Every once in a great while (it used to be a more frequent occurrence) I get muscle tension headaches. It's not a persistent ache. More like a spasming, contracting muscle in some quadrant of my brain that twinges like the devil every five minutes or so. A muscle group in my neck or shoulder is usually responsible. Tension lives in my back for the most part--but this particular expression of it is especially evil.


My sister Caryl worked on my back and neck for quite a while last night, and after taking 3 different kinds of over the counter medicine, and an expired muscle relaxant to no avail, it was a kneading massage and kaluha and cream that did the trick. Back in the day I used to rely on a roommate's heating pad and some peppermint schnapps. Why don't I own either of these things now?

The terrible part of all this is that I can still feel it (the headache) there. It's duller, less persistent, but even after a full day of torture it's still "blinking" on and off like a spastic christmas tree light. The only thing that might really help is to get utterly toasted before the Midnight Christmas Eve service tonight.