I’m here. I wasn’t supposed to be. I was supposed to be at a “there” right now. Specifically, I was supposed to be crammed in a cabin in the woods with stinky boys, while listening to the rain fall. For you, that might sound horrible, but for me, it would be heaven. Simply to be at a “there” and not a “here” would have been lovely. I’ve been here for months and months, and it is rather tiresome.

We had to delay our road trip through rural New England, because Ian’s ongoing medical issues have required a tweaking of medication and proximity to a hospital. And because I got a mysterious stomach bug.

Now, I never get stomach bugs. I eat street food from Manhattan without fear. But a couple of days ago, things were not happy down below. And, in times like these, any unusual ailment should be taken seriously. After a thorough review of every questionable medical website written by bots in Manilla, I have learned that some people with COVID never get any other symptom other than gastro-intestinal woes.

I am totally fine. No fever. No cough. It’s just a slight stomach ache, which was more than likely brought on by an especially spicy, rich pot of chili that Steve cooked on Thursday night, combined with rather high levels of stress. But one must be careful these days.

So, we went to Rite Aid for one of those thermometer guns — totally fun toy, btw — and a rapid COVID test. I was totally impressed with the efficiency of the COVID testing in the Rite Aid parking lot. Jonah has already done it there twice — before and after a trip to a lake house with friends.

I made an appointment the night before online. At 11:00 the next day, I stuck a plastic Q-tip up my nose, while still sitting my car, and and handed it over to a nurse who held out a plastic tray with a metal claw. Two days later we’ll get the results.

I am sure that I am fine, but to be careful, I’m holding up in the bedroom for the day with my computer and devices. I’ll make revisions on an essay and reread some old romance novels. I’ll write another blog post and sell some books online. A normal day, in other words.

The windows in my bedroom are open, so I can hear the rain here, too. Most importantly, I can smell the rain.

UPDATE: I am also using the time in my bedroom to finally use all those little sample sized containers of moisturizers and other beauty products. I am exfoliating. Next up, I’m getting a mud-mask. Fun times here.

UPDATE2: I’m fine. The test came back negative. We leave for vacation first thing tomorrow.