Raised by Rats

Two days back at work took more out of me than they should've.  Though of course there was less energy there to be taken.  Yesterday a train broke down [either ours or the one ahead of it] and so I had to actually think of how to get to work, since it was a sudden event and there was no Rail Replacement Bus.  So, two buses to get there and then some walking, where I found I was less apt for the walking than usual. 

So it's not a case of me trying to do too much, it's having the too much thrust upon me!

Got through work, still kind of fatigued, and today when I woke up, found that energy levels still at zero and that I wasn't going to do, well, anything for a bit.  An actual day off, so falling in heap quite all right. 

Reading about Covid, I see that this prolonged fatigue is what makes this plague different.  Okay, when you catch the flu, there's some of that but it generally doesn't continue for quite this long.  When a friend told me he'd had this for three weeks, it was hard to get my head around, but not any more. 

I still haven't got near anywhere to get Christmas stamps, so card folks, they're gonna be late.

Better but still testing positive.  Pedants don't need to remind me that RATs are not 100 per cent reliable;  they're still what the doctor's staff is going by, before they let me in there to get a medical certificate.  And actually those tests are doing pretty well.  They're not expired, at least they do have 2024 on the boxes, and while my first positive test had the two lines spring up very boldly, the second test showed a less definite second line and this third one fainter yet, but I don't think the doc will accept "yeah but not much?" to whether I'm still contagious.  So the gulag might have to wait for their papertrail, though hopefully I will test negative in the next two days.  Or three;  I think the doc might be open Saturday and it's not like I'll need a lot of time in there.

I'm trying to do some exercise now to get my body used to the idea that the holiday will be over soon!  So I swept around my house [brick tiles] and watered out front where the sprinklers don't reach, to get the place looking a bit less abandoned for the apocalypse.  My neighbour's toddler kid [gender optional?] came bouncing over, squeaking something and I had to tell it to go back over its side, which it fortunately did;  I did *not* want to be responsible for the neighbours becoming plagued.  Adult neighbour showed up to wrangle spawn, so I explained.  Up until then there'd been nobody in sight so I thought it was safe to venture out.

After that I thought I'd sit down and have some water! 

What news from beyond the borders?

PS.  Also I can't count.  Tuesday 28/11 symptoms showed up, first full day Wednesday, so that's only eight full days now.  Nine.

I'm slowly recovering now. The remaining symptom is all over lethargy/fuzziness of thought. My mother also rang me up, which didn’t help. M does not understand that "quarantine"  means nobody comes near you and kept asking have I seen a doctor, been to hospital, blather, blather. I had to keep saying to stop fussing as she was driving me loopy. I wonder whether she has actually met me sometimes.

I finally completed another grocery order for tomorrow. I did forget a few things last time and would normally have gone again by now anyhow. I used Woolworths, since Coles’ site online is spazzing and I couldn’t actually add any grocery items. I gave up after it was still doing so on the second day. So Coles’ “goodwill” offer will have to wait till I decide to do another online order, probably mid heatwave come January when I don’t want to ride over to the shops in over 40 ^C.

Right now it's all I can do to walk around the villa.  I think I remember Mikeal [friend] saying it took him about three weeks to feel really all right again. He brought a variant home from Lithuania.

I'm going to Mars tonight;  starting a watch of the fourth season of For All Mankind.

Fourth time turned out to be the charm;  the day I realised I was now heavily congested.  It's okay, I'll spare you more details.  We all know what phlegm does.  This time it meant there was enough viral load for the RAT test to return a positive.  It's taken four years for Covid-19 to get me, but get me it has.

It's rather a relief because this has felt odd, like I'm waiting for it to develop into a proper cold/flu and it just hasn't.  It's still damn uncomfortable, though I've enough ibuprofen to help with the sore throat.  And gargling with salt water.  Just don't forget it's in that glass and take a gulp;  word to the wise.

I'd hoped last night I was getting better but the virus seemed to just be taking a breather.   It's still mild symptoms, though, I read the list of the ones that weren't.   And sent a picture of the test result to my boss who said, "You're probably not coming back till after at least Tuesday, are you?  Well, at least you can use some of your sick leave."  Of which I have a great pile, since one only uses it when you're, well, sick, or for carer's leave.  I don't get sick a lot and so far M's major episodes haven't coincided with work days much.

I was flipping mad earlier not because of this but because I had decided I should order groceries online, since I wasn't sure what I was sick with at that stage and didn't want to spread disease.  So I did an order, early enough this morning to get same day delivery!  And then they went and left it at the wrong house.  I hadn't even looked at the photo the delivery person took but when I did;  uh huh, that is NOT my front door.  I had to call Coles Online support line [realising only then that I couldn't talk clearly, I sound like a dozen packs a day smoker]  and organise a re-delivery. 

But geez, you'd think someone could just go back there and get the stuff.  Apparently this is too hard.  It was dropped off by a partner company, not Coles themselves, and somehow this means they can't track who did the job, which sounds like a big pile of s**t to me.

I'm okay, I'm not out of food and if I was, Door Dash can find me, but I am most peeved.  There was lemon powder and paracetamol [hot drink] in that order.  And bananas.   And cheese and other good stuff. 


*steams quietly*