Don't Know Why, But No Problem

This was a weird weekend. The weather was perfect, I got a bunch of stuff done or at least addressed, and I managed to survive another NFL Sunday and another atrocious Giants loss.

First, as I mentioned in several earlier posts, I've endured, over the past couple weeks, a lingering cold/infection that can be characterized as virulent, popular and stubborn. This particular bug nearly outlasted a half-dose of methylprednisone, standard prednisone, levoquin and a shitload of hydrocone cough syrup. I'm pleased, however, to say that, happily, it did not survive. It did persist, however, for 12 days, making my life hellish. Whether it was the medicine or the actual virus, I was unable to sleep through the night over the last couple weeks, and between the coughing, the headaches, the cold sweats and the anti-fever (I ran about 96 or 97 over this period of time), I am glad to say me and this virus are no longer living the symbiotic life.

As for the other notable accomplishments I've managed over the past 48 or so hours, I got a new telephone (my old one met with a grisly and untimely death), and as the picture to the right shows, it's a new-fangled cordless Panasonic combo unit. It's got an answering machine, a speakerphone in the base, and another, separate cordless phone that automatically finds the base. On top of the basic stuff -- making calls, answering calls, etc. -- it's got a colored antenna light that lights up in different colors, so if some asshole from Iowa calls me to see if I want a credit card or some life insurance, the unit, sensing the caller is "Unknown" (thanks to CallerID) will light up red (or green, or yellow, depending on what color I pick) and can even play a different ring (the unit has a dozen different ring-tones). It's got a phonebook that holds up to 250 names and numbers, which is probably more people than I want to even formally involve in my life, let alone call; and each phone handset has its own speakerphone, so I can take a handset with me into the kitchen and not have to shoulder the phone every time someone calls. Some of the excessive stuff: it has some sort of "voice slower," which makes it easier to understand people who talk really fast (I have no idea how or why or what it is, and I doubt I ever will), plus it's got talking CallerID, which means that every time someone calls, it will announce who it is without me needing to check the phone's display. I think it's pretty damn wild, although I'll probably keep that feature disabled as well; I'm not that lazy -- yet. All in all, it's pretty wild.

Other'n that, I spent the entire weekend sleeping, cleaning, showering, watching TV, working on the PC and organizing (albeit not at the same time). For the most part, my place is pretty good these days. But I had some suits and other clothing prepared for this past weekend for the New Year I didn't use (since I wound up not hitting New Jersey) so I did a slight purge of the closet. In the process I came across some clothes that had been buried or otherwise ignored -- some of which fit and some of which either didn't fit or no longer were relevant (no acid wash jeans, just stuff I would no longer wear). So I got it all ready for delivery to a nearby thrift store (it's called HousingWorks NYC -- highly recommended) and will get it over to one of their locations sometime later in the week. On top of that, I cleared the fridge of anything unidentifiable, furry or about to escape. Basically, that means I tossed a few items and left the rest to their own devices. Since I've been sick, I've been eating very plain, basic stuff -- mostly chicken, turkey and plain pasta, so there was really not much in there that needed to be tossed. It always makes me wonder when I come across something I can't even identify what I was thinking putting it in the fridge in the first place. Like George Carlin says, I guess I feel good saving food -- so I put it in the fridge -- and then, ten days later, when it's looking more like a petri dish than food -- I feel good saving my health by tossing it and cleaning out the fridge.

In any case, I spent most of the weekend speaking to Kaia and keeping in touch with family. Since we're both recovering from pretty serious sickness, it was nice to be able to call her if I felt shitty and hear her voice, which always makes me feel better. And knowing she would call me just to hear my voice to make her feel better made me smile as well. We jokingly discussed how someday we'll be sick -- together -- in the same space, and we'll have to deal with the entire scope of the other's sickness, not just the occasional phone calls. We were laughing over what we'll do if we only have one bathroom and whether we'll draw straws. I told her unless she's pregnant I get first dibs on the potty. She laughed -- nearly snorted -- and said "Think again, funny guy." I quietly thought to myself, without needing to say it out loud since she knows me as well as I know myself, that having to wait for her to finish in the bathroom is a problem I would scarcely, if ever, mind having.

Meanwhile, I felt very strange not being in a synagogue at all this weekend -- which is very much unlike me, especially on the high holidays -- but on the other hand, the way I've been feeling, even through Saturday, pretty much assured me I would have had a serious problem sitting in a temple, especially wearing a suit, and trying to not go out of my mind. Today, despite feeling lots better, I was jittery and anxious, though I attribute that more to coming off a variety of anti-biotic and other heavy meds than to anything relating to sickness.

In between being busy and napping and everything else I touched base with a few friends here and there and wrapped up another week of Fantasy Football. Thus far, I'm undefeated and look to win another Fantasy Football trophy, although today's win was a squeaker. And despite my clear embarassment to admitting I even participate in Fantasy Leagues, I was relieved to hear Ron Jaworski and several other guys on ESPN discussing their Fantasy Teams. I figure if Howie Long, a former NFL linebacker, can happily admit he plays Fantasy Football, then I've got very little about which to be embarassed. Then again, if someone made fun of Howie Long and called him a geek, odds are good he'd take the person expressing said criticism and rip off his arms and legs. So I'll say this: anyone who wants to give me shit for playing Fantasy Football should first talk to Howie Long. If, after giving him shit about Fantasy Football, you still want to bother me about it, I'll be more than happy to discuss it with you. In the interim, go Hookaburn!

One final note: since we switched our office ISP and the e-mail and web host, we've gotten about a tenth of the spam we had been receiving with our old ISP. But despite the switch, we still get e-mails offering replica watches, stock IPO's and revolutionary sexual prowess in a bottle. Despite all I've learned about penis enlargement, stocks, mutual funds and replica watches, I must say I will not miss receiving the spam. I spoke to a techie at our new ISP and have been reporting all our spam. In three days' time, I've already noticed that what was left of the spam is slowly but surely disappearing. Reporting spam is something that most people don't bother doing, since most people accept it as a part of online life. But I've found that -- whether because I'm stubborn, optimistic or naive -- I'd rather try and do something about it rather than just accept it. In any case, here's a tip -- anyone who wants to send me e-mail about penis enlargement, a stock tip or a replica watch -- or even a combination thereof, like an e-mail offering a stock tip for people that need penis enlargement and buy replica watches -- save yourself the trouble and send the FCC $1,000 now and cut me, the middle man, out of the equation ;)