I spent a lot of the morning crying. I still want to cry. It’s partly frustration from the allergies and partly depression and partly other stuff. I feel very fragile and delicate today, and I’m scared of everything.



At five minutes to one I left for the urgent care center and was there ten minutes later. I tried to convey a sense of urgency to the receptionist but she was a loser so I sat and waited. Forty minutes later (this is remarkably quick) they called me back, and fifteen minutes after that I was in the car with my prescription in hand. I dropped it off and they told me it would be a half-hour wait, but they called my name within about ten or fifteen minutes. So it was all very quick, I was home within 90 minutes of having left.



My girlfriend had gone to Cenan’s, the local Turkish bakery, while I was out and she picked up some cherry Cappy and Turkish delight for me. She had dropped it off at the urgent care center while my car was still there, and told the receptionist to give it to me. After I had finished with the doctor I walked up to the girl and said “I paid my copay, so am I all done” and she said yes so I left. Fortunately my girlfriend was really wonderful and went back into town to get my treats.



Unfortunately the Cappy didn’t mask the taste of the steroids when I took today’s first batch, and also I still itch. Sigh.

My allergies are bad enough this morning that I have holed up in the bedroom with my girlfriend’s laptop - thank goodness she brought it home.



We got to wait for about 20 minutes to be seated at Tequila Grande last night, and we had planned to go out to a movie but I was really tired and my allergies were bothering me so we just came home and watched TV till we fell asleep around 10:00.



So this morning I am just hiding in the bedroom. (Nice, the cat just puked.) I am researching inpatient allergy treatment centers. Also my girlfriend’s mother brought me a nice little present: a beaded Hello Kitty purse. It looks like the one shown here except the flower is gold, not pink. It even still has the tag attached - she works in a consignment shop and it came in so she thought she’d get it for me.

Awww, yeah.

That writeup on Gallaudet University took me all morning - pretty much literally. It took me several hours, anyway. And I am damn proud of it. But now I have to get some work done!

Hey, check it out, I’m at work early! We have a 9am call that’s going to require me to call six international participants so I knew I had to be here early, but I’m proud of myself for actually getting here at an appropriate hour and all that. My bosses are both going to be out today so it will be both hectic (I have to do everything) and relaxing (I won’t have them making demands of me) today.

I had just clicked C? on someone’s Butterfucker McFloozy writeup and suddenly it was gone. Damn! I thought it was pretty good. So I clicked my trusty back button (well, it isn’t always so trusty, but if you stay away from porn sites you’re safe) and copied it.

Part of an unsuccessful 1997 McDonald’s campaign to “beef up” the McEconomy with an adults-only menu. New, sexier menu items included such stars as the Butterfucker McFloozy, the S&M McFloozy, the OreHo McFloozy, and the Nestle Sucks My Balls And Starves Babies McFloozy (which was eventually dropped from the campaign entirely).



Opposition to the campaign was minimal, as it maintained a very low profile and countered any dissent with proof that these menu items were supporting a good cause. Funds raised from the adult menu were counted as charitable donations, going directly to The Ronald McDonald Whore House.



Their message: McDonald’s loves to see you smile.

While I’d like to start with current complaining, I’ll go back to last night for the chronological details one tends to expect from this sort of thing, or at least from most of my writing.



I finally got work to purchase Corel’s Word Perfect Office 2000 which includes WP9. Finally! It’s the small business edition, which is fine. It came with lots of nifty clipart, I liked looking through the book and squinting at all the itty-bitty pictures. (Me and my lists!)



