Bieau Hazard

This morning I stepped into a phone booth-sized room, donned a rubber glove in my left hand (yeah, I can go left), popped 100 μCi ("microCuries") of radioactive Iodine-131 and chased it with a cup of eau-de-hôpital.  Not so bad, right (backstory here)?  Well; yes and no.  At this moment I am radiating gamma rays.  Certainly there can't be enough to cause anyone else harm.  Not so fast.  I also received a list of things I must do over the next few days.  Some highlights from the list:

• Avoid prolonged contact with children and pregnant women (and I assume clingy pets) for 4 days
• Maintain a 'prudent' distance from others for 3 days
• Delay return to work for at least 2 days (wahoo!)
• Avoid kissing and other intimate contact for 3 days (define intimate..)

At this moment I am sequestered in an undisclosed location with a note from the nuclear medicine physician.  He noticed I looked perplexed after handing it to me and responded, "you could set off an alarm."  Excuse me?  "It's possible to set off a radiation detection system if you're too close to one." He responded.  Oh.  "And this letter could be useful if Homeland Security gets involved.." the Doctor trailed off.  I had visions of myself on the street surrounded by a swarming SWAT team with the lead G-man demanding, "Where are your papers!?"

So I'm in possession of a note explaining that I am momentarily a human gamma ray emitter.  Just call me GammaMan! (cue super hero theme music).

What wine goes with irradiated Iodine?  I've settled upon my pet bottle of 1994 Chateau Musar (it's unloved by others in the household) from Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.  So tonight, rather than basking in the glow of a beautiful woman, I'll bask in my own glow and sip Gaston Hochar's finest.  I welcome your food pairing suggestions.

Additionally, I'll be setting the mood with a few tunes (seeing as how it is New Music Tuesday).  Thus far my playlist looks like this:

• Radioactive by The Firm
• Get Away From Me (album) by Nellie McKay
• Danger! High Voltage by Electric Six
• You Light Up My Life by Debbie Boone
• Gamma Ray by Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros
• Love Missile F1-11 by Sigue Sigue Sputnik (Yes, I actually own this song)
• Toxic by Brittney Spears (No, I don't own this song...yet)
• Radioactivity by Kraftwerk

Again, your musical suggestions are welcome.  Hey look, my finger is glowing...

Tagged with: wine + chateau musar + thyroid cancer

Comments

[Lenn]

You always do "emit" a certain "energy" in your writing and also in person...so this is nothing new, is it? ;)

Hope everything went well, Beau. I wouldn't mind two weeks off of work...but three days without contact with the human/canine/feline world would be a little tough.

[Allan]

I guess you have to limit the time spent in the wine cellar, too?

Got a kid or trained pet you could send in to fetch bottles?

[jens at cincinnati wine warehouse]

I guess you won't need a night lite as you will be glowing in the dark! Good luck and have fun with the Chateau Musar. I love the 98 Blanc.

[Nicholas]

What about - "Don't Stand So Close To Me" by The Police - too obvious?

[beau]

Lenn - I was always hoping to emit figurative, rather than literal energy! But it's a heckvua story to tell.

Allan - My pooch will fetch, but he shakes objects violently upon retrieval. Perhaps I should give him a martini shaker..

Jens - Sadly the C.M. was past its prime; lost the acidity and gone to something more akin to shabby Port. Sigh. I'm still searching for my first taste of Musar's blanc.

Nicholas - Great suggestion. I'll add it to the rotation. (but now I've got the chorus stuck in my head for the rest of the day)

[Barbara]

Are you still planning a trip to NZ in 2006 as you mentioned previously? Hope the treatment was successful. I'm off wine totally as I go through chemo again.

[bill]

In honor of you I am going to make today my Sigue Sigue Sputnik day (I will have to go find the album in my cellar and fix my turntable).
You make me laugh dude,
get real well soon.. your Chablis is waiting.
Bill

[Culinary Fool]

Well, shoot! I stay away for a couple of months due to silly things and then I come back and read this.

I hope you are doing well, Beau. I know this isn't any fun at all. I've had a couple of good friends have to do full-blown treatment so I have an idea of what it's like. The good news is things normally work out the way you'd like.

There are a lot of us pulling for you and wishing you a quick return to health.

Brenda