The Week o' Sickness Entry
11/11/2

Up until about two or three years ago, I really never got sick. In my college years, if I did get sick, I would still go into class sick. At least in the latter part, where it was my money. When it was my money, I was an A getting curve buster. Before, when I was still just a kid, playing at the university with daddy�s money, if I got sick, or any other reason to skip class, I did.

Well, after a while, I got so that when Aisai would get a cold that lasted her a week, I�d get really sick for about four hours and then snap out of it. We tended to call this my �mutant healing factor.� Well, it�s over.

Besides, if what I got last week was compressed down to four hours, it would have killed me.

It seems that the pneumonia shots that the city gave out were a tad messed up. They got them from the health department. One of the secretaries at work got one when they were giving out free flu shots on the Wednesday that I took off to play Vice City uninterrupted.

She got a big potato sized black sore on her arm where she got the shot and, last I knew (but I�ve been out of work for nearly a week) was still sick, two weeks of sick potentially. I got sick on Tuesday. My throat was very sore and I had that flu type ache.

There were things I had to do on Wednesday, so I went in and did them. My boss, who just had a baby about two weeks earlier, wanted me out of the office ASAP. I obliged. Aisai, fresh from getting the payment for her totaled car on Tuesday, dragged me to Columbia, TN, to look at a Focus wagon.

Unfortunately, this Focus had been tricked up. Sure, it was possible to get a darker tint job and have more plastic crap on the car, but it was sucky enough as it was. Only about three hours of my sickness wasted. Actually, I dunno, I don�t think you could get a darker tint job.

Thursday, I was sick as a dog. I could feel my lungs. I was using Dayquil and Nyquil and some leftover $40 cough syrup that Aisai had. I popped vitamin C and E, slept � the time, and played GTA: Vice City the other times. Well, that is, when Aisai wasn�t dragging my rotting corpse to another used car dealer.

This one was allegedly a perfect Focus wagon. Aisai said she stayed on the phone and asked questions so this wouldn�t waste my time. After all, I was just a signature machine, well, after I evaluated the car.

The car was very near perfect. In fact, I love how used car dudes rarely know what they have. Not only did this wagon have the Zetec engine, a rare option, but the person had also sprung for the side curtain air bags and ABS. Also, with only 23000 miles on it, it was a company car that never really got used.

We checked all the power stuff, all the cloth surfaces, and all the tire changing hardware. All in place and flawless. In fact, it was in better condition than the ZX5 that Aisai had as a rental car during her post car totaling days. The ZX5 had lines from a baby seat lightly cut into the back seat.

We drove it. Or should I say, I drove it. And to me, it felt like bearing noise. It seemed that the front left bearings were shot and had worn the brakes so that the feeling was stronger when braking. We said if he fixed it we�d be back Friday to buy it.

So, we get home and I collapse into a puddle. Aisai told me that if I�m not better in the morning, I must go to the doctor. Guess what? I wasn�t better and so I went.

Dr. Conway had just seen one of the pneumonia bruised arms before I mentioned it. She gave me a shot of an antibiotic mixed with lidocaine and a prescription for a Z-pack. I dropped the little prescription paper off at the pharmacy on the way home.

Shortly thereafter, Aisai�s home early for us to go get the Focus. Fortunately, I was wrong and it was only a flat spot on the cheap tires they had on it. They put on all new cheap tires and we bought the car. However, we�d need to run by the bank the next day and deliver him a bank type check. He would then hand us back the check we had written him.

It was weird at the car dealer as the general manager had died in a car accident just the night before. We probably saw him on Thursday, in fact.

The lidocaine was doing a good job of keeping me up and moving. But it died out after a while.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, that I lost about 10 pounds in three days. When I was sick, I didn�t want to eat, and I�d forget to drink anything. Friday night, we ate at Atlanta Bread Company. I had coffee for the first time since Monday.

Saturday, I was still pretty sick, and we had to go to the bank and then out to the car dealer, who I didn�t mention was in Athens, AL. What it is about semi-rural small towns that makes them have the best deals on cars? In any case, by the time we got back, I was in the worst condition that I�d been in. I don�t remember Saturday night. (I forgot to mention we ate at Qdoba between the bank and driving out there.)

Sunday, I miss church since I�m sick and for the first time during this sickness, I don�t have to go anywhere. Aisai continues her quest to make sure that I remember to eat and buys a loaf of good bread and some Taco Bell for me.

Monday, Today, Veteran�s Day; Aisai woke me up to remind me to eat. I ate. I showered. I�m feeling pretty good, like I�ve just got a cold. I can�t feel my lungs anymore and I don�t have to use the $40 a bottle cough syrup to keep from waking Aisai up at night. Basically, I�m done with the sick.

So, what does this week look like? Tomorrow, I�ll have to get all my billing stuff up to date as quickly as possible and see what unexpected stuff showed up while I was gone. Aisai needs to find get the recalls done on her Focus, but I doubt she�ll actually get them done this week. Wednesday, we need to know which cabin�s we�ll have for the college age retreat this weekend so we can get that info to the people going. Thursday, we�ll zip over to Atlanta to see Tony Hawk. Friday, we�re responsible for the evening meal at the college age retreat.

Oh, and I won Grand Theft Auto: Vice City today. Man, I knew that Phillip Michael Thomas was going to turn on me.