mind? what mind?

"Mom is smarter than you…No? Well, ask yourself this; has mom ever unknowingly had toilet paper hanging out of her ass?…Mom 1. You 0"

Mackenzie taking notes.
Originally uploaded by tfarrow

Mackenzie’s taking notes using my “Shirt Pocket Briefcase” (http://bit.ly/86Ov6Q) from Levenger.

There’s no one unfaulted in the world. There never was, will be, nor at present is found anyone entirely faulted or entirely praised.

- Dhammapada, 17, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

No one is entirely without some physical and/or mental “defect”.  And of course the corollary is true: no one is entirely perfect - or “pure”, either physically or mentally.  It is often difficult to remember.  I think it safe to say that everyone feels (only occasionally of course), that they are the worst at [insert yours here] and at other times, “I am the best at [insert yours here]” is what flits through our thoughts. 

Jupiter’s New Impact Scar
Credit & Copyright: Anthony Wesley

Explanation: In July of 1994 pieces of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with planet Jupiter. The explosive impacts sent plumes of debris high into the Jovian atmosphere creating dark markings or scars, visible for a time against the cloud bands. Remarkably, 15 years later, another impact scar was discovered in the Jovian atmosphere by amateur astronomer Anthony Wesley as he examined images of the gas giant taken from his home observatory just outside Murrumbateman NSW Australia. Jupiter’s south pole is at the top in this July 19 discovery image, with Jupiter rotating from right to left. The dark marking, also likely caused by a comet or asteroid impact, is near the top of the view, left of a pre-existing, whitish, oval-shaped storm. NASA’s Infrared Telescope Facility images from Mauna Kea, Hawaii later confirmed the likely impact site’s dark scar and plume of particles in Jupiter’s upper atmosphere. Since 2006, major discovery observations by amateur astronomers have also included two red spots on Jupiter.

Man, it has been a long, long time since I have enjoyed myself as much as I have during this past weekend!  All of my boys are home at the same time, and all of them have “their women” with them, along with my two grandchildren.  I am usually one of those that has a difficult time dealing with chaos and noise, but I’ve seen a bit of heaven here, with the lasses all vying with the lads for hot water in the showers, and good-natured ribbing about that eternal, incomprehensible, daily ritual of the goddesses called “getting ready”.  And then there is the howling and posturing of the young males, each attempting to assert their dominance in the pack – none of them realizing that they lost it long ago, as soon as they were captured by the females.  It’s especially poignant when one of the lads does, momentarily realize this, and gets that glazed “deer-in-the-headlights” look that is the best indicator of them having a “huh?  Wha’ happened?” moment. 

Fortunately, I am a wizened grandfather and well beyond the chest-beating and eyelash-batting so necessary of the younger generations for making their own way in the world.  Well… that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.

Currently listening to: Al Di Meola - Consequence Of Chaos - Turquoise

Another great song from the Playing For Change crew.  This one is live, for the first time.

Cluster headaches can be one of the most excruciating pain experiences to be had.  I should know – I suffer from them.  Most days are filled with bouts of sever pain, pain so intense that I have been known to beat my head against a wall, or hit my head over and over with a telephone handset or a book in search of relief.  This intense pain is why cluster headaches have been called the “suicide headache”.

The cause of Cluster Headaches are still unknown, and treatment seems, at best, to be a hit-or-miss proposition.  My own triggers – the things that bring on the headaches – are the simplest things; a sneeze can feel like getting hit in the side of the head with an axe; bending over to pick something up; lifting a heavy object; even going to the bathroom can be a trigger.

So, what is it like to have one?  First, what it isn’t. Cluster Headaches are (for me anyway) not like what I understand a migraine to be like – there are no visual effects (except blurriness in the eye on the affected side), no lights, dots, or other hallucinations.  There is no sensitivity to light, no more sensitivity to noise than is usual for me.  And migraine meds do not work.  In my case, these headaches hit quickly; there is no “ramp-up” of pain.  As I already mentioned, it can be like getting hit in the head with an axe.  This is usually followed up with a feeling that my eye is being pushed out of it’s socket from behind.  Often there will be severe redness in that eye, and the facial tissues surrounding the eye will droop.  There is sometimes also pain at the base of the skull – the kind of pain that I’ve experienced with severe “stress” headaches.  How bad does it get?  I remember reading a description by a physician that the pain can be as excruciating as it would be having a leg amputated without benefit of anesthesia.  Now that’s a striking image to think of, isn’t it?

So far, the only relief that I’ve found is to take pain medication.  Even this is an inadequate and temporary “fix”, since prolonged use of pain meds can lead to other severe problems like addiction and other organic diseases.  For myself, finding that I need to take more and more just to take the edge off of the pain and try to make through a given day, makes this approach unacceptable.  But what alternatives are there?  I wish that I could find a good answer.

“The Cluster Headache” by JD Fletcher

I’m not sure yet what happened, but after I upgraded my copy of WordPress on this server, the links at the bottom of each page pointing to previous posts have disappeared. I’ll be looking into this in the next day or so.

I was turned on to a great music project, called Playing for Change, created by Mark Johnson (I think!).  Mark & crew traveled the world, recording musicians playing and singing their parts in a number of songs.  Their rendition of the Ben E. King tune “Stand By Me” has to be one of the best that I’ve heard.  And the cover of Bob Marley’s “War/No More Trouble” has to be seen/heard to be believed.  I didn’t see the video for “War/No More Trouble” on the Playing For Change web site, but did see it here.

I’m trying out the free “PockeTwit” application for Windows Mobile on my AT&T Tilt; so far… excellent! http://is.gd/14oP