BLAME THE HEADACHE

Thursday and Friday I have a headache.  I can sort of kick it with some Tylenol, and I chalk it up to grades closing for the term and a slew of poorly-written essays that I am trying to correct.  I go to bed early on Friday night, hoping that a good night's sleep will help.

Wrong.  I wake up during the night feeling slightly nauseous and am overtaken by a coughing fit.  Ten hours later I roll out of bed with another headache.  This one lasts off and on all day, but I rally to spend time with my daughter and her friends.  We are at a brewery, but all my stomach can take is one beer and one piece of pizza.  I still feel woozy.

My youngest is home for the weekend, which is unusual for him as he is usually out and about.  I am a little embarrassed when I finally turn in on Saturday night at ten.  (If he hadn't been here to witness it, I would've gone to bed at seven.)  I prop myself up in bed, almost in a sitting position, hoping that the angle of my neck and spine will relieve the constant headache that massive amounts of OTC meds haven't kicked (nor nudged, even) all day.

The next morning I get up, do an extensive healthy shopping trip, and finish my long day with a hot shower, hoping to steam out some of the aches and general malaise.  It is a valiant effort.  Despite sleeping off and on for about seven hours, I wake up the next day feeling like crap on a cracker.

My throat is sore, my nose is running, and my eyes sting.  Of course, of course -- my school break is coming up.  No better time than right now to get a bad cold, right?  I am pumping myself full of fruits, veggies, orange juice, tea.  I refuse to fall ill on my days off.  REFUSE!

This is when I realize that my headache is finally gone.  Four days.  Yes, my headache has been bugging me for four straight days.  May this cold go by as quickly.  Oh ... and the essays ... they're still waiting.  Sorry, kids.  Blame the headache.  A little more Tylenol, some cough drops, and a ton or two of tissues and I should be good to go.