i woke up this morning unable to open my right eye. the pain was akin to what montana might feel like were it to be shoved beneath my eyelid. after several frantic attempts, i was finally able to blink. however, i could not keep it open for longer than a second. this made it very hard to apply my make-up.

i had a big meeting i was supposed to attend today, about forty-five minutes away. i got into my car and managed to go halfway down the block. when i realized, though, that i'd probably need sight to drive, i had to turn around and come back home. i was now up to keeping my eye open for 30 seconds at a time. while this was an accomplishment to be celebrated, i'm afraid it wasn't enough.

at home, i passed out for a few hours and then awoke at noon. i could keep my eye open for a full minute before having to squeeze it back shut; now the pain was only as if a smaller state, such as wisconsin, was wedged beneath my eyelid. again, a success, but, in the broader picture, not enough.

i tried watching tv for a while when i was up to about three minutes without having to shut it other than for normal blinking. i was watching an episode of 'step by step' that involved cody being adorable when suddenly, i couldn't hear anything. i thought my ears had blown. my mind raced- no sight, no hearing, i was morphing into helen keller! i told myself to calm down. then i picked up a book and slammed it against the coffee table. it made a loud banging sound that made me jump. so i could hear. that was good. it was the tv that had the problem, not me.

which was bad. because while watching cody is fun, it's nicer if you can hear his voice.

after about half an hour, the tv fixed itself. it still feels like a state is in my eye socket, but i think i might be okay. even though my cornea is burning.

prognosis: not so good.