Monday. I'm not sure what happened last night, maybe a very short, but violent, case of food poisoning was the first thought, maybe something quite a bit stranger and different the second. Had more than the usual trouble getting to sleep, the bottoms of the feet really aching, the left leg, the leg I sleep on, starting to ache early on, significantly more so than it ever had in the past, getting me up finally at three in the morning to take a leak.

Except, painfully hobbling to the bathroom, I collapsed to the floor. Clear headed, I hadn't passed out, but found myself lying there unable to move. Well, unable to get up on my feet until a sudden bout of diarrhea developed and I managed to scramble up and sit down in time to have what seemed the entire contents of my intestines shoot out like a rocket. What in the hell had happened?

I then carefully inched back to the bedroom and got back into bed, still feeling weak and wobbly, the left leg and hip still aching like crazy, thinking there was no way I was going to drive, let alone walk, to breakfast when I awoke later this morning.

Except, at five-thirty, I awoke, got up and hobbled through the usual get ready to go routine, the left leg and hip aching and not able to take much weight. An easy enough drive (yes, I asked myself if I could drive, but finally realized it wasn't going to be a problem).

What had happened? Early on, in bed, aching and cold, I wondered if I was catching the flu, the aching hip possibly a part of it. Falling down in the bathroom I hadn't passed out, but somehow simply lost all my strength, retaining just enough to guide myself down safely. (I did notice a slight scratch on my forehead when I looked in the mirror, but can't remember how or when I may have gotten it.) I don't think the hip was further damaged in the “going down”, but again for sleeping on it awkwardly. I've never experienced or heard of anyone else experiencing something like this before, the sequence of events seem incongruous.

Now, will I be able to photograph the Reclaim MLK March forming up downtown at eleven, a march from Frank Ogawa Plaza to Lake Merritt? With this aching hip? I should, if there's any way I can, but we'll see. A strange day, let's hope it's not the start of a stranger week.

Later still. The aching hip was still an aching hip and so skipped going downtown and went to bed instead, listening to the news and getting some sleep until I heard a helicopter close by telling me the MLK March was probably passing down below on Grand as they've done in the past. So I got up, grabbed a camera with a long lens to hobble out the door and take pictures. The hip didn't get in the way, although it slowed me way down.

When the march had passed on by I went over to the burger drive-in and picked up a grilled chicken sandwich to bring home for dinner. After last night I needed the calories.

I did get exactly enough photographs to put together a section for the web sites. We'll finish the pages up and post them tomorrow.

Evening. Nothing on television, still hobbling and so to bed to find out if last night's assault on the hip continues tonight. A little different day, this day, I'd have to say.