What every traveler needs...

...an ear infection before they get on a plane. I'm on ear drops and antibiotics and can't hear squat out of my left ear. If you see a woman with an ear horn at the conference... be kind.

The Flu

I've been hit and hit hard with the flu. Now for certain I'm beginning to think that there's a plot against me completely catching up and posting my November and December reads. No need to post good wishes, although I love you for wanting to, I'm doing fine now. I just don't want to re-live this past weekend anytime soon.

I'm determined to 'get 'er done' this evening. Assuming, of course, I survive the day. How's that for melodrama?

Born Again!

I feel almost brand new today. Headache gone. It never really blew into a full blown migraine, although if you had suggested that yesterday when I had double vision I'd have probably knocked you senseless.

Of course I have the lovely lighter than light feeling after a bad headache. The relief not to have the relentless ache and pressure is so fabulous I'm almost speechless.

I'm working on lots of stuff this afternoon of the time change. Which can anyone, any one, tell me why we are still torturing ourselves with this senseless ritual twice a year when we KNOW it doesn't work????

Anyway, I'm working on getting back into my lovely rut of a routine. I can hardly wait. First on the agenda is my October reading list. Hopefully it will be up tomorrow.

Now no more dithering. I'm going to see what all of you have been up to.

oh woe is me...

Just when you think it's safe to go out at night...

I was so hoping to really catch up this weekend, but I have the mother of all migraines.

I'll be back when I don't have double vision and my brain doesn't feel like it's too big for my skull.

And the doctor said...

It's my thyroid! Yep. So I'm back on synthroid. And coincidentally I asked him to check my left ear because it's been bugging me. I figured it was water on the ear from swimming.

Uh...yeah...well I never claimed to have a medical degree. I have an ear infection. I'm on antibiotics as well. Of course once diagnosed my ear started to hurt like there was no tomorrow. I'm such a dork.

Feeling better already just to know my fatigue wasn't all in my head. Now if I could just hear out of my left ear...

Shut up and take your medicine...

With my head a bit clearer I can see in retrospect that I really should have insisted on the antibiotics last week when I went to the doctor. I shrugged and said "okay" when she prescribed Nasonex.

Let me just say that after 24 hours of antibiotics I'm finally on the mend. I can swallow without it feeling like cut glass and my voice is making a slow return to the land of the living.

My advice to anyone who gets this fever and sore throat crap that's going around? It's not just a cold. Okay? I'm a little slow sometimes but now that I'm feeling better I can see that I was being stubborn on that issue a little bit. Get the antibiotics and feel better. Don't be dumb like I was. Or maybe it's better said I was clueless.

GG is much relieved and happy I'm staying home from work today to get some much welcome sleep. So did I miss anything? The last week is sort of a blur.

Charmed, I'm Sure

Being Italian, Catholic and raised by very conservative parents, I'm not one to make public displays of tantrums or fuss. My extended family trades in quips and sarcasm. My mother was the Queen of Passive Aggressive world. Me? Well, as you know, I love the occasional whine and wimper.

Today? Well, today I'm in a full blown crabby melt down and considering making an exception and having myself a tantrum.

Sometime during REM sleep my voice left the building. Yes, that's correct. Fever? Gone. Fever blister? Gone. Plugged ears? Gone. Sore throat? Worse. Cough? Worse than ever...ever...ever....

Yes, that's right my throat is actually worse. One of my brother's who was at the BBQ yesterday called this morning. When I croaked a "hello" his reply was, "Rosie? Geez! What did you do to your voice since I left last night?"

Wish. I. Knew.

Reporting to you from "I'm in a POUT Central",

Crabby, whining, feel sorry for poor GG, the blogger formerly known as Rosie.

I got a fever...I'm hot...

Hot, cold. Hot, cold. Shivers. Sweats. I thought my achy-ness was just my usual joint aches from my RA. Uh, not so much. No wonder my inspiration took a hike. Any sane sense would. Which explains a lot, doesn't it?

Ah-CHOO!

I've been laid low by a cold my husband brought home. That's what I get for sleeping with a sneezy, runny nose, stuffy head guy. Of course for the last four days I've sweetly and gently reminded him that he brought home the vicious germ that laid me low. It seems like I always get what he had times two. Anyway, I'm much better now and no longer threatening to lay waste to any and all who disturb the cranky lady in her flannel jammies with the red nose and chapped lips.

The panting you hear isn't from my cold. It's me running around like a crazy person trying to get organized again and catch up with stuff. I'm making lists so I can actually see all the things I need to do like still go back and label my posts prior to beta and update links on my page and list all the books I've read in January on my spread sheet. I'm a masochist that way. On the other hand, it is very enjoyable to cross through something and see the list dwindle and disappear.