I was just about to leave work when a last-minute task popped up, but fortunately I only had to do half of it and my boss promised to do the other half. Still, I was sure I was going to be late - but once again I arrived 15 minutes before the shuttle. I was really distracted throughout class and had trouble focusing my eyes and therefore listening, but I did better than Monday in terms of expression. When we split into groups I realized the teacher was giving everybody the chance to work with the blind woman. It was a bit difficult for me but I enjoyed it…I’m too tired right now to explain the details. After class I convinced _D_ to come to Dupont with me for a drink (well, coffee, since we’re both under 21, but I had tea). It turned out he had only been over there a couple of times, so I showed him some stores and then we went to Xando to talk for a bit. From the metro to the streets to the stores to the restaurant, we signed the whole time - which I was glad of, because _B_ and I usually go back to speaking when we ride the train back to Vienna together. It was good practice and we managed to have a good conversation and understand everything - we had patience with each other when we didn’t get something right away, but for the most part we conversed with no problem. (He said he thought our waiter thought I was deaf - he also said he thought our waiter was cute.) We were taking trains in opposite directions when we got back down into the metro, but because the trains run so late we had to wait a while. Normally when I’m in that situation I just stand there waiting but remain very conscious of my friend - you wouldn’t carry on a voiced conversation like that, it would be rude - but _D_ and I kept talking across the tracks until my train came.



I got home a few minutes past 11pm and found my new Visor on the front porch. I called my girlfriend and we talked for a while, and then I went to set up the Visor. It took longer than I had expected so I didn’t get to bed until around 3:00am. I even wore my winter pajamas and socks because I was so cold.



And now I get to complain. This morning my allergies are really bothering me - my lips are a little bit swollen and I’m a bit puffy under my eyes as well. I’m tired and cranky and depressed and upset and distraught and distracted. I know what would make me feel better - a range of things, even - but none of them are likely. I have to go to the post office today and mail something to Australia, what fun.

So I am probably going to place an ad in either the Blade or the City Paper (both?) looking for paddling partners so I can just go rent a kayak and we can decide our own path and not have to follow a guide around. And my mom said that if I was really interested in continuing my genealogy research she’d pay the $35 subscription to Ancestry.com to get access to their full records. And maybe I’ll just call up my biological father. I have his address but he never wrote back to me when I wrote asking for medical history a couple of years ago. “Hi, is this Joe Blow? Yeah, this is your daughter.” Oh, and this morning I picked up yesterday’s mail and found a letter from a real person! I had met a woman in Australia on Sue Grafton’s bulletin board and ended up sending her a couple of hardback books and we exchanged some e-mails. Later I wrote her a real letter via mail, just for kicks. She wrote back! She even included a cute little blank spiral notebook with kittycats on the front.

My girlfriend will be out of town the weekend of October 12th, and I don’t know whether I should go to the E2 gathering at the Maryland Renaissance Festival or take the last Sea Kayaking I class being offered this year by Atlantic Kayak. They require that you take the class before renting a closed-deck kayak from them, and I’d like to be able to rent from their Piscataway Creek center this fall - it may be the only location south of the Wilson Bridge, though I think there’s a Belle Haven Marina or something on the Virginia side. Then again, that E2 gathering won’t happen every day…so I’m not sure.

It’s 6:00am. I got back from the airport about half an hour ago and sure enough I could see really long lines at the check-in counter…my girlfriend claimed she could go directly to the gate as she did on Friday but I don’t think they’ll let her here. I don’t have to leave for work for an hour and forty-five minutes and I’ve already had breakfast, but I don’t know that I want to go back to sleep…what if I don’t wake up on time? Then again iPing should be calling me at 7am.

I have been thinking about strange things to do with my life and about what to do. Hmm.

I found this in my e-mail inbox. Delightful! Was this really meant for me, Kathryn? Had you read my previous journal about the candlelight vigil and all that? I’m so glad to hear from you!

From: “KATHRYN BUCHNOWSKI” <dbusbabe@msn.com>

To: meredith @ amanita.net

Subject: Not going to observances

Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2001 16:09:36 -0400



I’m sure glad my father and his generation did not feel like you social waste products do! You ingrates! I hope they reinstate the draft! Send me a good-bye note would ya!?

I couldn’t believe what I was reading when I began to read it. Just like I couldn’t believe I was seeing those towers fall as I began to watch!



The president said if you are not with us, you are against us.

So what is it?

I’d be careful who you express your sentiments to. You’re liable to get hurt saying it around Americans like me, and others like me, which are the majority.
Thank God!

