ticks bite (an educational blog)

i awoke sunday morning feeling optomistic. coming into consciousness, i realized the rhythmic sound that awoke me was not the beat of life, but tj's knock on my bedroom door (did i really just write that? sometimes i feel compelled to throw in overly dramatic narratives). as i jumped out of bed, i also remembered the suspiciously tick-like critter i found on my abdomen the night before.

"i think i got a tick bite and the head's in my skin and i kinda want to go to the doctor," i said while opening the door.

tiffany looked surprised and said, "really? how'd you get it?" i explained the night hike and she quickly shifted into mom mode, "you should definately go to the doctor. i'll move my car. call me to keep me posted, k?"

alarmed into alertness, i exited the apartment. tiffany called after me, "do you wanna brush your teeth or anything? you'll probably be there for awhile." i felt the do-rag on my head looked at my stained capoeira pants and considered my braless state.

"yeah. i probably should," i mumbled, retreating to my room. a few minutes later, and a few degrees more hygenic, tj and i made the car swap and i headed to...well, i wasn't quite sure where i should go, considering i hadn't been to the doctor's since college. but i called the good ole insurance 800 number and sorted it out well enough.

the emergency room visit was brief and relatively painless. and it appears i fought the tick head, and i won. so i left with a tetanus shot, antibiotic cream, and more wisdom on ticks and their biting habits.

According to wikipedia.org, "Tick bites look like mosquito bites, but can also sometimes bruise or resemble a bullseye" (see exhibit "a").

exibit "a" - an ink blot size bullseye mark. there was initially some swelling around a black, then blackish blue, and now red spot. for such a small mark, it is remarkably sore.

in case you were wondering, wikipedia.org also suggests that ticks are in the class of arachnida, but i would argue they are from the school of satan. i have little evidence to support this hypothesis, but i feel it is only a matter of time before necessary documentation comes to light.

it is hard to top off a day that starts by searching for a tick head, and involves an inquisitive doctor who is sporting turbo magnifying classes. however, other highlights included:

- teaching an impromptu relief society lesson on forgiveness
- listening to d.ax factor's mother's day talk
- making signs with renee for the express purpose of distracting dave during his talk
- chatting with sister-in-law, velia, and mom and dad
- watching "the sting" on laser disc
- having a pseudo-sleepover with katie and dave