went to see Doctor Q, my Primary Care doc who I see about every three months and who is really generally a Pretty Cool Dude.

he investigated my fingertip, which has turned even more interesting colors than it was last night when we were bandaging it.

end result: don't actually clean it again, not today, because it was thoroughly cleaned last night and cleaning it again will make it probably start bleeding again; bandage it up again. tetanus shot, because I'm not sure when the last one was and lockjaw is Bad; Mom said she usually gets hers on the decade, for easier remembering, so now I guess I will be, too.

keep it clean, change the bandages every day or so, don't be a stupid moron as regards massage class next week+. this will probably take 2-3 weeks to heal in total, and most likely part of the skin isn't going to heal but will instead be replaced in due time.

my hand is now wrapped up in a ridiculously expansive bandage, considering the entire injury takes place over about half a square inch of my finger. a picture will show up at some point after I've figured out how to take a shower, because my hair looks stupider than usual.

(answer probably involves a plastic bag and some tape, and possibly some assistance. or a bath, instead.)

important to add: Dr. Q is missing two or three fingertips from a freak alligator/snowblower incident many years ago; he pointed out that I could just get rid of my fingertip if it was going to cause me so many problems (as this is the same one that has gotten a second-degree burn from making pancakes at age 12 and was smashed in a church window a few years later).

I told him I'd consider it.

I know I'm a little late in the month for this, but if I was ever going to live the movie Groundhog Day I would like another chance to get today right.

Horrible unhappy mood, arguments, broken mugs (my two favorites are now both shattered), cut-up finger.

( bitching )

Apparently when you go to a therapist's office, say "I think I have ADD," describe your life and describe ADD by doing so, they don't necessarily make you fill out a questionnaire or anything!

that may have been the most productive hour of my entire life.

and now: to conquer other doctor's offices, especially when nobody answers the damn phone.

(and then to collect my Rue, and figure out some way to celebrate, I guess.)

so this one time, we were at the Metro 20, and I went into the men's room and discovered that it was the most well-equipped men's room I've been in in my life.

in the stall was the sports section of the paper and a bottle of Spic & Span disinfectant.

it was amazing.

---

I won't be going there again soon, though, because Rue has come down with swine flu, and so I get to hang out and take care of her through her time of quarantine.

since technically this makes me quarantined too, I ... think. ish.

(meanwhile, despite spending massive amounts of time around her, my only sign of illness has been a slightly-sore throat last night that hasn't been bothering me today except for when I went several hours without anything to drink. similarly my sister, despite picking up a wretched case of mono about two months ago [which I think means she has three more months to go before being considered clear of it], has not gained a case of flu yet despite a lot of traveling around with her boyfriend, who does now have a case of it.)

also, Tamiflu is a) real and b) fucking expensive. I bitch about the cost of my anti-inflammatories, but those are at least a 30-day supply for $80 ... not a five-day supply.

This is today, so far:

α.) Remembered at 7:55, while still in bed, that I had an appointment for a blood draw at 8:10.

β.) Despite this, and despite needing a shower, was only fifteen minutes late.

γ.) Got to school late, and used last currently-available grace. >:(

δ.) Originally unremarkable class (full-body integration! I think I'm the only one excited by this) became remarkable when Laura (the teacher) said, essentially, "uh, so Tara [Dean of Admissions] is making a Virtual Tour video to go on the website, and wants some people doing massages for the classroom tour. If you guys are willing, pack up and go downstairs to the South Classroom, okay?"

ε.) Managed successfully to squeeze a full-body massage into a single hour, without any big lapses or left-out bits, while being filmed for two separate takes. While wearing a piratical bandanna to keep sweat out of my eyes, no less!

ζ.) While leaving class, was caught up by Grayce [the office manager / receptionist], who said that Rue had called to say she was going to a Hazmat Issue at the YMCA, something vague about a chlorine fire? (Grayce looked so bewildered. Apparently she'd missed the fact that Rue is an EMT and also trained in hazmat.) Thanked Grayce, and explained this.

θ.) Went to the DSS in order to resume foodstamps, since Rue was not ... at home ... at all. This mostly entailed sitting for half an hour and waiting for someone to remember I was there; during this time a man who wanted to evict people from one of his apartments (from what I gathered, DSS was paying their rent, and they kept trashing the apartment and causing a lot of damage he had to pay for, and he was sick of it) who also looked disturbingly like a cross between Bill Nighy and Donald Rumsfeld made racist statements at me! Very disparaging. I was straight-up all :| at him. I don't think he noticed, though, or the way that his "especially, pardon me, black people" was incredibly fucking offensive. Even though I'm not black. :|

η.) And then I tried to get health insurance, since I won't have any in mid-August (and will be utterly and totally fucked) if I don't do something about it. I was pretty sure I didn't qualify for Medicaid, so I wasn't going to apply for it, but the woman at the Family Health Plus office told me to go there first anyway, and bring prescriptions if I had any, because that way I wouldn't have to wait until August for an appointment. This was helpful information not subsequently provided by the woman in the Medicaid office. I now have a lot of paperwork to fill out and take back on Monday afternoon, and also on Monday have to go back to my doctor's office (which makes it, technically, four times in one week!) to get new prescriptions.

ι.) Mind you, I got prescriptions from him on Tuesday. And realized, last night while dropping them off at the drugstore, that I have refills for at least ten months for one of them, and probably at least six for the other. So I really, really feel fucking ridiculous asking for yet more prescriptions.

κ.) When I got home, I talked to Rue, who is still at the chlorine fire (and also still now, as I write this), very hungry, warning me not to go outside or let the outside in until she says it's okay (which means no open windows or, uh, the air conditioner, and it's about 80˚F out there today; thank fuck we only have north-facing windows), probably having more fun than she'll avoid feeling guilty for later. No area restaurants are helping the emergency services personnel by feeding them. I would go get food, but I can't afford to feed anyone but just her. :(

λ.) This list was not originally going to be numbered in this style, and then I decided to anyway.

μ.) I'm also very hungry, so despite the fact we have no toaster while I strongly desire toast, I will attempt to eat something light. (Because, after all, sooner or later Rue is going to need to be fed, too, and eating with her is polite and often tasty.)