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6:31 a.m. - 2003-05-10
Musings
Avoidance. That's what yesterday's entry was.

I got up yesterday morning and was sitting on a dining room chair, jacket and one runner on. Went to put on the second runner so I could get out the door to the bus stop, when I realized I was fighting to breathe. Ok, before 7 in the morning most days I'm not really conscious. Automatic pilot usually gets me to work. Realized from the symptoms: plugged sinuses, post nasal drip, raw throat, fever and hacking cough included with the no air in the lungs, that I probably had the beginning of the cold that my co-worker D had when I went to work on Thursday. It was his first day back after a couple of sick days off too.

I only had 3 more days on these killer antibiotics. Did I want to end up back on them with another infection, because of the immune system compromise that a full blown rotten cold could cause, because I went to work for one day before the weekend? No! Can I afford any more time off work? No! How much work would I accomplish today? Not much, if the team meeting and the early departure necessary to deal with the effects of the antibiotics are taken into account.

Well how do we solve that little paradox? It ends up being a "pay me now, or pay me later" scenario doesn't it. I knew I'd probably be very sick by the end of the day, if I went in to work. Likelihood of reinfection and therefore time off next week seemed pretty high, plus I would lose another weekend to being sick, putting me even further behind with all the other things I've had to let slide.

Finally decided to call in sick to work. Doused myself with a topical remedy one of my friends from a previous assignment recommended. It's called "White Flower Oil" in English. My computer probably has the capacity to reproduce it's name in the original Cantonese, but I'm not going to risk improperly spelling it and sending someone off to pick up the wrong emolument. Anyway, it is a combination of eucalyptus, menthol, camphor, lavendar, and a couple of other ingredients. I love the smell but it does tend to clear a room of healthy people. My friend had shown all of us in that department how to use it to ward off the full onslaught of a cold or flu, by dabbing it over key acupuncture points. Works like a charm. However, one of the things one must do after applying it, is to wrap one's self up in blankets and sweat out the symptoms. Went back to bed for the morning.

Miss Kitty woke me up at about 10; quite indignant she was. Remember this is a Taurus feline. Schedules and routines must be honoured. First sin, what was I doing home on a weekday. Second sin, where were her other humans? She made me go room to room looking for them. Number five son splits his time between his Dad's home and mine. He'd stayed over the night before, but left eary to attend a job interview. Miss Kitty wanted him back. Number four son had stayed over at a buddy's the night before - why wasn't he in his proper place either? Number six son was napping (home school remember?)- how dare he ignore her like that. Finally reduced her opprobrium by offering tuna. Whatever it takes; I went back to bed.

Woke up later in the afternoon, most of the symptoms gone. Just a bit achy. Decided to catch up on some of the tasks I hadn't been able to do and filed my taxes on-line. That was a booster because I do get money back. I guess missing so much work the end of last year finally has a positive side. I always ask that the maximum amount be deducted from my paycheques so that I don't find myself with an unexpected bill come tax time. Please Mr Taxman, send that refund soon.

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