How Do You Spell Carpal Tunnel? (Or Another Boring RPM Challenge Update)

OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!OUCH!

Holy Shite my hand is KILLING ME!

Back in 1990 (I think) I was playing a gig at a CYO Dance in Tewksbury with the band I had started up with friends in High School (Tempest Fero... yeah, worst name ever but that's irrelevant to the story). We were playing a song by Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. One of the 80's glammy ones, not the awesome 70's Ronnie Dio metal ones, and my left hand started hurting. It was like a bad cramp or something. I couldn't keep my fingers on the fretboard. It hurt like bloody hell.

That was the first time it happened.

Since then it happens on and off when I'm playing, regardless of whether I am playing a lot and in good "shape" or not.

This morning I drove Jen to work and then hit the basement in the hopes of getting three more songs underway and maybe starting to record bass parts or maybe some rhythm guitars.

I few minutes ago I was recording the drum machine and a guide guitar for song number 10 and my hand starting with the usual pain. Unfortunately the drum part I programmed ran for maybe 5-6 minutes. My hand started hurting so much I couldn't fret the chords. Damn it hurt a lot.

I just took a few asprins and I am going to take a lunch break, but oh my sweet goodness did that suck. It doesn't hurt right now because I am not squeezing anything with my fingers contorted into weird shapes, but it will probably come back when I start playing again. Let's hope the asprin does it's thing.

(by the way, I am pretty sure it's not carpal tunnel because as far as I know carpal tunnel is a wrist injury and this is all in the fingers... so I've got that going for me I guess)

The good news here is that I've got 10 songs underway and am ready to start overdubbing over the drum machine tracks. The bad news is two fold. First, I have until February 28th to finish this. Today is February 23rd. That translates to "Fat Chance." Of course I finished last year's project in April so maybe I can beat that record. The second bad news is... well... OUCH!