On The Mend

Hey gang... feeling much better this evening. Still a ways to go, but compared to yesterday, I feel like a million bucks. My head is still a little stuffy, and my ears pop every now and again, but the coughing fits have subsided for the most part, and sneezing doesn't make me feel like my head is going to explode. And here it is almost 6:30 pm, and I've gone the entire day without taking one bit of medicine. I think I may have 'overmedicated' myself between Saturday and Sunday.

I got lots of rest last night, and around 3:30 in the morning I got up and wandered down to the hot tub. Instead of a nice tropical rum-based concoction, I had a glass of Alka-Seltzer Plus cold medicine, fruit-flavored, of course, so I could at least pretend I was having a good time. But the jacuzzi was just what I needed--I came back home and slept like a rock.

I'm still pretty weak, and don't have a voice, so I called in sick again tonight--I may feel a little better, but just walking around the house takes all of my reserve strength as my system is taking the battle to this bug and is finally beating it back. There is no way I could've stood at a dice table for eight hours tonight. And the financial implications aren't nearly as bad as yesterday's time off--we start a new pay period today, and Mondays are usually pretty light days anyways, so I won't really notice it. But it's gonna be a tight few weeks here. That's ok though, because right now, I really don't feel like doing a damn thing but lying in bed and drinking orange juice. That doesn't cost much.

Now, I don't have a fever or feel nauseous, so this afternoon I was starving, having been living on fluids and cashews for the most part all weekend. So I made a batch of iron-skillet cornbread, complete with a can of diced green chiles for a little more flavor. It turned out great, and I ate two 'pie pieces' worth, smeared with a little melted butter. Believe it or not, I'd never made it before, but it was amazingly simple. My only complaint would be that the chiles were almost too mild--I used the smoky Anaheim variety instead of Jalapeños, which would've been more helpful as far as my sinuses go.

Still, it was damn good. I didn't think about it, but I probably should've made some chili at the same time. I dunno, what else goes good with cornbread? I can't think of anything except for maybe catfish, and I sure as hell ain't makin' that.

But I'm not hungry now, so I guess it's a moot point.

I'm gonna spend the rest of my evening resting, reading a book, and maybe writing a story or two if I can find the inspiration. And strength. Right now, it's kinda tough to keep my eyes open, and I haven't really done much all day. At least I have the next two days off, legitimately, so by the time Thursday rolls around, I should be good to go, playing at full strength.

Mikey