Rubik's Cube

It was February 9, 2004. I had gone in to the imaging center to get a spinal tap AND a brain MRI with contrast all on the same day. I figured if I was already gonna be there for one thing, so I scheduled the other the same day... two birds with one stone kind of thing. Well after the spinal tap, I had to lay FLAT on my back for AT LEAST 24 hours... no getting up to fix myself some food, no propping myself into a sitting position to read or watch movies... FLAT ON MY BACK STARING AT THE CEILING (or trying to look over my chest to see a TV on a dresser across the room). I was hesitantly told by the doctor that going to the bathroom was OK... but not to be up too long and to make it quick and to do NOTHING ELSE besides that bit of business!!! *rolling eyes*

Like the awesome friends that they are, I had a group of guys who accompanied me to the imaging center and who also brought me food and pretty much took care of me for the next week while I was bed-ridden after getting this spinal tap (apparently, even spending 26 hours flat on my back, the thing didn't heal right so spinal fluid was still leaking into my body which is bad. That required me to get a blood patch two days later, which required additional days of lying flat on my back and resulting in about a week's worth of spinal headaches... much worse than normal ones). One of these guys, AG, decided to teach me how to solve the Rubik's Cube. He even brought it to the imaging center so between the spinal tap and the brain MRI, I was learning tricks and moves and special secrets to solving the Rubik's cube. Whenever I had a chance over the next week, I was playing with it, twisting it around, making sure I remembered the moves. If I solved it, I'd hand it over to one of the guys and they would scramble it up for me and I'd go at it again.

I was seriously ADDICTED. I suppose there are worse things, eh?

Pretty soon, we were having Rubik's Cube solving contests--seeing who could solve their cube the fastest. I got pretty good, despite my disabled condition. Puzzles and stuff like this has always captured my attention.

So... that is the 2 cent version of how I learned to solve the Rubik's Cube--upside down while lying flat on my back. Thanks AG. =)