Through Microsoft Word, I have the ability to use voice-recognition software (I think it comes with the MS Office suite). Using a microphone headset plugged into the USB port on your computer, you first use the "training" software to teach your computer how to recognize your voice by reading a pre-set text and watching it appear on screen. Once you have your computer trained, you can then create Word documents by speaking into the microphone; your words will appear onscreen, almost by magic. It isn't a hundred percent accurate, but you can go back and edit it manually later. Our IT guy showed me how to do this when I needed to do some transcription of an oral history. I think the headset ran about a hundred dollars, two years ago.

One of my profs, a brilliant scholar and writer, had an accident that made it very difficult for her to spend any amount of time sitting and writing. She used this method to great effect.

A really good massage therapist might help your muscles.

Hi Juti--thanks for the advice. I went ahead and ordered the software after I wrote the next entry on "Good Grief"--transcribing that passage from William James was a pain in the butt, and I thought how much easier it would have been if I could just read it. It has already shipped, so I should get it some time this week. I'm really looking forward to it.

And I see a massage therapist every three weeks or so. It was her insistence that I really needed to start doing yoga again that got me into my current mess. :-)