~A Bitter Swallow~

  There is something to be said for staying home sick for a day.  After today, I may just have to go expose myself to every one's sneezes and coughs more often.  Rub that crap (okay, not that crap) all over me.   In my swarmy state of mind that often accompanies me when I do not feel well, I was kicked by the writing bug.  I got 15 pages written, plus some editing done.  Now, that may not sound like much in the scheme of things.  But for me, that is phenomenal progress.  And, it alleviated a load of stress from certain areas of the storyline.  

  I've come to the conclusion that my writing bug on that story is finished for today, but with a 3-day weekend coming up, I'm hoping to at least catch that little bug again.  I can do without the feeling like poo-poo part, but if that's what it takes, then I'm willing.  Seriously.  Sneeze on me.  Thanks.

We've had a couple of wind storms the past few days. I love windstorms. Not just breezy weather, but the slamming the doors and knocking down tree limbs wind storms. There is just something so exhilerating about them. It's like Nature's broom. Just getting rid of all the debris (well, metaphorically speaking, since, there is usually more debris out there once it's over!). I especially love it when there is a rain storm that comes along with the winds. The buddy system is a wonderful thing, you know. Even more so when you come in to wash clean the earth.

Outside just smells so much better during and after the storm. That deep, earthy watery smell. So organic (can't get much more organic, can ya?). And the feel in the air is electric. Foreboding and exciting all at the same time. Premonitory, but fascinating. There is nothing quite so nice as curling up with a good book on the couch, wrapped in a nice, warm blanket, and listening to the wind howl and the rain pound the rooftops and windows outside. Particullarly if you have a cup of hot tea or cocoa on the table beside you.

On a seperate note, I think my boyfriend is coming down with the flu. Just when he got called back to work at Nuprecon, too. Horrible timing, though he's gone anyway. Except for today. He wasn't scheduled for today. Good thing, because I really think he needs to stay home, relax, and eat something other than chips and dip!!

I wonder if this means the kids and I are going to get sick as well. Probably. Oh joy. Right in time for moving. Maybe we'll get lucky and it won't see us...

It's been a long week. I was sick Tuesday through Thursday with some weird headachy-stomach thing. I noticed the headache as I was driving home from work Monday evening. By Tuesday, it had gotten pretty bad, and then on the drive to work that morning, my stomach decided to do jumping jacks. I wound up having to leave work early and go home. I slept most of that day, then that evening, since sleep seemed to have made it worse, Dustin took me out to eat and walk a bit. That may sound counter-productive, but in my case it usually helps, and it did. Wednesday I only had to work a half-day, since I had worked at the Back To School Celebration the previous Saturday. It was the longest 4&1/2 hours I've ever worked. My head was pounding, and at one point I almost threw up right into the book bin. Thursday morning I thought I was going to be okay as I headed out to my meeting, but by the time I got home, my head and tummy were back at blows, each vieing to be the King Yukinator. By the time I went to bed I was near tears from pain and just plain sick of feeling ill.

Then Friday we went to the Kitsap County Fair.

That was actually quite nice. My stomach and head cooperated and in return I stayed mostly away from the fair food and rides. I went ballistic in the goat area. I love those little creatures! I think I embarrassed my kids by my outpouring of uncontrollable cute overload, squealing at each little adorable animal. My own animals (aka children) stayed on the other side of the building and avoided eye contact.

The same thing happened with the bunnies.

I totally want goats and bunnies now.

I think I could actually get away with goats, but I'm pretty sure my cat would think he had been such a good boy for killing all the mice that we brought him home a tasty treat as a reward.



In other news, my daughter has really gotten into crafting lately. She picked up a book that had a felted bag in it that she made. Her bag blew the book's bag away. Her's was so much cooler, and I'm not just saying that because I'm mom. It really did. So, now I'm making a Halloween one, and she is on a crafting kick. It's awesome. Like Dustin, my boyfriend, said: "Now we're trying to kick her off the crafting books at 11pm to get her to go to bed instead of kicking her off the computer." It makes it a lot harder to enforce! She's spent about $40 of her own dollars on crafting supplies. It rocks socks that maybe one day she'll make!

