Dirty Red Commie

I've had migraines on the brain lately.  No, I haven't had a migraine recently, but the topic has come up several times in the past couple of weeks, and I just ran across some sites that I found particularly interesting as a migraine sufferer.  

I came across a series of paintings by migraine patients that are attempts to show what the experience is like.  In particular, the geometric patterns are excellent representations of the visual aura I experience before a migraine.  Looking through the slideshow, the familiarity I felt was striking -- so much so that was not a particularly pleasant experience.  

The New York Times has a migraine blog of which I was not previously aware. The most recent post is by Jeff Tweedy of the band Wilco.  I don't know their music very well, but it's interesting to know that much of their music was recorded while Tweedy was having migraines.  He would even perform at concerts with migraines.  Playing an instrument under bright lights and loud speakers with a migraine sounds absolutely unbearable.

I recently found out that my father and my grandmother both occasionally experience Acephalgic or "silent" migraines ,
which feature the weird visual disturbances, but not the pain.  Lucky
them.  That seems to support the idea that migraines are often genetic.

Sorry for the dry post, guys, but I think those of you who are fellow migraineurs may find these links interesting, and maybe some of the rest might as well.

Well, man has a point:

 http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/fidel_castro/2007/05/ideas_cannot_be_killed.html

I hope someday we can all go to Cuba.