Wow! What a fabulously thrilling life I lead, huh? I'm working on an incentive to get myself to do all this stuff. In the nick of time Steadman called. There's a wedding in June. So my first trip to Minnesota is in the offing. Also, my sister in Georgia would like a visit. Yeah, I admit it, I bribe myself to get stuff done and use trips, meals, books as bribes to get motivated. It an act of desperation to slingshot myself back into the swing of things when for whatever reason I get behind.

Right now I'm contemplating chocolate for breakfast. No not hot cocoa...chocolate of the Godiva variety. No more soup or tea for a while. For suffering and sneezing through two boxes of tissue surely God has rewarded me with a few lost pounds, so chocolate for breakfast isn't such a bad thing. Am I right?

Good God! A Stye in my Eye!

This has been the most unusual holiday season. My Christmas project has really taken me out of the loop and I occasionally emerge from my cocoon blinking at the bright lights and colors all around me. It's been no surprise I've lost some weight (just a few pounds), I got the flu and now I've got a stye in my eye.

So here I am ready to click my heels and jump for joy because I'm so close to being done (really!) that I can taste it and I have a stye in my eye. I've never had a stye in my eye before...or at least not that I can remember, so if I ever had one before it is so long ago I don't remember it. Trust me that would be long, long ago and in a far off place.

Anyway, here I am ready to finish my project and I have blurred vision and tearing eyes. It slows things down a tad to try and see through tear filled eyes. What a pain! No, don't sympathize because it is only a little stye and I'm sure will clear up as styes usually do in a couple of days, but it IS a royal pain in my caboose and my eye looks like I've been socked in it recently. It's just preventing me from doing what I want to do and, well...you know, that's really irritating! Besides, I just want to get my project done so my life, as I know it, can resume. Other than that...everything is just peachy.

Christmas cards done and packages mailed. Only one more item to shop for, some baking to do, packing for the trip and of course, finish this last part of the project. All doable before Christmas so I'm breathing a sigh of relief I made my self imposed deadline. Now it's time to just enjoy the rest of the holiday season.

After our trip north we will come home and get ready to go to Disneyland on New Year's Eve with our boys and their friends. We've been warned it is pandemonium at the happiest place on earth New Year's Eve, but you gotta try stuff once don't you? Anyway I love the energy of the kids and we should have fun.

I hope you don't have a stye in your eye, or the flu, or a cold and that your holiday season is lovely and joy filled with family and friends.

Flu anyone?

Has anyone else's household been bit by the flu bug? This past weekend my niece graduated from college. Many family members came to help celebrate the occasion. One of them my brother from Northern California brought the flu with him. Since he's returned home half of the family has been sick including me!

So what with Christmas parties, birthday parties, graduations, the flu and trying to complete my Christmas cards and projects...I haven't had much time for Romancelandia or the blogosphere.

I also want to thank everyone who keeps dropping by and all of you for your patience while I'm finishing my Christmas project. I miss checking out your blogs and finding out about your lives, what you are doing and reading. I think just one more week and I'll have this project knocked.

In the meantime, drop me a note in comments and tell me what you are up to...what you are reading...I miss you guys!

AH-CHOO!

One box of kleenex, half jar of methalatum rub, 48 pain reliever tabs, half bottle (yech!) cough syrup, 3 gallons of water...and counting!

I'm NOT a good patient.

I have a cold. And while I can honestly admit that I frequently fantasize about a quiet day alone at home in my jammies with nothing to do but read, I am not sneezing, snorting and foaming at the mouth in my fantasy. Being sick sucks!

When I don't feel well I'm cranky, crabby, rude and impatient. I've never quite gotten down the quietly suffering and not making anyone else miserable routine. Most times I have the best of intentions, but yeah...I whine, complain, and wank on about how crappy I feel. It does clear a room fairly quickly and my kids hide around corners and tip toe past my bedroom door. The guy I live with generally indulges me and tells me I'm not being that bad...but he wants to have sex again sometime in the near future and he'll say anything to keep that going.

So I'm really getting into my groove and working up a good case of the "feel sorry for myself" and I go online to look for a cartoon image to put in my blog. Yeah, I googled "cartoons of sick people" . Oh, I got cartoons alright, but you also get images of real people who are sick.

I think I found a cure for the "oh woe is me". Look at pictures of people who are undergoing treatment for cancer, aids, starvation...especially kids. Man, did I feel like a schmuck yammering on about my cold!

I'm realistic though. I doubt my family has suffered through the last time I will be a soggy heap of whining humanity when I'm sick. And God knows I'm not perfect, so I can't say for a certainty that next time I'm under the weather I'll remember those images. But, maybe today I'll be a little less grumpy with those I love...on the other hand...a little TLC wouldn't be completely out of question would it?