So maybe the allergic reaction had more to do with exposure to bug spray than the terrible losses of my two of my favorite UFC fighters. Nevertheless it was a big disappointment followed up by a miserable episode of allergy hell.

I’m new to the Maryland area, to the Northeast in general, and I had no idea how terrible the summer was going to be. This coming from someone who has spent most of my adult life in Southern Arizona and Florida, not exactly known for mild weather.

Well the dreary, rainy, stormy spring turned into a steamy heat bath overnight - something that I’m guessing is very amiable for bug reproduction. Lets put it this way, in Florida I lived on a lake, and bugs were not really a problem. But here in beautiful Maryland, the proliferation of bugs is definitely a big problem. So much so that my daughter informs me that most of the kids in her high school carry their own insect repellent and every class has it’s own bottle of bug killer. So much for teaching about environmental awareness.

I happen to be one of the many unfortunate individuals that cannot tolerate bug spray (particularly insect killer). I understand the necessity of keeping insects under control and I try to be personally vigilant to protect myself from unnecessary exposure - unfortunately it did not dawn on me that they would use copious amounts of commercial strength insect repellent around the pool as I’ve never experienced this before.

So instead of being happy about finally getting some sun in miserable Maryland (I think it should be the new state motto), I ended up getting poisoned with bug spray. I am happy to announce that I did not get bit by any insects.