Bad Days 2
Before we get into this installment, I need to tell you about my bad habit of biting my nails. I’ve been wanting to stop, and Paige REALLY wants me to, but I still haven't been able to kick the habit.
I returned to work for the 2026-27 school year on Wednesday, August 5th, 2026, and in the two weeks between that and Nicole’s wedding, not much happened because Paige and I spent most of those two weeks recovering from our summer-long honeymoon. In other words, I was ready for school to start. Another reason is that New Story started a mentorship program. The idea is that veteran staff members mentor incoming staff. I am a mentor, and I was looking forward to that new role.
In the two weeks before the kiddos showed up, we were told that this year we are having some teachers from Kenya come into the school. With those teachers, we became fully staffed. Unfortunately, there was an issue, and now they will be starting sporadically throughout the first month and a half of school. The classroom I support was assigned a teacher from Kenya, so it was my and my coworker Lexi’s responsibility to get the classroom set up for the start-of-year open house.
On the day of the open house, Thursday, August 13th, Lexi and I were a little behind because we didn’t have the help we usually get from a teacher in the room. A ton of people came together to help us get ready, and during that time the principal came in and told me our teacher would be starting the following Tuesday (the 18th), and that she would be fully trained the week after. In the meantime, I would be running the classroom! I was honored that my boss trusted me enough to give me this temporary promotion, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little anxious about it.
Shortly after my boss told me the news, my wedding ring started bothering me; it just felt really tight. Now, at this point, Paige and I had been married for only 3 months, and most of that was our honeymoon, so my anxiety was relatively low. Therefore, I assumed my sudden aversion to the ring was due to sensory overload as a result of anxiety… boy was I wrong.
That night, I struggled to get my ring off my finger before bed, and I only managed it because I used some soap; I also noticed the tip of my finger was a bit swollen. I woke up at 1:00 a.m. in excruciating pain, and the only way I was able to get back to sleep was by using my thighs to apply pressure to my hand. When I woke the next morning, I couldn’t fit the ring back on even with soap. When I got to work, my coworkers, Joel and Elizabeth, gave me ibuprofen and told me to see the nurse. The nurse then told me that my finger was infected.
I scheduled an appointment for 4:10 at the CVS Minute Clinic by the school. They were running behind, so I finally got in around 4:30. I had a lot of recording to do (I had fallen a bit behind with the honeymoon content), so I ordered my prescription (an antibiotic and an ointment) to a Walgreens in my area. When I walked in at 5:30, I went right to the pharmacy and they said that they didn’t have the prescription!
I called the CVS, and they said they were closed (which I knew they weren’t). I drove all the way back up there, and when I explained the situation to the cashier, he told me, “You need to make another appointment!”
I knew that wasn't a thing, so I started arguing with the cashier. When the cashier wouldn't budge, I caved and scheduled another appointment. After 20 more minutes of waiting, I realized I wasn't going to make it to Walgreens before they closed, so I went to the CVS pharmacy and explained the situation.
“You didn't have to make another appointment,” the pharmacist said.
“That's what I said,” I growled, as the ibuprofen Joel had given me had completely worn off at this point. The pharmacist called the Doctor, and I waited the 20 minutes before she was done with her current patient so we could get the prescriptions sent to this Pharmacy. After we had figured it out, I got more ibuprofen and waited for the prescription to get filled.
3 hours later, I was still waiting! At that time, Paige had gotten off work and walked to Luke and Josh’s house. When Josh finally drove Paige home, she called me and asked what was going on. At her prompting, I went to the pharmacy again. The pharmacist said, “So your antibiotic is here, but we're waiting on the ointment.”
“When is the ointment going to be ready?” I asked hesitantly.
“Monday afternoon,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Can I have the antibiotic,” I said through gritted teeth, “And then come back for the ointment?”
“Sure!” She said, smiling.
I was very frustrated because they hadn't called me up, but at least I knew I was on the road to recovery… Or so I thought. The next day was Shane's bachelor party (which is worthy of an installment in and of itself), and while it was fun, my finger was bugging me the entire time. The day after that, it looked way too disgusting for me to describe to you. I went to Paige's parents' house to pick up some stuff, and my sister-in-law Yvanna was there. She's a PA. When she saw my finger, she told me to keep an eye on it, and if the inflammation moved any further down my finger, then I would “need to get it lanced.”
On Monday, August 17th, 2026, I was recording Summer Long Honeymoon, Part 4: Nicole’s Wedding. After recording the paragraph about the bridal party entering the reception, I stood up to get a drink of water and hit my hand really hard on the side of my desk, and I could see that there was some internal bleeding. I FaceTimed Yvanna, and she confirmed that it needed to be lanced. I called Mom, and she said to meet at their house so she could come with me, as Paige was at work.
I won't describe this procedure. It was incredibly gross to see and even more painful! I was given a different antibiotic and a wrap that I had to wear from this point through Mitchmas (29) Part 1: The Stuff Of Legend, Visitors At Work, and Mitchmas (29) Part 2: A Quick Trip To Orlando. And the kicker was that the only pharmacy open was that same CVS that I had been stuck at the beginning of this ordeal!
As we drove to the CVS, I thought back to the events of Bad Days 1. As a refresher, in the fall of 2024, within a 30-hour period, a guy ran a red light and hit me; I popped my tire; independently of the car crash, I got pink eye; had to Lyft to the minute clinic, and my phone died while I was waiting for the prescription to get filled, so I couldn’t Lyft back home. At the end of that event, I couldn’t help but laugh at how stupidly horrible it had been. While this situation was a lot more straightforward, it was way more painful. And yet, I still couldn’t help but laugh. Life’s too short to not find comedy in painful moments.
Have a Greattastic day and be safe!
J. Mitchie Ulibarri, SBT
