While you are all getting ready for Christmas, I am having my own kind of fun. It's Chicken Pox at the ol' base. Too many kids here did not get their shots and now will be isolated for 4- 10 days. Well, it's actually only one guy with actual pox, but he's been doing the chicken dance around here for 2 weeks spreading these little gifts to his buddy's who also did not get shots, so they will all suffer. These buggers are extremely contagious. Since there is no space anywhere, they get confined to their rooms for the time. We've had to arrange for food, showers, bathroom time, laundry, and funtime (so they don't go stir crazy), and we now make house calls. Wait, wait, wait...not me. They happen to be all men. Go fiqure. No women allowed in male tents. Thankfully our guy medic is on the ball. He has had to write guidelines on how to handle this mess and he did a fabulous job- though I did help a little. I'm the research queen!
So last night after doing research on every patient that I've had thus far- because it's Afghanistan and no one just gets the sniffles, I went to feed at the trough- (good word, doesn't that make me sound very tired?). It's Friday! Steak Day! And also seafood day: Lobster, Crab legs, Shrimp, Scallops and MY FAVORITE!! Don't my family know it. We always have some seafood for Christmas and special events... and I'm so allergic. But they really take care of the food here. If you lose weight, it was only because of the extreme effort and sacrifice on your part. So I got my steak and I thought about trying just a little crab legs (No, No, No) just to see if I'm still allergic here too, when all of a sudden the cook puts scallops on my plate. I have never broken out from scallops before and they are the poor man's lobster, so how could something so cheap sounding be so bad for you- right? They where wonderfully breaded and deep fried and it was only 4 (giant) scallops. So I furtively stashed away with my bounty. I looked at them through most of the meal before I took a little bite and chewed....nothing. And swallowed.. I waited for 5 minutes for the familiar ear itch that let me know that I screwed up again...nothing. We all know how this story ends... after 2 scallops, the ear itch started and I stopped. By the time I got back to the office, the rash started. I took myself off to dreamland with my 2 little pink pills full of renewed sensitivity and compassion for my fellow itcher in time and a reminder to never do that again.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!
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