Sunday, June 20, 2010 (Pre-dawn):

Everyone in the hotel room was asleep, including me. Then, sometime around 3AM, I woke up harshly. The first sensation was a burning, sour, choking feeling in my throat.

Crap, I’m vomiting. GET UP! NOW!

So I rushed to the bathroom and puked. Not a drop spilled, by the way. My pillow, the bed, the carpet, the bathroom floor and counter….spotless!

After I said hello again to my lunch and dinner, I finally inhaled. The next few minutes were spent coughing and hacking as it sunk in what must have happened…

I had gone to bed, then my stomach contents began their way up my food pipe, and eventually, my throat. I must have inhaled my own reflux. It felt every bit as sickening and suffocating as it sounds. Finally, after more puking, I cleaned up and went back to bed.

Cut to 5AM-ish, and I wake up again, with a very queasy stomach. I rush to the bathroom and empty my stomach – AGAIN. All of lunch, dinner, and whatever else I had in there. The culprits? McDonald’s and that crappy, overworked IHOP from earlier.

I woke up today around 10am.

Oh fuck. Ow. My ribs. My lungs. My abs. I’m spent. It was all that damned coughing and throwing up last night. I’m ruined.

I turned to see my daughter walking up to me, saying “Morning, dad! Happy Father’s Day,” with my nephew right behind her saying the same except he added “Uncle Chris” of course. Definitely a pleasant way to wake up. Except, that was precisely the moment anger set in.

Why did I have to wake up this absolutely shitty TODAY? It’s fucking Father’s Day! We’re supposed to go to Disneyland! Why, of all nights to choke on my own puke, did it have to happen last night? Why, goddamnit?! FUCK!!!!

“Love you, [kiddo]. Love you, Geegs.”

“Are you feeling okay, dad?”

“Eh… I’ll be okay.”

I did go, but didn’t do any walking like I had hoped. At around 5pm, I called it quits. My chest/ribs/back were aching and I was getting more and more exhausted. I told my wife and kid that they should stay and make the best of it. My bro drove me to the hotel and later rejoined the others at the Park. Before he left I told him, “Tell the others not to feel guilty. Have fun…”

I don’t want to end on a downer, so…

Highlights from today

• The Abe Lincoln show. He’s getting more and more convincing. Robots are cool.
• Finding Nemo sub ride – it’s way longer than it seems.
• Captain EO. The rolling, thumping chairs are super cheesy. I wish I had less double-vision with the 3D effects, but overall it was decent.
• Jedi Training Academy. This is an outdoor area that relies on kid participation. The kids both got a chance to fake duel with Star Wars villains. They wore little brown “Jedi” robes and used toy lightsabers. My nephew seemed really into it. My daughter told me afterwards that she felt it was silly and too young for her, but I’m not quite convinced. She certainly seemed into it when she was striking poses and acting all Jedi-ish,
• It’s A Small World. I almost left before we rode it, but I’m glad I went on it. This is one of those rides that just makes you feel like a kid in awe. So colorful! So cheerful! So innocent!
• I got to have time alone to write about today. Usually, this would have all been internalized. Now, it’s expressed. And you know what they say, “Better out than in.*“

Here’s to a peaceful night, and a better tomorrow!

*Except for puke!