12:40 AM - 08.01.05
Head Colds
Cats love honey. I don't know whether it is good for them or not, but last night when I crawled in to bed I must have had enough left on my mouth so that I soon found I had two kittens fighting over who got to lick my lips. I tried to explain that the operative word in the equation was mine - as in don't do that - but they wanted the taste enough to risk the hired helps' wrath. Ditto for just now at the computer. Honey in my tea to soothe a sore throat meant several kittens needed a firm talking to about boundaries. Theirs end at my coffee cup.
I woke up late this morning. The alarm didn't go off even though the red indicator button was still lit, as though it was operating properly. Given the time of year it is still pitch dark outside so even though I woke up a couple of times I didn't realize that fact. My body has been struggling with the cold the past couple of days so I think that may be a factor too as well as the rum toddy I had had (see previous paragraph) the night before to try and bring some warmth back into said body. I haven't had anything alcoholic since the plum wine to celebrate surviving the election in June. I had tried several other ways to shake off the chill, but nothing else had worked so I thought I would try that old medicinal stand by (lemon, honey, an ounce of rum and hot water) as a last resort. I felt quite comfortable once I had taken my medicine and slept very well into the bargain. Too well I guess.
As I was racing out of my bedroom I bumped into son number four getting ready to go to work too. He said he had called a cab because the temperature is still in the frigid zone and he has quite a walk to get to his job even after the bus and train ride. He agreed to share the fare, so I called my supervisor to give him an estimated time of arrival that was at least half an hour quicker than what I would have been if I had tried taking my usual transport. The driver was one I had had last summer when I would go in to work at the data management job then turn around and go to work the second shift at the election office. I wasn't certain until after we dropped my son off, but he said something that tied in with part of a conversation we had had then about his homeland in Africa. I think I had noted in my post then that sometimes the best thing to do when talking with others was to shut up and listen. Ditto for this morning.
I arrived at the office about one hour late. Not too bad since I could just skip the lunch break to make up the time. Too cold to go anywhere anyway other than down to the food fair to grab something to eat while I worked. There was a bit of tension among a lot of the staff and a sense of hurry with unexpected deadlines or crises in the background. You know that terse exchange of updates as people passed each other in the workroom - the area where I was working today. I was still in the lundy's (rolling file cabinets) on the same tupperware stool, but the batteries in my son's diskman died at about noon so I was soundproofless after that. I kept the earphones on in self defense because that one male kept coming by trying to get my attention. He almost got more than that when he acted as though he had undone the locks on the rolling files and was going to shove the aisle shut. I tried to remind myself that he wouldn't be aware of the history of what had gone on daily at the last contract and that it was not malice as much as a poor attempt at humour. Very poor. I decided not to respond at all and just continued working. I hope he gets the message soon.
Other than my co-worker and the financial specialist next to him I didn't really chat with anyone. The specialist had brought in a drawing her daughter had made the night before. I commented that the skill level shown was well beyond what any three year old would be expected to demonstrate. Human forms that had well proportioned and scoped figures. She said her daughter had drawn it in less than ten minutes and that she was quite pleased with her. Too right. I asked my co-worker if I could use his desk phone to call home. He said he was planning to taking a break at that point and wandered off. I'd left my cell phone at home in my rush this morning, so I didn't have many other options. I noticed he had been surfing the internet, so we got to talking about what he was looking for - the history of "the rule of thumb". The belief that the head of the family was entitled to beat the rest as long as the weapon was no thicker than his thumb. I didn't even want to know why. He was parented with the idea of "an eye for an eye" that made me decide that I didn't really want to know, but I did allow that I thought I had read something to that effect in the Old Testament. I couldn't recall where though and suggested he go to one of the accredited university religious studies website to do a quick search for the phrase. I couldn't remember the web addresses I had used in the past, but offered to email them to him at his home webaddress. I didn't say so out loud, but that old saying about not discussing religion, politics, or sex was at the back of my mind and using a corporate computer for those activities is best not done. He hesitated a bit about letting me know what it was, but sent it to my home email address when he copied me on the weekly report he'd sent to our supervisor after I'd left for the day. Don't know how to think about that, if at all.
Anyway I've got a head cold supreme and the matching headache so I think I'll just go to bed now. Good night dear diary. A demain.
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