Hilary Keller (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} hilarykeller) wrote,@ 2009-05-11 19:57:00 |
|
| Current music: | Carcass - Swansong - Track I |
Nodding Syndrome
SOMETHING — LATELY,
If I had been through an expressive phase. I was moved - poignant. I’m fazed and re-re-unfazed. A new essential piece of mind, is lost. Acclimated to thinking in unspeakable ways. And “some” doubt. Not that it feels very over, but I do miss feeling excited. Maybe I was crushed before and I don’t remember. It’s not working out for numerous reasons, and of course it doesn’t help that I could be trying. I’ve got such a thin “could” going on over here. Probably thin enough to confuse even the sturdiest knot. It could be a multitude of things right now, it’s the times baby, it’s the amusement park pancreas, it’s the late hours, lack of sleep, weight loss, angel hair & chalky right through a dollar bill hose. Lungs are also fried. Made an awful taste in the back of my throat. It’s not like trickling phlegm. It has dust mites, very ‘high’ dust mites - it’s another way to be numb, and some other things we say are difficult. “How’eth many ways does thou need’eth to shut’eth down” - redumbdant. One of them has to eventually work - it’s always in the last place you look, not because of fate and wizards - and all of it’s majestic born-again buffoonery, but because - you just stop looking.
Bizarre Illness Terrifies Sudanese: Nodding syndrome - A mysterious disease of children
Article:Here
"Martha Halim lives in fear. She is terrified of the moon's phases, afraid of eating and fearful of fires, rivers and ponds.
She is stricken with mysterious seizures that frighten her from eating. Her parents have tried everything. She's been to a hospital, she's seen a Western doctor and she's taken anti-epileptic drugs."
She gives a grim description of what it's like when her disease overpowers her.
"When it comes, it looks like a black cloud but in the shape of a human," said Martha. "That's all I know. At the end, I find myself on the floor."
Martha suffers from a strange affliction called "nodding syndrome," apparently unique to southern Sudan. Its young victims tend to nod vigorously at the sight of food. The condition often progresses to severe seizures, mental retardation and death.
The affliction, which has been found in about 300 children so far, baffles experts. The World Health Organization began investigating it about two years ago, around a year after Martha's symptom first appeared.
Peter Spencer, an American neurotoxicologist who has investigated the condition for WHO, encountered another 13-year-old girl with a bizarre variation of the illness.
"I was able to demonstrate with her that she was a regular nodder with local food and by contrast she did not nod when eating a variety of American food — candy bars or whatever. It was absolutely staggering," he said.
"You can consider her a dead person, because she is not going to marry and she is going to die of this disease," her father says. "If this treatment doesn't work, then all I can do is wait to let the child die." ■
My friend Tommy - His Nature - Band - Photography - Website, Here took me on a nice little buns-work-out hike up to Dutchman's Rock (and then Bolinas Ridge, around sunset) about a week ago. It was good times and a very beautiful experience. I was really happy to get out and do something like this with someone who sincerely enjoys nature adventuring-it-up. Getting the fuck outdoors and not having to be anywhere near a computer, or phone, or in fact anything... I told him, if my legs and ass weren't in pain the next day, he failed. I was a little sore, about two days later so that means I got a work out. Now, I just need to keep doing this sort of thing more often. Had a smoke once we reached the top of our destination, saw a couple of banana slugs and newts, beautiful sunset view, and... mountain lion shit XD XD XD
April. Jenn and I went along redwood road, during the heat wave to hang out - it had been awhile since we'd seen each other. My camera came along to blackmail in picture form - the two of us, low-key, lazy, and sticky. Probably wasn't the best week to go wandering around outdoors... & in the middle of the day - when the sun is feeling the most generous. That's where Photoshop comes in handy. Overall it's just being out that feels good. My hair color is still weird, not quite the color or length I want it yet. I trimmed off 4 inches of hair and as soon as I find an affordable stylist, I'm going for the full change.
And Ms. Jennitals here, futzing around in my truck of bright orange doom: (She likes the truck, I however, would have to disagree. Yes, it gets me places, so that's all that really counts anyway)
Uhh... this was in April too? I think? W/e. Bryan so cheats at pool! I would have won every game, but he has a penis, so that's fucking cheating.
Hours later & I'm still excited.
I can't wait for Wednesday. I •really• hope I get the Kaiser Job!
