"ear+infection"+and+"clear+fluid"
2004-04-26,

Who would have thought an ear infection would make me popular?

According to my Sitemeter, I got not one but two visitors due to search engines bringing my journal up concerning ear infections, one of which delved a way back into my sordid history (hello EDT AOL user, wherever you are, I hope your troubles are few). Apparently earaches are something of an epidemic. Then again, kids get them all the time, and even big kids like me, occasionally.

Speaking of earaches, my hearing on the left is up to about 70% or so, at least at peak. The quality waivers over the course of the day, but all in all it's a great improvement. I fully expect to have full auditory availability sneak up on me any time now.

I'm not completely sure if I'm going to be able to eat anything after lunch today. Straight after work, I need to race to our final psychoanalysis meeting, then immediately after need to run straight to "A Grand Night..." rehearsal. Should be fun. I'm sure I'll fully functional for rehearsal. The music director has been moving at lightning speed through this score, and the music is not easy. Lots of whacked out jazz chords, sudden key changes with no lead-in, and the score is the worst-written thing I've ever seen, the worst-written that even the music director's ever seen. Each part save the sopranos is shifting clefs like there's no tomorrow, seemingly at random and without cause. Coming from a choral background, I'm used to riding on the top of the bass clef and counting lines that extend up to figure out what we're singing. In this, there's occasional use of the 'tenor' clef, which is something of a brain adjustment for me. Then to have to switch back and forth-- augh, it makes my head hurt, especially since I'm not the best music reader in the world. And considering everything else that's on my mind right now, it makes it that much harder. Throw in not being able to hear out of my left ear for the last week and a half and trying to learn music by hearing to compensate for my poor music reading ability... you get the picture.

At least these home study meetings will be over. Up next will be the fire safety inspection and the home visit part of the home study. Speaking of which-- we have some truly amazing and wonderful friends, I tell you. Not only has there been a grand response to our plea for stuff to sell at our impending garage sale extravaganzas, just this weekend a few of our friends offered to come to the house and to some whirlwind cleaning to prepare for the home visit. This comes as a great relief, especially to me who has so little time on his hands for working at home right now. Heck, I'll be lucky if, between my schedule and the weather, I get to mow the lawn before the visit. I might be out in the yard at 2am with a flashlight, if this keeps up.

Tomorrow I'm going in for required blood tests for the adoption process, mainly to prove to the Chinese government that I'm Hepatitis and HIV free. I'm sure that it's not the Will of the People that any of their sisters be transported from one disease-troubled country to another. After that, the next step is to recite the alphabet backwards while balancing an unabridged dictionary on my nose, juggling at least 3 different-sized objects and riding a unicycle.

-- End Transmission --