February is sick month

Just as well that I cut out the booze this month, I'm not on antibiotics. And not for that, thank you very much. February is about the time the Japanese cedars (I believe) release their pollen. It's similar to what happens in Indiana when the cottentails send out their little minions of annoyance: clogged/runny nose and itchy eyes. Yes, folks, allergy season in Japan is in February.

Despite taking meds, I get sick. I think it has to do with not having heating in my bedroom, besides a simple little 2-bar space heater that is costly to leave on all night, not to mention incredibly dangerous. I think the cold air combined with the allergies gives me a sinus infection. I was looking for my doctor's card today (I've sense gained a third one since the one I went to last year in Hiratsuka is closed Mondays) and they were all issued in February of each preceding year. Except the first year, because that year I decided to tough it out, which turned out to be an incredibly bad idea. How bad? Like shivering, delirious, crouched in a hot shower kind of bad. I decided to forgo that, cancelled my tutoring lessons for this evening ($70 gone) and shelled out $50 to see the doc.

I tried out a new place, one Tracey recommended, though it turned out to be a children's doctor (dunno why they treated Tracey). Those people recommended another one around the corner, with a kindly old doctor who spoke about two words of English and a nurse who showed pretty much everybody in the waiting room how I'd written my address in kanji.

So now I'm at home with a ton of kleenex and having drunk about a gallon of tea, and my damn heater won't turn on for some reason. Hopefully an early night and the antibiotics will get me set for tomorrow. Today's lessons with 6-year olds was hell.