So there I was, without my foil hat...!

I awoke Friday morning with a sick feeling I couldn't quite put my finger on. I didn't feel ill. It was more like being "pre-ill" - that almost-but-not-quite sick feeling you get right before the fever hits. I continued feeling strangely all the way to work. I hadn't been aware of the total solar eclipse until I pulled up in the parking lot. Without a better cosmic excuse, I just chalked the weirdness up to that. As the day wore on, however, I began to wonder if it might have been something else.

Have you ever heard about how animals act before a natural disaster? Dogs before the "Christmas Tsunami" were said to inexplicably flee inland. Traditional lore in West Texas describes the bizarre behavior of pets hours, sometimes even a day or two, before a devastating tornado. I believe that this weird feeling I had Friday morning was the human equivalent. Everything in me said "Stay home!". I wish I'd have listened.

It started out very well - nice and easy until about 9:30. Then the gates opened. And it wasn't our typical mix of patients, either. It was as if every single disgruntled person in the world was trying to push their way into our waiting room. I had threats of lawsuit. I had to dismiss two patients within 10 minutes for being obstinate, malingering, and making false accusations against me. I had more lies, more threats, and on and on. It lasted nearly all day. By 4 p.m. I was nearly down for the count.

Somehow we made it through. I just wish I understood what caused this to happen - solar eclipse, mind-control rays gone mad...? Something was definitely up. I guess I'll know what to expect next time.