Recovering Just in Time

Okay, I vanished over a week ago. Here's the story: Tuesday night (December 16 -- a week ago tonight) I got home, picked up Sarah, and then started having diarrhea. By later that evening I was running a fever. Wednesday I called in sick and gambled I had a one day virus. By Wednesday night I knew better, and added throwing up to the repertoire. Thursday I saw my doctor. Probably the norovirus, he says, the nasty thing that's going around. (He also sent me to see the surgeon about my hernia as he was alarmed about its state during all this. It was okay but I was read the riot act about getting it fixed soon.) For several more days I couldn't hold down much solid food -- mostly broth and toast was my sustenance, plus gatorade.

Even by the weekend I was no fun. Starting to be able to eat a little, the fevers gone, but still with lower intestinal troubles and, well, constipation to boot. I won't go into any further details. That's more than you want to know.

Anyway, today, the one week anniversary of my coming down with it, is the first genuinely normal day I've had. Losing a week of work/family time the week before Christmas is no fun.

Fortunately, the Middle East Institute decided to close all week anyway this week: they were already committed for one reason or another to closing Dec. 24-25-26, so they just folded. I'll be doing proofreading at home and on our trip to Philadelphia to see Aunt Kate, about which more anon.

Sarah has all week off; had been signed up for summer camp but when she learned I was off, that became moot. Today, my first day as a human being again, we spent as a father-daughter shopping day, one visit to Toys R Us (I am not qualified to identify the Pokemon cards I'd promised, so she agreed if I took her with me she'd put them under the tree), then Trader Joe's and Safeway for Christmas fixings, and Office Depot for some supplies. A nice (if expensive -- shopping with Sarah costs more than alone, even at Office Depot--"I need more erasers!"--but still a nice Daddy-daughter day).

More later if I can. Tomorrow is Christmas eve. We are doing Christmas as we did Thanksgiving, "mini-chickens," or cornish game hens, rather than Turkey. Easier on Tam, preferred by Sarah. What's wrong with that?

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