Well, at least he's honest. Hi, Area 64!
So I guess you're wondering why your conversations have been relatively ShadowBrain-free for the last week or so. Well, pull up a chair (assuming you stand to use a computer) and lend a virtual ear...
It was sometime last week--or perhaps a bit before, I can't remember the exact date--when I was suddenly struck with a cold. Headache, a Kleenex-depleting nose, and muscular aches were the primary symptoms, and all I could do was take lots of pills and wonder how I got sick in the middle of the summer. During this period of time, I intended to air my complaints concerning my condition on the Angst Thread, but never got around to it. Time passed, and just when things seemed to be improving, I woke up last Sunday morning (having not slept well any of the previous nights, I guess I that should read: about 3:00AM) with escalating nausea, an inexplicable addition to my already considerable list of ailments. I took some Tums and tried functioning normally, but it got to the point where I only felt comfortable in a bathroom with an open toilet lid. It had been a while since I had thrown up, and I quite literally had a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that it was about to happen again... but no! Yet the pain was such that I felt induced vomiting was in order. No dice. I tried drinking water, coughing and gagging, thinking of 2 Girls 1 Cup, and whatever was in me stayed put. Without exaggeration, I think I spent the better part of an hour deciding whether or not to poke my uvula. Eventually, when I realized other people were getting up, I decided to instead throw in the towel (figuratively speaking). When mom heard about my state, I spent most of the rest of the day in bed, sucking down 7up as best I could and eating small amounts of toast. When dinner rolled around, I felt confident enough in my appetite to eat a small amount of heavy food... which later resulted in me becoming so sick to my stomach that I could only comfortably communicate through hand gestures and head jiggles. Oh, and did I mention my grandparents came by a little earlier and I still had a responsibility to pack for an extended hiking/camping trip starting the next day? That's right, and that's the main reason I was gone so long. As you may know, I am a (somewhat reluctant) Boy Scout, and the "50-Miler" trip stretched from Monday morning to Friday afternoon. In essence, with my brother and dad along for the ride as usual, I spent five five days and four nights in the Olympics, hiking considerable distances and braving, among other things, a bee sting (unprovoked! I wasn't the only one, though, and both my bro and dad got it as well), a horror movie's worth of flies almost every day, bears, forest fire-induced detours (it was planned as basically the 60-Miler, then it looked like it was going to become the 45-miler, then copious day hikes and moderate rationalization made it live up to its name), and the possibility of cougars and lightning strikes. There was a picnic when we got back yesterday, though.
...And I was sick the whole time. Never threw up, though! Oh, and I would've posted yesterday evening, but I was busy trying in vain to catch up on GoNintendo news updates.