by chance, do you use cotton swab devices to 'clean the ear' past the point your elbow reaches in your ear? If so, you may have "impacted wax build up" or whatever they call it. Try the ear wax removal kits. 15 min with some drops. Use the bulb thingie with warm water to remove the drops, and what ever loosened up. Might take a couple times to loosen things up.

And if you don't do the evil qtip thing, then. Um. yeah, I got nothing. And you are a better person than me. God damn my ear canals get itchy. Why? No flippin' clue. Allergies, I'm guessing.

Is there a muscle that wraps from the shoulder blade around to below the armpit? I have an ache that feels like I strained something in that area, along with a line of swelling going from my side to as far back as I can reach. I've been doing some lifting and clipping things above my head during spring garden prep, so it's conceivably related.

by chance, do you use cotton swab devices to 'clean the ear' past the point your elbow reaches in your ear?

No, I don't stick things in my ear, not even just up to the wrist! I think this thumping noise is a muscle spasm, and I doubt there's anything a doctor can do about it. Maybe I can get some muscle relaxants. I'm mostly hoping he can give me something to stop the pressure and pain in the other ear.

Calli, that sounds like a muscle strain to me, but IANAD.

I hope the doctor can make flying not too painful, Zenkitty.

Zenkitty, I've had that before. Try laying down with a heating pad on the side of your face that's spasming. (But first, go to a doctor to make sure it's not an ear infection. I knew someone who had an untreated ear infection that ended up paralyzing half her face. According to the internet, that's temporary 80% of the time it happens, but I just knew her for a few weeks, at a summer job, so I don't know if she recovered.)

Ouch Zen, also you still have to go to urgent care before flying.

Alas, Vortex, I know you are right. I just keep trying to find another reason and come up empty.

Well Clinton was accused of being a murderer. So it's not *just* that Obama's black, he's also black and a Democrat.

You'd be surprised at how many of my students honestly think that Obamacare is socialism and earnestly ask me why it's not. I point out the whole private insurance part of the model, and remind them what a private company is, and what socialism means, etc. But the discussion comes up at least once a semester.

Mr. Weather, can we talk please? I don't mean to be impolite or anything, but are you effing KIDDING me with this?

It was supposed to be 50 and sunny today.

You PROMISED!!

Right now? It's snowing AGAIN!! Seriously, swirly, whattheeverloving, snow.

You and me...we've been on pretty good terms, even in this difficult season. I have not disparaged you, even with your cold, uncaring behavior. I've been respectful, but this is just too much.

It's going to take some time...about nine months to be exact...but, right now, you are dead to me. Not in the dead of winter kind of way, either. You don't deserve that much respect.

Fye on you.

No love.

I think Mr. Weather listened to you, bonny. It's starting to clear to the west.

70 degrees here yesterday. Possibly snow today. But that's spring in Utah. I'm not surprised by snow in May.