MetaChat - Bad timing.

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12 July 2007

Bad timing. →[More:]

Yesterday, on the way to the grocery store, Jon stopped in with me at the local optician's. I've been getting eye strain headaches lately and have more trouble reading. Jon has to help me with take-out menus posted over registers, and my old glasses are useless -- when I put them on, I see worse. At the optician's, I found a nice frame and made an appointment with the doctor, who happened to have a slot for today (the doctor's only there on Thursdays and Saturdays). I was all set, and looking forward to being able to see with ease again. I've been needing new glasses for a long time and just haven't gotten around to it. (The eye doctor is the one doctor I don't mind going to.)

As luck would have it, I woke up to a wicked mosquito bite on my hand around two in the morning. I even dreamed something was biting me and started scratching before I was awake. Now, what does this have to do with my eyes, you may ask? Well, usually I'm able to hunt the blood-sucker down when this happens, but this time, no dice. I didn't want to disturb Jon further, after waking him up initially by putting the light on for the hunt, so I went out to the den and the safety of light. But he was already awake and came out to keep me company. After four episodes of All in the Family, including the awesome Sammy Davis Jr. episode, we finally went back to bed.

Not an hour after the light went out, I was up again, this time with a mosquito welt on my left eyelid. Sonofabitch. I made a final search of the walls and ceiling with a small booklight and settled again for the safety of the couch (at least I could see him coming, sort of). My eye continued to swell overnight. By morning, I could hardly open it. Just my luck. My appointment was for 11:30. No go. I'll reschedule, of course, but of all the places to get bit. And of all the timing. I still can't find the sucker. And, to top it off, I look hideous, with my puffed up eye, and can't stop searching the walls, inspecting every speck, like some neurotic cat.

Jon was kind enough to get some Off to spray the porch door and some citronello candles, which I plan to burn at the head of the bed tonight (where's a spider when you need one?). I'll just have to squint a little longer.

Anyone got a spare eye patch?

post by: Pips at: 12:51 | 31 comments

Ouch. Arrrr. That sucks.

posted by Hellbient 12 July | 12:59

I finally got one of those mosquito nets from IKEA- they're a pain, but not as much of a pain as hunting a mosquito at 4 am.

posted by small_ruminant 12 July | 13:03

(If you're like me, your eye puffiness will be pretty much gone
by about 5 pm. )

posted by small_ruminant 12 July | 13:21

Ow. I hate mosquitos! They hitch a ride in on our black pooch (they're attracted to dark surfaces, apparently) and then they hang around inside for days. I smashed the hell out of one last night while we were zoning to TV.

There was a really big spider on the wall by our main entrance. I could trap him and send him up.

posted by chewatadistance 12 July | 13:28

I use one of those little plug-in things that you slip a tablet into each night. That works. What also works is living somewhere so fricking cold that all the mosquitos are now dead.

posted by essexjan 12 July | 13:28

I feel your pain, Pips.

I remove my glasses to read.

posted by bunnyfire 12 July | 13:46

Thanks for the suggestions (and sympathy), folks. Those plug-ins look intriguing, ej... think those tablets are toxic? I worry about the toxicity of repellants and/or insecticides.

The puffiness has indeed gone down a lot since this morning, s_r. I think your time estimate of 5pm will be pretty close.

Chewie, there's a big smooshed squeeter over the doorjam in our den, like the blood of the first born. Perhaps last night was revenge.

posted by Pips 12 July | 13:46

i killed a flea jumping on my laptop last night. It had been making many meals out of my leg, hitched a ride on The Bees to my unsuspecting bed.
i blow up like a giant allergic reaction to venom at any little speck of nibble, compared to barely noticing the spots like other people.

posted by ethylene 12 July | 13:53

I also feel your pain - I went to get new glasses & contacts like a month ago because I could no longer see. Unfortunately, I had to get special new expensive glasses (bifocals) and with my contacts? I have to wear those drugstore magnifier glasses to see or read anything. The eye doctor just kind of laughed at me and said, "It happens to everybody." Now I have about 5 pairs and I can't leave the house without them and I sure as hell can't see anything like a menu or a computer screen without them. It's awful. May you have better news!

However I did find a fairly slick pair of pink magnifying glasses with pink lenses at the dollar store for $5, but still.

posted by mygothlaundry 12 July | 13:56

Awww, poor pips, that stinks. If you're coming Friday, we could all wear eye patches and pretend we're pirates- ARRRR!

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 12 July | 14:09

Thanks, TPS... pink patches, of course. : )

posted by Pips 12 July | 14:22

Damn. I hope you're feeling better.

posted by Smart Dalek 12 July | 14:35

Ack, I totally sympathize. I've had mosquitos get my eyelid too, and that one lasted nearly two weeks. Fucking hate mosquitos. One of them was hiding under the dashboard last week and got my feet at least four times as I was driving to school. And I get really bad reactions to them - whatever gets bitten swells to twice its size. Hate hate hate.

Anyway, hope your eye gets much better much faster :)

posted by casarkos 12 July | 14:42

Those plug-ins look intriguing, ej... think those tablets are toxic?

Well they're obviously toxic to mosquitos because they kill them (they work on crane flies too - yay!) but they don't bother the cats or me. They have a very slight antiseptic scent which fades after a few minutes.

posted by essexjan 12 July | 14:53

Burn one a them skeeter coils, shit'll choke you but the critters hate em. Or eat lotsa salt and don't shower. Or slather on the deet and wait fer yer liver ta piss out in chunks over the course of a couple months.

