"The Great Destroyer" is a mender, not a destroyer

I paid for my New Years Eve indulgences by suffering for most of New Years Day -- I was sicker than I have been in about three years. Much of the day was spent in a state of fatigue and recurring flashes of nausea. Obviously, there was no choice but to ride it out. Much Music proved to be the best way to pass the time. Reading required too much thinking, but watching Much's top videos of the year provided a nice mix of good tunes and the occasional slice of eye candy (during the times I was able to lift up my head). Of course, I had to make a point of averting my eyes for Blink 182's "Always" (good song, but I couldn't even think of watching the video in my condition), and would have flipped the channel when they showed Billy Talent had I had the strength to do so.

Fromage 2004 (aired several days ago but I hadn't seen it until today) brought the laughs, but unfortunately, laughing produced motion of the body which begat nausea. In particular, Ed's roasts of the Beastie Boys and Alicia Keys helped to brighten the day, even if they hastened the times between trips to the bathroom. I don't think the Beasties will be attending the MMVA's again, that's for sure.

Finally, I'd had enough of trying to function. I put "The Great Destroyer" on random play (starting with "Broadway"), stretched out on the bed, and worried about nothing other than improvising new harmonies during the masterful final few minutes of the song. Singing, sighing, and humming along to that song as the music lurches along with its ever-growing crescendo is one of my most cathartic music-related activities in recent memory. Even though it's a more chaotic, unhinged record than anything else in Low's back catalogue, the effect on me was nothing short of head-to-toe contentment and relaxation. Nearly an hour later, I was fine. My stomach no longer ached, my head was clear, and my nausea had vanished. Sure, it was 5PM by that point, and these things have a tendency to go away by themselves that late in the day, but I'll hear none of that talk -- the Low album cured me!