Wonders of Wildlife, encounters with humans, and infusion side effects from hell

Let's start with the positives. We had some free tickets to Wonders of Wildlife last weekend. Thanks, Johnny Morris! If you're going to be a billionaire with more money than god, you might as well put a bunch of really cool animals, aquariums, terrariums, etc., within walking distance of my house.

I won't post all the pics. You have to be there and all that. You can pay $10 for a little thing of Sutter Home wine. The crabs are cool as hell. It makes me glad I don't have nearly as many animals as I used to. Don't talk to me about aquarium parameters, k?

Close Encounters With Kinda Cool Folks

September-October has been good for catching up with people. It's interesting seeing people whose internal version of you is a decade-plus out of date. There's a fondness to the conversations, a sense of nostalgia that crumbles at the edges into a strange kind of amusement.

I'm not who I was in college or grad school or even yesterday. This is a writer/editor ass thing of me to say, but it's like someone opening the first draft of a document after you've made several rounds of revisions.

Maybe in the past I would have felt defensive and weird about that, but people can only work with the information they have. I was that person at one point, after all: or their interpretation of it, which is just as valid as anything, I guess.

Another Thing About Being Old, Sick, and Dead Already?

I've learned that some people belong in your life long-term. And some don't. Staying connected, catching up, letting go, and moving on are fluid states. I'm grateful for the people who are here. I'm grateful for the unexpected crossing of paths.

I'm also grateful for the ability to recognize when people who once mattered start to fit badly. When that happens, it's also likely mutual. It's autumn, so make like a tree and let the dead things fall away, already.

Infusion Round 2: Big Oof

After our WOW walk on Saturday, we came home to do my next infusion. It felt great during the damn thing. Felt fine the next day.

Monday morning? It felt like I was shivering in a trench on the Eastern Front while wasting away from typhus fever, cholera, and dysentery, hoping a stray non-fatal bullet would send me back to my sweet wife and child in merry England before death could scrape me off the battlefield.

MAYBE it wasn't that bad, but I can be dramatic. Doctor's orders. The fever and multi-symptom body slam sucked...even if it seems to be improving as the day goes on.

Hopefully, it's just an early-days adjustment thing. I know the IVIG infusions have side effects, dosage and frequency may need to be adjusted, having an immune system for the first time might feel worse before it feels better, etc.

Why Yes, I Would Like a Side of Cheese and Crackers With My Infusion Accoutrements

Parting Thots

I know we'll get the infusion thing figured out. In the meantime, some important updates from the menagerie:

Bakhtin would like to offer everyone her fall drink special, the Bakhtini. Made with gin, of course. Shaken, not purred. Just a whiff of vermouth and toxoplasmosis to really draw out the juniper notes!

Bite the butts, Ember. Do it. And for GOD'S SAKE, clean that dog spit off my got damn window.

I also did a little office makeover so that it can work better as a 2-in-1 home infusion center. Anyway. Catch ya on the flip side, hasta luego, I'll get better at conclusions eventually, etc.