Journal of a Sabbatical

December 30, 1999

green snot

Today's Reading: Winter from the Journals of Henry David Thoreau edited by H.G.O. Blake, From Ponkapog to Pesth by Thomas Bailey Aldrich

Green snot dripping, no, flowing copiously, from my nose woke me up this morning. At first I thought I was having a nosebleed. I was relieved that it was snot. I was worried that the snot was green. I grabbed a bunch of tissues and went back to bed.

The phone rang several times. I did not answer it. At length I arose and heated up a mug full of lemon ginger juice with echinacea and purpurea to wash down the One a Day Cold Season formula vitamins. I can no longer deny that I have a cold.

Darn. If only I hadn't had that one last caffe latte at Caffe Paradiso last night. Or was it the cannoli?

Hours and quarts of lemon juice later, I ventured out to Starbucks, the post office, and the grocery store (for more lemon juice). None of the coffee buddies were at Starbucks. The baristas (nattily attired in their brand new Xmas Abercrombie and Fitch duds) were sharing Y2K terrorist attack rumors. This artist who comes in sometimes sat next to me at the bar and shared his Y2K terrorist thoughts. We told the baristas that all the terrorists have to do is make you afraid. If you're too afraid to go out on New Year's Eve, they've gotten to you without even setting off an explosion. None of those kids have plans to go out anyway. The artist isn't going out either. And the way things are looking right now, Nancy and I will be spending the eve of the end of time in separate sick beds.

Nancy has bronchitis again. I have the cold from hell. I must go make another mug of lemon juice and honey...