Friday Night Aches and Pains

I’m in the final four hours of my first 12 hr shift this “week.” The day has been pure torture. Totally agony, I kid you not.

I ping-pong between worrying my head will explode to worrying that it won’t. Calls have been nonstop – I bet I’ve answered 100 calls today but actually less then half of those were screen worthy. People call for the stupidest things and they get on my nerves when I feel this crappy.

Maybe I need a valium or something. Probably doesn’t help that I haven’t slept the past two nights because I felt sick. Wonder if this thing back home is what is causing this migraine. Wouldn’t be surprised. It makes me very sad.

I tried reading the book “Endangered Species” by Navada Barr but after 9 hrs, I still can’t get into it. I’d have to say its not one of her better ones. I should be done or almost done with it by now and I’m not even halfway there. All I want to do is close my eyes.

Every muscle in my body still hurts – I’ve taken aspirin with no success thus far. My neck and shoulders feel the worse though my calves come in a close 3rd. You have no idea how badly I need to go home.

The Fog

Dense fog swirls inland from the Gulf, bringing a sense that sinister forces are afoot. It would be a good night for a murder. I can picture Jack the Ripper waiting in the foggy shadows, scalpel in sweaty hand, for some hapless soul to wander by.

Somewhere a nervous Nelly is hurrying through the cobblestone streets trying to stay in the dim light the street lanterns afford. She’ll jump at every sound and be repeating some mantra designed to calm her until her front door came into sight. A noise will, perchance, make her stop just feet away from the Ripper. She will squint into the dark trying to reassure herself it was just an alley cat scrounging through the trash for its supper.

Stealthier then a lion, the Ripper will sidle up to her there in the fog. Perhaps she’ll hear his breath then and get that cold shiver of fear down her spine. She’ll sense the danger but like so many other species that are prey instead of predator, she won’t move away fast enough. Another victim.

Not even the crickets chirp their usual song – it is dead silent out – one could almost pretend they are the last person on earth. What a forlorn thought.

Gravity

Today I finished “Gravity” by Tess Gerritsen. The first unbidden thought that comes to mind is that it is impressive that the book was written by a female. Yes, I’m properly outraged that I could say such a thing.

The book was good – I could see it being a successful sci-fi original movie. Its kind of a “Leviathan” only in space. Where the movie Leviathan was based more on getting away from the creature, “Gravity” is about the science involved in the making and killing of the creature. Guess it would be more like “Relic” in that respect. I like when they try to analyze the creature instead of just panicking and running away with their tail between their legs.

Ok, the book is about a life form that gets loose on a space station. I say a “life form” but it is really more of a microbe then a creature. Slowly the astronauts are infected and start dying. As with many things in life, the simplest answer is the correct one so, of course, it is tried last because humans like to make things more difficult then they have to be.

I liked the humanness of the story – the relationships between not only the astronauts but also with their friends and families on earth. I do recommend this book though admittedly it has a lot of scientific components. I’ve always been a huge fan of science and regret never pursuing something in that field.