Hi, everyone. My name is Tony, and I guess I qualify as a newer newbie than Chris. My wife Tara has been pestering, er ... gently prodding me for the last month to check out this site. Being exceptionally pig-headed, I've resisted until today, when I decided to risk a visit. Here's some random information about me:

I'm a 32 year old attorney (more commonly known as a "bloodsucking attorney" or "money-grubbing attorney"), living in Pennsylvania. My wife's name is Tara and although we have no children as of yet, we are hoping to have four or five, which renders us legally insane under the McNaughton test. We do, however, have a one and a half year old, 95 pound bundle of joy, slobber and pathological exuberance named Jasper, a black Lab whose manic energy levels would not decrease even if he was injected with a whaling harpoon-sized syringe filled with rhino tranquilizer. Jasper--suffering from the delusion that he is the size and weight of a miniature poodle--likes to wake my wife and me up every morning by leaping, WWF-style, directly on top of us while we are peacefully asleep in our bed, thereby inflicting us with multiple bruises and your garden variety crushed sternum. But I digress.

Here's some stuff I like: Sportscenter, the Autobahn, motorcycles, pancakes for dinner, architecture, Letterman, March Madness, funnel cake, C.S. Lewis, watching the Stihl Lumberjack Tour at 2 am on ESPN 2, Antonin Scalia, Steve McQueen, Calvin and Hobbes, Braveheart, the Onion, drawing in pen and ink, Frosted Mini Wheats. And some stuff I don't like: condiments, pinheads who block the left lane, figure skating, sychronized swimming, rhythmic gymnastics, Bryant Gumbel, Leo, the fact that there is still no college football playoff, ABC's "The Bachelor", Moulin Rouge, mini-vans, skim milk, Eminem, children that call their parents by their first names, parents who bring their 5 and 8 year old children to see "Hannibal", Jerry Krause, flannel sheets that make me sweat in bed, fruitcake, a jolly, eight hour car trip over the Holidays with our dog after he's eaten an entire Christmas ham bone, three cups of El Cheapo brand dog food that my wife will never again buy, assorted table scrapings, meaty bone dog treats, napkins and half of a rubber ball (read: thermonuclear flatulence).

So, there's more than you ever wanted to know about me. As for the unpleasant medical stuff, my spine is rapidly fusing at C1 and C2; I've been on Celebrex for about 6 months (switched over from Indocin--which I was on for about 5 years--due to the stomach lining issues) and Azulfadine; my doc recommended Remicade, but my evil, heartless insurance carrier said Nyet! I'm toying with the idea of writing them a nasty Letter from a Ticked Off Attorney, but to be honest, I'm not sure I want to be on the drug. Like many others here, I've had constant neck pain and stiffness for the last 8 years; my current drugs make it possible for me to function, but they don't do much for the pain and they seem to be losing their effectiveness the longer I'm on them. Range of motion in my neck is getting less and less and the stabbing pains at the base of my skull are intensifying. I'm finding it harder to hold my head upright (I notice this most when I'm climbing stairs and find myself staring at my shoes). I think in general I've maintained a decent attitude about my situation, and I am fully aware that my problems pale in comparison to what others are going through. Nevertheless, I'm frightened by what the future may hold for me and there are mornings when I wake up so stiff, so incredibly tired, with those two knitting needles stabbing me at the base of my skull and I want to weep with despair. But then Jasper gives me a lick, and my wife gives me a hug and things look better. I hate pity parties, anyway.

Well, that's enough self disclosure for one day. If you made it this far, thanks for reading my novella. I've never been a "support group" kind of guy (I'm from the stoic, emotionally constipated, hold-it-in-until-you-have-an-ulcer-or-die-of-a-massive-stress-induced-stroke school of macho men founded by my Dad), but I'm glad that I dropped in to this site.

And to quote the Terminator: Ahl Be Bach.