Another One of Those Days When My Body Rebels

 I ended last night with a screwup and an unsettling wobbiness in my head. Not dizziness, just askew to the geometry of my apartment. The stomach had a vague uncertainty about its purpose.

 7:45 AM came and I was conscious and the rising onto my feet met an uncertainty in defying gravity. Fresh air felt like a possible cure. Off to the convenience store. The nicotine addiction demanded attention. The walk there and back resolved most of the issues with gravity.

All seemed well until about the time for church, the left eye throbbed and the stomach uncertain and the weakness in my head returned. I called off church, and went back to bed. That lasted until afternoon.

I ate and the result helped. A bagel and a Cortland apple. I found mold had started on the cream cheese, so it was just butter.

A sinus infection seems to have been the culprit for my wobbliness; a disordered gyroscope. Nothing explained the stomach issues. They felt the same as early last week.

Not sure I could stand long enough to cook, I ordered a sandwich and pasta from Domino's. Ballast for my head. It also gave whatever was ripping through my innards something more to play with.

I got material read. And started on this post before needing to get horizontal around 3:30. The pinched nerve in my neck did not like all the typing. Now, I am working to finish this post.

 I offer some of the fun things I have read today. Proving my curiosity survives the decay of my body.

11 fictional artists whose music hit the charts (WXPN | Vinyl At Heart)

Mithridatism and the Myth of Poison Immunity (Antigone)

n 63 BC, a Hellenistic king on the Black Sea attempted suicide by poison and failed. The closing chapters of Appian’s Mithridatic Wars (111–13) recount how Mithridates VI of Pontus (ruled 120–63 BC), betrayed by his own son, found himself cornered as his forces and allies dissolved after three decades of fighting Rome. Though his daughters had willingly taken the same poison shortly beforehand and died, Mithridates, allegedly unsuccessful in the act, ultimately turned to Bituitus, a loyal retainer, to finish the job with a sword. Appian explains this failure through the king’s long practice of taking drugs as protection against poisoners.

This episode underscores Mithridates’ later reputation as the ruler who had “poison-proofed” himself. It also offers a useful starting point for asking where the historical Mithridates ends and the apocryphal account of daily poison-dosing begins.

Social Distortion’s ‘Born to Kill’ is the punk band’s first album in 15 years (WXPN | Vinyl At Heart) - a band that I have liked for years.

How We Burned Washington (Fall 2026, Volume 71, Issue 4) n:134207 

Elke Sommer obituary: foil to Peter Sellers in Pink Panther sequel wherein another Seventies cultural figure passes away.

Politics: good, bad, and the ugly.

  Judge tosses DOJ Alaska lawsuit over U.S. Senate race (NPR)

In a ruling released Sunday, U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason found the federal government does not have the ability to bring this lawsuit. It asked the judge to stop state officials from certifying election results to allow for an investigation into whether voters were confused by having two similarly named Senate candidates appear on Alaska's ranked-choice ballot.

But Judge Gleason concluded that such a court order would likely violate Alaskan voters' right to a secret ballot.

"The absence of any explanation from the United States as to how its requested relief could redress its alleged injury while simultaneously maintaining the secrecy of the ballot is telling," Gleason wrote.

 Trump White House maps path to govern without Congress if Democrats win (Reuters)

Senior officials, including deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller and budget director Russell Vought, have been working with the ‌White House Counsel's Office since April to identify executive actions on immigration, tariffs, housing costs and federal spending that Trump could pursue without congressional approval, said the three people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Democrat Haley Stevens endorses Michigan GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers amid rift with Abdul El-Sayed (CBS News)

After Stevens endorsed Rogers, top Democrats expressed their continued support for El-Sayed's candidacy, like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

"Senate Democrats are united in our support for Abdul El-Sayed, because we know he will fight for the economic interests of working families in Michigan, unlike Mike Rogers, who is a tool of Donald Trump and billionaire donors," Schumer said in a statement. 

Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan said Michiganders "want leaders focused on making their lives more affordable."

All I want is to check out long enough that I feel well again, 

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