June 01, 2006

7:20 p.m.

The Day I Harbored an Alien

Rose tried me on a new medication for something, the nature of which is more than you need to know, and it's put me in agony since seven o'clock this morning. Whoops.

I can't stand up straight. I can't take a deep breath. I groan about every five breaths. I feel poisoned, or possibly as though something has eaten a large hole behind my diaphragm.

As for me, forget eating, even when hungry and empty.

Suddenly, though, late this afternoon, I had another thought: What if I'm actually incubating an alien?

I've been listening for odd noises coming out of my midsection, but so far all is quiet, except for the groaning, which is coming from me. There haven't been any unusual movements under my shirt front, either. I don't know how long this sort of thing takes, but once it comes out, I hope it doesn't make a mess in the apartment. I never could live with a slobby roommate.

Seriously, though, I'm only up for a few minutes, because lying down is the only relief I get right now. Obviously I'm stopping the medication, and now have only to wait until this passes out of my system. Which had better be by tomorrow morning. If ever there were a time in my life when I DIDN'T want to lie around in bed, it's NOW.

Somehow, however, I finished the Peru journals today. They're so beautiful! At least that job is done; I wanted to start on other books today but I finally quit and went to bed, in my air conditioned room (did I mention the apartment is steamy?), with a few books. And that is the place to which I shall now resort. Ow.