It turns out that the flu this year is nothing to (forgive me) sneeze at. While at work last Wednesday, I found myself unreasonably tired from walking up stairs. It came on so quickly from there that I was out of the door in fifteen minutes and home in bed in less than an hour. Bed is where I stayed for the next 48 hours. The next 24 or so were weird in that my body didn’t have the energy to do anything but my brain lost its ability to sleep or do anything other than repeat weird loops over and over.
Do not underestimate this particular strain of influenza. Today was the first day I felt any hunger and ate anything more than a few bites of bread. I didn’t turn on my computer for three days. If you know me, you know how far down I had to be for this to be the case. My understanding is that if you see your doctor as soon as you’re symptomatic, there’s something they can do to lessen the blow. Otherwise, you’re looking at over-the-counter symptom reducers.
Side note: This is the second time I’ve had the flu in the last ten years. In both cases, I had a flu shot the previous fall. I’m still going to keep getting them, but they don’t seem to be quite as efficacious as we’ve been told, huh?
It wasn’t all bad, though. There were a few interesting things to come out of my week on my back:
1. The first solid food I ate was a batch of Popeye’s new “Ghost Pepper” wings. They are damned good, albeit a questionable choice for “first solid food.” They’re nowhere near as spicy as the name suggests, but they’re actually pretty hot, well beyond typical fast food empty promises.
2. I got my primary Christmas present home and, wow, is it a doozy: A Korg Minilogue synthesizer! I’ll write more about it when I’ve had more time to noodle with it, but it’s just insanely powerful and intuitive to program. I’m getting tingly just thinking about getting to play with it more tomorrow.
3. Watching a soccer match broadcast from a single camera at midfield is dizzying and weird. I can see how one might grow accustomed to it, but the angles were alien to me. It didn’t help that the first time I turned on any entertainment, on Saturday morning, it was such a garbage match.
3a. I’ve been pulling for Fleetwood Town ever since they sold Jamie Vardy to Leicester. They’ve been rising up the ranks, slowly but surely, going from Conference football to nearly reaching the Championship last year. Getting to see the Cod Army out in force only endeared them to me further.
4. QI is the perfect show to binge when you’re camped out on the sofa and have no energy to do anything (including watch whatever is on the screen).
And, that’s about it. I’m going to try to work in the morning. We’ll see how long that lasts. Thank goodness for Nicole. She’s done yeoman work taking care of me while she, too, has been afflicted by this crud.
Goodnight all,
-RK