Bit of Ivory

So, yesterday and the day before, I ended up taking my very first sick days since I started working here. That’s a pretty good track record, eh? Anyway, I woke up that morning feeling like I hadn’t gotten any sleep at all (and having pulled a few all-nighters in my life, I *do* know how that feels), but I went to work anyway. Then I started feeling queasy. And then I started feeling achy.

Yup. All the signs of flu.

At about 10:15, I couldn’t take it any more. If I didn’t go home soon, I’d end up throwing up in the garbage can. They have quite enough of that with our patients– they don’t need it with the employees! So I called my supervisor, who was kind enough to take over for me.

Anyway. I shall spare you all the gory details. It must have been a 24-hour bug , because I was feeling much better yesterday, but not well enough to come back in. It was that stage where, while you’re laying down, you feel almost completely normal, and you wonder if you’re just milking it and should just suck it up and do something productive. Then you actually get up and realize that, no, there’s still something seriously wrong with you.

Anyway, I’m back at work today, but still not feeling quite 100%. This being-vertical thing is going to take some getting used to.

I did use the horizontal time semi-productively, though– I got about halfway through Mansfield Park (which is the only Austen novel I don’t tend to pick up and read at least once a year– I think I’ve only read it 4 times, tops, and two of those readings were for classes– and is therefore the one I’m least familiar with), and found that I’m enjoying it more this time last previous readings. Maybe I’m getting used to it.

In the meantime, my 4-year Dell Complete Care/Warranty has now paid for itself. My USB ports on Ginevra suddenly stopped working a few weeks ago. I thought at first that it was just my laptop mouse that had died, but then my camera wouldn’t connect either. I finally got on Dell’s support chat, and after going through several pointless driver updates and diagnostics, they agreed with me that they were simply fried and agreed to send a tech out to replace my motherboard. Which he did, on Saturday. And they worked again! For about an hour. I’d reconnected my mouse and left the room for a moment, only to come in and find my laptop turned off. When I got it booted up again, the USB ports were not working. AGAIN. My dad realized that there must be a short in my laptop mouse that was causing the USB power supply to overheat. In any case, they were fried again. This time I sent Dell an e-mail, and they called back, and I managed to make my needs understood through the language barrier (I’m sure the rep on the other end was very intelligent, but his accent was quite thick), and he agreed to replace the motherboard again. The Dell tech came again last night, and I refrained from using my mouse (I’m going to buy a new one), and aside from a slight scare that probably can be blamed on my camera’s battery being low, it seems all is right with Ginevra. Now I can back her up and reinstall XP, which I’ve been wanting to do for months.

But, yeah. Two new motherboards in 5 days. The warranty is definitely worth it.

Wanna see my pretty 100% alpaca yarn that I splurged on at the Great Basin Fiber Arts Fair on Saturday? No? Oh, well. I’m linking it anyway.