CHOOSE RANT

Title:   Sickness Day:    September 1st, 1999 Author:  Ruiner				WARNING: This entry contains a few colorful references to disease. Nothing utterly graphic, but you have been warned. As I write this, I am on the recovering edge of yet another cold. One more bout in my never-ending war against germs and bacteria. And I always seem to end up on the losing side. I think back to a better day, when I was a healthier specimen of manhood. Of course, the job wasn't better, in fact it was akin to a living hell. I worked in a warehouse for three years, which was fun in some respects. Driving a towmotor (which is a small forklift), talking junk with the old men who had been there forever, serious manual work that made the night go by quickly. And I was in better shape, from the work and the better scheduling that allowed me time to go to the gym. Of course, the work was brainless and something any well-trained simian could accomplish. In fact I think I worked with some. The odd thing about the warehouse was that the place stayed exposed most times, either allowing in the heat of the summer or the chilling cold of winter. Trucks would have to back up to the doors and they had to be open to let them in. You bundled up some, but it was always fairly cold, unless you could go into the office and work on the computers. And then you were getting the rapid changes from hot to cold, which are supposed to weaken your immunities. But I was always healthy, as far as I can remember. Aside from the odd blood pressure problem where I passed out when I stood up, I had a clean bill of health. No real headaches, no colds, no influenza, nada. But then I lucked out and changed to a cozy office job, where I'm inside most of the day in a controlled environment. People are everywhere, lots of parents who all have kids. And I catch everything airborne under the sun. The first year there was the first time I experienced conjunctivitis, an eye infection spearheaded by cold germs that worked against my contacts. If you have never had the dreaded 'C', also known as pinkeye, count yourself lucky. It's hell. In the sunlight, your eyes tear up to the point that you can barely see. They're red and irritable, and with medication it still takes around four days to push past that. One time last year was so bad, that I almost resorted to wearing glasses and never tempting the contacts again. Now, around twice a year, I get a good helping of a cold. Sometimes, minor symptoms come and go, but I usually get the full blown dosage. It is truthfully no fun. And I don't know why. I take my vitamins. I drink my orange juice. I'd like to consider myself a healthy guy, but I have to struggle to maintain any sick time. It was truly sad the other day when I went looking for older medications I had and found a prescription that had been given to me exactly one year before - yes my body is apparently running on some cycle of sickness. Thanks to my earlier run-in with Orlando and the shovel, now my ears are weakened. So when the typical cycle starts, the sore throat leads to ear infections. I never had them bad as a child, as you hear of many children getting tubes in their ears. I can't remember ever having them before. But now, as regular as clockwork, once my body succumbs to the virus, those ears stop up and cause some true pain. Pain that intensified the other day as I was driving through the mountains. Aargh. I have to wonder if the people around me think I'm the sickly sort. We have all the fun jokes about me having 'cooties'. But you know, I got sick last year and it seemed to take me a full month to get rid of the crap. I have these things so long, I'm paranoid trying to decide if I've gotten rid of it or if I've still got the taint of disease in my system. Given the health conditions of my parents, I want to retain my previously healthy state. Give me all the good health I can get, before my weight induces a heart problem, or allergies to everything begin to bloom. I honestly hate colds. I hate having my ears thrum with pain. I hate the taste of sickness. I hate nearly losing my voice as nasty phlegm wraps around my vocal cords. I hate having my nose run perpetually. I hate worrying and having to take out my contacts as soon as I start to feel sick, lest I get an infection. I hate the lethargy that all these problems induce in me. I hate sickness. Period. It's to the point that I'm no longer considering Stephen King's 'The Stand' as one of my favorite books. Hell, if that world was a reality there would be no way I could be a major character. "Well, on Day One of the Superflu Epidemic, only one life was lost. Sources report that Brian Mooney fell ill and went kaput as soon as the virus was out, even though the outbreak started in Atlanta, some five-hundred miles away. More news at eleven." Of course, I know it could be tons worse, as is the usual disclaimer in these rants. While I'm complaining about this little epidemic, a friend of mine was diagnosed with walking pnuemonia. Now there's a disease for ya. Of course, did it seem to put him down? No. Me, I'd be laid up in a near-coma. Trust me. B.Mooney