Yesterday morning was my penicillin test at the allergist’s office. I arrived at 9am. I was to be given doses of penicillin in increasingly larger amounts until I reached a full dose, and then sit back to see what would happen. I took my school laptop with me so I could do some work. I didn’t really do much work, but I did keep a written record of my experience. Here it is:
I was embarrassed that I didn’t get the penicillin in the concentration the doctor wanted. He said that they should have been able to order it. I couldn’t bring myself to say that I had only gotten the prescription filled just yesterday. He knows if he’s read it on the bottle.
9:25am After taking the first dose, I’m feeling fine. The doctor had to use a syringe because it was such a tiny dose. It was just a few drops on my tongue.
9:44am I took my second dose. The doctor made a joke about how bad the medicine tastes, but I think it sort of tastes like cotton candy. Since it hasn’t happened already, I probably won’t be having a heart attack or have my throat swell shut.
10:00 am I just took a regular dose. It didn’t taste as nice in such a large quantity. I’m very sleepy. I hope I don’t fall asleep and have them think I’ve passed out or died or something. Now I wait for two hours.
10:55am So… sleepy… I’m playing pinball and solitaire on my laptop to try and stay awake. I don’t know how long I can resist sleeping.
11:15am The TV in the waiting room is on Animal Planet channel. The show that’s on is “Emergency Room Vetsâ€. I’m watching three people work on amputating a crow’s wing. A crow? What the heck are they spending so much time and money on a crow for? Some people…
11:32am I could never be an allergist. It’s mostly kids in the office. Some of the kids are so whiny. Some of the moms are so psycho. Is this what it’s like to teach elementary school?
11:37am The third pharmaceutical rep of the day has just come into the office. They sound like used car salesmen. And they all brought in crazy-nice gifts for the office.
I was released at noon. Nothing happened. I’m not allergic to penicillin. Happy news, but not a very exciting adventure. Here’s where I spent four hours yesterday. It’s not a very good shot because I was trying to not let anyone see me take the picture.
I had Denis cut my hair last night. I wanted to look good for new student orientation tonight. They come to a cookout at 6, then hear some presentations at 7. After that they walk the school building to familiarize themselves with the layout, find their homeroom, maybe get a locker, etc. It’s a nice way to ease into the year.
While he was blending the #3 on top with the #1 on the back, the guard on the clipper slipped up and off. Denis said, “Oh no!” Then he said, “Just kidding. Can you imagine getting a bald spot there? Heh, heh.” After getting the guard put back on, he went back to where he left off. Then he said, “Oh, no!” I said, “Heh, heh.” Then he said, “I’m not kidding.” Doh!
So I do have a little line the back of my head. It looks kind of like those bald spots people get when they have a scar on their head. Denis asked if we have a word for that. I don’t think we do. He said in Cebu they call it a pahak, and it’s something people get made fun of for. On the playground, kids will say, “Pahak! Pahak!” to someone who has a line like that.
I sure hope there aren’t any cruel Filipinos from Cebu at new student orientation tonight.
Yesterday after my shower, something happened that has not occurred in years: Ned licked water out of the bathtub.
Ned has always been very licky. I suppose most cats are. Years ago, when I kept Ned’s food and water downstairs, he would jump into the bathtub after almost every shower and lick the water out. It’s why I never used one of those spray-after-you-shower cleaning products.
The ants kept finding Ned’s food when it was downstairs, so I put it in the upstairs hallway. And I put his water bowl in the bathroom so I could change the water often. He doesn’t lick the tub anymore. Until yesterday.
I quickly got my camera to document the occasion:
I got my Teacher Shoes a few weeks ago and it’s almost time to wear them, so I thought I should write about them. I get a new pair of Teacher Shoes each year. I wear them every day of a school year, so they’re pretty worn out by June. Even if they don’t wear out, it’s an excuse to buy new shoes, which, by looking back on bradaptation, I seem to like to do.
Often, the first pair of shoes that I like will end up being the pair I buy. Usually I go to one store after another looking for something I like better than the first pair I’ve spotted. This year, I just decided to buy that first pair. I haven’t been disappointed. Since I got these shoes, I’ve been looking and haven’t found anything I like better.
I like these because they’re quite different from last year’s. They’re rounder and lighter and elastic-y. You could almost say sporty, but I won’t, because we’re talking about a pair of shoes for ME. 
During my most recent visit to the doctor, he ordered some routine blood tests. He sent the results in the mail a few days ago. Everything is normal except for cholesterol. It’s high. My total number is 218. That’s 40 “good” plus 159 “bad”. Dang it! It gets higher each time I visit. His notes say “It [the bad] was 136 three years ago.”
His suggestions are: “Avoid cheese, red meat. Exercise one hour daily. Increase vegetables” I don’t have that bad of a diet. I like vegetables and salad and such. I don’t eat meat that often because I’m having cereal or Carnation Instant Breakfast for dinner. But exercise one hour daily? Yikes! Baby steps, Mr. Doctor Man.
Yesterday was my third day jogging. I do a route that takes about thirty minutes. The whole time I jog I think about the last thing the doctor wrote on the paper. “Recheck cholesterol in six months. If no better, 20mg Zocor.” Cholesterol medicine?!? I’m only 37! Criminy! Jog, Brad, jog!
