The Crud

Cough syrup

Achoo! Sniff…sniff. Sigh.  I’ve got the crud.

Actually both Hubby and I do.  He brought it home, thanks to his business traveling and, being the generous person he is, decided to share it with me.  Gotta love this guy.

The good news is that neither of us has contracted the flu.  The bad news is that we feel poorly enough to not want to do anything.

It’s never a good thing when both of us are sick at home.  I mean, come on! Who’s going to take care of whom?

First, there’s the battle of the couch vs. the love seat.  The love seat has the ottoman for stretching out; however the couch has the better angle for TV viewing.  Hubby really likes the viewing angle and after some discussion we decide that he will get the couch. Due to a technicality, he also must assume responsibility for letting the dog in and out.  Hubby: 1, Me: 0, Crud: 2

Then there’s the debate over control of the TV remote.  Hubby likes to channel surf constantly, never stopping for long on any one show.  This is fine with me – WHEN I’M ASLEEP.  I prefer to stop on a channel and at least watch one show or a movie.  I’m already light-headed from the crud; I don’t need to be dizzy from channel surfing.  Since Hubby won the battle of the couch, I take control of the remote.  Score: Hubby: 1, Me: 1, Crud: 4

Then there’s the issue of meals.  First, determining what to eat is a challenge. Thank goodness I hit the grocery store before the crud knocked me off my feet.  But the real question is who’s going to get out from under their respective blanket to cook something?

“What do you want?” “I don’t know; what do you want?”  “Do you want me to get up, or do you want to do it?”  The passive-aggressive battle for food goes on for an hour while we watch the 1980’s classic, “Stripes” for the third time in a row.  The network must have forgotten to schedule something else.

By the time we have the movie memorized we’re famished, so I head into the kitchen with Hubby agreeing to clean up.  Score: Hubby: 2, Me: 1, Crud: 6

Just as the soup is ready, the dog decides that, as long as we’re not doing anything, we might as well let her in and out every few minutes.  Hubby’s got this duty.  Score: Hubby: 2, Me: 2, Crud: 8

All afternoon the debates rage.  Small battles take place, like who gets to use the heating pad, who should replenish the tissues and who should get the drink refills. We get crankier as the crud takes control, making us feel just lousy enough to be uncomfortable and a bit achy.  Guess we should be happy that we are not feverish. 

And that brings me to the debate over the thermostat.  The air-duct placement is not good for being sick, especially on the love seat since the heat is directed down onto me.  Hot, then cold, and back to hot – yet Hubby is at a constant temperature.  Thank goodness we each have our own throw blankets. Score: No points awarded here.

Finally, the day is over!  Time to drag ourselves to bed, with our blankets and Kleenex in hand.  The dog is hesitant to join us, preferring to stay out of the debate zone for the night.  She knows that it’s only going to get worse as we fiddle with the thermostat and fight over the lozenges.

Crud, you win.  Please leave before the morning. We’re begging you.

Calling In Sick

It had to happen sooner or later.  It makes me so frustrated.  I just hate it.
I should have recognized the symptoms over the weekend.  Something just didn’t feel right, like I’d worked out too hard at the gym.  Except that I hadn’t been to the gym in the past few days.
Then it hit with a vengeance.  The tickle in the throat, the sudden chills.  By dinner time it was a full-on attack, with my throat burning and my entire body aching.
What’s up?  All through the holidays I tried to eat right, exercise and get enough sleep.  Especially with the added stress of job hunting.
I’m pretty sure it was the last holiday party that got me.  Lots of folks in close quarters.  Especially the “close talker” – you know, the kind that invades your personal space.  This one cornered me with nowhere to run.  I tried to back away, but there was no room.  Trapped! So close that I could feel his breath as he spoke.  Ick.   I would have offered him a Tic-Tac if I’d had one.  Or maybe I should have sprayed a disinfectant to kill any potential germs.
And now I’m sick.  Mr. In-Your-Face is just fine I’m sure, and probably close-talking someone at his office right this second. 
I allowed myself to sleep a bit late this morning.  When I finally had the strength to get out of bed, I grabbed the phone to call in sick.  Funny thing, how do you call in sick when you’re laid off?
It seems cruel to be reminded of the lack of work when you’re sick.  Isn’t there a hotline like 1-800-IAM SICK, or something? Anyone I could call to let someone know?  There’s got to be someone who could listen to my hoarse voice and cough, someone to justify the sick day.  Hubby doesn’t want to get near me for fear he’ll catch the dreaded crud that I’ve got.  I don’t blame him.
The dog tries to console me as I drag myself to the couch. She brings me a squeaky toy, hoping that a quick game of toss will make me feel better.  I accept the slobbery toy, figuring her germs might somehow be a cure for the crud.  Unfortunately, the crud stays and I have a hand full of slobber. Her attention is nice, but she doesn’t understand why I’m upset.  No one to call, no one at work wondering if I’m really sick or wondering if I’m able to get some work done as I lay on the couch. 
Sigh.  Sick with the crud and no one cares.  Not entirely true; Hubby cares and so does the dog, but I’m talking about the stressful kind of caring that comes with worrying about work while you’re sick.  Humph. I can’t even enjoy the sick day since there’s nothing to worry about. 
Do you suppose the good people at Career Builder or Monster want to know if I’m sick?  They’re probably wondering why I haven’t been online to look for new opportunities. 
Even Facebook isn’t interesting today.  Those who are working don’t want to hear about my sore throat or runny nose or that I’m still in my p.j.’s.  They would make all sorts of comments about how nice it must be not having to worry about work.  If only they knew.
Whine, whine, whine.  I guess that’s what I’ll do today.  Just in case you were wondering, I did call someone.  Our local pizza delivery guy.  At least he knows I’m sick and he offered to bring me a pizza for only $10.99. 
Pizza and whine.  It’s a good day to be sick.
© Tami Cannizzaro 2012 All Rights Reserved