Still Sick

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book. ~Irish Proverb

Would that this cure would work... day four of the creeping crud. I have taken all the OTC stuff I know of, and it creeps on, so I guess I'm going to have to go get some antibiotics and nuke it. Of course, the downside of antibiotics is that they nuke EVERYTHING and make me very, very tired. However, if I don't go on and do it, I'll won't get well before school starts, and I don't think I can manage a new school year this far under the weather.

Being sick makes me reflective. Maybe it's all the laying around and staring at the ceiling between Nyquil-induced hallucinations. Maybe it's just the Nyquil. Who needs illegal drugs? Nyquil is wacky enough for me. God knows what would happen if I ever had anything much stronger.

Anyway, I've been thinking deeply on lots of things, mostly about the year to come. This year is going to be a big test for me. Either I will settle into the K-12 (mostly 10, 12) mold this year, or I'm going to have to find something else. I don't know if teaching motivated AP 12 is going to make the magic difference for me or not. Lots of people seem to think so, but I just don't know if I'm cut out for high school. Am I really making any difference there?

As I was on the trip and since I've been home, the feeling has been growing that I'm going to have to make some changes in my life. One, tiny and inconsequential as it will be to everyone else, is changing my wardrobe. I had a moment of great embarrassment earlier this past year when I went down to the library to talk to the insurance guy and renew all my policies for the year ahead. I wasn't wearing my ID that day, and he actually stared at me for a moment and asked, "I don't mean to be rude, but you ARE a teacher, right?" He told me that he thought so, but that I looked so young.... Now, I don't think that I look particularly young. I see the little lines, and there are an increasing number of little silver strands in my hair, but I guess my clothing is still really graduate school. I need to find clothing that looks more "professional". Part of me mourns this, but part of me, what little "girly" instinct I have, I guess, is actually quietly happy. I won't suddenly burst out in Chanel suits, of course, but there is a look that I like, and I think I need to make steps toward it. I'll still be me, but maybe I'll be a little more polished. I made a step toward that yesterday. I bought a nice pair of shoes.

Like I said, to everybody who's reading this, it's nothing, but for me, it was a step to a goal. Hey, if you're reading this on a regular basis, you already know I'm not your average bear, so just chalk it up to me being odd and go on.

Another change I know I need to make is taking better care of myself. This trip to the UK and Ireland helped me lose quite a bit of weight thanks to our non-stop hard-core schedule and our different diet. Everyone lost. The kids labeled it the "Ivan Plan" after our fearless leader. Whatever it was, I feel a lot better. I stopped going to the gym around January when testing heated up and my health went into its annual winter slump. I am going to head back either this week, or more likely, next week once the antibiotics have a chance to help me breathe again. I miss the gym and the time it gave me to think and relax.

Well, I guess it's probably time for another dose of Nyquil and whatever Spirit Quest it sends me on this time. Stay tuned for further revelations from the "green fairy" in the bottle.