Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Music Monday: The smell of hospitals in winter

Second jobs and time spent in waiting rooms have kept me away.

There was a hiking accident, then a three-and-a-half hour drive wondering if a loved one was OK and how bad she would be injured when I arrived.  (She was OK, mostly.  A kindly family of hiking Mennonites stopped to comfort her while waiting for emergency personnel.  A three-hour rescue operation followed, and yada yada yada, she'll be walking again in 8 to 12 weeks.)

There have been new and scary concerns about Nephew Bone.  Thankfully, an EEG and MRI -- two months apart -- were both deemed normal.  We have prayed for the best while fearing things unspoken.

Somewhere in the midst of it all was a stretch of seven days in a row spent in some hospital, doctor's office, ER, or other medical facility. I guess the worry and stress must have piled up on me, because I developed a cold sore for the first time in my life, then ran a fever for three days after.

There was a bit of good news, as I landed my first-ever paid writing gig.  It's nothing grand, but is exciting for me.  And it probably would have gotten its very own post but for everything else going on, so celebrating seemed out of place.

Oh, and if all that wasn't enough, I overflowed the toilet, flooded the bathroom, then came downstairs to find water pouring through the ceiling.  Long story short, if you ever come to my place and have a choice, don't sit in the recliner.

I have a confession.  It's really hard for me to focus on anything else right now because... herpes!  I have herpes!  And according to something I googled, it could have been lying dormant inside my body for years without me knowing!  With my swingin' lifestyle, I could have infected as many as five, yea, six girls over the past decade.  How can I live with myself?!?!

Unfortunately -- or perhaps very fortunately -- I could find no songs about herpes to feature on this week's Music Monday.  So instead, I have called upon an old friend.  (No, not Tone Loc, though that would have been super cool.  And how did you even know he and I were homies?)

I first heard Nate Ruess when he was lead singer of The Format.  For a while, their "She Doesn't Get It" held the coveted title of most played song on my iTunes.  After they broke up, I figured I'd never hear from him again.  Like an ex-girlfriend you long for wistfully who says she wants to stay friends but never answers her phone when you call.... as an example, I mean.

And then...

One glorious day two or three years later, I heard that unmistakable voice again.  "That sounds like the guy from The Format," I thought.  And it was.

He'd started a new band called Fun.  It was good to know that he had moved on and I.... well, he had moved on.

The Format never really became a huge mainstream band, so it's been kinda cool to see Ruess enjoy much success with Fun, even as my own success has remained almost eerily unchanged.

I like this acoustic version of "Carry On."



I would like to dedicate this song to all of us afflicted with herpes, the silent killer....... what?  What is carbon monoxide......

Oh my God!  I may never fall asleep again!

"The smell of hospitals in winter, and the feeling that it's all a lot of oysters, but no pearls..."

14 comments:

  1. I think the first paid writing gig deserves celebration :)

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  2. Congrats on the first writing gig. You weren't very specific on the hiking accident.

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  3. perhaps you should get the recliner replaced?

    apparently cold sores are pretty common as you can get products over the counter to use on them. Far away virtual hugs as I don't want your germs.

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  4. TC ~ Well, I did buy a couple new shirts with my first check. Does that count? :)

    MarkD ~ Thanks. Yeah, it probably deserved it's own post. I was just trying to briefly summarize and catch up on the past six weeks.

    Renee ~ I figured I'd just move :)

    Yeah, I paid 20 bucks for a microscopic tube of over-the-counter ointment. Not sure it helped. It still took almost two weeks for the sore to go away.

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  5. Very exciting about the writing gig! And, if it is any consolation at all, lots of people have some form of the herpes virus. Chicken pox is caused by a herpes virus.

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  6. If you told me to write a blog post on hiking accidents, cold sores, writing gigs and herpes, I would have had a hard time. You've done an admirable job!

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  7. So sorry to hear about the various health woes of you people you love and your own self. I can imagine how very stressful that must be for you.

    Congrats though on the writing gig. A bright moment.. the first of many, I hope.

    I love the group Fun but had not heard of Fomat. When I first heard and saw and heard Nate Ruess, I thought he had similar energy to the late Freddie Mercury. He's a solid performer.

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  8. Focus on the herpes. I mean you never never know who you infected with what. Spend many sleepless nights.....

    Glad all the other health problems seem to be working out and that you got paid

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  9. Wait. Do you mean you've got herpes as in the sexually transmitted disease or do you mean you've got herpes because you got a cold sore?

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  10. Congratulations on your writing gig! Sorry to hear about all the hospitals and troubles... And I will stay off your recliner and away from your lips!

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  11. "Avoid the clap. Jimmy Dugan"

    also.
    glad there's been lots of good news.

    also.
    yay for money for writing.

    also.
    Roll tide.

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  12. Heidi ~ It's no consolation, but thank you for trying :) I know it's hard to know what to say in a time like this.

    Ed ~ And don't forget overflowing the toilet! Thanks.

    Hilary ~ Wow, that's a good comparison I had not thought of. My favorite Format songs were "She Doesn't Get It" and "Oceans."

    Pia ~ I will carry this burden with me forever, just as I will carry the virus inside my body.

    Xinher ~ Cold sore. Herpes has many faces.

    Sage ~ Thank you, for the congratulations and for staying away from my lips.

    Cami Smith ~ I've spent my entire life avoiding the clap.

    Roll Tide, always.

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  13. Bone, I'm so sorry to hear about your worry and stress over your nephew...and I'm very happy to hear that all seems to be OK. And congrats on the writing job!! I hope this is the first of many. I love the band Fun...my daughter introduced me to them (well, their music - not them personally). I didn't know the lead singer was once in the band Format - I'll have to check it out! So sorry about the herpes...I think that's the first time I've expressed that kind of condolence. :)

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  14. Congratulations on the writing gig... and I'm sorry to hear about everything else. Doesn't it always seem to happen that these things come all at the same time? I hope things are looking up now.

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