So, I’ve been battling a headache since Sunday. Seriously, three frakkin days of pounding inside my skull. So far I haven’t gone beyond the recommended Advil dosage (and on to, say, the entire bottle), and what I have taken hasn’t had much effect.
This, as you might imagine, is annoying as hell.
Coupled with the fact that work has been both simultaneously busy and frustrating, my mood has been… well, not bad, exactly. Is “annoyed” a mood?
Anyway, I’ve also discovered something about myself: when my head is pounding, I feel a bit less inclined to blog. This is both good and bad, as I’ve had a lot on my mind. Of course, since what’s been on my mind has also been both good and bad, and none of it has really distilled into even a remotely interesting blog post, maybe that’s okay.
What I have been doing is a lot of reading, something about which I should probably blog about more often.
Currently I’m working my way through the utterly fascinating “Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture” by Ellen Ruppel Shell. The book is a frank, amazing discussion of the goods we buy, where they’re made, and what we pay for them. Even if all the information is stuff you already knew (or at least suspected), Shell ties it together with information about human nature and desires and it’s easy to see how your own habits and impulses, despite your best efforts, are affected. I highly recommend.
I must admit, though: I wonder what the author would think of the fact that I checked out the book from the library? “Cheap” or simply “thrifty”?
Something else that makes me happy: the new season of “Dirty Jobs” starts tonight.
I’ve enthused over “Dirty Jobs” before, in this post, and the host before as well in this post. It’s a shame IT isn’t a messier business so I could go on the show and have my fifteen minutes. But I guess I can’t complain too much.
Whatever the case, it’s a good distraction from my headache, eh?
The GeekHiker 
I get migraines. I take excedrin, a full glass of water and a nap. Sometimes a nice cola while I wait for the excedrin to kick in.
I hope your head feels better and am glad you are finding fun things to distract yourself with 🙂
By: missmccracken on October 7, 2009
at 5:17 am
Drink lots of water and get some rest. Frequent headache sufferer here. Sometimes a little caffiene and a lot of water do the trick. Sometimes its just time passing. Sometimes I need to concentrate on NOT clenching my jaw. It’ll go away soon, don’t worry.
By: cmacc on October 7, 2009
at 7:27 am
Hi there, Hiker Geek–thanks for the kind words on CHEAP: The High Cost of Discount Culture! All authors want people to buy their books, but most of all we want them to READ our books, so its great that you were able to get CHEAP from the library.
Take care of that headache…I hope you get back on the trail very soon.
Best,
Ellen Ruppel Shell
By: Ellen on October 7, 2009
at 9:41 am
I get stress headaches and migraines, Excedrin water and a long walk usually work. Ive had them go for weeks sometimes….
Hope it feels better soon
By: Jean on October 7, 2009
at 9:55 am
Dude! It appears you have a friend in the publishing community now. I think you should tap her for connections and start that paid-life-of-writing-travel-pieces thing we all keep hinting at! Maybe your first book could be called HIKE: The high peaks of Southern California.
🙂
By: Mel Heth on October 7, 2009
at 2:09 pm
Annoyed is definitely a mood…I’m in that mood all the time. Will I be annoyed with mankind if I read that book?
By: hebba on October 7, 2009
at 6:28 pm
i second hebba – annoyed is a mood. also, i think it’s great that you got the book from the library…of course i’m probably a bit biased 🙂
By: blakspring on October 8, 2009
at 9:35 am
I wish I could check out books from the library but I read too slowly and my books would always be overdue.
I wonder, have you had your vision checked lately? Bad eyes plus lots of reading can sometimes result in headaches.
Get better my friend.
By: Homer-Dog on October 8, 2009
at 4:37 pm
MissMcCracken – Well, they definitely haven’t been migranes. Maybe stress.
CMACC – Heh, already good on the water. Hope it goes away sooner rather than later!
Ellen – The author stopping by my humble little site? That’s so cool!
Jean – Ugh, weeks? My sympathies!
Mel Heth – Hmmmmm…
Hebba – I found the book to be much more self-reflexive than outwardly reflexive. You may find yourself questioning your own buying habits more than anything else.
BlakSpring – LOL, well the author forgave me, so I think I’m good.
Homer-Dog – It’s been easier now that my library has bumped up the time from two weeks to three. And the headaches have definitely come about before I start reading
By: geekhiker on October 8, 2009
at 8:56 pm
Oops, I am late to the commenting! My bad! Are you feeling better? Libraries are cool — thanks for supporting your local public library!
By: K on October 9, 2009
at 5:39 am