Sensory Overload: The Surgical Mask

Another week has already come and gone.  Classes start in A WEEK.  How did that happen?  My syllabus is practically done, but I need to start fleshing out some lesson plans.  Next week, faculty are back on contract, so it will be busy, busy, busy for me again.  OH my.

I faded this photo because it gave it an appropriate feeling.  Plus, it makes me not look quite as gnarly as I do.

1)  WHAT I'M FEELING:  sick.  Over last weekend, as you may recall, I started feeling icky.  I thought it was my allergies since I had taken Dinah to the vet on Friday and then Hobie on Monday, but I felt achy and my lymph nodes were swollen.  Finally, on Wednesday, I decided to go to the doctor to see what was going on.  I had them test for strep because it had been going around our office, but the in-house test was negative.  The doctor thought I had thrush since I did have white patches on my tongue and throat, so he prescribed a mouthwash.  If you have kids, you have probably heard of thrush--usually, only babies and older folks get this yeast infection.  But I have a compromised immune system, which means I can be prone to it, too...so it made sense.  I also had a dermatology appointment that afternoon, so I got started on lots of things to clear up my skin.  Crazy things like pills that reduce my sweating and a $50 tube of facial cream.  Fun times.  Then today, the doctor's office called again and told me that the throat culture they sent off is positive for strep.  Joy, joy.  As soon as I found out, I pulled out a surgical mask from my purse, put it on, and then went home to finish up the work day.  And got mad because we paid $10 for the thrush mouthwash, and now I don't need it.  *lol*

I'm also bummed because I'm having to miss Zach's Momo's 93rd birthday this weekend.  I already volunteered to stay home with the cats (who are continuing to misbehave and have tummy issues), so Zach could go.  And now that I have strep, I couldn't have gone anyway.  But.  It STINKS.

2)  WHAT I'M TASTING:  Cheez-Its, lots of Earl Grey, cough drops.  I've been using cough drops and drinking lots of tea to ease my scratchy my throat.  It hasn't been too sore--probably because I got my tonsils taken out 11 years ago; I actually haven't had strep since then.  My appetite has been off the past few days, and the antibiotic that the dermatologist put me on has been making me nauseated, so I have enjoyed potato chips and Cheez-Its the past few mornings.  (I always crave salt when I'm nauseated.  Also--I get so confused over which is correct--nauseous and nauseated and nauseating!)  It's been so long that I'm tearing those Cheez-Its up!

3)  WHAT I'M HEARING:  lots and lots of rain.  This is so unusual for August!  I've also been turning on Dr. Who a bit and finishing up The Secret Life of the American Teenager because I love trashy, campy TV when I'm playing on the Internet.  *lol*  And I started watching this documentary on texting and driving.  It is breaking my heart...

4)  WHAT I'M SMELLING:  not much of anything except for urine.  We're still working on the cats.  YUCK.

5)  WHAT I'M SEEING:  Well, obviously, the shows I'm vegging out to.  But we've been watching our cats like hawks this week.  Oh, and I was paying close attention to my inbox today after I sent out emails to prospective students for our mentor program.  I've already gotten 14 students to commit, 12 from today alone!

And now I'm going to bed.  How do you recover from an illness?

Photo a Day in July #27

27.  On the Road

I was on the road quite a bit today.  I drove thirty miles to Farmington to have lunch with my friend Ashlee--we went to grad school together at UCA--at Briar Rose:

Is it not ADORABLE?  I have been dying to go to this cottage bakery since one of my friends on Facebook liked their page last year!  The food was so yummy, too:

tomato soup and a turkey and bacon ciabatta sandwich

strawberry cake and chocolate silk cake

We got two slices--one of each flavor--and split them to share.  :)

I also drank a gallon of sweet, iced Earl Grey tea.  ;)

We had lunch at 12:30, but we didn't leave until 4:45 or so!  We talked about everything (teaching, jobs, literature, dating, makeup, clothes, food, TV, movie, music, our cats).  We really need to hang out more often than once a year!

I actually didn't get a picture "on the road" until I got home and realized I needed to go back to the pharmacy since we are getting up early in the morning to take a train ride and I am out of my medication. I had planned to stop on my way home, but I didn't use the restroom before I left Briar Rose, so I was nearly dying when I got home.  I called Zach as I was pulling into our neighborhood to see if the door was unlocked because I knew I had to haul butt inside.  ;)  I mean, my abdomen was hurting because I had to tinkle so badly.  And, of course, he tells me he is standing outside, which means he is probably talking to someone (turns out, our landlady).  I apologize and rush past them; thankfully, they were still outside after I was relieved so I could apologize again.  *lol*  I told Becky (that's our landlady) that her granddaughters would probably LOVE Briar Rose if she ever had the chance to take them.

So I came in and relaxed a bit before I realized I needed to go tonight to get my prescription.  At the stoplight as I was heading back home, I remembered I needed a photo, so I took some of the road running perpendicular to the one I was on, but they didn't turn out well, so I took two of my dash, but I didn't like them.  Finally, I thought a picture of the XM radio would be perfect since that's the big thing I love about our Velosteraptor (Hyundai), so I scanned the channels to see if a good song was on, and "Ho Hey" was coming on just as I turned to The Spectrum!

I just love this Lumineers' song!  You may have heard it on a Bing commercial (I think?).  It is so catchy and sweet:

(Ho!) I've been trying to do it right
(Hey!) I've been living a lonely life
(Ho!) I've been sleeping here instead
(Hey!)I've been sleeping in my bed,
(Ho!) I've been sleeping in my bed (Hey!)

(Ho!)

(Ho!) So show me family
(Hey!) All the blood that I would bleed
(Ho!) I don't know where I belong
(Hey!) I don't know where I went wrong
(Ho!) But I can write a song (Hey!)

1,2,3 I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart
I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweet (Ho!)

(hey!)
(ho!)
(hey!)

(ho!) I don't think you're right for him
(hey!) Look at what it might have been if you
(ho!) Took a bus to Chinatown
(hey!) I've been standing on Canal
(ho!) And Bowery (hey!)
(ho!) And she'd be standing next to me (hey!)

1,2,3 I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart
I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart

And love, we need it now
Let's hope for some
Cause oh, we're bleeding out

I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweetheart
I belong with you, you belong with me, you're my sweet (Ho!)

(Hey!)
(Ho!)
(Hey!)