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{I don't actually have any sponsors. It would be rather strange if I did.}


When I came to Galveston last Friday evening, I didn't expect to be spending nearly a week here, with two day jaunt to Austin in the middle. Austin was planned, but what wasn't intentional was the extension of my stay, which could be more characterized as a return.

Yesterday morning I called off of work, having developed an angry red rash that needed medical attention. I was still on the island in the morning, and had a breakfast meeting with someone to discuss fundraising, and then could have gone to Urgent Care here, but my insurance card was in Lake Jackson. I had failed to put it in my wallet when I received it. So I finished my meeting, gathered up my stuff, and went home. I found the card and looked up doctors in the area. There was one -- just one -- in Lake Jackson, who wasn't taking new patients until September. Yes, SEPTEMBER. The closest urgent care facilities were in Pearland and Galveston. Cranky, exhausted, and in pain, I spent just two hours (maybe two and a half) at home, then drove back to Galveston.

The doctor at the Urgent Care here was fantastic. He was chill enough to make showing him the rash (in a place that generally prefers to stay hidden) not awkward at all. And he didn't hand me a bunch of lines when he diagnosed it: I have shingles, and whatever pain I was in yesterday was probably only going to get worse. He gave me some reading material, sent me on my way, and called in a prescription. Or three, to be exact.

Too tired to drive home, I went back to Luke and Maggie's house. They had a meeting, but we decided to do dinner afterwards. While they were gone I got my prescriptions and took the first dose of vicodin. I don't think I knew how much pain I was in until it went away. I knew it hurt, but it wasn't excruciating or even fully debilitating. It was mostly stiff and uncomfortable. The vicodin took that away, and made me pretty loopy. When Maggie called to say they were on the way back, she asked me if I was high. On the way to the Strand I made some goofy comments that were not out-of-character, but definitely encouraged by the drugs.

This morning I got up and took the full round of meds -- all three prescriptions. Luke had to come back and let me into the house, as the key wasn't where I'd left it yesterday, and Maggie just dropped me off after breakfast. I got inside and sat on the couch, totally zoned out. My hands were shaking and I stared at them for a moment going, "Huh." Right before Luke left again he asked me if I was all set. I said, "Yeah. I'm just going to sit here for a while." He laughed at me and went back to work.

I spent the next couple of hours just sprawled on the sofa. My mind isn't focused enough to even read a book or flip on the TV (actually, the TV might be WAY more stimulation than I can possibly handle). I need to go home at some point today, but I haven't decided when. I have just a few small windows of opportunity to make the drive drug-free. One is in less than an hour, and there will be another around 5:00.

I'm shooting for 5:00.