drainage caused the scene from Scooby Doo

I've been in the same clothes for two days.

I smell like popcorn.

Have I ever mentioned that I don't like popcorn?

***

MOBB went via ambulance to the ER yesterday. I was nearly at work when she summoned me with a cryptic phone call: "Brian... I need your help. I'm dizzy. Come home please." Click.

I made a 20 minute drive in 12.

***

Every move made her heave. She had that feels-like-I'm-dyin' sort of room-spinning dizzyness.

THEBOY was already at school, but not THEGIRL, who was awake when the EMTs pulled up. I meant to keep her from watching the strange men come in and haul her mother away, so I shuffled her into her room with Pop Tarts and juice and closed the door. It worked.

After MOBB was gone, I took THEGIRL to her daycare and headed to the hospital. It's a serious inner ear problem of some sort, possibly viral, possibly calcium deposits, possibly neither.

MOBB got four scrips, each of which would fell a mastodon.

She's improved slightly and slowly, but she's nowhere near ready to drive. No one will say how long this will last.

***

On the way home from the ER I got a call from THEBOY's school: He had a fever and felt dizzy.

***

So I brought him home too. He kept having these fever spikes, getting as high as 103.5. I slept in his bed with him last night, and at 3:30am he got up, miserable at 103.1 degrees. We sat on the bathroom floor for a half hour as he shuddered under a blanket, waiting for the ibuprofen to ease that hot/cold sensation.

***

He didn't get a fever over 99 again until 1:30pm, and I thought that was a good sign. I decided not to take him to the doctor.

I chose poorly.

***

A little before 7pm he started what amounted to a two-hour coughing fit. I was furious with myself for having decided against seeing his pediatrician. So at about 8pm we hit the urgent care center.

He put on quite a coughing workshop in there, though some older girl across the room from us sounded much worse. She had that kind of cough that made everyone turn there heads and stare. WOW.

***

We did get a little comic relief, finally, when he looked up from his video game and gave me this wordless gaze I recognize from years of parenting.

I burst into the nurse's station: "Where's the bathroom? He's gonna blow!"

He made it. Mostly.

***

And right after that he was comparing his experience to the sight of some monster in a Scooby Doo movie spitting up green slime. Ah, to be six and find projectile vomiting amusing.

***

He got some good meds and a diagnosis: Sinusitis. Yeah, that's what caused the fever. His reactive airways kicked in and caused the coughing, and drainage caused the scene from Scooby Doo.

***

Right now I'm missing Cheap Trick, whom I was supposed to see with the mighty Bruiser Boone. Blue Oyster Cult and Mini-KISS are also on the bill. I'm disappointed to miss seeing my friend, but you play the hand you're dealt. No way I could/should have gone. At least I made one correct decision today.

***

I'm tired, beat down... I bet in 24 hours my outlook will be better.

***

Coming soon... maybe: A martial arts rant. I've just heard a little too much tougher-than-thou trash talk lately. Basically, if you don't train BJJ, Muay Thai, Judo or Boxing, someone's out there dissing you.

It's like Whit once said: You think my shit don't work? Try me.

But that's for later. Be good. Stay healthy.