Convalescing at home for a few days.  Arm looks a bit more like a human arm of late.  Not dead yet.  So this is all good.

Out in the world, there are new documents surfacing and fresh evils afoot, and I’ll get to all that in a bit if I have the energy.  But first things first: there is nothing quite like the healing power of televised rugby.

Spent the weekend semi-consciously watching piles of international sport I’ve missed in the process of having a life.  The Springboks beat Uruguay 134-3, for example, in a match that wasn’t as close as it sounds.  I was almost ashamed to enjoy it so much.  And the NZ Maori beat the touring British and Irish Lions side for the first time ever in King Carlos‘ last match in New Zealand.  (My erstwhile rugby hero has disappointingly signed to play his next three years for a relatively crap team in Northampton.  Bummer.)  I was feeling like myself again after a few hours of this.

The topper — and what seems like proof that I’ll recover — is finding a Twenty20 cricket match on the satellite.  Australia v. England.  Whee!

(Two minutes later, before I’ve even finished proofreading the entry…)

But Darren Gough has just retired Oz’s two top bowlers, Gilchrist and Hayden on consecutive balls, and then Clarke went out two balls later, so Australia’s in serious trouble here.  Oh, crap.  Now while typing this last, Andrew Symonds has just put himself out.  Four outs in five deliveries, I think.  Oh hell.

And now Gough just got another wicket.  Oz is all of 24-5.  Which is to say, toast.  Two minutes later… 28-6.  This is horrible…

I’d best stop watching before I break out in golf balls again… 31-7… aaagggh.

If my arm falls clean off or I suddenly croak from some bizarre spreading septic deal… blame the Aussie cricket team.

UPDATE: As far as I can think of, American sports have simply no equivalent burst of sudden oblivion comparable to losing 4 wickets in 5 balls.  Imagine a baseball team in the seventh inning of a tied game giving up 3 grand slams in the space of five minutes.  It simply doesn’t happen.  So Australia went from being competitive in the match to dead, just like that, and they ultimately lost by 100 runs.

Again I say: aaagggh.