How stunningly articulate.

Anyway.

Yesterday’s kayaking trip was delightful. There were six of us plus the guide, and I was the only one who had done that sort of kayaking before, though one person had taken a whitewater course last year, a couple were occasional canoers, and one had done rowing previously. I was the only one wearing a spray skirt so I got to demonstrate the wet exit - fortunately I got to do it right-side-up rather than having to actually flip myself over and get all wet and yucky. Piscataway Creek was pretty enough, mostly because it’s what George Washington saw from Mount Vernon and since the 1850s there have been rules about preserving his view - so there’s basically no buildings along there. We didn’t see any really interesting birds - a couple of heron, some egrets, and what I am pretty sure was a hawk. Reportedly there are sometimes bald eagles around there, but I wasn’t that lucky. I had been a little bit afraid that I was misremembering the fun I’d had in New York and would hate this kayaking trip, but sure enough I loved it again. I was really exhausted by the time we were crossing the boat channel to get back to the marina - I am thinking I might try to find some friends to rent kayaks with rather than taking tours so often. I wouldn’t go out alone, but if we can decide where to go and for how long to take breaks, I might not be so tired after three hours on the water. I haven’t heard whether or not they’ve reopened the Potomac north of the Wilson Bridge, but I hope they do soon because I’d really like to see Georgetown.



Traffic was miserable on the way home, unfortunately. As I was approaching the intersection of Indian Head Highway and the beltway I saw on the electronic signboard that there were major delays on I-95/495 South, so I figured I’d just take it north. After getting on the outer loop I saw that Route 50 was only 15 miles away, so I thought maybe I’d take that through the city. About two miles before the exit for 50 there was a sign warning of heavy traffic ahead - sure enough about half a mile later there it was. I could see the “Route 50 1 Mile” sign, but from the far right lane it might as well have been 10 miles at the rate I was going. I did spot a tractor-trailer in the shoulder of the inner loop, and after passing it I saw a “BOMB SQUAD” truck racing toward it with sirens blaring. Lovely. The traffic thinned out, but I decided I needed to get off the beltway so I took 50. Oops. Turns out there’s heavy roadwork on 50, which is New York Avenue - I knew they were working over there, but I didn’t realize that was route 50. I finally broke out onto L, then 6th, then F, then 7th - and finally to Constitution which brought me to 66 to get me home.



Once I finally did, I peeled off my wet leggings and had something to eat. I took a shower and wanted a nap; didn’t think I’d be able to sleep with my girlfriend and her parents doing noisy work on the house but I did nap for about 45 minutes. I also did my ASL homework (all of chapter 13) and then went out to get a movie and ice cream and some other things. I rented Chutney Popcorn and got home just as my girlfriend’s parents were leaving. I liked the movie a lot, I think my girlfriend liked it too.



Today was more work on the house. It was a rough morning but my girlfriend and I finally went to IHOP - I decided to hell with the allergy and got cheese blintzes. After we finished, my girlfriend suggested going grocery shopping or a couple of other errands. Suddenly she suggested Appalachian Outfitters, and when I mentioned they didn’t open till 12 she suggested I could go later (it was about 10:45). But then I remembered Hudson Trail Outfitters, which I thought was maybe 20 minutes away. Turns out that not only did they open at 11, but they were only about three minutes away, so we ended up having to wait a bit for them to open up. I ended up buying the July 2001 issue of Canoe and Kayak because it had articles about paddling around DC and about women on the water, and I also picked up a $69 pair of outer pants. They’re nylon and a bit big so they will go very nicely over my leggings and whatever else I end up wearing as it gets colder. I definitely plan to keep paddling through late fall at least, including October’s PADA - Paddle Against Domestic Abuse. Hopefully I can raise some money for that, though registration itself is $45. Still, it would be fun, and give me a better excuse to get out on the water!



Oh, and mostly for my own future reference, the boat I used in NYC was a Prijon Calabria and yesterday I used either a Necky Zoar or a Necky Looksha - can’t remember what model Looksha it would have been, though.