Things that happened

So now all my young little residents have checked out. They have left the hall a dirty mess. Bastards…Just kidding. I love them, just not their messes. DO YOUR FLOOR CHORES YOU SLACKERS.

Anyhow, I got done checking them out yesterday and had a whirlwind adventure. Let me tell you about it…Firstly I finished with checkouts at about 5. I had worn my bathrobe the entire day. The day before I had worn pants. No one needs to wear pants to check out residents. Completely useless. Bathrobes are the way of the future. Let me tell you this: So comfy.

In any case I checked them out in a more comfortable manner. Then I was finished (as I said) at 5. At 5 I took a shower. It was nice to be clean. It was nice to get food. Which I did. My friend Riley went and snagged me some delicious Teriyaki. This is where the adventure began.

Yasuko’s teriyaki is good teriyaki. I like it. They give me enough food. This is sometimes a challenge that restaurants and I face…Sometimes they don’t have “Chauncey-sized” portions. When that happens I don’t like to eat there. Thus I eat at yasuko’s. In any case, they pull the chicken for their teriyaki from a heated drawer…kinda sketch. Mostly I don’t mind, but maybe I should start.

I ate my teriyaki (like one does. I wasn’t fixin’ to wear it as a hat) and then I took a nap because I was as tired as I ever could be. I woke up from my nap with a migraine and intense sorts of stomach pain. I suppose the migraine was expected. I was dehydrated from not really eating enough for breakfast and then crying when people I loved left. I then checked people out all day after not sleeping enough. Also, I’m allergic to legumes (beans, soy, peanuts, etc…they’re everywhere) they give me migraines eventually. Several weeks ago I ate some really good chili at Dr.Nienhuis’s house. In the name of politeness I ate the great food. Mostly knowing what was ahead. Anyhow, add them up and you have the perfect storm for a migraine. Thus it was.

I mentioned stomach pain. It hurt. I didn’t know why. Usually migraines don’t come with that. I suspect it was the teriyaki. For the first time ever, Yasuko’s let me down. 

I awoke in this state of pain in multiple locations to have to check out a resident (one of 3 left). I stumbled around and checked his room with periodic breaks on his bed to avoid throwing up everywhere and forcing him to clean. After this I sought refuge. I called my friend Jess and asked her if she would bring me some pain-killers. She did. They did not work. My stomach was leading a jihad against my body and so I was forced to induce vomiting to solve my issues. That got rid of the stomach pain. No surprises there. However the migraine still existed. 

At 9PM I was to report to the lobby for our staff time. When I woke up to a phone call at 9:10 the migraine I had was manageable. So I decided to go to staff time. It was a cold night so we went to the commuter lounge and ate food and hung out with each other and did a circle of compliments. It was great. I heard some wonderful things that I appreciate very very much and I got to tell people that I appreciate some of the reasons why I appreciate them. However, I had the migraine the whole time.

I asked Jesus if He would be willing to get me through the time and not let me lose the moment because of fierce pain. Prayer was answered. I made it through. I still had to adjust the position of my body multiple times and move the least amount possible to avoid more extreme sorts of pain…BUT I got to experience what was probably one of the best staff times I’ve ever had. I really love these people. We got this great picture frame with a picture of us all in it and we all signed each other’s frame. I’m gonna be keeping that for a long time. I found myself realizing that in the midst of this job I’ve been very lonely. I kept desiring deep relationships with people who I can relate to, who understand me and what I’m experiencing. I’ve found that while a few of my relationships with folks outside my staff can do that for me, most can’t. I can’t see those people who do all the time and so I got lonely. 

While I was in staff time last night I realized that my staff had been what I had wanted the whole time. They were people that I knew. I knew what they were going through. I appreciate them. I get along with them. They are the friends I’ve been looking for and desiring this whole year. I get that now. Right at the end of our time on staff, but all the same, we’ve still got another year to hang out. I’ll be doing that. 

By the end of staff time we were all crying. Except for Courtney. She kills baby seals for fun anyway. No worries there. (just kidding Courtney). It was my fault (no I am not at fault for Courtney’s disregard for cute baby animals) I started the crying. I was trying tell JJ how much I appreciated him and it all fell apart. I just couldn’t say anything without crying. I ended up saying about 2 sentences and starting crying. Then everyone else followed suit. We love each other a lot.

By the end of the time it was 1AM. Then my adventure continued. When we got done I had fierce head pain. The kind that renders  me unable to walk well. Ben Troop said he had some high class pain killers that I could take. I did. On my way back to my room for sleep I felt the feeling. The feeling that happens when you’re going to throw up again. I ran to my room, got to the bathroom ASAP and then I leaned over the toilet. Nothing came. Victoriously I stood up hoping to just go to bed…then I knew it was coming and bent back down. Not fast enough to save the floor of my bathroom from vomit.

I was furious. I sprayed Simple Green on the evil and went to bed. More to follow at a later time. There’s company. That was the end of my adventure as of yesterday. Good story huh?