buttoning buttons difficult and may cause you to drop things. If the condition is very severe, muscles in the palm may become visibly wasted".

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/brochure/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=5&topcategory=Hand

Major bummer. If there is anything that will curtail your urge to fly, this is it. Now, I'm not a doctor (although a good friend of mine who happens to be an MD has often told me I should add "AAD" after my name - Also A Doctor), but I did spend a dozen years or so working in the back of an ambulance. This type of experience gives one a certain, perhaps skewed, perspective of things.

Lest we all panic and start feverishly dialing up our local physician, this is not a particularly common ailment. It is generally a repetitive activity injury, and I don't know about you, but if you take a look at that geeky picture on the above web site, you'll note that the problem area is just about where the wrist is resting on a mouse pad cushion.

This is one of the few maladies from which I do not suffer (The Boss has gotten so tired of hearing me complain), but as this is a repetitive stress injury that may affect some of us from time to time, I thought it might be worth a mention. There's an awful lot of ways to treat this, so the next time you're messing with the mouse and feel something weird in your wrist/hand, pursuing an appropriate course of action now may save you some grief in the future.

Just as an aside, I've had this thought lately which tends to recur. At some point in the future, we will all find ourselves in the position of being willing to give anything, just to relive a single day like today. So, with that in mind, do take a moment or two and simply close your eyes and relax. Concentrate only on your breath. Feel that you are living only in that very moment, and cherish it. Life is happening to you right here, right now. Not yesterday, and not tomorrow, but at this very moment. Don't miss it!

But enough of all that. By yet another show of hands (those with repetitive stress injury, just nod vigorously), how many of us still have add-ons or hardware they have yet to buy? Now, I'm not speaking to those of you who have the nose of a 737 in your den. You guys are in a class by yourselves, and my dearest wish is that one of you would move into my neighborhood, or better yet, bequeath it to me. But, having picked up the yoke and rudder pedals, and damn near every available add-on ever created, I find myself in the unusual position of having nothing in particular that is aching to be purchased. I've just downloaded one of the 707 sims. I swear, I promised myself I would not purchase this one. While it is true that I like flying the iron, I'm a short-hopper. Somehow, flying the 707 on trips of fewer than 150 miles is just, I don't know, ostentatious. Like going to get a haircut in a limo, or visiting the corner store in a Lamborghini. Just a tad over the top. But, much to my chagrin, I found a hook.

To me, a hook is something that transforms a crummy idea into a fabulous idea. It is a form of rationalization, if you will. That hooks rarely, if ever, have a basis in any type of "real world" rationale is irrelevant. When I start to get that add-on itch, boy, any hook at all is sufficient for me to start reciting those card numbers. You know, it's gotten to the point that it's not that I can recall the card numbers by memory, but how fast and accurately I am able to enter them. My personal best is 4.5 seconds, but practice, practice, practice.

So anyway, the hook for the 707. When I was a kid, my family was friendly with another family, the patriarch of which was lovingly referred to as "Uncle Ray". And, of all things, Uncle Ray was a 707 Captain. Well, now, looky what we have here! If there's one thing I don't have, and something for which I have an aching need, it is to experience flight just like Uncle Ray. Man, I need some therapy!

I found the hook. I found the hook for my yoke and pedals from a correspondent in Florida, a gentleman by the name of Norm. Without him, I suppose I'd still be looking longingly at the web pictures of that hardware. And, of course, still searching for that hook that would give me free reign to start timing how fast I can type in sixteen numbers. I recently purchased the MD80Max, which was hawked (Hurry, Hurry, step right up ...) as a cockpit adequate for pilot training. The PIC 737 has got a similar claim, and I'm afraid I'll be guilty of the "double hook", which is using the same hook for more than one purchase. The double is a little bit trickier, and must be used in only very certain circumstances, such as those involving potential "real world" applications. One never truly does know when one must be called upon to fire the engines of a 737, or perform a successful rollout of an MD80. Be Prepared!

There is also this insidious hook known as the "repetitive hook". For me, these tend to occur in reference to general classes of add-ons. For instance, I picked up a certain general aviation aircraft. My thought was that once mastered, this particular craft would be my GA main squeeze, my default aircraft, if you will. And, it will obviate the need for me to purchase any further GA aircraft, thus saving me a ton of money! This is, of course, ignoring the other GA birds in my hangar, whose hook was also the fabled Holy Grail of default GA. And scenery... can't forget that. I just picked up something called Birds Eye View. The hook here was, no frame rate hit! Plus eye candy out the wazoo. Hey, I'll need something to see when I'm doing the low and slow in my shiny new default GA!

There are just bagfuls of hooks. Holiday specific (hey, it's Christmas/Hanukah/Arbor Day), health related (one sure fire cure for the common cold... add-ons), the ever-popular weather related (damn, it's rainy/sunny/cloudy), and my personal favorite, the bored to death hook. This one is quite possibly the most insidious of all, as it may be used in any situation, at any time. It does, however, take the most forethought, as explaining to The Boss that your purchase was boredom-related will likely result in your spending the weekend cleaning out the garage.

So, once again, I find myself in the unenviable position of dreading the end of the month. The Boss will not be particularly happy with me. The funny thing about hooks is, they tend to be user-specific. Something that seemed a grand idea at the time is likely to cause nothing but a raised eyebrow and a stern look. Hey, it's the hook! "Honest, Hon, this is the aircraft Uncle Ray used to fly! It's important for me to experience ..." This is about the point where I'll start giving serious consideration to the hook, and see it from the point of view of The Boss. That purchase which seemed logical and damn near life changing is brought to the light of day, and exposed for what it truly is.

And that would be? A damn good idea! Let's go see if the PIC 737 is released yet!

Three Green!

Chip Barber
rfbarber@optonline.net