Monday, February 04, 2013

It's better to be angry than ill

For the second time in about six weeks, I'm sick. Under normal circumstances, I'm a get-really-sick-once-a-year person, but I don't work under normal circumstances. I work in a sports arena where a couple of times a week, I might be sharing space with up to 20,000 people. That means it's one of those places, along with movie theatres, airports and shopping malls, where the air is circulated and recycled among a lot of people in a relatively small, confined space. That means it takes a long time for whatever bug is fouling up people's systems to wear itself out and actually leave the building. I'm sure that whatever I have now is some not-so-distant cousin to whatever I had a couple of weeks ago.
I ache to the extent that the act of putting on shoes and socks leaves me feeling like I've spent all day horseback riding. My nose explodes several times a day, spackling my surroundings in toxic effluviam. I've ingested so much cough medicine that Robitussin could qualify as a food group. I'm aware how annoying that is and I'm sincerely sorry. If it's any comfort, please know that I'm enjoying none of it.
I'm also aware that one of the most annoying aspects is how whiny it sounds when people talk about being sick, which is kind of ironic. There's considerably more gravitas when somebody says they're sick and tired of something that pisses them off than when somebody actually is sick and tired.

WHEN YOU SAY: "I'm sick and tired, meaning microbes and viruses and stuff are wreaking havoc inside of my body and trying to make me die."
PEOPLE AROUND YOU RESPOND: "Oh, shut up you big baby."

but...

WHEN YOU SAY: "I'm sick and tired of something the government is or is not doing right now, meaning the extent to which I'm willing to take action is announce that it makes me angry!"
PEOPLE AROUND YOU RESPOND: "Ain't that the truth, brother!"

See? People may not like you when you're angry. But they could care less about you when you're sick.

2 comments:

Ruprecht said...

<------ currently trying to figure out whether or not he could care less

Jeff Hickmott said...

Sorry you are ill, Clark. Here, have a bag of grapes.