sad

Stick a fork in me...

Sorry in advance if this is TMI. Maybe it's my paranoia talking...y'know, depression-related rumination...but I'm convinced those little "bitey things" I mentioned a post or 2 ago are more than just mosquitoes or gnats.

Yesterday, I'd convinced myself they were scabies. :P It was worse that I was attending a birthday party for my cousin's mom (it sounds weird saying it like that, but it'd be weirder if I'd said my second cousin's ex-wife, but her son is technically my 3rd cousin, I think...so most of the time, I just call her my cousin, thus negating the need to explain everything I just explained here). I'd already committed not only to going, but to picking up my other cousin (who doesn't drive) & his friend, & having everybody either shake my hand or hug & kiss me. I did explain to a couple people (only ones I was related to, though) that I'd been bitten by bugs after gardening & also after sleeping with open windows on hot days & feared catching something, considering you hear so many news stories about things like Zika. I was pretty nervous the whole day, though I felt better having food & talking to people for a bit.

Tried doing a lot of reading up on mites (of which scabies is a type) & whatnot. Some things made me feel a bit better. Some things, not so much. O.o

It all started with some bites, scratches, & what looked like blisters on my hands, which I'd gotten after doing that gardening. They all itched like crazy for a while, which I put down to bites or poison ivy. One of them (the worst of them), I scratched so badly, I kind of ripped it open, & so I put Neosporin on it, & it's been healing. Any itches after that, I put down to the healing process. The other little bites & itches, I put down to sleeping with open windows. Then I was afraid it might be bedbugs, but I see no bugs, nor any indication of bugs. Washed my bedding & clothes.

The itching's been less recently, just little bits here & there (most commonly, scabies would have constant, relentless itching, or so I've read), but fairly regularly timed, it seems. It's more annoying than anything. Sometimes, I can figure it's my clothing rubbing against the little hairs on, say, my arms or neck, or the hair growing in on my legs. Sometimes, I'll feel little pinprick sensations (those, I can't explain, which is one reason why the mite theory is still on the table), or the kind of feeling you get when a hair falls off your head & touches your skin (& since my hair falls out a lot, I attributed a lot to that), & these occur at various points on my body, but could be anywhere, from head to toe, but I thought at least some of it might be something psychosomatic from reading all those internet articles.

However, yesterday - & this is the other reason the mite theory still stands - I woke up with a small skin blotch near the inside of my elbow. It had tiny red dots around it, & looked like a bumpy rash. That's what freaked me out. As I had a couple of what looked like small welts not far from that spot today, & what appeared to be a number of light, tiny, bite-like bumps on the same arm (which seem to be fading but aren't completely gone), & the itching (or possibly sensitivity? Could it be the antibiotic cream I'm using for the mole removal?).

I'm gonna call the dermatologist tomorrow. I just hope it isn't something contagious...or long-lasting!

Also gonna try taking some final measurements & maybe order that sofa set. I found one that might actually fit through the door! Gonna order the tables, too. Then I can arrange for the junk people to take out the old stuff.

And I just found another bite on my leg. Ugh.

If it ain't one thing, it's another, & I'm getting rather fed up with it. I haven't read any Biblical passages pretty much since I was a kid, but I'm starting to feel like frickin' Job here.
vpn

Might have it, but I can't spell it

It's hyperacusis, the sound sensitivity. I'm still afraid of shows & travel, though I've worn silicone earplugs for nearly a decade with no change to my tinnitus. Will have to see a doctor (ENT or audiologist), trying not to get too far ahead of myself here...kinda failing. A little pressure today, sound was okay but gets louder in right ear, it seems, once I'm at work. Will my life ever be "normal" again?
morticia, sweet

We have such sights to show you...

Well, another Monster-Mania is in the can. ^_^

This time, the only family member who could make it was my brother, Mark, who was accompanied by his girlfriend, Jennifer. Nice gal. ^^ They stayed at my place Fri. night (8/17), so we could set off early Sat. morning (the 18th). We chatted & watched tv & checked up on the Facebook commentary about the Fri. night portion of the convention. There was some disappointment expressed at some of the autograph prices, which made us a bit nervous, but we weren't deterred.

As it takes me ages & ages to get ready for anything, I got up early & got myself together. A coat of paint, a slap of powder, a little steam, shut off the lights & fans (it's been warm here lately), & we were on our way! But first, a stop at Dunkin Donuts for breakfast.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/…

Backed up by a little Bob Marley music, we made our way to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill, where they hold the NJ edition of the convention every year. The conventions run for 3 days, but Saturdays are the most crowded, largely because all the events - such as movie screenings & celebrity Q&A panels - happen on that day. So parking is a bit of a hassle, to say the least. But we got lucky & found a spot without too much trouble.

The Batmobile was out front this time!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/…

It's been there before, but this is the first time I got a decent picture of it. Last time, they had one of the cars from Christine.

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There's a convention coming up in MD again at the end of this month. Not sure if we'll be going to that, but if I'm there, you can be sure there'll be a write-up!

Until then, thanks for reading, & stay tuned for my Dead Can Dance concert report!
hyde

Careful - This post is loaded with MSG. ^_^

Madison Square Garden, that is!

That’s where my brother, Johnathan, & I saw the NYC performance of L’Arc-en-Ciel’s 20th Anniversary World Tour on Sunday, March 25, 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttI…

We were supposed to go with a couple of friends, who, for various reasons, were unable to make it. To them, & to my other friends who wished they could have been there – I dedicate this post.

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Anyway, I want to get this posted, since it's 3 months overdue!

To see the full set of photos from the day, have a gander at my Facebook album:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set…

Thanks for reading!
vpn

We came, we saw, we møde’d

Anyone who's known me for a while knows that I, with family &/or friends, can be seen at least once a year at the Monster-Mania horror film conventions (http://www.monstermania.net/). You can read about our previous convention experiences here:

http://japanesedream.livejournal.c… (2nd half)

http://japanesedream.livejournal.c…
http://japanesedream.livejournal.c…
http://japanesedream.livejournal.c…

http://japanesedream.livejournal.c…
http://japanesedream.livejournal.c…

http://japanesedream.livejournal.c…

And now...a very quick run-down of the events leading up to - & a very long account of our attendance at - the first Monster-Mania of 2012 (Sat., 3/10).

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