Mark L. Van Name's Blog, page 263
November 29, 2010
Bear, cave, rock
Quite a few folks have sent me get-well wishes, which I genuinely appreciate. Several have also asked what kind of sick person I am, so I thought I'd answer that question for everyone:
I'm the bear who wants to go into its cave and pull a rock over the entrance until it's all better.
I do appreciate it when someone provides food, though right now my dietary excitement is largely chicken noodle soup and toast. That's about it, though.
I want to crawl into my cave, which is my home office when I'm working and my bed when I'm not, pretend the world doesn't exist, and reappear when I'm at full strength and ready once again to do battle with it.
I suppose this also makes me a rather grumpy, pain-in-the-ass sick person.
Aren't you glad you don't live here?
I'm the bear who wants to go into its cave and pull a rock over the entrance until it's all better.
I do appreciate it when someone provides food, though right now my dietary excitement is largely chicken noodle soup and toast. That's about it, though.
I want to crawl into my cave, which is my home office when I'm working and my bed when I'm not, pretend the world doesn't exist, and reappear when I'm at full strength and ready once again to do battle with it.
I suppose this also makes me a rather grumpy, pain-in-the-ass sick person.
Aren't you glad you don't live here?
November 28, 2010
My day: the walk-in clinic
I awoke feeling lousy and weak after a very long, very bad night, so I kept to my word and in the early afternoon headed to a local urgent-care clinic.
It was closed, as in kaput, a harbinger of the joy the rest of the afternoon would bring.
My next stop was a slightly more distant urgent-care clinic, which was still in business and open until 8:00 p.m. Excellent.
Unfortunately, it had a two- to two-and-a-half-hour wait. I had a book, though, so I was set. I also had my non-stop nausea and weakness for company, which was nice in a it's-good-to-have-something-you-can-count-on way.
The first sign that I was worse than I'd hoped came when they took my vitals. After I'd waited only an hour, they called me inside, and my hopes rose. They took my pulse and blood pressure, then sent me back to the waiting room. Such teases. My pulse, which is normally 64 to 68, was 95. My blood pressure, which was most recently 92 over 68, was 107 over 78. The bp news wasn't great, but the pulse reading was definitely bad.
I now had their attention, and in fact in under an hour later I was talking with a doctor. He seemed smart and attentive and knowledgeable, and I quite liked him.
I didn't, however, like his statement that I was quite dehyrdated, but I couldn't argue with it, particularly given my pulse. So, after I provided a stool sample--always a fun part of any day--and took an anti-nausea pill he provided, they stuck in an IV and hooked me up to a liter of fluid.
An hour later--way longer than they had expected but not a surprise given how dehydrated I was--the fluid had drained into me, the anti-nausea medicine had taken hold, I'd read a fair amount, and I was up to feeling like a truck had side-swiped me--which was a big improvement from my previous state, in which the truck was driving back and forth over my gut.
He gave me two prescriptions--one for a flash two strong doses of Cipro, the other for more anti-nausea medicine, which I am to take as I need it--and told me to pick up some probiotic pills as well. I drove to the pharmacy, made the purchases, and am now very glad to be home.
In a beautiful bit of irony, the anti-nausea medicine, which is candy-flavored, predictably causes me to gag while I wait for it to dissolve under my tongue. Once it does, though, it helps.
I am to eat only clear liquids today, with maybe some toast and soup for the Cipro. The next two to three days, I am to stick to the BRAT (Bananas Rice Apple[sauce] Toast) diet. That's all fine, as long as I heal quickly, but I have to attend parties Wednesday and Thursday nights, and Friday morning, I fly to Vegas.
All I can say is this: Heal, body, heal!
It was closed, as in kaput, a harbinger of the joy the rest of the afternoon would bring.
My next stop was a slightly more distant urgent-care clinic, which was still in business and open until 8:00 p.m. Excellent.
Unfortunately, it had a two- to two-and-a-half-hour wait. I had a book, though, so I was set. I also had my non-stop nausea and weakness for company, which was nice in a it's-good-to-have-something-you-can-count-on way.
