Really bad pain. I don't know why I think each time I've got a handle on it because it keeps coming back. I'm watching a video of the band One Direction. They look so young! I think I've aged a lot in the last few years. I like the harmonies and their voices are good together.

Right now it's 1:30am and I've no hope of sleeping 'cause the pain is that bad in my left ear. I did finally sleep today - I had a good sleep between two and five pm. *sigh* I had to wake up, to go to the bathroom and to eat. And here I am preparing for another sleepless night.

The pain runs down from my shoulder to my hand on the left side. There is a break, or at least I don't see the connection between my left ear and my shoulder and arm/hand. If I 'push,' like I'm giving birth, it helps with the pain but I have to be careful and only do it when and as it helps, or I am making things worse. I spend my time figuring these little details out. What else am I going to do? I read. A lot. An asshole whose book I read and reviewed actually wrote that I didn't/couldn't have read all the books I have. He obviously doesn't know. I think I have 3000 books I've read on Goodreads - I only started keeping track after I came to Israel. How many did I read before then, and how many have I reread and not noted? I have no idea. I read a lot.

Their were a few times I couldn't read at all, because of cataracts, or kids, or psychological problems. I do listen to audiobooks, but more important to me is being read to. It started when we were all living in a one room cabin in Vermont, and we all read aloud Terry Pratchett books to each other. That would have been 2003 I guess. My kids are as avid as I am about reading books. Some of my kids can't stand audiobooks, some prefer ebooks. Doesn't matter. They all read, most of them in more than one language. They get it from both their parents, but I am the one who had most to do with them reading, or anything I guess. TH read aloud to them, especially when they were younger. It all counts.

It's hard for me to type and think, the typing is hard enough. So this is mostly stream of consciousness with a little internal editing (and a lot of correcting of typos). The ear still hurts something awful, but so far not as bad as last night. I'll take what I get.

I'm almost finished with Georgette Heyer's Venetia. Last night I read the latest Girl Genius book. This needing to stay up is good for my read count. I think after I finish with Venetia I am going to make a foray into Hebrew. I might as well use the time productively. I am almost finished with a book I borrowed from my sister more than a year ago. I can't wait to return it to her. It's been a really fun book to read, and I have gotten much better since I started it. The title is in Hebrew הספר הגדול של דבורה עומר. Apparently she is a much-loved author. I am enjoying for sure.

The pain is fading. Do I dare hope? I should go to the bathroom. The pain is somehow linked to the muscles in the large intestine and bowel, I think. So it goes.