A lame-o sickie.

I'm so sick. I'm such a baby when I'm sick, too. I know this. I started feeling sick Thursday night. Friday I couldn't even stay at work because I was too sick. I'm going through the stages of a terrible cold -- not the flu, because I'm not throwing up. But a horrible cold. It actually feels exactly like the cold that nearly killed me last December around Shea's wedding.

First stage: sneezing. constantly. You blame it on the dirt, the dust. By dinner time you can't breathe and your head feels heavier than your boobs.

Second stage: You go to work, you can't stop blowing your nose and feeling sorry for yourself. You make it three hours before leaving. You try to enjoy the rest of your work-free day by doing some Christmas shopping instead of going home to wallow, but nothing is fun or interesting, and finally you go home. To wallow.

Third stage: You skip a social event that was very important to you to sleep for 12 hours, waking every few to blow your nose and take more medicine. You don't think the meds are working, but it's peace of mind. You get up the next day feeling like a freight train ran over your face, but you're determined not to let the cold ruin your weekend. You take the box of tissues with you and get a Christmas tree, do some Christmas shopping, and wind up the day feeling better but still horrible sick. Wonton soup for dinner helps though.You skip a friend's Christmas party because you can't bear the thought of getting dressed and going back out.

Fourth stage: You sleep another 12 hours, waking up because your throat hurts so much you resort to sleeping with a lozenge in your mouth. Choking not as worrisome as not being able to swallow. You wake up to cleaning, taking a break every few minutes because you're lightheaded. You have family things that can't be postponed, so you sit, blogging to get your head into actually going out.

More stages to follow, as I milk being sick more than I generally should. It's not my fault I can't breathe, I can't swallow, and I can't generally be up and about for more than 20 minutes or so. I think break is up and I need to go finish cleaning the kitchen.