Sick and sicker

Things haven't gone exactly as expected.  I am sicker than I thought.  My "Barry White" voice stage lasted for only a few hours - by the time I was on my way to work my voice was a hoarse whisper.  The usual isolation of my work station, which I used to justify going in to work at all, was disrupted by staffing issues:  we had a call-off, and the mix or regular and overtime personnel we had available to cover all the things that needed to be done had a mix of skills that required some shuffling of where people were working - placing me right in the thick of things.  While I may have infected everyone I came in contact with, they at least had the benefit of not hearing me scream and shout at my machines all night as I usually do,

After work I got together with my mom to take Homer back down to Allentown for an eight-week follow-up visit.  She drove; I had a breakfast of a mug of Throat Coat tea, made from a packet that had been kicking around for nearly four years, ever since I closed down the Tea Shop in my office when I lost my job in February 2007.  I had a huge collection of teas, and everyone knew to stop over if they needed a Throat Coat or a Breathe Easy or a Gypsy Cold Care (like chicken soup in tea form) just a St. John's Wort.  (St. John's Wort was very popular.)  It took us about an hour to get to within two miles of the vet's, and then over a half hour to go the rest of the way - more infinitely prolonged construction projects being financed by the taxpayers and milked by contractors for as long as they can.

The veterinary technician who took care of us has also lost her voice, though she is not exhibiting any other symptoms.  The doctor gave Homer a clean bill of health, but I am not sure of that.  (We finally finished his antibiotics yesterday, and the doctor assured us that no infection is currently present.  But when I just checked on Homer a few minutes ago, he had thick mucus coming out of both nostrils for the first time in a month.

I came home full of plans but decided to do nothing.  I barely ate anything - some peanuts, a concoction made of equal parts lemon, honey, boiling water, and ginger flavored brandy, and some ice cream to soothe my throat a few hours later.  I turned on the TV and caught a bit of Tosh.0 - enough to determine that he, too, was sick, with what he described as a yeast infection of the throat, which caused him to be quieter and more subdued than usual.  I managed to talk to one of the people I wanted to call, but with my throat and the fact that I haven't slept for more than a few minutes at a time in the car (as my mom was driving) since early Wednesday afternoon, I wasn't exactly the most scintillating conversationalist.

Sword swallower news today that I won't convey in full right now.  Some bad - a death in the family, the husband/manager of someone I saw perform a few years ago - and some good - an article focusing on a dear friend I've never met, which reminded my of why I've been hostile toward the Ig Nobel Prizes for the past few years. 

Maybe I'll explain in more detail sometime.  But now, I have plans for tomorrow morning, and miles to go before I sleep.  I'd better get started getting ready for bed.