and so it has begun…

It was nearly 3:30am and I was sleeping quite comfortably when I felt a presence.  I opened my eyes slowly and saw a smallish figure standing next to me.  “I can’t fall asleep.  I keep waking up, and my head hurts.”  “You’ve been in bed for six hours”, I said to my distraught son.  “Let me feel you’re…oh man you’re burning up.”  We walked out into the kitchen to check the fever and to get some Ibuprofen.  As I poured the Ibuprofen into the medicine cup my son leaned over into the kitchen sink and emptied his stomach contents.

Three weeks into the school year and the illnesses have begun.

First it was last week and my ten year old daughter came home with fever and sore throat.  Hers didn’t last but a couple days(Praise Jebus), and as of early this afternoon we’ve had three popsicles and have watched ample amounts of Justice League, The Simpsons, and more Justice League.  There hasn’t been any throw up since 10am, so maybe we’re through the worst of it.  Maybe.

I’ve got a bad feeling about this year’s “flu season”.  I already know a handful of people that have had this nasty crap, ranging from head/chest colds to full-on “vomitus eruptus”.  So I’ve made the tough decision to pull the kids out of school and I will home school them in a sterile, germ-free environment.  I’ve already made some calls and there will be a company coming over to give me quotes on what it will cost to convert our garage into a sterile room.  I’ve given work my two week’s notice and have ordered a teachers desk made of pvc and coated in visqueen.  I haven’t talked to my wife, or the kids for that matter, about these new arrangements.  But I figure they’ll understand.  And once they realize we’ll be that much safer and healthier, I think everyone will be on board.  And really, homeschooling will be fun.  We can have story time out in the yard(in our plastic suits of course).  We can study horror film history, famous guitarists of the 20th Century, pizza etiquette, and independent study of DC and Marvel supervillains, and the finer points of Swedish cinema…

Ehh, I guess I’ll just buy lots of Kleenex, pain reliever, and Clorox Wipes.  And I’ll call work and tell ’em I’ll be in tomorrow.

I’ve been listening to NIN Hesitation Marks all week, and all I have to say is that if you were a fan of Mr. Reznor once, you will be a fan once again.  It’s classic Nine Inch Nails.  Definitely reaching back and getting jiggy with the 808 beats and slithery electronica.  I hear a lot of folks say they miss the angsty and angry stuff from 1994, well I’m here to say “stop living in the past, man!”  Reznor is finally comfortable in his own skin now, after years of whatever crazy crap was going through his head.  It’s the danciest record he’s made in years, and the second half of the album is probably the best music he’s made since the 90s.  I’m going to write a review very soon.  Until then, you should just grab a copy.  I recommend the 180 gram vinyl, as it’s pretty amazing sounding.  But there’s a great audiophile digital download version out there, so snag it.

All right, someone wants another Avengers popsicle.