If you’ll forgive a personal update.

The stroke-like event that took me out a few weeks ago came with right-side paralysis. It appears that the paralysis knocked some of my upper vertebrae out of alignment. Which is why I’ve been in an increasing amount of pain every day since, frequently including sleepless nights. No combination of painkillers was getting near the pain. Which is why I haven’t been writing here this week.

When the osteo stood me up and looked at me, he said, “did you not notice that your head is on crooked?”

Well, frankly, no.

After a final medical diagnosis of “miscellaneous neurological event” and a CT/MRI conclusion of “unremarkable brain structure” (which my daughter is having a field day with), I have to say that “your head is on crooked” feels like a final insult.

So now we spend several days attempting to manually realign the dislocated vertebrae. And I am left to ponder the fact that, after all these years, science has been able to prove that I quite literally do not have my head on straight.

Re-reading: THE ATROCITY EXHIBITION, JG Ballard (UK) (US)