The Plague

I think the Houghs have SARS.  Or the West Nile Virus.  Something sinister, surely.

About once a year, I get blindsided by the plague.  This isn't too surprising for me - I don't smoke, I eat pretty well, and, working with teenagers who don't necessarily fly the 'good hygiene' flag, I like to assume that I've built up a pretty healthy amount of immunities over the years.

My body pretty much had to after five years of college and two years in West Africa.

Anyway, my kids aren't so lucky; their immunities straight-up suck in comparison to mine.  They're constantly under siege by flu bugs and stomach viruses, on an almost monthly basis.  They get each other sick, they get Kris (who is constantly suffering from severe bouts of 'the sniffles') sick, and now, as luck would have it, they've gotten me sick.

Holy crap am I sick.

Our house currently sounds like we're burning through a carton of Marlboro Reds a day.  At this point, I honestly wouldn't be all that surprised to find empty packs crumpled up in Abby's bed (I've found stranger things smuggled away in there, rest assured).  Anyway, all of this smokers' coughing has more or less turned our house into one, giant brown-sludge factory at the rate we're currently coughing up the crap.

Absolutely disgusting.

Anyway, the kids have been coughing off and on now for a couple weeks, but yesterday morning I woke up coughing myself.  At work yesterday, my immunities started caving at a pretty rapid pace - by third period I was running a fever, sporting a headache, coughing hysterically, and had completely lost my voice (I had to actually have students present my lecture via PowerPoint for my morning classes).

Fortunately, I was able to leave work at lunch and have a sub cover my last few periods (thank God).  After picking up a couple prescriptions for my own ailments, I came home to find out both kids not only had similar coughing symptoms, but that they also had nasty ear infections.

And, as it turns out, Alayna has pneumonia.

Pretty random, right?  I didn't think people got that all that often anymore.  Next I suppose we'll be suffering from rheumatism, the rickets, or Scarlett Fever.

So yeah... as I continue to burn through my day of loafing around the house in my pajamas, watching cartoons and eating crackers with my roommates, I'll bid you all adieu and take my leave.

...if you don't hear from me in awhile, assume I have the plague and send for aid.

Much appreciated,

- Brian