Ick Factor

For the last few weeks, our house has been the epicenter of a viral infection* that just won't quit. It's the one that everyone seems to be getting these days--the lingering cough, mild cold-like symptoms, and did I mention the cough? I have been coughing for three weeks now, Mr. D has been coughing for longer, and the kids are following suit. No one is sleeping, everyone is coughing, so it's nice when we get a chance to sit down and actually VEG for a moment.

Last night, I walked back into the TV room after putting SC down for the night and found Mr. D watching a new show on Animal Planet called "The Monsters Inside Me." It's essentially a collection of personal encounters with various parasitic critters. Cool, I thought, this could be really interesting. And, actually, it was really interesting. Guy who had botfly larvae growing on his head? Interesting, but not alarming because I have no plans to visit the tropics. Lung flukes? Gross, but I like my shellfish cooked, thankyouverymuch. But then. Then they got to the piece on bedbugs. ICK. The thought of them makes me feel all creepy-crawly. In fact, every time I stay in a hotel, I check for the little bastards. I am seriously not a fan of bugs and especially not those that want to dine on me while I'm sleeping. But, of course, I keep watching the segment, knowing the mind games that will ensue. Little did I know that when they interviewed the woman further, she revealed that the source of the bugs was most likely a recent trip to Nashville where she stayed in a four-star hotel. At that point, I completely lost my shit because in October I am going to Nashville and will be staying in a four-star hotel. OMFG!!!!!

In no time, Mr. D and I were both online looking for bedbug directories** and such. The hotel I will be staying in does not have any reports of bedbugs anywhere at all. The worst thing said about them was that the staff was rude. I can deal with rude. Rude doesn't suck my blood in the middle of the night. But regardless of what I found online, you can bet your bottom dollar that I will be searching my room there with a fine tooth comb and won't sleep until I do.

And it turns out that a few years back we used to stay in one of the listed places for our yearly outing to the Origins gaming convention. Luckily, we switched venues in 2007 and before then had no indication of infestation (typing that just sent a chill down my spine). Guess what site is now bookmarked on my computer?

*Based on the fact that Mr. D went to the doctor after two weeks of coughing, got a round of antibiotics, and the cough is still there. It's getting better, but something bacterial should have been evicted nicely by those meds.

**Go to the Bed Bug Registry or to Trip Advisor to get the scoop on your next destination.