A word of caution!

CAUTION: FOLLOWING BLOG POST IS EXTREMELY LONG, DETAILED, AND HOPEFULLY ENTERTAINING. CONTINUE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

So, last Friday, the Marching Band had a gig for the BYU Alumni Association to perform for an event they were hosting. It was nice and all, a bit time consuming, but the performance went well and they really appreciated us. Even better, they fed us! All-you-could eat pizza and soda! Wuhoo! This is why I joined band! I was starving and ate probably 6 slices, and it was GOOD. I went home satisfied, and a bit extra spending money for Dining Plus. Ch-ching!

The night went on, I was out late with friends until around midnight when I finally said, "Okay, I gotta go, football game tomorrow and all, gotta be at the stadium at 10..." So as I was scootering home, I felt sick in my stomach. Not nauseus, just... hurt. It wasn't too bad, so I didn't think much about it on my way. I assumed it would be gone in a few minutes.

I walk in my dorm, and nope, this is not going away quickly. It's worse. I'm having trouble walking. I wanted to just go to bed, maybe it will be better in the morning, but gah! College laziness strikes again! I still had a bunch of junk left on my bed that needed to be cleared! I was in pain, and I pretty much just threw everything aside and thought, "I'll clean you later, but right now, this bed is MINE!"

Sleeping was not fun. I woke up several times in the night, because no matter how I lay, my stomach always found ways to ache. It was not nearly as bad as some other ailments I have had in the past, however.

I woke up the next morning to my alarm at 8:45. Still half-asleep, I wondered, "How do I feel today? Hm, my stomach still hurts a bit, I should get up and see how I fee--zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz" too late, I already dozed back off, and hadn't pressed snooze when I woke up.

Later, I woke up with the thought, "Gosh, am I late or something?" Eyes open, check clock, "10:24" "WHAT!?" Check another clock. "10:25" "Aaah! No! Dangit, dangi-- ugh...." I sprung out of bed, and instantly felt the wave of stomach cramps, headache, and sore throat all at once. I was late, but there was no way I could have carried and marched with a 40-pound sousaphone with a stomach like that. I made the necessary calls to get an excused absence, but still felt horrible that there would be a hole in all the show formations now. My directors were gonna be mad... (and they were) But hey, it was not exactly heaven where I was anyway, so there ya go.

The day went by pretty much exclusively in my bed, me either sleeping or reading, until it settled enough in the late afternoon that I got out and tried to do stuff. It still hurt to walk too fast. I didn't eat anything that Saturday until dinner at 6:30, and my stomach didn't appreciate it much at that time anyway.

After Saturday, I was mostly okay, and the pain was all gone by Tuesday. But the moral of this story is: If you have an important event that you really do not want to attend, starve yourself and fill your stomach with junk. It may be painful, but it sure helps you catch up on reading!

Sorry it was so long, next time I'll put it in chapters.