november 18, 2000. And today brings us to day 3 in the Horrible Sickness chronology. We went to the local clinic last night, rushing out the door as soon as the Boy got home from work. One hour in an antiseptic waiting room near a man with a truly frightening cough and the verdict was reached. No TB. And the chest pains were nothing to worry about. It's just a throat infection. "Just." I started popping penicillin last night; by Monday I should be cleared up. In accordance to this auspicious news, I spent today the way I spent yesterday - moping around in my bathrobe and trying not to cough. The only difference is, today I tidied up the house a bit & plucked my eyebrows. It's a barely perceptible difference; still, it'll give me that little extra boost of confidence on Monday. Stupid teaching. Why did I think this was a good idea? On that note, I'm going to go to bed with a large book on classroom management. Once again, I suspect that it will make only a barely perceptible difference. But I need all the love I can get. Hey, it could be worse. Two years ago, I was burning myself with a lighted stick of incense. And now the object of that anger sits in the living room playing guitar, a living room that is a half-continent away from the site of breakage. How times do change.