Opposed to arthritic thumbs

Do monkeys get joint pain? I'm going through a phase of symmetrical thumb pain and stiffness. That means the thumbs on both my hands have equal levels of discomfort, yet I am unfazed. True, I'm disappointed that I can't shoot my phaser. Opening Tupperware is surprisingly frustrating, too, and peeling foil lids off multiple single-serving applesauces and yogurts at lunchtime is a trial. Do not, DO NOT ask my opinion on string cheese. I'm sorry Dave. I'm afraid I can't open the cheese stick.

Somewhere in this world, there is a very happy Trekkie right now.

Thumb arthritis can cause severe hand pain, swelling, and decreased strength and range of motion, making it difficult to do simple household tasks, such as turning doorknobs and opening jars. ... The first and most common symptom of thumb arthritis is pain. Pain occurs at the base of your thumb when you grip, grasp or pinch an object between your thumb and forefinger or use your thumb to apply force — such as when turning a key, pulling a zipper or opening a jar. Eventually, you may even experience pain when not using your thumb.-- Mayo Clinic website which doesn't even mention popping CDs and DVDs out of their cases, opening Rx bottles early in the morning, cracking eggs, or locking the dead bolt at night.

 My wading stork student gets a soccer ball kicked in his face on the playground. He's a bit shaken up on the play. Or perhaps he's all shook up ala Elvis.

Which way to write up the incident report? "He seemed a bit shook up," or, ""He was shaken up on the play." It's Friday, so let's just say he was "a bit dazed."

Not "phased", but the little guy was either "fazed" or "dazed". Shake it off! Get back in the game of reading "or" words. We will discuss whether dead bolt is one word or two at another time.

1. cord  cork  stork  fork  horn chord
2. daze verb past tense: dazed; past participle: dazed Make (someone) unable to think or react properly; stupefy; bewilder. "she was dazed by his revelations"
3. faze verb American English variant of Kentish dialect feeze "to frighten, alarm, discomfit"... from Norwegian föysa 
4. phase noun A part or step in a process; a short period of time when a person behaves in a particular way or likes a particular thing... from stem of phainein "to show, to make appear" 
5. © 2014 Nancy L. Ruder