I wear an amulet containing a dried sparrow craw, four mouse testicles, several seeds (If I tell which ones online, the haint will destroy me), and a silver religious symbol (ditto with the haint and all) that not only prevents mosquito bites, but guarantees that a uniformed demon from the fourth level of hell will visit me every night and sodomize me with a preposterously large truncheon. It's great!

posted by Hugh Janus 12 July | 15:01

You don't say, hj.

posted by Pips 12 July | 15:07

Hey, that guy looks like Led Zeppelin!

posted by Hugh Janus 12 July | 15:09

Anyway, I'm sure you'll agree, John Donne is a better source for wee insect metaphor than powdernose there.

posted by Hugh Janus 12 July | 15:13

I like jon's new 'I'm gonna get a job' look, Pips. That suit's sharp.

posted by essexjan 12 July | 15:33

aw, Pips, sorry to hear that! little fuckers - if there's one in the room it'll keep me awake until i locate and smash it.

it's been hotter than the hammered down hinges of Hades lately, and today it's *humid* too, as well (which is very unusual for Colorado). not just a little humid, mind you, but that suffocating, constricting, soul-sucking white-sky, congealing humidity we used to get in DC or Cincinnati. UGH! please to be taking it back, wherever it came from! most likely Texas, as that's where we get all our least-desirable imports from.

what does this have to do with anything? well... the mister's house is a lovely old 40's style bungalow with no A/C (developers didn't install A/C standard on stuff in this region until about the mid 90s). so, we sleep with all the doors and windows wide open and all the ceiling fans running to mitigate the oven-like heat that builds up in the afternoon from the house baking all day in the sun. we don't have skeeter problems so much as freaking flies, and recently (!) wasps. i smashed three wasps in the house last week alone (tho the aquarium fish seem to enjoy eating them...?)

finally last night i went on a de-wasping rampage (this was one of my least favourite jobs as a farm kid way back when... de-wasping the outbuildings so the livestock wouldn't get stung). i waited until after dusk, took a ladder and a flashlight, and went all medieval-aggro on them with a can of wasp killer and an old broom. ew. ick. ugh. i took down a half dozen little nests and 2 that were going on softball sized from the eaves, the awnings, and the surrounding shrubs.

little fuckers.

posted by lonefrontranger 12 July | 15:40

WASPS! YIKES!

You're my hero, lfr. I wouldn't go near the fuckers for a thousand dollars. My, no air conditioning. I couldn't live. Not even a window unit for the bedroom?

posted by Pips 12 July | 16:24

(Ha, ej! He's aged a lot in the last few weeks. : )

posted by Pips 12 July | 16:26

After my youngest sister was born, my parents had the attic finished and my room was up there. For some reason, there were lots of hornets sneaking in for a while. It got so anytime I heard a buzzing sound, I'd spring awake.

posted by jonmc 12 July | 16:27

And it looks like he tidied up the porch too.

posted by essexjan 12 July | 16:45

So much for buzzing sweet nothings in jon's ear.

posted by Pips 12 July | 16:48

Not even a window unit for the bedroom?

nah. keep in mind that we're at 5,360' in a desert region that (theoretically) has annual maximum highs in the mid-80's, average overnight lows in July/August (supposedly) in the mid-lower 50's, and a typical relative humidity of less than 20%. this is a place that my aunt has seen snow in ever month of the year since she moved here in the 50's. there's way more winter here than summer, even in summer, usually.

the last decade's highs, and unusual humidity are compliments of global warming. and even with all that, it still generally gets pretty cool at night. this week's humidity is far, far out of the norm, and isn't slated to last much beyond tomorrow - we're probably going to get hurricane-force wind (again) tonight and epic thunderstorms, then it'll be breezy, crisp and in the high 60's/low 70's tomorrow.

that said, we've been considering getting a window unit, yes. we're also in progress on the next major home improvement project: cleaning/repairing gable vents and installing an attic fan. this should lower the afternoon max temp inside by at least 5-10 degrees on the +90 degree days we've been experiencing.

posted by lonefrontranger 12 July | 17:11

Don't houses over there have insect screens on the windows and doors? It would be impossible to live here without them (most places have no aircon) because, if the flies didn't carry you away in the night, the mosquitoes would drain every last drop of blood from your body.

posted by dg 12 July | 17:54

indeed they do dg. it's just that the six-legged hordes are highly skilled at finding other portals of ingress. part of the cleaning/repairing the gable vent project is likely going to involve finding/patching holes that ~~treerats~~ squirrels have chewed in the soffit, ferinstance.

also, just the other day i got a case of the fuckity-fucks as i saw 3 flies come zooming in the door from the patio while i was lugging in some groceries. wily flies!

posted by lonefrontranger 12 July | 18:20

but guarantees that a uniformed demon from the fourth level of hell will visit me every night and sodomize me with a preposterously large truncheon. It's great!
posted by Hugh Janus 12 July | 15:01

You don't say, hj.
posted by Pips 12 July | 15:07

You guys made me laugh!

posted by jason's_planet 12 July | 20:00

most likely Texas, as that's where we get all our least-desirable imports from.

During my 16 month stretch in Denver in the mid-90's it was California. *ahem*

Yahhh, pips! I find that witch hazel helps a lot with bug bites...I can't stand the smell of regular, so I get rose.

posted by brujita 13 July | 01:16

Wooops, sorry to hear that Pips; we've got so many mosquitoes here, I've almost become immune to them. When my sister came down here from the States, she was cautious not to get stung by them as well. I hope your eye heals asap...

posted by hadjiboy 13 July | 04:54

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