The Flu

The flu sucks ass. I was so sick on Sunday that all I could was lie around and think incessantly about how miserable I was. Then I would pass out and the fever would momentarily break and I would awaken drenched in sweat. And afterward the fever would return. Repeat cycle.

This morning I glommed a huge handful of over-the-counter medications and some mighty prescription painkillers left over from dental work. This got me through a full day of work at USPS.

I didn't want to call in sick because today the mail was scheduled to be super-heavy. And it was. I didn't want to leave co-workers with extra labor, so I ate the painkillers and went on in. It actually wasn't too bad, except that the stuff all wore off late this afternoon. Now I'm sick again. Not sure if I'll make it in tomorrow, but I'll try.

I'm going to be very busy with Christmas and finishing up the novel, and with recovering from the flu. So I'll leave you folk with a nice photo for the time being:


In March 2004 I hiked to the summit of Chestnut Knob in South Mountains State Park. At the summit I found the weather cold, the sky dropping a steady drizzle. So I huddled under a natural rock shelter and had lunch. The wind was blowing, it was cool. I sat and ate and listened to the creak of stunted pine trees as the breezes pushed them slowly. Other than the soft sound of the wind, there was nothing else but the occasional drip of water from limb to limb, rock to rock. I stayed for quite a while.