Second Verse, Same as the First

I feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.

Another Saturday, another playoff hockey game for Riley's team (this time they won - which they'll have to do from here on in, as one more loss means their season will be over) and instead of another quiet evening watching Olympic sports and The Dog Whisperer, this particular Saturday we had plans for an evening out with parents from the boys' hockey team. A parents party! Which loosely translated means booze, food, stories and laughter; and no kids! So after a relaxing afternoon of napping and resting, we had dinner and got ready.

Party was to start any time after 8. So we packed up the Margaritaville Machine, a few bottles of rum, some mixers, a good Hawaiian drinking shirt and headed out. We arrived at our hosts house and unloaded the supplies, got a quick tour of their minor kitchen renovation, and headed downstairs to set up the MM and get a drink under our belts.

Their son was home, and would be banished to his room for the evening to play video games and get to bed at a decent hour - though how they expected that to happen in a noisy house full of partying parents was beyond me. Perry, our host, hinted that practice makes perfect, so perhaps they've done this a time or two...

Our Hostess asked where Riley was - we said home alone in front of the Wii, a place he was happy to reside in our absence - and she said that we should go get him, as another couple was bringing their son over too. Okay, what the heck, this might work out better for us, as having the boy with us gives us a chance for an earlier out than if we'd left him behind. Perry was talking about having the hot tub and a firepit and something about watching the sun come up...

Now it should be noted that we've been out of the hardcore partying loop for a few too many years. We had no plans to be celebrating that long!!

So I left to get Riley. Luckily no drinks had been consumed yet. As I drove away, I realized that something wasn't right. A slight uneasiness surrounded me - I figured it might just be the anticipation of an evening out - but as I drove it soon became clear (or not) what was happening.

After having spent the day with a sore left eye - a sort of ache behind and inside the eye itself - coupled with still lingering muscle twitches in my left leg around my kneecap - I was looking forward to relaxing with good friends and getting to know the new parents on the team a bit better.

Cue the Groundhog Day do-over...

Driving along St Mary's Road, just after 9 in the now night darkness, facing rows of oncoming bright white headlights and burning red taillights, I noticed my eye had stopped hurting, which was great - but that ache had been replaced with that telltale beginning spot of pulsating blurriness, and with each block it progressed into a larger arching trail of brilliant dazzling contrasts, until as I pulled into our driveway I was missing a good third of my vision.

Here we go again...

Now I can be stubborn. Really. I know that might come as a shocker to many of you, but it's true. And I was in no mood to be shutdown by some malfunctioning neurological disorder. Not this night. This night I had plans! So I called for Riley to grab one of his Wii controllers and his jacket and jump in the car - we were headed back to the party.

I explained that Brayden had wanted Riley to come over, since Sean was going to be there too, and Riley was all for it - video games with friends and getting to stay up late on a Saturday night? What's not to love? I also explained that I was in the beginning stages of yet another migraine and while I wasn't in any pain yet - I was experiencing the aura phase. Smart boy that he is asks, "If you can't see everything, should you be driving?" Well, I'll leave the ethics and legality of his question for another post - and explain that we were driving maybe all of 2 miles to get back there.

Spare me the lecture. I have a stubborn side - I'm not listening.

So we returned and pretended nothing was wrong and enjoyed the evening. I apparently do not have a poker face - the pain and discomfort gave me away, and as much as I tried to put on a brave face and be part of the festivities, it was obvious I wasn't my usual normal happy go lucky self. A few parents at the party are also migraine sufferers, and listened wide-eyed as I described the aura I had just experienced, and they couldn't believe I wasn't somewhere in the fetal position begging for mercy. One of our assistant coaches is an Optometrist, and he sympathized with my plight, but knew there was little that I could do but wait it out. I've accepted that fact, but I'm not sold on having another migraine a week after the last episode.

I figure you do what you have to sometimes. And if I was going to suffer the headache and after-effects of a migraine, I may as well stay and enjoy the evening and have something to show for my pain.

So I self medicated with small amounts of rum, staying away from the Flaming Sambuco's, the Tequila shots, the Apple Pie shots and the silliness that would soon overtake the party, knowing our evening would end prematurely eventually, once the pounding reached its crescendo. Don't ask me about the one-armed air-hockey player, or the Boob-Olympics - those stories will stay private with us for a long time!

The boys play again this afternoon in a couple hours time. Something tells me our side of the rink might be very, very quiet...

Update: The boys won! Knocked off the top seeded team in the playoffs, 3-1. They live to play again next Saturday. Fingers crossed we don't have another replay of the migraine situation.