My Cold

Phase 1 - The Tickle

On Friday and Saturday I had a slight tickle in the back of my throat. Not sore - but it kinda rattled when I coughed a few times. I knew something was coming.

Phase 2 - The Throat

I woke up 7am Sunday morning to a sore throat. It hurt when I swallowed. I had slightly delerious dreams about having stay home from work, but forgetting to ring in and then running in to work at 10am in my jeans (that have holes in them - most inappropriate). Quite anxious dreams.

Then a lady I work with rang at 10am, while I was still in bed, to tell me she'd just bought a ukulele for our band. My voice came out in a pathetic croak. I got sympathy.

I felt slightly better by the end of the day, but woke up to a few coughing fits during the night.

Phase 3 - The Nose

Today, I went to work. Mainly because I'm a martyr and have only taken one sick day in seven years. I hate preparing relief and I feel guilty at the stress I'd cause the relief person ringing up at the last minute..... It's silly, I know. Anyhow, I walked around school with a croaky voice and a pocket full of tissues (I had to rethink my outfit, after not having pockets in my original choice of cardigan). And since I've gotten home my sneezing has increased. I now have little piles of shredded tissues all over my floor.

I went to the supermarket to buy ginger, lemon and honey so I could make yummy flu-drinks. They were good. They stopped my nose from running temporarily.

I'm at that stage when you have a slightly hot forehead and you just wanna kinda stroke your own face. That sounds odd.

I take the runny nose phase as progress, though. My body is expelling the bad stuff!

I hate being sick. I had to have a nap at 7pm and missed Shortland St. There are a lot of kids off sick at the moment - must be a bunch of early winter things going around.

* * *

While I'm ranting about news stuff..... The whole Christine Rankin stuff makes me angry. I actually do protest to someone working for the Families' Commision when they have had a high profile affair that well and truly wrecked a home.

I understand the attitude that private lives can be separate to public lives. But I think when you are high up in a political organisation that has a moral and ethical focus, that you actually are opening yourself up to such scrutiny. In those jobs, you are a figure-head and you do hold up your image as part of your selling-points. I had no respect for Bill Clinton around the time of the Monika Lewinski saga, since he had sold himself as a moral, family man in order to get elected.

I think in the private sector, you don't need to be held up to such scrutiny. You are mainly there to make money, and how you do it and what happens in your social life is far less relevant.

Students I taught knew about the Rankin affair, since there were kids involved their age - I remember them asking me surreptiously who Rankin was the day after the suicide. I wondered at the time why there were suddenly asking that, but then I heard rumours from other sources later in the week and it all made sense. From what I'm hearing, it's one of those worst-kept-secrets in Wellington that she'd had that affair (though, I'm sure rumours have room for error - but a lot of sources seem to be on the same page with this one). And these rumours have not just surfaced now, or since she married the guy - they have been around long before that.

Last week, when she was appointed to the position, I wondered how long it would be until they became the focus of the news stories - seemed a little hypocritical to be holding herself up as a champion for children and families with that hanging over her head.

It seems a little self-serving to deny it now and it seems a little suspicious for Key to say that he'd heard nothing of it until after her appointment. He's had a few embarrassing underling slipups recently - I wonder how long he can keep up the whole 'we all make mistakes - but I'm loyal to my people' stance.