Calling Off Work Bothers Me.

I mentioned last night that I was not feeling all that great. I did take some cold medicine before going to bed, and made it an early night. I don't know what happened, though, as I didn't get to sleep until about two in the morning.

I woke up at about 6:30 this morning for my late shift, and puttered over to the bathroom, feeling very dizzy, and with my face feeling like it had a mask over it. I stumbled back to bed for a little while, and decided that I was not going into work.

This is not a decision I take lightly. I have not missed a day for illness since 2003 (all other days I missed were for inclement weather or funerals). I have had this history of going to work sick and infecting everyone. So when I go back to work tomorrow, I will either be hailed as a hero or a pariah. If I had gone into work and made everyone sick, I would be a pariah anyway. So I can't win.

But the assistant manager knows me track record with my employment (and I spoke to her directly), and she said I could take a personal day. So I won't lose any money.

I was surprised that my newspaper arrived (since the parking lot was still blocked), but I ventured out to Target to get some 7-Up, some juice, and a box of that special kind of nasal decongestant that you have show your ID to buy. Trust me, you kind souls at the Drug Enforcement Agency, as lousy as I was feeling plodding around Target, I have no intention of turning my generic Sudafed into crystal meth.

I then went to Burger King; even though I wasn't going into work, I still had to eat. So I did my usual day-off stuff there. One thing I did not do was go walking at the mall. I don't really have the strength to do this right now, so I am sitting here, watching "Match Game". The top row of panelists is dead, and the bottom row is still alive. I am a little restless, but I just need to chill. If I feel better, I will go out walking somewhere, perhaps for dinner. I had planned to take a day off from the weights anyway (my first in more than a week), so that should work out. But if I am too sick to exercise, I will just have to watch what I eat today.

More later as events do or don't warrant.

Eric Out.