Spidey Sense

I realize that this is a lot of posts for one day, but I have to record the extra-sensory experience I'm having before it fades. Remember how I said the other day that my ears felt like they were full of peanut butter? Well, those days are over. I went back to my doctor yesterday to have my ears flushed out. At first he said that it looked like they were still too plugged up and that I would have to do the drops for another two days. I'm not sure what look came across my face when he said that, but it must have been pretty pitiful. He took one glance at me and said, "Well, you managed to get over here with your kids and everything; that warrants at least an effort." So he went and got this little machine that heats up water and squirts it through this little spinny-brush. As it turned out, he was able to clear both ears. As soon as the second ear was unplugged, I had one of the weirdest experiences of my life. Amanda was sitting on the paper-covered exam table, and the first thing I heard was the DEAFENING sound of that paper crinkling as she moved. IT WAS SO LOUD!!! Do you remember playing with those little doctor kits when you were a kid? They had those stethescopes with the foam sensor and the rubber earpieces. Do you remember the way it sounded if you rubbed your finger against the foam piece while you had the earpieces in? That's the way it sounded for me to rub my hand against the sweater I was wearing. Or if you or somebody else spoke directly into the foam piece? That's how it sounded when Amanda asked me if it was time to go home. I could not believe the difference! When I started my car, I could have sworn I had just fired up a jet or something. The sound of my turn signal nearly made me jump out of my skin. When I got home, the first thing I thought when I walked through the door was that I had left the hair-dryer on -- but it was just the sound of the refrigerator. Sounds I had never noticed before, I now heard with amazing clarity -- to the point that I had to put earplugs in before I could stand being in the kitchen with both children. Things have calmed down somewhat now (the doctor said that when your ears are blocked, your ear drum tries to compensate by "turning up the volume" and that it will gradually dial it down when it realizes it doesn't have to compensate anymore). Anyway, that's why the title of this post is "Spidey Sense;" that's exactly what I have! I really am a superhero!