Day ??? of feeling like crap weakly warmed over.

But.. this day is a little different.
This day comes with a couple of cold sores and a fairly numbed grading brain.
—  I suppose fever sores would be more accurate.   Mom said I used to get them when I had a bad fever.

I was feeling so out of it last night that I didn’t return any of the incoming assignments.  I didn’t have the cushion that I usually have – which resulted in constantly complaining about first-person writing and inappropriate sources from about…  9:30 till now.   It’s right about 4.

For those who work 8 hours, pulling a shift like that seems like standard.   I suppose it is, but it’s so draining to figure out ways to say ‘your writing is awful and you’re going to fail’ in a nice way over multiple assignments and multiple students.

Don’t get me wrong.  I certainly don’t want students to fail.
College is expensive and it’s a pain in the butt.  It cuts into life.  I respect that, but when a level 200 student uses Wiki (Finding sources was Week 6), lacks anything that looks like a thesis (which was developed in Week 3), and doesn’t even pretend to write in the third person…

It’s Athena poking from inside my head while Hesphestus uses it for an anvil.
– Ouch.

This class did pretty well between Weeks 1 to 4.
I had a couple of Ds, but most where B and above.   Then, it’s like everyone took a stupid pill over Super Bowl weekend.  Suddenly, I’m pushing the rock up the mountain.

And these people want to be RNs.

Needless to say, I’m still wearing my fuzzy PJs.  The ones I’m sure Jason found entirely unattractive, but hey – a girl has to be comfortable while brain cells are dying.
–  I’ve barely been out of my room all day.   I snuck a can of tomato basil soup and a bag of popcorn — which I regret because that’s kind of akin of eating walnut shells with my sore throat — which I followed up with a little Halo orange — that had enough citric acid to add to the burning throat sensation —  but it’s okay.

Although I’ve been alone for most of the day, I know that my family is a weak shout away.  My brother would bring me anything from Wal-Mart when he gets off work.  My sister would swing by Panera’s or McCallisters for any type of soup I desired.
Mom – would just be mom.    I’m not one for hovering, but she’d hover if I’d let her.

If all this would have happened in Florida, I’m not too sure how it would go over.
I know Jason would try to take care of me the best he could, but I’m not sure if he knows how to take care of someone who is ill.  …  Not like there’s a lot to do, mind you.

I’m still mostly functional – functional enough to groan at the grade book and foolishly bob back and forth to the Spiderverse soundtrack – but when someone is ill, there should be some sort of special consideration for that person.

Unless we transplant a brain into a robot body, the brain isn’t anything without the body.  Illness underminds the Maslow house of cards.  No one is more than a sneeze away from being sent to the bottom.

There should be some kind of support.  To be stereotypical, I think guys have a more difficult time showing that than women.   Well, at least my generation and those who came before me.   I can’t speak for the Millenials.

When my mom was sick when I was a kid, my dad was at work.  Mom would pull herself together somehow and went to work to.  On days that she couldn’t, I got to play nurse.  On rare occasions, dad became ill and he’d just hibernate for a couple of days.  He’d eat little and just sweat it out.

It was really important that I and my siblings not disturb him during that time – especially if we didn’t want to get cussed at and lectured.

So, when I became ill, I ignored it.  Based on how the parents reacted, it just seemed to be the thing to do.   I went to school or work until someone sent me home.

Work ethics have changed since then as people will take a sick day practically any reason… my dog is sick and I’m contagious…   It doesn’t work like that, but people think like that now.

My dad would have found that weak.  Me?  I’m jealous.  If I could have stayed home with every little spine strain and pulled muscle…  Okay.  I probably wouldn’t because it’d burn through my sick days really quick, but I would have really thought about it.

Dead?  Walk it off.  You’ll be fine.

I just don’t know if Jason would know how to act.
He’s tested as a Healer for years.   I think he has an innate ability of how to heal, but there are different types of healing.

—  Wow, this post got long quick.

Adjuncts, especially the ones who work at home, don’t have the luxury of calling in sick.
We don’t have to drive either and can work in unattractive fuzzy PJs, but I never skipped a grading week… or was even late… during my whole thing.

My courses where 100% pristine and attended despite my mental state going into the cancer surgeries.  —  I can’t say that for other classes I picked up because the adjunct couldn’t complete the class.

Work is work.   It’s part of life.
Period.

It’s funny how the work culture changes from generation to generation.

Or, maybe I just don’t get it.   Won’t be the first time, but I don’t need to know what I don’t get.

Anyway, no new assignments or emails have come since I finished.
I think the Spiderverse soundtrack is lodged in my brain in a nearly painful way.
My eyes feel like they’re kind of bleeding from staring at this screen for so long, so I’m going to take a tentative break.

Peace – make sure to wash your hands when you leave the bathroom.