A toast to life, young and old(er)!

Now that I've gotten the absolutely squeaky clean bill of health, having endured the UP and DOWN (if you are reading this and you are over 50, you most certainly know what the UP is...the DOWN is a peek down the throat), as well as surviving a nasty bout of bronchitis, I'm ready to celebrate. Nothing screams good health like a good, strong shot of one's favorite libation and a smooth cigar, eh? Forget the low-fat, high fiber, fresh,unadorned and unsaturated crap I normally ingest. Nope. It's time to break out the party favors (maybe shots of really fine tequila), fabulous food (especially my son-in-law's version of Thai/Indo/Spanish rice), great friends, a fire in the fireplace, and perhaps some intellectual banter regarding the interesting and fun properties of quantum physics, the black hole, and the atom accelerator, as well as some strategically played poker (I need to work on my poker face, or lack thereof...maybe I'll start wearing sunglasses like the pros do on the poker tourneys on television).

We are now officially on Baby Watch 2009 (Maeg's now confined to rest, relaxation, and calm surroundings, thanks to her high blood pressure, protein in her urine and possible pre-eclampsia). We'll find out Tuesday if she's going to need to have labor induced that day/evening because of the possible pre-eclampsia. I asked the baby to please wait until priority registration is over at school (Thursday would be fine; Tuesday and Wednesday, not so good), but, as usual, who listens to me, anyway? The little darling is already on his/her own little timetable.

Oh, ooops. I almost forgot the list of things still to do. We can cross off baby quilt (done), switching rooms with Maeg and Krus, so they have enough room for the bassinette and all things baby related (done), curtains in my new, cozy bedroom (done, and quite lovely, albeit simple, if I do say so myself), bag packed (mine, not Maeg's) for the hospital with various and sundry items of interest to keep me occupied (oh, who am I kidding? I pack for vacations 15 minutes before I leave, why change my habits now?), invitations to Thanksgiving dinner (done), read the labor and delivery book to refresh my memory (still pretty fresh images, 25 years later, but in the spirit of things, done).

Still to do: Paint my new, cozy bedroom (decided to do this after I sewed and hung the curtains and pictures on the walls), curtains for little Johnny's room and Krus and Maeg's room, collaborate with Maeg on designing and making the birth announcements, and finish the heated and demanding letter to the landlord (why is that so difficult for me?). Since the letter is the only thing that doesn't cost any money, guess which one I will work on today? Bingo. You guessed it. The letter! Wish me luck.

Think positive and healthy thoughts for Maeg and the baby. Fortunately, she is almost 38 weeks, so the bun in the oven is just about done anyway. We're just waiting for the little thing in the turkey to pop up, telling us the turkey/baby is done and ready to greet the world. (I've never in my life made a turkey with that little thing that pops up, but I hear it's a popular option for many people). Maybe, just for shits and giggles, I'll call the Butterball Turkey Hotline and pose some inane question for the operators, helpfully standing by to assist with your turkey-related queries. Bon apetit!

The fever and fervor of Andy Warhohl, Peter Max, Magic Elixir

Imagine my surprise, upon waking early Sunday, to find myself in a feverish state. No, I didn't overdo it on Halloween candy or drinks, or anything, really. Then I thought back to the previous two days, filled with driving and waiting (took Maeg to the City for her doctor's appointment) and waiting and driving in miserable traffic, cleaning, shopping, and remembering how even the coffeecake at Hobee's didn't taste right, although I forced myself to plow through the entire piece, bite by bite. Yep. I was sick. Darn it! My usual ploy of starting to feel like I am coming down with something and diving under the covers for 8 or 10 hours, after hastily gulping down a daily vitamin that I only remember to take when I'm feeling awful, to resurface a healthy person, actually didn't work this time. Dr. Mom's prognosis: bronchitis with a chaser of ear infection(s).

My young, handsome physician confirmed my diagnosis. He also told me I should take a few days off work, offering to write a note. I declined the need for a note. (How old am I?) The last time I took a sick day off was when my dad had a heart attack, a couple of years back. I don't DO sick time. Ever. However, since H1N1 has struck fear and loathing in the hearts of so many, I decided maybe the young, handsome doc was right. He also told me to feel free to take the cough medicine he was prescribing EVERY FOUR HOURS. Since I was hacking up fur balls at that point and fairly confident that I cracked at least one rib from coughing, I toddled home, antibiotics (he called them the "big guns"), cough medicine, and an inhaler in tow. I cracked open the magic elixir and took the prescribed amount, one teaspoon. Not tablespoon, mind you, teaspoon with a little "t". Really, just a dribble or a thimble full. How could a little thimble full of something be so powerful?

Wow! This combo of fever and codeine is amazing! My dreams are very, very vivid, and sometimes a little wild when I have a fever. While I almost always dream in technicolor, my dreams don't usually resemble a Peter Max poster or something Andy Warhohl would create. Except right now they do. They have circles in them. Many, many circles. About the size of a penny. Some are opaque, some are translucent, and some even unravel or uncoil themselves. I'm drifting around on a cloud, but the cloud tastes like icing or frosting on a cake. It's not sticky or yucky at all. Actually, it's very comfortable and pleasant. I'm not really flying (after all, it's not LSD, it's just cough medicine), but I'm not walking, either. Floating, really. How very civilized of me. No matter how many times I wake up, I continue to dream of circles, circles, circles.

I'm confident that the circles mean something, but I am having such a fabulous time, I don't really care what the meaning is. Just keep that magic elixir coming, baby.