Swine Flu Sentiments: Part Deux

the literature on my pack of tamiflu antiviral capsules read: swallow tamiflu with water (i guess to make sure you don't get any other ideas on what to swill it down with - like maybe a glass of rose?). tamiflu can be taken with or without food, although it is recommended to take tamiflu with food to reduce the chance of feeling or being sick (nausea or vomiting).

argh...food...it is the last thing on my mind right now strangely even if reading my new cookbook/travelogue journal venezia gives me a lot of comfort during the periods when my fever slightly abates.

i have been living on pineapple juice, water, grapes and bits n pieces that my flatmate cooks.

as i need to eat when i take my flu tablets, i had to find something even if i wasn't exactly feeling it. i just wanted something i could swallow quick - cooking is the last thing i want to do right now.

i opened our fridge and scanned the contents: a hunk of brie, gorgonzola, 2 tubs of philly cream cheese, orange juice, brown sugar splenda, orange marmalade, plum jam, some eggs, prosciutto, grapes, olives and 2 bottles of champagne. ok...not exactly sick food but it does tell me what the priorities are of the current house tenants.

i made myself some coffee which in my current state has been tasting like water where 2 month old unwashed socks were soaked in. fried an egg which made me nauseaus. ate a piece of toast with it and afterwards swallowed my tamiflu pill ration of the morning.

i haven't felt any sort of hunger in the past four days and still not inclined to be hungry but swallowing something other than the meds does lessen the impulse to barf.

i swear i have never encountered a more stubborn cold virus strain in my entire life.
usually when i get a cold, it clears up in two days, three. six days later, my nose is still clogged and so are my ears. i am still coughing incessantly.

yesterday, it snowed while i was awake. i was thinking how blasted cold it must be outside. i have to admit watching the snow falling while inside a centrally heated house was a pleasure. the snow falling was beautiful and peaceful. i watched it through our balcony doors overlooking the central court garden.

i started to think about all those homeless people i would pass when i would go home from work. they would be lying in doorways, curled up somewhere underneath construction scaffoldings in their sleeping bags that i am sure offered very little protection against the -3 degree weather. most of them reek of alcohol - but listen, if you were homeless in this weather, coffee is the last thing that would keep you warm. the alcohol will. i don't know....

all i could think of yesterday as i was watching the snow fall was how thankful i was that i wasn't homeless. that i was sitting on a large couch, bundled in a blanket, surrounded by pillows in a centrally heated house, with marvin gaye singing in the background 'what's going on?'....