As a San Francisco kid, borne of moderate temperatures and low humidity, I spend New York winters shivering violently, wishing for summer to arrive, and New York summers sweating through the sweltering heat, wishing for the return of winter cold.

But, for about a month of spring, and a month of fall, the weather is perfect, absolutely beautiful. During that month of fall I think, there’s no better place in the world to live than right here. And then during that month of spring I think, holy shit my eyes and ears and nose are itching so much that I should probably just shoot myself in the head.

I’m not sure what personally hugely allergenic tree, grass, or shrub it is that exists here on the East Coast yet remains blissfully absent on the West. But, whatever it is, I grew up without it, and therefore without any real seasonal allergies.

So, each year, at the start of April, as the pollen count climbs, hay fever catches me completely and totally off guard. Even this year, when I bought NasalCrom months in advance, and swore to start actually taking it a few weeks in advance of allergy season as the box presribes, I wasn’t ready. Because, this weekend, as my eyes started to redden, my nose began to itch and run, it still took me a few days to realize that, wait, I’ve seen these symptoms before!

So, NasalCrom it is. Plus whatever left-over allergy pills I can dig up from the back of our medicine cabinet. And maybe some of those anti-histamine eye-drops because, let’s face it, I’m a total pansy about all of this, and will drive everyone nuts with the complaining otherwise.

Wish me luck. And, if you have any drug recommendations, lifestyle tips, or other thoughts for a still relative allergy retard, certainly send them my way.