Today's rambling: What a welcome it is!
Written on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2002 at 5:06 p.m.
while feeling a bit

Studies have shown that children who have been raised in a household that has pets are less likely to acquire normal allergies (which I guess would mean things like allergies to pet dander, hay fever, that sort of 'normal' stuff). I just read that in an article, and I thought it was kind of interesting. I can't link to it, because it was on the student section of the Clarion website (which is password-protected, hehe)...I'm sure it's on some other news section, though.

I used to be really really allergic to cats. But despite all the sneezing and sniffling I'd go through after being around one, I still couldn't help pressing my face into their soft fur whenever I was around one. This was when I was little, by the way. ;) Anyway, I think that the frequent exposure somehow eliminated that allergy. At least, I don't get all sneezy or anything whenever I'm around cats. I don't know if it has anything to do with my body changing as I grow older, or if I just somehow built up an immunity to pet dander. :P That article I read was saying that children who grow up with pets from the first year of life are shown to have fewer or no allergies, but I'm sure it could be the same for fairly young children, too. *shrugs* Anyway, that just interested me.

As for today...I was waiting outside the dining hall for Miranda, since we were supposed to go to lunch together. She wasn't there yet, so I sat down in the shade. The heat has brought bees out en masse, but there weren't really any around me so I didn't get all freaked out like I usually do. I kept waiting and waiting for Miranda, afraid that she must've already gone inside without me. Finally, I started to stand up...and felt something land on my right ring finger. My automatic response was to twitch my hand, then brush at it with my left. As soon as I moved, this unbelievable pain lanced through my finger.

I'd just been stung!

By a yellow jacket, too. I hate those bees. At least bumblebees and honey bees are cute, because they're all fuzzy, but yellow jackets just look evil. Those, wasps, and hornets. I just hate being around them because they make my skin crawl. I'd only ever been stung once by a yellow jacket, back when I was like 5 or 6. Since then, whenever a bee has come around me, I swat at it with a book (or whatever's handy) and beat a hasty retreat to a safer area. This was the first time I've been stung by a bee since that first incident. Seriously. A small part of me, after a few years, kept berating myself for being so silly as to run from bees. Now, I realize yet again why it is that I started running from them in the first place. The whole thing happened a little after 12 o'clock, and it's almost 5 now. Granted, the pain has lessened somewhat, but my finger's still swollen and it still hurts.

I immediately hastened off in the direction of the health center (which thankfully wasn't too far away), stopping only to tell Miranda (who'd called out my name) what happened. I was still sort of in shock, I guess, but as soon as the nurse came out and got me, I just started crying. :P Thankfully, it was only a brief burst of tears, and I quickly stopped, but it was enough for her and another older nurse to notice. They were both super nice, though. The older nurse came in to check my breathing (in case I was allergic), and she rubbed my arm sympathetically and said it was alright. *giggles* I love nice ladies like that. I'm such a baby.

Anyway, I think I was in there for over half an hour, waiting while the first nurse filled out some paperwork and gave me some stuff for the sting. The first thing she gave me was a Benadryl pill, which made me wary because those things just knock you out. I used to take them when I was younger and suffered from allergies a lot. She also gave me some hydrocortisone cream, but I sorta wish she hadn't because I know I'm not going to use any more of it unless this sting starts itching or something.

My next class was at 2, and as soon as I sat down I could feel the drowsiness taking over. Thankfully, the professor only kept us there long enough to hand out the syllabus and go over it. That took all of 10 minutes, and then we were able to leave. Becker Hall, where all my Communications classes (including this one) are located, is all the way at the other side of campus from my residence hall. The way there was downhill. The way back was UPhill. In the heat. I thought I was going to die by the time I got home. I went online briefly when I got back, then kicked off my shoes and laid down to take a nap. It didn't last very long, because my roommate came back from her class (and from that point on I felt uncomfortable sleeping), but I guess it was enough.

I'm supposed to take another Benadryl at 6:30, but I have Earth Science at 7 o'clock. I don't know how long we'll be there, so I don't really want to be falling asleep in that class!

I can't believe I'm procrastinating already. This is not a good sign, because I'd PROMISED myself I would do my best to study. Not that I have much of anything to do at this point; I already read the two sections I was supposed to for CIS, but I really need to review the first few chapters of my French book so that everything will come back to me! I read through a bit of it last night, and I think I'll be alright, but I should really try doing some of the exercises in this workbook. And I should pop that audio cassette in, to get used to hearing the language spoken again.

I'm meeting Miranda and her friend Elizabeth for lunch today at 5:30--at least, I hope they'd said 5:30!--so I guess I should go now. There's nothing going on online today! I posted at Hogwarts as Geoffrey, but I should probably post as his younger sister as well. I'll do that tonight after I get back from class...assuming I'm not knocked out by that second Benadryl. I guess I won't have to worry about getting to bed early today, eh?

What a welcome to campus!

Oh yeah! I finished that book "The Witches" last night. Is there a sequel to it? It didn't end very well, I thought. I found it interesting that...oops, I shouldn't say that, it ruins the ending! But I found the difference in endings between the movie and the book to be sort of interesting. Unless there's a sequel, and the movie just used ITS ending instead...But I can't imagine there would be a sequel, because what more can be said? I dunno, it was interesting enough, but I wasn't thrilled over it or anything.