Day Ten of the Twitch

It's official: I have developed a nervous tic.

For nine days in a row, I endured the onset of a regular and involuntary twitch. The muscles around my left eye would spasm every few minutes, causing my eyelid to flutter weirdly. While the twitch itself was probably unnoticeable to the casual observer, my distressed behaviour was anything but. For days, my coworkers at both jobs had been assaulted by me, pointing at my left eye, shouting, "Did you see it? Did you?! WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MY FACE?!"

People have suggested a number of likely causes: vitamin B deficiency, dehydration, potassium deficiency, lack of sleep, etc. But today, day ten of the twitch, it was confirmed: the culprit is nerves.

I had a rare opportunity to sleep in today. I took the lunch shift off from my restaurant job. I got out of bed around noon, ate some cereal, drew a picture of a gallbladder. It was great. My eye didn't twitch once. Then, an hour later, as Jason and I were doing some much-needed cleaning of our bedroom, Jason found something among the clutter.

A little backstory: Jason and I have two cats, Spike and Mina, who are in temporary foster care. Our awesome friends Kolleen and Jeff agreed to care for the cats when we moved into Jason's parents house in an effort to save money for our upcoming move to Texas. I know Spike and Mina are in excellent, loving care, but I miss them all the same.

So, what did Jason find? I was putting some sweatpants in a drawer when I heard Jason say, "Aw..." I turned and saw it: a tiny cowboy hat. Spike's tiny cowboy hat.



Spike: Always Ready for a Showdown or a Hoedown
(by Jason Dubinsky)



Twitch. Twitch. Twitch-twitch-twitch-twitch. My eye went crazy.

Now I'm simply praying that the tic doesn't get worse or spread. I'm comfortable with my current level of quirkiness; I don't need the whole left side of my body erupting in crazy, electrified-marionette-style spasms every time I feel anxious.

Only one thing keeps me serene: the soothing knowledge that Spike's little head isn't going cold. Kolleen and Jeff have made sure of that, and I will be forever grateful.

Spike Gets Ready For the Big Interview
(by Kolleen Carney-O'Brien)
"Make sure you mention how he didn't get the big job because he fell asleep at the bus stop. He has narcolepsy." - Jeff O'Brien