Delirium, but why not?

Now that I have a few days to dull the memory of how bad being sick was, I have to admit, there were a few positive things to come out of it.

1. For the three days I didn't go anywhere, so I didn't spend any money on gas.
2. Flu-like symptoms are a great weight loss plan;
3. I got two full days off of work.

In reality, I'm fooling myself. Really, I am about to turn over my entire economic stimulus check to my doctor, thus negating any economic benefit being sick had. I may have lost a few pounds while on my chicken-soup diet, but I will probably gain it back since one of the side effects of the medication I'm on now is weight gain. And the entire two days worth of work while I was gone was basically waiting for me on my desk when I got back. Still, I'd like to pretend it wasn't all bad.

Lesson learned: Nope, being sick still sucks.

New look, same great product

If you haven't noticed already, I'm redesigning my blog. I'm just trying this template on for size right now. We'll see if it sticks. I just needed something a little cleaner than the old look. Let me know if you hate it. I probably won't change it back though. Sorry.

Back from the dead

I wish I could tell you that I have not been posting because I was on some exotic vacation with a new boyfriend. There wasn't so much a new love interest, as an ongoing love affair with my bed (because, in reality, I have been sleeping for the past three days straight). I came down with what I thought was the flu in the middle of the night Wednesday. I had all the tell-tale flu symptoms: fever, headache, chills, achyness and dizziness. It was so bad, there was a moment I thought I was having a recurrence of malaria.

No such luck. It later turned out — after I gave in and went to the doctor in a fever-induced stupor — that I had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic that I was just finishing. A mild rash that turned up Thursday afternoon tipped them off.

The irony of it all was, the latest antibiotic was to cure a mild ailment brought on by a previous one.

I am feeling better today though, and I made huge breakthroughs such as taking my garbage out, watering my plants (which looked kind of like I did the past couple days) and eating solid food. I actually left my apartment to help a friend frost cupcakes. It was a big step to venture into the outside world, and I had to go back home after two hours for a nap.

Now I'm on some sort of steroid (no, not the fun kind that will give me big muscles). This one has some scary possible side effects, such as bone pain (fracture), "coffee-ground" vomit, seizures, usual hair growth, usual skin growths...seriously, what is that about? I love how they call a fracture "bone pain." If any of these occur and they try to put me on another medication to deal with it, I'm just going to get euthanized.

Lesson learned: Sometimes the cure really is worse than the disease.

Reunion

When one of our group from college gets married, it's like college all over again. It's even better when two friends marry each other. Jesse and Katie had their wedding last weekend, so the Knowles Hall Mafia converged on Seattle, where they now live. We started out with a joint bachelorette and bachelor party, then split off. The girls went salsa dancing, which I have to say is the best bachelorette party idea ever.

I wasn't surprised to see that Katie planned a beautiful wedding. The ceremony was by candlelight, and the reception took place in an old multiple-story mansion. They had a great swing band, and the boys even got the bartenders to let us smuggle in Jager for a commemorative shot.

The best part is seeing everyone. It's been two years since the last one, and it was great to catch up. I miss those guys.

Lesson learned: We may be older, but we don't really act it.

Sticker shock

I was on a run today, on my usual route, when I happened to glance up at a sign at a gas station. The decimal point in the price had been misplaced, so it looked like this: $43.9. It made me want to laugh and cry at the same time. I had to wonder if I was looking into our future. After all, there was a time when $2.50 a gallon was high. At this rate, I will be riding my bike to the gym, which would kind of defeat the purpose of having one to avoid the heat and the rain. It made me wonder though, how high it has to go before I really cut back driving.

Lesson learned: I need a moped.

Half baked

After a rainy weekend and cool weather, it was finally nice this weekend. So I got my book, put on my swimsuit and went to the pool today.

I guess I was a little too excited about the prospect of a tan, because by the time I got home, it looked like I took a roller of red paint to my entire front. I am 28. I know better than this. I wore my sunscreen, I flipped over several times, I even had a hat on. It's just that I'm reading a really good book and kind of lost track of time.

Poor excuse. But I'm paying for it now as I lather on the aloe vera and wait for it to start peeling.

Lessons learned: Tanning is like drinking. I do best with moderation.