Dear Diary . . . day by day

Thursday, August 23rd, 2001 - Sick/ Books by Tims

So, last night, almost as soon as I finished the SF Guide I've been working on for weeks, I felt sick. Sore throat, achy, bubbly ear, whiney sick. Tim's immediate response was twofold: Ohhhh, poor baby! and Don't get me sick! I understand both responses, I really do.
Anyway, after a fitful night of semi-sleep, I woke up just as ill. Pulling on the outside of my ear made it hurt, and according to Cindy (Tim's mom, who is a paramedic), that means that I have an inner ear infection, the kind that is caused by the same bugs that give you strept throat.
Sigh. Me and my damn ear infections.
So, I called Kaiser, had a lovely chat with the sweetest, nicest Advice Nurse that made me miss being a small kid that could just crawl up in my Mommy's lap when I'm sick like this. I got an appointment for this afternoon, cancelled all my other social obligations for the day, and decided, after some deliberation, that I felt well enough after taking Ibuprofren to walk to and from. It's only a 15 minute walk, and parking in that area would have either cost money or stressed me out big time.
Long story less long: yup. Ear infection. Got a prescription for antibiotics AND eardrops (never had eardrops prescribed before, huh). Walked to the pharmacy down the street, waited too long for it to be filled, took some more Ibuprofren in the meantime, and finally stumbled back home again. It was either way hot today or my fever was not broken by all my painkillers, because I was sweaty, shaking and exhausted by the time I got back home.
But I'm home now! Yay! Thank goodness for credit cards that make it possible to pay out-of-pocket for doctor's visits and prescriptions while I don't have health insurance. Yes, it's ridiculous that I haven't managed to sign myself up for health insurance in the 3 months siince my last ear infection, but then again, I've still spent less on it than I would've had I paid for health insurance every month, so, you know. But still, I should let this kick me in the ass and get myself (and Tim, who's currently without health insurance himself) signed up. You just never know when you're gonna need something like this.
There is something about books by Tims that make it hard for me to put the book down. I have recently discovered the Tim Powers collection on my Tim's shelves. The first one I read, The Drawing of the Dark was a very good read, but nothing outstanding. Good enough, though, that I didn't want to put it down. I noted that the bio on it said he was 25 at the time it was published, which made my Tim moan with envy. Last Call, which was written in 90, when Powers was in his late 30's is, well, brilliant. Complex, multi-layered, and executed with sublime skill and STILL so good I don't want to put the book down. It's very cool to see how one author grew in 15 years; gives me hope.

Exercise log:
Walking to my doctor's appointment, to the pharmacy, and back home again. Does it count extra when you're sick?
Writing log:
Finished the SF Guide! Whoo-hoo!
Check out my article on Nalo Hopkinson's Midnight Robber in Strange Horizons. Warning: If you haven't read the book, this article will spoil all the plot twists for you; so go buy her book and read it first!
I'm currently reading:
Last Call by Tim Powers
Rangergirl by Tim Pratt
Okay, so I'm just reading the very rough first draft of the chapters fresh off the 'puter, but damn, it's already good!
My new PO Box is:
Heather Shaw
P.O. Box 13222
Berkeley, CA 94712-4222

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