For the first time since I-don't-know-when, I stayed home from school today on account of illness. It is certainly the first time I have ever done so as a professor. Maybe it's just my machismo kicking in, but I feel disappointed in myself that I allowed a virus to afflict my sinuses. I hate getting sick in the middle of things. It always gives me tremendous anxiety to plan out a semester's syllabus and work in little points here and there where I know I'll have leeway to contract things a bit, if we lose a day or two. It makes me anxious because I don't want to be the reason for the missed class session. It feels unprofessional to me. And yes, I recognize it's insane to think that way about a cold virus.
But anyway, I was already having a little trouble talking yesterday, as my throat closed up and my sinuses went on the fritz. Apparently, this is one of those slow-acting viruses that just teases you for a few days before really hitting you. It's the same one that made me bust out the chicken soup mentioned in my last post. Well, after my colleagues all said to me, "Why don't you just go home?" rather than attend a meeting, I took off.
On the way home, I stopped by the grocery store to pick up ingredients for some dishes I planned to cook. As soon as I got to the store and pulled out my list, I nixed the whole thing. Since my list was on my iPhone, I switched from Notes to Dropbox: I realized it would be easier to shop for groceries if I kept my recipes accessible. I felt so crappy at this point that I just got the ingredients for another pot of chicken soup.
When I got home and set about making the soup, I found that my throat tickle had progressed to a full-blown cough. There was no way I could lecture like this, and I felt so bedraggled yesterday morning that I actually worried about being incapable of driving safely to work. Head held low, I emailed my students to cancel the class for today.
I hope this day of mild rest and soupy indulgence do something good for me. I can't really call off any more school days, since this is the last week of classes and I need to administer the evaluations surveys. It'd look pretty bad if I sidestepped those.
Coughing. Guess I'd better squeeze another lemon for juice and heat up a bowl of soup. I have to nuke this fucking bug so I'm functional tomorrow. Sigh/cough.
But anyway, I was already having a little trouble talking yesterday, as my throat closed up and my sinuses went on the fritz. Apparently, this is one of those slow-acting viruses that just teases you for a few days before really hitting you. It's the same one that made me bust out the chicken soup mentioned in my last post. Well, after my colleagues all said to me, "Why don't you just go home?" rather than attend a meeting, I took off.
On the way home, I stopped by the grocery store to pick up ingredients for some dishes I planned to cook. As soon as I got to the store and pulled out my list, I nixed the whole thing. Since my list was on my iPhone, I switched from Notes to Dropbox: I realized it would be easier to shop for groceries if I kept my recipes accessible. I felt so crappy at this point that I just got the ingredients for another pot of chicken soup.
When I got home and set about making the soup, I found that my throat tickle had progressed to a full-blown cough. There was no way I could lecture like this, and I felt so bedraggled yesterday morning that I actually worried about being incapable of driving safely to work. Head held low, I emailed my students to cancel the class for today.
I hope this day of mild rest and soupy indulgence do something good for me. I can't really call off any more school days, since this is the last week of classes and I need to administer the evaluations surveys. It'd look pretty bad if I sidestepped those.
Coughing. Guess I'd better squeeze another lemon for juice and heat up a bowl of soup. I have to nuke this fucking bug so I'm functional tomorrow. Sigh/cough.
Eek! Get better! What the hell is it with everyone in corn state having the freaking plague? It's been like this since the weekend before Thanksgiving around here. Jesus H. When will it end?
ReplyDeleteI am sorry. You are doing the right thing by staying home and caring for yourself. Don't ever feel bad for doing that. What kind of role model would you be if you didn't show your students how important self-care really is? Half of my students are walking around with FSM-knows-what all the time, and they can't be learning anything in that state.
ReplyDeleteSleep, eat your soup, and watch a lot of dumb television. That will cure you!
Get better soon! The term will end, you will get to rest and that's a good thing. For now, trudge through the evaluation surveys and the grading. Aside from lemon juice and soup, I'd say drink some hot toddy to speed up the recovery!
DeleteAP