The first sign that I was worse than I'd hoped came when they took my vitals. After I'd waited only an hour, they called me inside, and my hopes rose. They took my pulse and blood pressure, then sent me back to the waiting room. Such teases. My pulse, which is normally 64 to 68, was 95. My blood pressure, which was most recently 92 over 68, was 107 over 78. The bp news wasn't great, but the pulse reading was definitely bad.
I now had their attention, and in fact in under an hour later I was talking with a doctor. He seemed smart and attentive and knowledgeable, and I quite liked him.
I didn't, however, like his statement that I was quite dehyrdated, but I couldn't argue with it, particularly given my pulse. So, after I provided a stool sample--always a fun part of any day--and took an anti-nausea pill he provided, they stuck in an IV and hooked me up to a liter of fluid.
An hour later--way longer than they had expected but not a surprise given how dehydrated I was--the fluid had drained into me, the anti-nausea medicine had taken hold, I'd read a fair amount, and I was up to feeling like a truck had side-swiped me--which was a big improvement from my previous state, in which the truck was driving back and forth over my gut.
He gave me two prescriptions--one for a flash two strong doses of Cipro, the other for more anti-nausea medicine, which I am to take as I need it--and told me to pick up some probiotic pills as well. I drove to the pharmacy, made the purchases, and am now very glad to be home.
In a beautiful bit of irony, the anti-nausea medicine, which is candy-flavored, predictably causes me to gag while I wait for it to dissolve under my tongue. Once it does, though, it helps.
I am to eat only clear liquids today, with maybe some toast and soup for the Cipro. The next two to three days, I am to stick to the BRAT (Bananas Rice Apple[sauce] Toast) diet. That's all fine, as long as I heal quickly, but I have to attend parties Wednesday and Thursday nights, and Friday morning, I fly to Vegas.
All I can say is this: Heal, body, heal!
November 27, 2010
I'm not dead yet
but I am seriously considering pining for the fjords. In fact, unless I wake up tomorrow around noon and feel remarkably better, I will take myself to an urgent-care clinic and see what they can do to help me beat whatever is in my gut.
More tomorrow as I know more.
More tomorrow as I know more.
November 26, 2010
Fever redux
My friend the bed-soaking night fever came to visit last night. I'm pretty clearly not over this mess yet. A night of frequent wake-ups and frenzied fever frolics, combined with a lot of personal bathroom time, left me lighter than I entered Thanksgiving Day, but that's about the only good thing I can say about last night.
I very much hope to be better soon. I am tired of bathroom body and slow brain.
A few nights ago, Sarah and I were playing each other songs. With the release of the recent remaster and boxed set of the album containing this song, I had to spin it for her. The audio isn't ideal, but give it a watch; we can all stand to remember these lessons.
I very much hope to be better soon. I am tired of bathroom body and slow brain.
A few nights ago, Sarah and I were playing each other songs. With the release of the recent remaster and boxed set of the album containing this song, I had to spin it for her. The audio isn't ideal, but give it a watch; we can all stand to remember these lessons.
November 25, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving!
Today is not a break-from-writing day, because I don't believe in those.
It is, however, a (mostly) break from blogging day, because, well, I feel like it.
That said, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who reads this blog and everyone who buys my books and stories. You make it possible for me to continue to be paid to do something I love doing. You could not give me a greater gift.
I am truly and deeply grateful to you all for that.
Now, go eat some turkey and mashed potatoes and rolls and cranberry sauce and pie and...well, you get the idea.
Happy Thanksgiving!
It is, however, a (mostly) break from blogging day, because, well, I feel like it.
That said, I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who reads this blog and everyone who buys my books and stories. You make it possible for me to continue to be paid to do something I love doing. You could not give me a greater gift.
I am truly and deeply grateful to you all for that.
Now, go eat some turkey and mashed potatoes and rolls and cranberry sauce and pie and...well, you get the idea.
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 24, 2010
Some Jon and Lobo news
I've been working hard to stop myself from talking about works in progress, because I believe that doing so is one of the ways I create crazy noise in my head. (Many of my friends disagree with this decision, but so it goes.) Despite that inclination, I thought it might be nice to give you two fun facts about the next book, the fifth in the series.
