Wake with a new malady. It feels like a grizzly bear is sitting on my chest. Take a deep breath, and something pushes back, telling me, 'you're only getting so much air, understand?'

This body of mine always has a suprise for me, kind of like a box of Cracker Jack.

And then there's 'the hump.' It's still there. A small growth, fatty tissue? My friend, on my left shoulder, like Don Juan's secret companion. I should name the it, christen it, I think I'll call it...Henry.

Me and Henry, we're just sitting on the Group W bench, minding our business. Chewing gum. Our favorite? Juicy Fruit. Me and Henry against the world, which by the way seems to be spinning off its axis. Another outrage, more shock, more horror in the Arab desert.

The world looks to be teetering, ready to fall into the abyss of chaos, has it always been so?