Dr.Jass
Pastor of Muppets
I got up slowly on Thursday. While this is not unusual, it always takes just a cup of coffee, a shower, and a smoke to clear the lines.
Not so this time.
By about 10AM, I realized things were not going well. My head felt like someone had stuffed a throw pillow in there, I was coughing like Doc Holliday, and standing directly in front of a Modine heater would not take the chill out. Now, I don't get sick very often, but when I do, it's usually pretty bad. I left work early, came home, and crawled into bed after taking some TheraFlu. I knew I had a fever, but I usually avoid taking my temperature because it seems whenever I do, the numbers freak me out. I seem to be given to insanely-high fever temps, the highest ever being 105.7, which lasted for quite some time and the folks at the hospital told me should probably have killed me (this was back in '91).
Well, this time I knocked on 104's door, which is enough to cause hallucinations... not real bad ones, mind you, but they're never pleasant. Thursday night, I slept in long johns and a sweatshirt under sheets, blankets, and a huge comforter, and froze my ass off all night. Finally, near morning, I started to sweat like a glass of iced tea on an August afternoon. Fever's breaking, right? Wrong... it just went into remission for a few hours while my digestive system went into emergency purge mode, a.k.a. the Flaming Rocket Shits. I may have permanently damaged the glaze on the toilet. My mind was in a haze the entire time, and Friday it got no better. After I was all pooped out, so to speak, the fever came back with a vengeance.
Friday night the fever was even worse, though I have no hard numbers to report because if I did check my temp I don't remember doing it. I was surprised to see that I'd posted here late Friday night, and that my reply to Randy's engine question was actually what I'd have written with my wits about me, with nary a mention of specially-trained CIA flying squirrels or moon-base hovercraft. Same deal--froze all night, sweat like a pig in the morning, fever still wouldn't break. Hallucinated like a schizophrenic with a couple tabs of acid in him.
Which leads me to a question: Am I the only one here who, in the throes of a high fever, hallucinates severely twisted mathematical equations? I'm talking quadratic equations with Roman numerals here... demonically difficult stuff, and in my fevered mind I feel like my life literally depends on solving them, only to get another one tougher than the last. It may not seem so tough when given time to think about it, but CMVII raised to the power of XCL is a real motherfucker to solve when you think your continued existence relies on it... and it's only part of the equation. This type of thing goes on for hours; it only feels like days. No, I don't remember equations or the answers. And I really have no idea whether I get them right, but whatever is generating this stuff seems satisfied by my solutions. One of my ex-girlfriends told me it happened to her as well, though I imagine "demonically difficult" to her was along the lines of "3 + 106 = x, solve for x." Anyhow, if it happens to you, I feel your pain, and if it doesn't I hope it never does.
OK, anyhow, yesterday was pretty miserable as well, but I did manage to make myself pancakes and sausage for breakfast... around 4:30PM. The fever seemed to subside a tad, and my head was getting clearer. By late last night it seemed like all was clear, other than the fact that I was tired as hell (you don't sleep well doing math, although math class always seemed conducive to napping). Of course, I couldn't sleep. I finally nodded off around 3AM, and was up at 6AM as if I had to go to work. I'm still tired and a little groggy, but my temp is back to normal, the hacking seems to have subsided, and my head seems as clear as it ever does. It appears I may survive.
However, I really have no idea why I felt the need to write all this down. Go on about your business.
Not so this time.
By about 10AM, I realized things were not going well. My head felt like someone had stuffed a throw pillow in there, I was coughing like Doc Holliday, and standing directly in front of a Modine heater would not take the chill out. Now, I don't get sick very often, but when I do, it's usually pretty bad. I left work early, came home, and crawled into bed after taking some TheraFlu. I knew I had a fever, but I usually avoid taking my temperature because it seems whenever I do, the numbers freak me out. I seem to be given to insanely-high fever temps, the highest ever being 105.7, which lasted for quite some time and the folks at the hospital told me should probably have killed me (this was back in '91).
Well, this time I knocked on 104's door, which is enough to cause hallucinations... not real bad ones, mind you, but they're never pleasant. Thursday night, I slept in long johns and a sweatshirt under sheets, blankets, and a huge comforter, and froze my ass off all night. Finally, near morning, I started to sweat like a glass of iced tea on an August afternoon. Fever's breaking, right? Wrong... it just went into remission for a few hours while my digestive system went into emergency purge mode, a.k.a. the Flaming Rocket Shits. I may have permanently damaged the glaze on the toilet. My mind was in a haze the entire time, and Friday it got no better. After I was all pooped out, so to speak, the fever came back with a vengeance.
Friday night the fever was even worse, though I have no hard numbers to report because if I did check my temp I don't remember doing it. I was surprised to see that I'd posted here late Friday night, and that my reply to Randy's engine question was actually what I'd have written with my wits about me, with nary a mention of specially-trained CIA flying squirrels or moon-base hovercraft. Same deal--froze all night, sweat like a pig in the morning, fever still wouldn't break. Hallucinated like a schizophrenic with a couple tabs of acid in him.
Which leads me to a question: Am I the only one here who, in the throes of a high fever, hallucinates severely twisted mathematical equations? I'm talking quadratic equations with Roman numerals here... demonically difficult stuff, and in my fevered mind I feel like my life literally depends on solving them, only to get another one tougher than the last. It may not seem so tough when given time to think about it, but CMVII raised to the power of XCL is a real motherfucker to solve when you think your continued existence relies on it... and it's only part of the equation. This type of thing goes on for hours; it only feels like days. No, I don't remember equations or the answers. And I really have no idea whether I get them right, but whatever is generating this stuff seems satisfied by my solutions. One of my ex-girlfriends told me it happened to her as well, though I imagine "demonically difficult" to her was along the lines of "3 + 106 = x, solve for x." Anyhow, if it happens to you, I feel your pain, and if it doesn't I hope it never does.
OK, anyhow, yesterday was pretty miserable as well, but I did manage to make myself pancakes and sausage for breakfast... around 4:30PM. The fever seemed to subside a tad, and my head was getting clearer. By late last night it seemed like all was clear, other than the fact that I was tired as hell (you don't sleep well doing math, although math class always seemed conducive to napping). Of course, I couldn't sleep. I finally nodded off around 3AM, and was up at 6AM as if I had to go to work. I'm still tired and a little groggy, but my temp is back to normal, the hacking seems to have subsided, and my head seems as clear as it ever does. It appears I may survive.
However, I really have no idea why I felt the need to write all this down. Go on about your business.
Rich.