Saturday we went out and did some family photos at the park. I think they turned out great. We still need to go down and do some at the studio, but so far I think I picked out about 6 or 7 from the park that I want printed. My kids are such little models sometimes! Most of the time they just run amuck. That's what kids do. =)

Maybe I'll post one on here!

Then the boys went to a movie while my daughter and I went (guess, guess) CRAFT shopping. Bet you couldn't guess. Dinner with friends, those friends giving us a bunch of books, going home...

Sunday I went and kept a gal-pal company for awhile, then home to work on my Halloween bag, housework, laundry, dinner and hanging out with the kids.

So, my week started off crappy but ended quite nicely.




Anyway... that's what's up.

Ok, so maybe the title implies that this post is about many, but it's all about me. Well, I'm sure there are others in the same boat, so we'll include them as well.

I am sick. And I am restless. Bet that comes as a shocker. I actually got sent home from work. A coworker said he could tell that I feel like crap based just off my posture today. I wonder if that is an indication that my posture is usually good? I'll roll with that.

I feel like my head is stuck in a vat of mashed potatoes. Not real mashed potatoes, but those fake, boxed ones that always come out kind of chalky. And they are watery mashed potatoes on top of it.. because my head feels heavy, but watery. It's almost as if I can hear liquid sloshing back and forth in there. My sinuses won't stop running, and my poor nose is so mad at me now. I should have stopped and picked up some Puffs Plus on the way home, but it was all I could do to just concentrate on driving myself home safely, much less think of making pit stops along the way. My neck hurts, and my back hurts. That sick, achy kind of pain. My tummy is doing somersaults in there to spite me, I'm sure.

I've tried some Tylenol Cold, and while that cleared up my stuffy nose a little, that's all it did. I've tried to eat more but my stomach thinks that is a horrible idea, and is threatening to use force against me if I push it. I try to sleep, but my brain will not shut off and let me. I doubt it would be a restful sleep anyway.

So now I'm sitting here wondering what to do next. Thankfully, I have my laptop handy, so I can sit quietly here on the couch, snuggled in my blankie while the sun shines through the window. As long as I don't move, I'm ok. I tried to dispute that earlier, and it didn't work so well for me. I took a hot shower to try and break up some of this stuff, but with the trouble breathing I'm having with this thing, the shower didn't work so well, either. I had to lean against the wall the entire time, and cut my shower short.

It's hard to just sit here though, since I know that there are dishes to be done, laundry to be started and more to be folded, a bathroom in desperate need of some attention, and food to be prepped. Originally I had had plans to have my brother and his girlfriend over for dinner tonite, but I had to call and cancel that. I just don't see me making it through that. Dustin went over to a friend's house to watch movies on their big screen t.v with their new surround sound system. The quiet is nice, but my lack of ability to fall asleep is making me stir crazy. My attempts to get up and do something are making my body retaliate.

Gah.. I wish it would stop! Hopefully tomorrow it will be all better, and I can resume life as normal. Breathing and eating and sleeping! Wish me luck!

What is it with my self-destructiveness? I am sick. I feel like Hell, and I am pretty sure I look it. My head is splitting in two, and I am seeing doubles. My stomach is in knots, with sharp pains shooting through it. And what do I do? I come in to work. And of course, everything is a million times amplified.. from the light, to the noise, to my nerves. I've only been here an hour, and it feels like a full 8-hour day. I have 4 more hours to go. Sweet goddess... I hope I make it.

There is something in me that just screams NO to me calling in. Not that I've never done it while working here before, just, I have to be pretty much dead to do so. Or come in and get sent home. LOL. Perhaps it's from working at the pharmacy. If someone called in, chances were it WOULDN'T get covered, and the day would just be misery for those who were there. I remember dreading when people called in, knowing that the day would just be complete madness. And because of that, I wouldn't call in unless I physically could NOT make it there, and sometimes would show up even despite that. It was not a company that looked kindly on time off. It caused too much distress within the operations of the day.

Now, KRL is nothing like that. They are very understanding of things like that. I have relaxed more about things here, but I still have that part of me that refuses to call in sick. And tomorrow, hopefully, I will feel better, or else it will start all over again, only be a longer shift...