KLB - Return of the Cheese Burger Rash


I thought the rash was going away, but when I work up this morning it was all over me again. I stopped by the pharmacy and this time I showed him my stomach (yesterday I just asked for some anti-itch cream) where the rash was the worst. He agreed I had an allergic reaction to some food and sold me some anti-allergy pills for 2,000 won (less than $2.00) Hopefully these will work. The rash isn't as annoying as it is unsightly. Fortunately, it hasn't affected my face at all and isn't that noticeable on my hands unless you look closely - which means nobody can see it.

Julie had gotten up and gone to work before I woke up. When I got out of bed and noticed the rash again, I sent her a text message from my cell-phone: "That cheeseburger-rash is back on my body! Damn!" -- implying she'd have to help me at the pharmacy later. Unfortunately, I used the "reply function" and didn't realize I sent the message to Cathy, my assistant, who had sent me a message the day before to tell me something about the classroom. To make it worse, somehow I had turned off incoming calls on my phone, which I didn't figure out until later when I was on the subway. So, when Cathy received the message from me (God knows what she must have thought) and tried to call me back, I didn't answer. Then she freaked out thinking I wasn't coming to work. She called Julie in a huff whose number she still had from before whining that I shouldn't miss work and I have to call the agency and blah, blah (God forbid you miss a day of work in Korea!)

Once I figured out incoming calls were off, Julie got ahold of me and, after a lot of laughter, ended up straightening it out with Cathy, who was very relieved I'd be going to work (but, of course, put on the obligatory display of concern when I got there).

Well, I just popped a couple of the pills and will lay down and watch Shrek 2, which I just rented after returning Farenheit 9/11. Hopefully when I wake up tomorrow, my body will be normal again, but the pharmacist said it could take a few days. I definitely won't be eating any peculiar looking/tasting fast-food burgers in the future. Yuck.

At least I don't look like this poor guy.