"Heal Thyself"; Djinni; "Geography Club"; Voices; "Spartan"

I should have gone to the doctor when I noticed the headaches at the begining of the month. But I didn't. So Thursday I stayed home feeling yuccccky. And decided around 10, I really needed to visit the clinic.

Six weeks or so ago, one of the doctors started me on blood pressure medication. When I went back for a check up a week later, there was an improvement. Thursday it was above normal, so this doctor said to double the dose. He went on to say I needed to eat better, get more exercise and lose weight.

My first thought was to say, "Holy Shit! At least give me a chance to get over the current problem." First off, I definitely was not feeling well, so this was a tad much.

However, after giving it some thought, I'm going to see what I can do. It can't hurt. And maybe I'll also see some improvement with the respiratory problems. I'm really going to miss those double thick giant-size shakes with extra scoops of ice cream.

Frequently, I have a very jaundice view of the American medical ethos. I can not help but feel that some of the requested examinations and such are a way to drum up business. Several years ago, when I first starting going to someone about my allergy problems, it didn't take long for the doctor to recommend allergy testing, and then allergy shots. And after a few months, he suggested nasal reconstruction.

All of which I did within a period of six months. But I didn't feel any better. Then it was recommended that I try a vaccine generated from a nasal culture. Which meant another set of shots each week.

Finally, after about five years, I stopped everything. I guess I felt some better. But I certainly was not cured of allergic reactions. By this point, I'd paid thousands of dollars.

Six years ago, my aunt developed cancer. She underwent radiation treatment for a year which eliminated the cancer. But then within a few months, she died because of problems caused by the radiation.

That evening, I started reading and could not put it down. Wonderful! A 12-years-old magician's apprentice, Nathaniel, summons a 5000-year-old djinni, Bartimaeus, to seek revenge of a ruthless magician who has brutally humiliated Nathaniel in public. However, summoning Bartimaeus and controlling him are two different things.

You can not help but think of Harry Potter. But after a few pages, Harry is forgotten. Nathaniel wants power, and he wants it now. And he wants revenge. And he willing to take extrordinary risks.

I'm now on my second reading.

I've noticed that the voice frequently reflects the voice of a real person that I've heard. The only connection may be that of age and gender.

There's a theory that those born deaf have no internal monologue. But what happens when they read? That's a question I don't think I'd ever thought of.

Far-fetched? Who knows? Given the state of politics, anything is possible. There's the famous story of Martha Mitchell, wife of the Attorney General, John Mitchell, who during Watergate, flatly said Nixon was behind it. She was sent off to a "re-hab" center where she couldn't have access to the public.

One of the trailers was for "Troy" with Brad Pitt. It actually made me curious to see it.

PAX!