Today, I woke up with the feeling that I was getting healthier. You see, I’ve had a cold for the past three months. Yes, three months! It has lasted almost as long as I’ve been in Taiwan. Can you believe it? I felt it was more of a sinus infection, as I read that colds do not last this long, but 5 doctors disagreed with my prognosis.

Yesterday, I went to a doctor, because I felt so bad. He referred me to the hospital, where I began a day-long marathon run from one doctor to the next. In the course of the day, I saw 2 general practitioners, 2 ear, nose, and throat specialists, and 1 asthma specialist.

None of the doctors could come up with a reason why I’ve had these cold-like symptoms for the past three months. However, they all agreed that I didn’t have a sinus infection. Also, they all agreed that I didn’t have any disease (i.e., lung cancer). I was extremely happy to hear the latter one, but still wondered what was causing me to be ill.

A couple of the doctors prescribed some medication. Basically, the medication helps eliminate the symptoms I’m feeling. As a result, I had a much-appreciated restful sleep last night.

Shu Mei also awoke feeling rejuvenated, for some unknown reason. She told me that she wanted to go somewhere. This was surprising to me. You see, Shu Mei has been going through a difficult period, as she is in the 4th month of her first pregnancy. Her 37 year old body seems to be having trouble accepting this pregnancy and rest is always the first order of business with her.

Anyway, Shu Mei said that she felt good and wanted to go somewhere. Not wanting to venture too far, lest her attitude changed, I offered to drive her to T’aichung, about 40 minutes away. I said that we could go shopping, eat, and see the new movie “Spider-Man” there. She agreed.

So, we went to T’aichung. After waiting in line for what seemed an eternity (it was actually only about 20 minutes), we got assigned seats in the second row of the movie theater. We were just happy to get seats at that point, so we really didn’t think ahead to how it was going to be, sitting that close to the movie screen.

It didn’t take long after the previews began for us to realize that our experience was not going to be enjoyable. Sitting that close to the movie screen, you don’t get a clear picture. Furthermore, at that distance you can’t actually view the whole movie screen at one time. You end up looking like you’re a spectator at Wimbledon, head turning from right to left and then back again.

Luckily, there were a few seats vacant to the side and behind us. So, we moved there. My thoughts on the movie? I would give it a 4 on a scale of 1 to 10. It had its moments, but was basically a collage of mindless one-liners for the most part. Decent special effects gave it the 4.

We ate a little at a subway-type sandwich place in the mall. Then, we looked for vacuum bags. We didn’t know the model or brand of our vacuum at home, but we thought it wouldn’t be too hard to get a bag for it. You see, with most of the floors being tiled here, there are few vacuums in use.

Most of the ones that are being used are small plastic canister types, like ours. Erroneously, we thought that bags would be interchangeable from one model to the next. A brief discussion with a salesperson showed us the error of our ways. So, we headed back home without vacuum bags.

This was basically a lackadaisical day, needed by both of us. We enjoyed each other’s company and didn’t take things too seriously. I liked that. It was a break from the rigors of our day-to-day regime. I feel that people need to do that…at least I do. Without it, I think I would go bananas.

So, you can see that some days are not as adventurous as others, here in Taiwan. Honestly, most days are not very exciting. Therefore, maybe you might find it in your best interest to read these entries shortly before your bedtime. That way, you could use this as a sort of sleep inducement. (I knew there was a purpose to my writing!)