Andy

The strange thing is... I felt dizzy while I was there and barely able to focus long enough to keep standing straight while I was leaving. About 10 minutes down the road, it all went away and now I just have this aching feeling all encompassing my right leg.

There was definitely something in the air, or if not, I'm not sure what it was. Maybe it was the pizza.

Do you have a carbon monoxide detector at the house?

It's the only other thing I could think of.

Mei's explanation is too scientific for my tastes. It sounds to me like someone put a hex on you.

I'm gonna bring this up with mom when she gets home. If I mentioned it to dad he'd go into full on defensive mode. Actually, mom will go into full on offensive mode, but at least she might have an idea and I can reason her down a notch. Smoke pours in here instead of up the chimney when we have fires, so maybe there is a component to it that is more malicious than just causing allergy problems.

If it turns out I've been hexed, I'm going to have to figure out who would do it and from what distance. Do any of you have a magic summoning circle I can borrow?

"Smoke pours in here instead of up the chimney when we have fires"

These are your words, Andy. If you had a fire on the day you mention then is there a flue control? The chimney must be clear with the flue open ---- if not you will get smoke in the room. Has the chimney been swept by a modern chimney sweep?

"Do you have a carbon monoxide detector at the house?" These are the words of Mei and she is most wise in my opinion. The devices do not cost much.

I have a fireplace in my apt and have lived here 13 years. It has been swept 5 years ago and I have a carbon monoxide detector.

Also, get some fresh air in the house. That means fresh Oxygen.

The trouble with our wood burning situation as I understand it is that the chimney is too large. My father heads up that operation despite my mother's and my explicit objections and requests to use the gas heat. To clarify, you can't physically see smoke in this room, but you smell it very strongly at the same time the fire gets lit and for hours after. The smell is identical to the one outside the house, so it's definitely smoke. The wood is also likely very moldy since it sits outside all year and then gets stored indoors in the room right next to me in a big pile. The chimney hasn't ever been swept I would imagine, definitely not by a professional, and we do not have a carbon monoxide detector. I'm going to pursue that since I might be able to exert some control over that element.

"and we do not have a carbon monoxide detector"

Oh no!!! I suggest you must get one NOW. Sorry to be so bossy but I'm worried. Don't know what the girl Mei-Ling will say or do but at least she knows ---- I hope she and I will get you to look into one now. I am not acquainted with this fine girl so I can not comment much on her thoughts and point of view ---- but I am getting upset.

We did get the house thoroughly worked over a number of years ago by an environmental specialist. The verdict essentially was that we had really high dust content and not enough air flow, but that we didn't have an obvious mold infiltration or other gas situation. It has been several years since the assessment was completed. The guy gave us a number of methods to correct the problems and we did maybe two of them but not by any means the whole list. Unfortunately dad is the only one here with the energy to get much done, and he is what you might call extremely skeptical about anything having to do with illness in general.

A detector should be an easy find, and will give me some peace of mind if nothing else.

I have ordered WWI gas masks for us, Andy. Mine is in cerulean blue, but the only one they had available in your size is candy pink. Sorry. It was the best I could do. You'll probably look smashing in it!

Correction, our alternative heat is oil, not gas, not that it matters in the context of this discussion really.