Christmas Eve, and being sick

This Christmas is kinda weird. The kids are getting excellent presents, the best year for them. This will also be the best Christmas in terms of gifts for my wife by far. We did OK this year. We even got gifts for all my aunts and uncles, because when you do OK you have to remember to "kick some up" to the bosses.

I'm not trying to brag or anything, I'm just setting up the contrast. Most of us are all sick as hell right now. My wife just got over a cold. I was getting over a cold and when my wife got it, I relapsed worse. I start kicking that and I go see an old professor of mine who was sick, and I got sicker. I start recovering from that and I dont' know what happened but I'm now more sick than I've been in about 7 years.

I used to work in enivronmental consulting-- hazardous waste and fun stuff like that-- and I would go into things everyone else would be getting out of and the nastier the gig the more I liked it. But, it took it's toll on me. by the time I left it I was having two asthma attacks a day, fighting off colds for a month at a time, and just weak-- not physically but "constitutionally&qu ot; I guess. I used to be able to-- not to gross anyone out but-- spit a cold out of my system before started that gig. Growing older had a lot to do with it, not just the toxic mess I thought I was tougher than.

But after that work, every cold I got would descend into my lungs and I'd be sucking on my inhaler all day and not even getting out of bed for weeks at a time. When I finally left I stayed in bed for two weeks sick too sick to get up. Every cold I had for at least two years would knock me down in ways you can't imagine, and I'd be sick like 4 or 5 times each winter. Each time it would descend into the lungs and I'd be sucking on the inhaler like an addict.

Eventually I started to regain my strength or resiliancy, but it was slow going. For a few years now I've been pretty strong and healthy, but this cold last night started to descend into the lungs. It isn't there yet but I know the feeling and I'm fighting it as best I can. Enough about my whining. Two days ago I was saying to my wife how lucky we are that the kids aren't getting these colds we've have. Last night the oldest one starts coughing and blowin her nose and needing the inhaler. the youngest one is tough as nails though and she's OK so far. I'd be shocked if it takes her down very much if it does hit her.

But wait there's still more whining! We were going to go to my parents house yesterday, to check on my mom as she comes out of the hospital for some tests to see how her bladder cancer is doing and to check out an infection she has, and to celebrate in a small way my father's 80th birthday. Well, she's too sick and just wants to lay in bed. I'll call and check in with them today but she was too ill for us yesterday. (Dad don't want a big deal made of us 80th birthday anyway, at least he says.)

But wait there's more! We were also going to my parents house on Christmas and we were going to go to a restaurant (because we've found all that cooking of a big holiday meal can be exhausting and going out is kinda easier sometimes in and around NYC there are alot of places that really do a nice job of serving Christmas dinner, T-day too for that matter), but mom was too sick to make the reservations and it looks like we're doing leftovers for Christmas because we're all too sick to cook and shop. Luckily the presents are all squared away.

There! So, since I haven't blogged in like two years except for this past week or so, I got in my full year's worth of whining all in this one blog. No more whining for the rest of the year from me, I promise.