Snotty Nose Syndrome

When I get sick the symptoms creep in at night, right before bedtime. Last night it began with with an itchy nose and a scratchy throat. And it is always worse the morning after, so my nose was stopped up and my head pounded with pressure. As the hours passed the pressure from my sinuses went away and was replaced by the pressure applied by my students and my nose began running. My nose ran a marathon today. I carried tissues around all day. My kids thought it was funny, b/c I was talking all stuffy and reading all puffy. But darn it, we may have a snow day soon and I'm going to waste it with the sniffles. I went to the Rite Aid and bought too much expensive medicine, but it takes an act of god to end this cycle. I just hope I don't end up in the doctor's office, b/c that place is a real buzz kill.

I need to be reading my students' memoirs tonight and editing them for tomorrow. I need to be and yet I'm not. I need this blog time for me to vent. To think critically about my life and the things in it and reflect. I feel like during the week and even on Sundays I spend so much time and energy on my kids that I must force myself to take a break for me. Thus another reason I began this blog. This is me, taking time for me. And making myself look like a fool in the process no less.

I wish someone would show up with hot tea and a box (or two) of Puff's. I would love to snuggle up with a friend and wipe my nose a hundred times. That's true friendship, when you can be around someone while they are sick. I get a little irritating when I'm caring for the sick. I check on them too much and ask too many questions. Honestly, I just want to be a good caretaker. I want to be that mothering-type, who makes homemade chicken noodle and magic organic teas that make your aches and pains dissolve away. 

I remember when I was little and would get an upset stomach or virus, my dad would lay a blanket out in the living room floor and we would roll around together drinking ginger ale and eating orange sherbet or Flintstone's push pops. Wish I could do that again. I don't remember who taught me about drinking pickle juice for upset stomach's, but I know it was later in life after the sherbet didn't work anymore. Then I would drain the pickle jars every time my stomach so much as gurgled. I have this unwarranted fear of throwing up. It's like the end of the world for me. I would rather eat nails than vomit. When I was little I would pray all day to not throw up when I felt sick. And most of the time I faked myself into believing it worked. Which then in return only made me pray more and more the next time. Even now, I would rather be de-boned than hurl. In the back of my mind it's like I'm afraid I'll lose an organ or something. Strange, I know. Bright side - I'm not bulimic.

It is 8:39 and I'm heading for my bed. My nose won't quit. Yuck.

 Sweetest Christmas gift EVER! One of my student's hand-stamped this notepad for me with dinosaur stamps. In case you didn't already know (and I have no clue why you would) dinosaurs are an obsession of mine.

They even gave me the stamps!! LOVE IT!

Okay, Keith Reed. I took a photo with the hat. A) it is very hard to take a self-portrait with a heavy camera B) I'm showing you my stuffy, red reindeer nose.