I know you are out there wondering “why no post from this last weekend, what a freakin’ slacker”. Well I’ll tell ya, I have been sick, again or maybe even still sick. I’ve been fighting sinus problems for more than a month now. Now its official, I have a sinus infection.
I managed to start Saturday by putting a few nagging tasks behind me on the Restoration Project. I first relocated the retaining clip for the tailgate springs. In its present location it was rubbing off the paint I labored so hard on the week before. I also removed the tires in preparation for another round of brake bleeding. I also hooked up all the electrics underneath the passenger side seat. I also sprayed some 3m Undercoating to seal the holes in the cargo area. And I got all the tools that were scattered all over the garage, put back in their places. All of this was so I could test out my handy work on the suspension, brake system, and viscous coupling with a short drive.
My goal for Saturday was a drive. As fate would have it though I was asked by my wife’s best friend’s husband if I would like to use his wife’s ticket to attend the University of Oklahoma vs the University of Colorado football game at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Allen “The Cable Guy”, is a hoot to tailgate hang out with. He informing me that the ham he was bringing was smoked for 8 hours in his smoker, and a promise of a ride to and fro, I accepted.
By Saturday mid-morning my head felt like someone had driven a chisel directly into my brain with the entry point between my eyes. Normally, I would have said no thank you I need to rest and recuperate. But I was thinking a handful of Advil and a couple of beers and I’d be good to go for a football game. Hell, I’d felt like this all week, how would today be any different than yesterday?
I had a haircut scheduled for 13:00 and wife my wife’s advice I stopped in at the Minor Emergency Clinic at the Healthplex for some drugs. Normally, I would have attempted to see my preferred physician, Dr. Karl Langkamp. The name almost impels you to say it with a hard German accent punctuated with an exclamation mark.
Doc-tur Kaarl Lang-KAMP!
But, Dr. Langkamp is not a first generation German emigrant like my friend The Evil German Dude (EGD) whom I’ve written about several times. The good doctor, is a gentle and jolly man, sans German accent. To get back to the story, Dr. Langkamp does not see patients on Friday afternoons and I didn’t think I was all that sick on Friday. I was at that time, still holding out hope that I would defeat the infection.
So after I got my hardcore Marine Corps style haircut, I went to get some treatment for my sinus infection. I filled out the forms, saw the doctor, got a few prescriptions for treatment of a chisel-to-the-forehead style sinus infection. I had to fill them away from my regular pharmacy (chemist) as well, they close at noon on Saturdays.
With pills in hand I arrived home just before Allen “The Cable Guy” was due to pick me up. With Mrs. OkieRover, THE REGISTERED NURSE, by my side she gave me instructions about the pills.
“Take the antibiotic now. You can start the Prednisone and Respa C&C tomorrow. That way you can have a few beers tonight.”
So I popped the first dose of Azithromycin, 500 mg, 2 tablets, as instructed and went to the game.
I have taken this pill many times. Why I can’t remember that I have to take it WITH FOOD is still a mystery to me. In any event you would think your wife THE REGISTERED NURSE, would have mentioned that I not take that on an empty stomach. She didn’t.
So we get to the tailgate and I start to put my drink on. I had 4 hours to game time and a six pack to nurse. I didn’t need to get blind, stinking, drunk, I just wanted to have a nice buzz come game time. At that point, I had also decided that I would treat myself with a cigar. So I walked through the tailgates and down to the neighborhood tobacconist, Royal Pipes and Tobacco, and picked out an Arturo Fuente Opus X. It had a nice draw and overall was pretty good for a 10$(US) cigar.
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So back at the tailgate, I’m nearly finished with my cigar and have had two beers. Then it hit me. I became very dizzy and started sweating profusely. I had the overwhelming desire to lay down except for the fact that if you lay down in public, on campus, surrounded by beer drinking revelers, you are going to get arrested. I also had an overwhelming desire not to be manhandled by the friend police officers of the OUPD. Discipline is the key to life. And today I’m glad I had the discipline to ride it out.
As you can well imagine, I didn’t want my day to end that way. So I sat down in the shade and waited it out. Allen “The Cable Guy” came back to the tailgate and told me, “I didn’t look so good”. I told him the story and we both thought if I ate something I would be good to go. They had just started serving and with a plate full of food and a couple of bottles of water I was in fact, good to go.
We continued to enjoy the company of the tailgate and finally headed into the game. OU prevailed in grand fashion and it was back to the tailgate. I had one more beer and then it was back to home.
Overall it was a good day. I would have liked to finished the short list of Saturday’s tasks but I had a good time and the break from the Restoration Part Duex was well deserved. As you may well imagine, I spent most of Sunday in bed. It wasn’t from the 3 beers I drank either. I started feeling human late Sunday evening. Except for some unexplained tiredness, I think I have turned the corner and feel pretty good. I’m hoping I will defeat the sinus infection this week and get back on the project come Saturday.
This coming Saturday I am going to drain the transmission fluid and replace it with some fresh stuff.
I am going to bleed the brakes and sort out any remaining issues with that system.
I am going to put the carpet and interior parts back inside the rear of the Rover.
And lastly I am going to drive the Range Rover for the first time since late August.
Hopefully it will be a satisfying jaunt and will be a welcome reward for so much time spent working on her.
And if it is not…at least the Marine Corps Ball is that night and I can toss a few back to forget about it.
As always, thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.
