Drama, seafood pasta and did you know that IV drips *really* hurt?

So I have the scar of an IV drip in my left hand. The nurse couldn't find a vein so she bruised that hand (and damn, it hurt). The intravenous drip eventually found a place on my right hand (but it still hurt). I have a plaster stuck on each hand now.

Welcome, folks, to the wonderful world of violent food poisoning. It started out innocuously as a semi-celebratory dinner with a friend who had got into Columbia Law School at Dan Ryan's (inside Pacific Place, if you want to know) - with me pigging out happily on seafood pasta and a gorgeous hot fudge sundae. I came back to the office replete and happy.

Then it began. At first, I wondered whether it was because of my greediness - had I overeaten? I sent off two emails with documents and undid the side zip on my skirt. After sending out the third email with an attachment I realised I had that kind of headache that you only get with nausea. I walked into the toilet, gagged drily with nothing coming out, then went back into my office. I actually lied down on the carpet for ten minutes, to no avail. I got up, walked over to one of the two Sad Associates who was there with me at 11pm and said, "I don't feel well. I'm going to send out that other document and go home."

Then I went to the loo again - yet again more dry gagging. I said to the other Sad Associate, "I think I need to go to hospital," and promptly sat down on the carpet next to her door.

After that, as you can imagine, I was sent off to hospital pretty sharpish. I am so glad that the Chinese Sad Associate came with me and stayed until 3 a.m. to translate - frankly, apart from the doctor, I didn't understand what anyone else was saying. She was a good sport - to distract me from my uncomfortable state she told me loads of gossip about our boss (apparently power is an aprodisiac, the man has five girlfriends and I can tell you he is fugly), and some of the other patients in the hospital. For a weekday midnight it was really crowded - apparently there was a very famous crook there getting one of his beat-up mates treated. Dare I say it? They were all members of the Triad - there were lots of men dressed in black suits and two women with tonnes of make-up on (allegedly one is a former Miss China) but I was too busy throwing up to really take a good look. I had the drip inserted (man, that thing is like, 2 inches long) and after lots of unpleasant business (let's just say I sufficiently emptied my stomach to the point where it was seizing up) I finally fell asleep.

The remaining Sad Associate sent out an email asking my replacement associate "not to eat (at least until closing) any food other than Starbucks food".

I have come in to the office today because I left my flight tickets here and we are moving offices tomorrow. The office is still full of people running around packing - lots of red crates here and there and someone has stripped my office bare so I feel like I am in a war zone. I think that's about all I can do for now - am going home to pack.