Sick Leave

Mannn is it cool to have a real job. Or at least, a sort-of real job with at least marginal benefits. As it happens, I'm sick with what zee Gehrmannz call "angina" (not anGInah as we'd say it, but anGEENa)--which apparently can be anything from a sore throat to strep. Whatever I have, it's been treated now by antibiotics I got free of charge from the pharmacy, and my next visit to the doctor (actually, all subsequent ones for the next quarter) will be free! It's just wonderful to be able to really rest and concentrate on getting better, as opposed to having to worry if I have enough money to pay the bill. My boss was really cool about everything, too. I called her yesterday to let her know I wouldn't be coming in, and she was just like "yeah, let me know when you're feeling better." Good stuff. That was the upshot of yesterday. The rest of the day I spent passed out on my couch. Quite literally. It seems to have done quite a lot of good, though. I'm feeling much better today. It's a lot easier to swallow and I've got quite a bit more energy. Es lebe antibiotiker. As long as my light itchy-ness doesn't turn into full-blown hives from the meds, I'll be a happy camper. My doc (not the same one as last time, sadly. The old biddies are retiring.) noted that I'm allergic to amoxicillin and penicillin, but proceeded to prescribe me another antibiotic that's apparently almost as bad. Literally, in the little notes in the package, it says 'if you're allergic to penicillin, it's highly likely that you'll react to this drug as well'. Oh boy.

Right now, it's not that bad. Stephan, with classic East German logic believes that if I don't think about it, I won't have any sort of reaction. I try to ignore this, since he's been really sweet and caring since I got sick. He brought home fresh fruit by the bushel, fresh squeezed strawberry-orange juice and this special "winter-bath" with eucalyptus. Now under the best of circumstances, I'm not a huge eucalyptus fan. However, after putting off using the bath crystals for a full 48 hours, the situation was getting pretty critical. I will tell you--eucalyptus in this concentration smells like cat pee. It also turned the water green. I of course drew the water too hot and got ridiculously dehydrated and dizzy, and proceeded to pass out on the couch smelling like cat pee. It was awesome. In the meantime, I've got the cat pee situation under control, but I won't be bathing in or inhaling any eucalyptus any time soon. Chamomile is much more up my alley.

Despite being relieved at the possibility, I'm actually a little bit bummed out not to be able to go to work. This is a pretty good sign of job satisfaction, I guess. I mean, the kids had just started to really get used to me, and I was right in the middle of finally starting to build up a rapport with some of the four year olds (they're a tricky demographic, I'll tell you), and now I'm afraid that after the week, they'll have forgotten all about me and I'll have to start from scratch again. It's a lot easier to change a kid's diaper if they're not fighting you off because they don't know you. It's not that bad, though, since it's been raining pretty much straight since yesterday and anyone who's ever had to take care of little kids knows they go crazy when it rains for days at a time and they can't play outside. I'm glad my boss feels the same ways about kids and fresh air as I do--I mean, yes, these are city kids and their exposure to "nature" is relatively low, but playing outside is just plain healthy. Not to mention tiring for the little scamps. Provided I'm feeling better, I'm going to be pretty excite to get back to work next week.

In other news, I just started readying a pretty fascinating book on Al Qaida by a German author. To be honest, I'd kind of been putting off starting it, because I thought it would be dry and dull, but it's actually riveting. I had no idea that the first attack on the world trade center by Islamic militants actually happened in 1993. I mean, where was I?! Probably in Mrs. Lavallee's second grade class...or perhaps Mrs. Ellis's third grade class, and presumably not at all interested in such things. Anyhow, it's a very well written account of the different attacks; planned attacks, attempted attacks, etc. Very factual without becoming dry or textbook-y. I doubt it's been translated though, since the English-speaking world has no shortage of written material on Islamic extremists and Al Qaida in particular. I've also been re-reading Russendisko by Wladimir Kaminer--I'd lent it to Julia about a year ago and forgotten all about it. There are some hilarious short stories there. What I SHOULD be doing, however, is preparing myself for my adult ed courses at the Volkshochschule that are starting (well, some of them) next week. Apparently, I'm supposed to have a new textbook. I realized this while checking online to see how many people had signed up for my courses. I do wish my myriad of bosses would keep me better informed sometimes. It'd make a lot of things easier.

Oh well. Hopefully they'll reply promptly to my inquisitive emails, and I can get on with my next herbal tea infusion.


Stay healthy, kids.