crazy itchy hives

Did you know that the word “carrot” has four homonyms in the English language? You’ve got “carrot,” “caret,” “karat,” and “carat.” What a dumb language. Tonight we’ve got a surprise Shins/Decemberists show in Davis, so that should be fun. Now onto the meat!

Well, after going to the doctor once and getting a prescription for some kinda allergy drug – I still get crazy itchy hives when I come in contact with coldness. I will say that the medicine has stemmed the reaction a bit, in that it doesn’t happen every morning when I go outside anymore (aside from a little itching and tightness in my hands). But doing things that are super cold, like wakeboarding, still bring out the hives and itchiness in force. Sunday we were on the river, and when I came out of the water my whole body was on fire with itch – and covered with mottled red spots. I looked like a tomato, and all my skin felt tight and warm – and like the last time I was in the river, my chest got tight and I felt dizzy. It’s so strange, after being in the water for a while I get short of breath and woozy, not to mention itchy and bright red.

Being that I just didn’t believe the whole thing to just be “allergies,” I decided to do some research online. A couple refined Googles brought up information on a condition called “cold urticaria.” Seems like it’s a real thing, and while it can come at any age – it’s most prevalent in younger people. An allergy to cold? How much does that suck? But dude, the symptoms are dead on exactly what I experience under the exact same conditions. Sounds like I’ve been stricken with the urticaria, maybe I should hold a benefit concert? Anyway, several websites say you can test for this malady by holding ice against your skin for a few minutes. So, Anthony and I went downstairs at work yesterday and filled a napkin with ice from the soda machine. We sat down in the cafeteria and I held the ice to my forearm for about 5min. Went back upstairs and within a couple minutes my whole arm was blotchy red, warm, and itchy. Oh, that proves it – I’ve got the cold urticaria, ain’t no denying.

OK, so when I first listened to this new Wilco album – I wasn’t that impressed. I mean, there’s been a lot going on with this album. It was leaked, in an unfinished form, nearly a year prior to it’s release. Being that so many people had the album so early, Wilco set up a website for fans who downloaded the leaked copy – allowing them to make donations in whatever amount they thought fair compensation for the music, all of which would be donated to charity (Doctors Without Borders). Here we are in May, and the album is still unreleased (there were some label problems, some lineup changes, some rehab time served) – and I’m sitting here listening to it and liking it more each time. Like I said, I wasn’t that impressed on first listen – a sentiment that Ben echoed (although he went so far as to call some songs “uninspired”). But the more I listen, the more emotion the tunes convey. Not only does it have a Pavement-esque indie tinge, it’s flirting with that 70s drug-country vibe. Drug-thick minimal rock-country arrangements ala JJ Cale, Jesse Colin Young, or Brewer & Shipley. Just something to sit stoned on a mountain to while looking out over God’s creation. What, a whole useless paragraph about one album – sorry.

I guess work really does sink into my brain more than I’m willing to admit. I mean, I like to think that, regardless of how much I think about work when I’m at work, work-related thoughts are only accessing the periphery of my brain. I don’t want to let them into the real stuff like installing sprinklers and checking account balances and what’s for dinner – work stuff needs to be relegated to the edges where I’m sure I’m not really “thinking” about it at all. It would be a shame if I couldn’t learn the lyrics to a new song just because I have some work junk taking up the neurons where those lyrics want to move in.

Anyway, I guess it’s all this talk of offshoring to China or something – but last night I had a dream that Sharaun and I were over in Shanghai picking out an apartment. I guess we were going to live there for a while or something. Freaked me out in the morning when I woke up and remembered it. Stupid China.

Dave out.

Also written on this day...

• beach day - 2019
• things of permanence - 2010
• deceleration - 2009
• homecoming - 2007
• run #83 - 2006