BobHarris.com - One definite side effect: slower blogging for a few days

Books! Actual books!

"A rollicking ride of intellectual discovery and emotional growth... his comic timing never fails"

-- The Wall Street Journal

"Pulls you in like a good sports story"

-- The New York Times Book Review

"Endearingly frank... jubilant... lighthearted and fast-paced"

-- New York Newsday

"A surprisingly touching memoir"

-- Entertainment Weekly

"Snappy and informative"

-- Associated Press

"Effortlessly funny and informative... tender, human, and very wise... A must for anyone who loves Jeopardy!, or has ever seen it, or is breathing."

-- Joss Whedon, creator, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

"I haven't seen Jeopardy! since I was a kid, and yet I was charmed and amused by Bob Harris's fascinating and surprisingly suspenseful book. Through sheer force of personality, he takes this brainy TV show and makes it funny and easy to relate to."

-- Ira Glass, creator and host, This American Life

"A surprisingly intimate, entertaining book."

-- Orson Scott Card, 4-time Hugo Award winner, author of Ender's Game

"Funny, enlightening -- and just might help you win a million bucks on Jeopardy!"

-- A. J. Jacobs, author of The Know-It-All

"A masterful job of describing the feel of Jeopardy! in the heat of battle... I knew Bob was a great guy and a fantastic Jeopardy! player. Now I've found that he's also a wonderful writer. I think I'm starting to hate him."

-- Brad Rutter, top money-winner in Jeopardy! history

Books I'm Getting

Who Hates Whom:
Well-Armed Fanatics, Intractable Conflicts,
and Various Things Blowing Up —
A Woefully Incomplete Guide™

“Revelatory... Harris's sly wit and infectious curiosity make understanding world chaos fascinating... witty, horrific, and necessary.”

— Boston Globe

"Brave... irreverent... charges into the thick of the globe's myriad simmering wars... hilariously relaxed."

— New York Observer

"Only Bob could make a user’s guide to our increasingly hostile world this absorbing, this breezy, and—ultimately—this hopeful.”

— Ken Jennings, author of Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs

“Fascinating, enlightening, and surprisingly: NOT TOTALLY DEPRESSING. A gimlet-eyed look at the world we endure that’s also suitable for enjoying with a gimlet.”

— John Hodgman, author of The Areas of My Expertise
and correspondent for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

"All three [presidential] candidates should read all three of these [recommended] books, but McCain gets first crack at Bob Harris's "Who Hates Whom“... a lighthearted overview of the insurrections and civil wars in the world today."

— Steven Pinker, author of The Stuff of Thought, in the New York Times Book Review

Main

Buzzflash

One definite side effect: slower blogging for a few days

Tag it now -

Saturday, 10 December 2005

You've probably noticed that blogging has slowed again. That infection I've been fighting for the last five weeks has re-emerged, and I'm under doctor's orders to be as flat and unconscious as possible for a while. No worries; I'll be fine. I have a guy I trust working on it, and it really should be all done soon. Just don't think I've abandoned the blog if it just sits here for a while.

Incidentally, I'm on some shiny new meds with even more interesting possible -- and (thank the FSM) unlikely -- side effects than the last batch:

Difficulty sleeping
Difficulty breathing (well, who needs to breathe and sleep when they're trying to heal?)
Mood changes
Nervousness
Increased appetite
Unusual weight gain (I assume that's because of the appetite I'm about to have)
Indigestion (not a surprise)
Severe nausea
Muscle weakness
Prolonged sore throat (precisely the condition we're trying to fix!)
Diarrhea
Hearing loss
Ringing in the ears
Swelling of the feet and legs, hands, face, lips, eyes, and/or tongue
Swelling of the throat (once again, precisely the problem)
Irregular heartbeat
More nausea
Blistered skin
More diarrhea
Dizziness
Hyperactivity (just what I need when I'm trying to rest)
Hoarseness
Black poop
Vomit that looks like coffee grounds

Well. This could be interesting. Bottoms up! We'll hope for the best.

In addition, I am to avoid aspirin, antacids, and (weirdly enough) licorice. How odd.

I originally picked up this case of cooties, mind you, in a doctor's office, when I went in for a routine guy-in-his-40s health-maintenance thing. This is called "iatrogenic" (doctor-induced) disease, and if memory serves, the are studies which say about 25% of all medical problems in the United States are iatrogenic.

I'd look up the exact stat, but you have Google if you're curious. Meanwhile, I have a pudu to post, some paying work I need to finish, and then I need to be in bed.

See you in a few days with the usual litany of complaining and goofing around.