Geek Habitat

Yesterday’s entry? “Home”

Today’s entry? “Sick”

I’m back from vacation, yet “homesick”?!

Not literally… I am sick as in: I-thought-it-was-just-bad-allergies-but-now-I’m-not-so-sure! Yesterday, I was sneezing twelve to thirty times in succession and fighting severe sinus drainage and a headache. Today, I’ve got all that plus no energy, all-body aches (not just my knee and legs from all the D.C. walking!), and a headache that’s graduated to being able to make my stomach do cartwheels anytime I change position (much less try to walk around), and chills (even though I’m not running a fever.) Oh joy…

When I visited my parents yesterday evening, the joke was that I’m allergic to San Antonio. This feels a little more powerful than even I’m used to for allergies, though. Allergies can certainly knock me on my ass sometimes, but generally that’s due more to having to dose up on Benadryl or other soporific over-the-counter allery meds.

{shrug} We’ll see how I feel in 24-36 hours. Justin didn’t sound too great this morning when he woke up early to take his parents to the airport. (Aside: they’ve been seeing a lot of the airport lately; they dropped us off and picked us up after our Washington, D.C. trip, now it’s their turn to head up to New York City — they’re staying with Justin’s brother, Jason, who’s on a business trip to NYC and invited them up to share the hotel room.)

I always had a “knack” for this sort of nonsense, as much to my dismay as to co-workers’ whose workload I inadvertantly increased — I’d take a couple days or an occasional week off work, enjoy the time thoroughly, but get sick as a dog the day or evening before my return to work. Nothing’s quite so pitiful as realizing you’re sick and not going to be of use to anyone, and having to report sheepishly that you won’t be coming in to work… after x delightful days off, during which time you felt absolutely fine! That said, I believe sick leave (or “personal days,” as sick leave has devolved into in many companies these days, drawing from the same pool as an employee’s vacation time) exists to be used when one’s sick. Sharing one’s germs, lethargy and overall negative vibes when sick doesn’t have a stellar influence on productivity, I’ve found.

Signing off for now… consider this my overdue “Shannon is sick today and will not be in the office.”

{Crawling back to my nest of sheets and pillows in bed, where I had been sleeping fitfully until a torrential downpour began a couple hours ago.}

Mom, I hope you’re not feeling worse too. I’m thinking you and I are both fighting exactly the same thing, and we both seemed to be getting worse, not better as we visited yesterday.