Oy. I finally got a full sick on. I started out with a kind of tickle in the throat. Then it turned into a full on cough-up-a-lung-and-try-not-to-pass-out kind of thing. I went to work yesterday morning because I'm worried about coming off as a slacker to the new lab director, but I just couldn't do it. I told Mike (the new director) that I needed to go to the doctor.
I was just going to walk, since my doctor's office is just in the next building. Then I thought that I was going to need my ID, which was in the car. My car was parked on the opposite side of the hospital from the doctor's office. But I turned around, and when I got halfway across the parking lot, I realised I'd left my keys in the lab. So I turned around AGAIN, and got my keys. All in all, I wound up being too late to get a walk-in visit. I needed to be there between 7:30 and 8:00. So I drove back to the hospital, and spent the next 3 hours in the ER.
I have a "viral syndrome." Which translates into I have a nasty cough and gunk in my lungs and I feel like shit.
So right now my brain is leaking out my ears. I'm high on cough medicine with hydrocodone, and every once in awhile, when my throat feels like it's on fire, I gargle with viscous lidocaine. That's like trying to gargle with your own snot, only it makes your mouth and throat numb and your lips feel like Liv Tyler's.

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My younger sister Rebekah is going to try to get down here this summer. I'm excited! She wants to bring her boyfriend Nick. I've agreed under the one condition that I absolutely MUST speak to Derek, her dad, beforehand. I won't take the risk of...well, of getting on his bad side. Not that I'm afraid he'd hurt me, but that maybe he'd sue me or some damn thing. lol. I guess I ought to demand that I speak to Nick's parental unit, too. Hmm. That may not be necessary, though. We'll see after I talk to Derek.

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Mercedes, Alex and I have started letterboxing. Christine told me about it on our last Coffee Night. At first I thought she was talking about movies, then she explained it. It's really fun! We went on Wednesday with our freshly carved stamps to find two of the letterboxes. We found the ATSF one, then we went to find the one at the museum. The kids actually enjoyed the displays as much as they did the letterbox hunt. It's a really great idea. I think this hobby is really going to take us to some great places and help us all grow as individuals. Many many thanks, Christine, you've done a wonderful thing!

the last trail...the next path