Last week I got a new job and Lyme Disease. I don’t think one had anything to do with the other, but now I’m being extra cautious.

I was actually a bit reluctant to give up my temp job for this new graphic design gig. I know how crazy that sounds. But, the temp people had given me a desk and everything. I’ve never had a real desk. It was kind of sweet.

Of course, after two seconds of thinking like this, my brain kicked in. Even though the pay was the same, the new job was better in every other way. I would have a desk. I would also have medical and dental benefits. Paid vacation. Sick days. This was a better job. Simple as that. Rock beats scissors.

That struck me as kind of funny, getting the same pay. We’re talking about a professional design job that pays the same salary as a temp job that could be done by a trained ferret. I must be at some weird crossroad between a low paying professional job and a high paying temp job. I can’t complain though.

And as for Lyme Disease; my mother, the nurse, was very interested in a suspicious rash on my arm that wasn’t going away. She did a little research and suggested that it could be, among other things, Lyme Disease. That really made my day.

Rather than wait it out, we decided that I should show the doctor. But on the holiday weekend, that would have been impossible. Rather than make an appointment during the week and miss more work, I decided to go to the ER.

I had the impression that I would be rushed through the ER while doctors and nurses circled around me yelling things like “STAT!” and “50cc’s!” In actuality, it was a slow and boring process. I signed in and waited. I filled out the insurance form and waited. I saw one nurse and waited. I saw another nurse and waited, and waited, and waited. Apparently after seeing that last nurse, they had to retrieve the tools for a blood test from the same place where they get my car parts.

When it was all said and done I was given some antibiotics and told to call in on Friday for the results of my test. So, no, I’m not actually certain I have Lyme Disease. But everyone, even the ER nurses, seem to think it’s a strong possibility. It’s just not the kind of thing you ignore, even if it’s only a possibility.