Get Down With the Sickness

Ever have one of those days where you wake up feeling fine but then start to feel super-sick by noon? Isn't that weird? It's like, what's wrong with my body this hour that wasn't wrong two hours ago? Can things have really turned south so rapidly?

I went to work my usual happy-go-lucky self. In fact, I was particularly happy-go-lucky this morning because (1) I had an abbreviated 7 hour shift, (2) it was my last day of work before two blissful days off and (3) I am going to see the Decemberists live tonight at the Fonda Theater.

But by 1 in the afternoon, I felt as if a large colony of rhinoviruses had set up permanent camp inside my nose. My sinuses were throbbing like Queens of the Stone Age was having an impromptu jam session up there. It sucked.

The thing about my job is, it's really easy and fun if you feel alright. But dealing with customers when you don't feel proves a bit more challenging. All their dumb requests seem just a bit more dumb. For example, the guy on the phone today who asked me if we had any copies in of "Bring Me the Head of Alfonso Garcia." Now, you and I know it's Alfredo Garcia, and on any other day, I would have found the error minorly amusing and moved on. But today, this guy's ignorance really bothered me. I wasn't really upset...mucuous congestion just brings out the worst in me.

So, anyway, I feel much better now. It only lasted for about 2 hours before passing, and now I'm better and ready to enjoy an evening of Colin Meloy's unique brand of folky indie rock. This sort of thing happens a lot more now, in my mid-20's, than it used to when I was younger. Like that cyst thing I was complaining about a month ago. I never used to get cysts as a teenager! The worst thing that would happen, medical-wise, at 13 was an itch in a place that's uscratchable whilst in public. That used to happen to me all the time in high school. But nothing like temporary colds or odd growths on my backside.

I can just tell I'm going to be one of those sickly older people who always have 500 ailments going at once. Any conversation with a 60+ Lons will probably involve at least 20 minutes of me relating recent bowel activity. Because I'll be an old Jew, and they all get gastrointestinally focused in their august years.

So, things are looking up.