Names

I hate to keep writing about being sick, but, hey, what else is there to think about when you're sick. The good news is that the sore throat and fever have finally gone away. The bad news is that this whole episode seems to have MS to kick in with a bit of relapse. The continued ringing in my ears, as the doc here said, is a neurologic problem, and so likely due to MS. Now, there is also pain from my feet to my ass resulting in a stiffness in gait, and there is also an overwhelming sense of fatigue. So I guess I just have to grin and bear it and wait to see how much of this my system will repair over time. Right now, I'm only good for about half a day, after which I feel totally wasted.

So, I get things done in the morning. This morning, for instance, I went down to Sanur for some decent brown bread, and then stopped by for coffee at a new restaurant. The waitress there was very nice and talked with me while I drank my coffee. There was no one else in the restaurant -- which is common, because there are way too many restaurants and far too few people in Sanur. In any case, I learned an interesting thing. I was already aware that most people in Bali have one of four possible names - Wayan, Ketut, Made or Nyoman. What I did not know is that Putu, Kadek and two other names (I've already forgotten) are the same as the first four. That is, Wayan and Putu are the same name. They both mean "First born" and are given to both males and females. Ketut is second, Made third and Nyoman fourth. However, you see, if the father's name is Wayan, his first born must be called Putu, which also means first. Made and Kadek are the same.

The Balinese also have two birthdays per year, but they don't celebrate them in any big way. This is not considered important. I wouldn't celebrate birthdays either if it meant I was getting old twice as fast as other people.

Continuation

Well, I spoke too soon in my last entry. Although the throat infection and fever went away with the antibiotics, the ringing in my ears continued, day and night, so back to the doctor again. There, I learned that the infection in my ears, and the inflammation, had gone, and what was left (the ringing) is a neurologic problem. In other words, MS. Got some pills for this, but they have helped only slightly, so far. Will finish the course and then, if the ringing persists, will try to find a neurologist here. One who has actually heard of MS, hopefully.

A Note from the Sick Bed

Just approaching, or so I hope, the tail-end of a three week illness entailing a sore throat, ringing in the ears, massive headache, fever and so on. Been to the doctor twice, got two different kinds of antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, decongestant, etc. etc. What a drag.

Funny, my wife got the same illness and was better in two days. But that's MS, ain't it. Immune system too busy attacking harmless systems to bother over-much with a real-life illness. Takes forever to heal from these common viruses. Will be the death of me yet.

So, I've been pretty much out of it. Just wanted to take a minute to jot something down, to serve as proof that I'm still alive.

Cronuts!

Discovered a store nearby that sells Cronuts. Love at first bite. Addicted now. Bought one last night and two more this morning. Delicious! I could totally live on Cronuts and Kapal Api Java Latte powdered coffee. Breakfast, lunch and dinner of champions.

Why is it that the more my wife concentrates on healthy eating, the more doughnuts and cakes I consume? Is it a passive-aggressive rebellion? Or do I just enjoy doughnuts and cakes more than ... well, more than food. Vegetables! Ick! She's taken to going to the outdoor markets and buying broccoli and carrots and lettuce and such-like. Last time there was a worm in the lettuce. I don't like worms with my lettuce. Frankly, I don't even like lettuce with my lettuce.

Adventures in Mopping

A busy bee am I today. Actually, starting last night. I had intended to wash the wife's car while she's gone to Jakarta. This is something I am always accused of not doing -- rightly enough, since I never do it. So anyway, I got to it yesterday evening. Troubles, however, from the outset. I could not get the hose to stay on the spigot to save my life. Every time I turned on the water, the hose would blast free. Not to be defeated, I stuck with it, and finally fixed the thing on the spigot with a combination of force and a rubber band. As long as the water was not turned on very strongly, the hose stayed fixed. However, by that time, it was swiftly getting dark. That happens fast, here in Bali. Darkness falls in the tropics like a drawn curtain. So, in the last light, I washed the thing as best as I could. And I note, this morning, that it does look vaguely as if it has been washed.

Onward, then, with things that I never do. My early morning task was to mop the floor. This proceeded much more smoothly than the car. After that, it was off to the ironing board, and then a trip down to Sanur for a break at JCO. Everyone, naturally, wants to know where Mike is. They are used to seeing us together, and they look a bit unhappy to see me arrive on my own.

Mana Mr. Mike?

Hmm, well ... mungkin marah, ya? Maybe angry.

Eh! Marah? Kenapa? Why? How can it be?

Ga tau. I don't know. Of course, I do know - but this would be rather more difficult to explain in Indonesian and ... well, I mean, what business is it of theirs anyway?

So I drank my coffee, ate my free doughnut and read some of the book I am currently reading - The Child. A pretty good book, so far.

Back home, now, with nothing more to wash, clean or mop.

Bedtime

I'm not sure what I did today, but suddenly it's over. Goin' on 10, and I'm thinkin' bed. Maybe I was abducted by aliens for a while, and thus the loss of time. Or maybe I stared at Facebook too long and simply spaced out. Ah, but there's that key word, "space"! I remember feeling vaguely hungry around dinner time and trying to decide between nasi goreng (fried chicken and rice) down the road or a slice of real honest-to-God chocolate pie from Ruth's in Sanur. I opted for the pie. No word from Mike today. Maybe he, too, was abducted by aliens. Or by Queen Elizabeth and her shady, satanic crowd. Hopefully, he wasn't molested. I mean, apart from being abducted. Lonely? Sure. But of well, I have my books and my poetry to protect me. Am I tired? Sound like, don't it?

New Badge

Got a nifty new badge for the blog from Health Line, as you can see to the left. Took me a while to attach the thing, actually. Kept turning out so big that it covered the whole blog. This may actually be a plus for some. But, anyway, I finally succeeded in making the badge of normal size. I'm challenged, right? I have MS. That's why I got the badge.

I may do a bit more writing here than usual over the next few days, as my wife and son are going to Jakarta and I'm fresh out of money, so expect to be holed up in the house for the most part.

Unusually rainy here this week, for being dry season. Kept hoping for a break this morning so that I could put our laundry out to dry, but no such luck. Looked like a let-up around 11:30, so I made a dash for Hardy's in Sanur in order to buy some groceries for dinner. But, again, by the time I got to the lonnnnnng traffic light on the Bypass, it started to piss down rain again. Just as the light turned red. Soaked straight through my clothes. Stopped at JCO for shelter, and a chance to dry out, but the rain continued. Finally had to get a second soaking on the way to Hardy's. Sloshed through the store, got our food, and headed back home. At which point, the clouds suddenly fled, the sun came out, and it is bright now and about 210 degrees Fahrenheit. I will hang my laundry, and then myself.