Knight In Shining Armor Humor
So, I follow several (and by several I mean TONS) of blogs, and while I read everyday I usually refrain from commenting, simply because.. well, that’s a tangent I’m going to go on another time. ANYWAY. Wasn’t sure how else to contact you. Hence the comment.. ok. I’m going to stop rambling now.
I might be mistaken, but I vaguely remember (referencing a post from like.. a year ago here haha) you saying you were mormon. Anyway, if I’m thinking of someone else you can completely disregard this haha. But I stumbled across this website that essentially is for the vast umbrella of queer individuals who happen to be (or were, or have family that is) mormon. They are kind of like a.. blog / forum / something internet-y.. lol. But even if you don’t join the site they have a lot of links to other support.
You seem pretty well off but if you know of other LGBT individuals that are mormon or come from mormon families, it could be a useful resource to pass along. So, if I remember correctly and you actually are mormon, I thought you might find it interesting to check out.
peace&love
oh, and in response to the previous comment by toni, “even spaghetti is straight…. until you get it wet”
[Published in this week's The Northern Light; written last week. I'm okay now, I promise!]
Making my way down the aisle at Carr’s earlier today, I overheard an older gentleman talking to a physician in the pharmacy. He was inquiring about the H1N1 virus, or as it is known by its more dramatic name, Swine Flu. His first inquiry was whether it had, in fact, made it to Alaska, to which the doctor responded “Yes, it has. The regular flu has pretty much run its course this season, so any flues we’re seeing now are of the H1N1 variety.”
The man followed up by asking if the vaccine was really on the way, and if it was safe. The doctor stated without hesitation that the vaccine was safe, but admitted that supplies, although on the way, were limited. He explained the distribution protocol: first babies, then young children, gradually trickling up through the age of 22. After that, chances are they would be stuck waiting for more vaccine, without any clear timetable.
As I found the biggest bottle of Ibuprofen on the shelf, the gentleman said that he figured as much. He’d just go out and try to contract it, and get it over with. He was retired, and had time on his hands. How bad could it be?
I found myself in one of those situations where you are a single step from inadvertently becoming that dark and foreboding character in the horror movie that jumps from the shadows, warning the wayward traveler not to cross the rickety bridge. “Turn back! Turn back, before it’s too late!”
It was a week previous when I went to bed feeling absolutely fine, and woke up with H1N1.
The introduction to the pandemic is much like waking up in the middle of a car accident. My peaceful dream state shattered when the alarm clock went off, and before I opened my eyes, it was very apparent that something was very, very wrong. All heat was drained from the world and a meteor shower of pain was erupting from every corner of my body. Tiny hammers were having their way with the backs of my eyeballs. It was as if my entire body had turned into a chalkboard with an army of fingernails running down it.
“I think I’m in trouble,” I told my wife.
She tucked me in and brought me tea before leaving for work, and left the TV remote next to me in case I wanted to distract myself with the news, as is usually the case. Five hours later, I realized that I was still staring at the remote control, wondering what to do with it. Three more hours and I actually figured out how to work the buttons. I still failed to turn it on.
The sickness lasted at a peak for three miserable days, with temperatures ranging from a low of 102.4 to a high of 104.1. My brain cooked to a degree which rendered basic translation of video and print media virtually impossible. I would occasionally try to log into Facebook, but would usually get stuck at the login screen. While trying to rest, I experienced a tumultuous ride from feeling like I was cooking on a skillet to, five minutes later, bathing in ice.
On the fourth morning, I could barely move my neck and was having serious issues breathing, prompting a visit to the Emergency Room. I was hooked up to an EKG monitor and received an X-ray on my heart, before being shot up with some send-off drugs, told to keep an eye on my condition, and sent back to bed.
And in bed is where I remain as of this writing, a full week later, slowly nursing myself back to health, and consciousness. H1N1 takes you completely out of the game. As light as we can make of something as comical sounding as “swine flu,” this bug is devoid of humor, and without proper care can lead to pneumonia, carditis, and can be fatal if not treated and, moreover, taken seriously.
Don’t count on the vaccine to ride in like a knight in shining armor. If it does get here, for God’s sake, take it. But don’t leave it up to chance. Wash your hands, elbow that bathroom door open, and dodge any mouth breather with a cough. If you start to feel ill, act accordingly and responsibly. This flu hits like bricks and stays with you for some time.
Hope for the best, for sure. But be ready for the worst. And it’s not pretty.
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