I have a nasty, terrible, awful, horrible, horrendous, dreadful, very bad cold.
One of my twins has the same bug and, since it is summer, instead of calling it a cold we're officially calling it a hot. So, I have a bad hot.
My husband has been in Africa for a week and a half and won't be back for another week and a half. I've noticed that every time he goes overseas for an extended period (two or three times a year) I get sick.
"Why do you take my immune system with you when you go?" I whine.
I know that one reason for this seemingly-inevitable pattern of illness is because, when I notice the first twinges of impending viruses, I can't say, "You deal with the kids. I'm going to bed."
But there is probably more to it than that.
This has been especially tough timing for his absence because he left the week the children's school was getting out; so there were class parties, and class picnics, and 5th grade graduation, and softball season hadn't ended but summer swim team practices had already started, and teachers needed presents, and every single child with a birthday in June was trying to have their birthday parties before everyone left for summer vacations.
And that doesn't include work and the cluster of new coaching clients and psychotherapy patients.
All great stuff, but way too much of it.
So, the purpose of this whine?
I was remembering that when in college I used to finish exams, go home for vacation and promptly get sick.
Now I see patterns among the academics I work with: they finish the dissertation draft, pass it to their advisor and promptly get the flu. They send off an R&R and promptly get a bug. Or, they get ill just before a big conference, or during