That Time of the Year

As most of the people in my life have been made very aware of in the past couple of months, I am an allergy sufferer. And, while having seasonal allergies is nothing akin to being burdened with a serious illness or disease, it is not a walk in the park, either. In fact, there are few things that are as capable of eroding the self esteem of a woman as allergies. After all, it if incredibly difficult to feel attractive when you are not only experiencing allergy symptoms -- the itchy, watery eyes; the scratchy throat; and ah yes, the runny nose and sneezing -- but reinventing them, which is what it feels like I have been doing. When my left nostril has turned into a faucet and my eyes feel like they've swollen to twice their natural size, I have to wonder how it is that anyone can even bear to look at me, let alone reside alongside me in the same office, apartment, or even concert hall.

So, then I woke up this morning and found a weird blotchy bit on the side of my right cheek bone. Either a spider bit my cheek and laid eggs under my skin. Or, I'm pretty sure the transformation into mutant is complete.

Sigh.