I don't remember when I last had a flu like this. Four and a half days and counting. I've been doing everything right - lots of hot tea, aspirin every four hours, regular meals, complete rest. But it still lingers on.

On Monday I had a real scare. I started to cough, and suddenly I couldn't breathe - my throat was completely blocked - I couldn't even draw enough breath to cough it clear. For about ten seconds, I almost panicked, thinking that I was going to suffocate. But bit by bit I calmed down, and managed to get enough air to clear my throat. Once the episode was over, I called my doctor and he prescribed me some industrial strength cough medicine, so thankfully there have been no reoccurrences.

The weekend had started so innocently. On Saturday morning, I had a great game of tennis with John. We belted the ball about the court like we rarely ever do - I felt a kind of joy in my strength.

A few days earlier, I'd taken delivery of a new digital camera, a Jam Cam, - an $80 toy really - something I hoped to be able to take with me when I didn't want to risk my good camera - like when I go running somewhere new, for example. It's a cute, dinky, small, rugged, yellow thing - looking at it, it was hard to understand how it could even cost as much as $80.00.

On the tennis court, I put the camera to its first full test by taking a photo of John in perfect lighting conditions - the results? Well, you be the judge.

Photo of John taken with the JamCam

By Saturday afternoon, I couldn't continue to stare lazily at my suitcase on the living room floor, and finally unpacked from my trip to our headquarters in the south. It's looking like I can put the suitcase away for at least a month!

Brett and I had planned to get together Saturday night, but he called to let me know that he still wasn't feeling well, with a sore throat. We still might have gone to a movie, but we couldn't find anything we were both interested in seeing that we haven't already seen, so we bagged the idea. So I stayed home and watched one of my favorite movies - "Star Trek the Motion Picture". I don't think I've admitted on here before that I love Star Trek. I've loved it all my life. I'm not a Trekkie - I don't read fan fiction, and you couldn't drag me anywhere near a convention, but I still love the characters of the original series, and the ideas the series stood for. Watching one of the movies is like eating comfort food, I guess. It takes me out of myself into a wonderland - I still remember how when I was a kid I used to fall asleep hoping that I'd wake up and find myself transformed into the real Mr Spock.

When I woke up on Sunday, I had a sore throat. I'd set myself a host of things to get accomplished, and I spent the first half of the day in a whirl of activity. I even met someone for brunch - a second date with a guy I'd met a week previously. I probably shouldn't have - by this time I was beginning to feel ill, tired, and cold, and it would have been more sensible to be home in bed. But at least I was able to tell the guy that I liked him but only as a friend. I don't know how many times I've said words to that effect over the last few years. I wish I wasn't so darn choosy. I mean this guy is kind, attractive, intelligent - but there was just the lack of that vital spark for me. We said we'd be friends - I hope we will, but from experience, I doubt it.

By mid-afternoon, I was fully under the weather - aches, shivers, the works - and started my anti-flu regime of lots of rest, hot tea, yadda yadda. I even wore pajamas to bed for once.

Wearing jammies for once

I don't look very happy there do I? Well that was before my nightcap, which consisted of Lemsip (a British version of Theraflu, which someone had kindly sent me a while back), mixed with hot water, gin and sugar. It was certainly a comforting mix, but probably unwise, as I think it affected my sleep. I don't believe I slept for more than fifteen minutes at a stretch that night.

The last three days has been more of the same. I've made a daily scouring of TV Guide to find something, anything worth watching - I've usually only been able to come up with about five hours of good stuff per day. Last night I watched "The Exorcist" for the first time. But my main stay has been the Discovery Channel, and "Nova" on PBS.

I've not showered since Saturday, and haven't shaved since Thursday, so don't come near me :)

Now I almost know what I'd look like with a beard