The sentiment of my socks pretty much says it all. I rode Wawayanda on Saturday and was casually cruising along and something stung me on the nose.  I screeched. As anyone who is lucky enough to be a part of the exclusive Epi Pen clan will tell you, the first instinct is to panic. I tried not to panic. I motored out of the singletack as fast as I could in case there was another perpetrator and onto a fire road. My eyes were watering and I wanted to claw at my face. It stung like a bitch. Was it a sting or a bite? I kept asking myself. I didn't know what it was at that point. All I knew is that the pain started moving from my nose across my cheek and up into my eye. I could feel my nose swelling and could see it growing out of the corner of my eye. Now I had to weigh my options. Do I use the Epi Pen now? Do I wait it out a little longer? I'm terribly allergic to bees and their little waspy and hornety cousins. No joke. I get hives and my throat starts to close up. I have reactions to horse and deer flies but not of the anaphylactic variety. I still get some really crazy reaction and swelling from their bites. I weighed my options. If you've ever unloaded your Epi Pen into yourself mid ride in the woods, you know that it is not a pleasant ride back home. I pedaled a little more and could still breathe. Always a good sign. My glasses were now crooked because of the swelling on the one side of my face. I felt like I was wearing Groucho Marx nose glasses. I decided that I was going to survive and it was obviously not a bee and made it home to take an antihistamine and ice my swollen face.

Made me think that maybe it's time to start those allergy shots my allergist is always talking about...

It also made me think that there has to be a better way to carry a stupid Epi Pen on the bike. There needs to be some contraption or pouch system sleeve thingy. I either have to put it in my jersey pocket or tape it to my top tube.  I know. Waaaaaaaaaah. Big deal. Who cares, right? I know I'm not the only one who has to carry one. I've actually thought about sewing a little secret pocket in my jersey to hold it. I thought about it. Drew it. Then I got side tracked and bored and it never happened. Maybe I'll drag the sewing machine back out and an old stinko jersey and try again. It could be all the rage.