First, it now seems fairly certain that it will appear in February, 2011. I know that's a long time--18 months--between books, but I got busy with some other stuff, including editing and writing an original story for The Wild Side. That anthology, with my contribution, "The Long Dark Night of Diego Chan," will appear this coming summer, as I've noted in earlier posts, so you'll at least have a nice chunk of new fiction from me in 2011.
Next, after more than than the usual amount of thought on the topic, I finally settled on a title for the novel, one that makes me happy because it works on multiple levels.
No, I won't tell you what those levels are; you'll just have to read the book.
So, in true James Bond style, I will close with this end-of-the-credits announcement:
First, it now seems fairly certain that it will appear in February, 2011. I know that's a long time--18 months--between books, but I got busy with some other stuff, including editing and writing an original story for The Wild Side. That anthology, with my contribution, "The Long Dark Night of Diego Chan," will appear this coming summer, as I've noted in earlier posts, so you'll at least have a nice chunk of new fiction from me in 2011.
Next, after more than than the usual amount of thought on the topic, I finally settled on a title for the novel, one that makes me happy because it works on multiple levels.
No, I won't tell you what those levels are; you'll just have to read the book.
So, in true James Bond style, I will close with this end-of-the-credits announcement:
Jon and Lobo will return in
No Going Back
November 23, 2010
My favorite hotel design feature
of the most recent trip was one I've seen before in Europe but not yet in the U.S.: To enable the power in your room, you have to put your plastic card key in a slot right by the door. When you leave, you take your key, and out go the lights. It's a wonderfully simple way to reduce energy consumption, and it does so at no real cost to the user.
I wish all hotels here would adopt it.
I wish all hotels here would adopt it.
November 22, 2010
I'm so easy
When it comes to movie trailers, I really am. I want to believe they can all be good. I want them to be good. Even a trailer with obvious issues can still tempt me.
I've recently seen these three, and I am still clinging to the hope that all will be good.
In this case, the cast alone is enough to make me hold that belief.
In this one, on the other hand, I have to hold to my love of comic books that I treasured as a kid.
The third really stretches the limits of even my faith, but I'm going to pray for it to be at least stupidly good.
See? I really am that easy.
I've recently seen these three, and I am still clinging to the hope that all will be good.
In this case, the cast alone is enough to make me hold that belief.
In this one, on the other hand, I have to hold to my love of comic books that I treasured as a kid.
The third really stretches the limits of even my faith, but I'm going to pray for it to be at least stupidly good.
See? I really am that easy.
November 21, 2010
On the mend
I'm going to keep this short, partly because I'm not yet feeling all that great, and partly because most of today has been about sleep. My fever broke in the night, so new sheets were in order after I soaked the original set. Now, though, my temperature appears to be holding at or slightly above normal, and I am continuing to rest. More tomorrow.
My illness is dull and tedious to me, so I can only imagine how boring it must be to you, but it's pretty much what I've got right now.
My illness is dull and tedious to me, so I can only imagine how boring it must be to you, but it's pretty much what I've got right now.
November 20, 2010
On the road again: Barcelona, day 7
Wow did my flight from BCN to JFK suck. Whatever I caught--my current best guess is the ill-advised hot-and-sour-cat soup at the Chinese place in Figueres--hit me hard last night and then today as well. I've been able to get down maybe 150 calories--and then only for a few minutes; you don't want the details.
My fever comes and goes, I shake periodically, and my stomach constricts in pain frequently. So, I'm writing this entry from a JFK Admirals Club, and I'll be crawling into bed as soon as I can after I get home.
I'm sure I'll be fine in a day or two, with luck even tomorrow, but right now I feel as bad as I've felt in a very long time.
No more cat soup for me.
My fever comes and goes, I shake periodically, and my stomach constricts in pain frequently. So, I'm writing this entry from a JFK Admirals Club, and I'll be crawling into bed as soon as I can after I get home.
I'm sure I'll be fine in a day or two, with luck even tomorrow, but right now I feel as bad as I've felt in a very long time.
No more cat soup for me.
