Due to my special snowflake status, semi-annually I embark upon the wondrous time of year known in my house as “Poke and Prod Season.”

If you follow me on Instagram, ’tis the season when you’ll see my pictures and comments from the various waiting rooms I’m frequenting.

I’m not gonna lie. Getting poked and prodded does tend to have suck written all over it. And unlike Grey’s Anatomy, my local hospitals haven’t been down to casting, so there’s no McSteamy or Denny Duquette anywhere to distract me. Dammit.

Given that Poke and Prod Season is a regular event, I do try to find ways to amuse myself. A few highlights from past Poke and Prod Seasons:

• You want me to wear what? I got an “upgrade” from the plain ole hospital gown thingy they make you wear. This year, I got to wear bloomers. Enormous paper bloomers. Blue ones (see above). It was hilarious.
• What’s on the radio? I can’t tell you how many times an 80s song playing in the waiting room has made my day. If you’re stuck waiting, might as well rock out with your bad self.
• Test or theme-park ride? I was SO not looking forward to a barium swallow. Ya know, that test where you drink a vat of liquid chalk? Turns out, they’ve updated the goo you drink. Now it comes in strawberry and has the consistency of a milkshake instead of liquid concrete. Bonus, the platform they use to take the pictures? You ride that sucker: you’re up, you’re down, you’re sideways, you’re frontways. Weeeeeeee. Hey, I take my fun where I can get it.

What do you do to amuse yourself in waiting rooms?