Pain in the Neck

I woke up this morning with a dull ache in my neck, and the inability to turn my head terribly far to the left. This happens to me, without apparent cause or warning, about twice a year, I'd say. There are no other symptoms...at all other times, my neck feels totally fine.

I guess it could just be a matter of sleeping wrong, but then why doesn't it happen more often? And why does it persist even after I reposition my neck? (I learned how to crack it years ago in response to this very problem). And why does it only happen when I sleep in my bed, and not somewhere else less comfortable (like a friend's couch or the floor of a Tijuana crackhouse)?

I don't know. I find that, as I get older (I'm 26 now), more and more of my health and medical-type problems and those of my friends are these sorts of unexplainable aches, pains and conditions. Last year, I had a bizarre stomach bug that seemed to come and go at will. My friends have had persistent colds that last for 6 months to a year, odd bacterial infections in their sides and sexually transmitted diseases. Well, that last one isn't really strange, but I could only think of two other examples.

What gives? Is this just the aging process happening a little faster to my social circle because of the horrible abuse subjected upon our bodies by poor eating habits, heavy drinking and the like? Or is this normal for a person my age?

Anyway, it makes me cock my head at a funny right angle all day, because it's painful to hold it straight up. So, I have to walk around all day explaining to everyone why my head is slumped over to the side, which is almost as bad as the discomfort, to be honest. I'm thinking about just pretending not to notice that my head is lopsided when people remark on it...maybe they'll think I've gone mental. Or I'll tell them I'm a reverse parapalegic, and I've lost all sensation from my neck up.

Hopefully, it will be gone tomorrow, because I have to work at the video store, and greeting customers all day like this would be awful. "Hi, and yes, I know my neck is crooked, but it hurts to move it around, okay? Now, will that be all for you, sir?"