checking in

I had the whole week planned out, hour-by-hour, and then the universe taught me a lesson about trying to be in control all the time. I woke up last Thursday with what felt like a cold. It got progressively worse, and on Friday, the last day of classes, I could only stand in front of my students for 15 minutes because I felt like I was going to pass out. So I dismissed class early ("We never get out early!" one of them said).

So I'm not sure what I have because it feels like more than a cold. On Friday and Saturday I was shivering off and on, and every time I stood up I felt dizzy. It's like that feeling you get when you know you're approaching fainting--cold and hot at the same time, dizzy, the world is rocking back and forth and feels far away. So I spent a lot of the weekend in bed and on the couch.

OK, so it's Monday and it's finals week. I have a couple of papers to write, a portfolio to finish, final papers to grade, final exams to grade, etc. I feel a bit better, although my throat still hurts and my ears are still plugged (so I'm deaf) and I keep trying to cough something out of my chest. And of course I'm panicking because I have so much to do. Onward and upward!