Sik in the Sity

I caught a cold, complete with sore throat, lots of drippage, achy limbs and tired-tired-tiredness. I laid in my bed from midnight until 2:30 IN THE PM today. I feel worthless when I'm sick. And to be sick when I want to be exploring my new city! Though my clubhouse bunk bed is super fun, I think I have fully explored all of its four, small corners.

It's not exciting in any way to be sick when you're an adult. As a kid, you get to miss school and drink Sprite and eat mashed potatoes and watch movies all day. But as an adult, you still have to go to work unless you really just can't go, and if that's the case then you have to deal with falling behind or, in my situation, with the amount of stress your illness puts on your employer. I know that Linda is understanding enough that if I were really sick, she would find backup. But it would be so hard for her to work all that out! And I don't want to make something really hard on her for just a measly little virus. I am stronger than this common cold!

Anyway, me and my cold have been going to work but the girls have taken it really easy on me. We made tea and by the end of last night, I was literally lying on the couch with my eyes closed while Angela read something out loud to me. But then I got a free car ride home, so that was sweet. Last night and tonight are both late nights, but it actually might be better for me to be stuck here. Otherwise I may be too tempted by the lights of the neighboring bars near my house!

Actually that's false. I have no desire to put any type of drink in my system other than OJ and herbal tea right now.

I'm rambling. Basically, I'm using all this space to say that I've worked and slept all week. I've worked more than usual, but it's not real work because once the girls go to bed, I just sit and chill out with their amazing, adorable, sweet and cuddly dog. And Marie and I have had our best week yet. She's arguing less, but I've also adopted a new outlook toward her. Instead of letting her sarcasm and attitude get under my skin, I've decided to focus on the comical side of it. It is pretty hilarious to see a 10-year-old mouthing off some of the stuff she comes up with! Obviously I don't laugh out loud at her because that's just insulting, but I understand that she has a lot going on inside of her that makes her angry, and that she's just being a normal 10-year-old, and that it's nothing personal against me. When I keep all those things in mind, her little bursts are kind of hilarious.

Before I close, I must mention the fun but exhausting weekend. My family came all the way from farm land KY, via a car, to visit me in the big city of sin! Dad, Mom and the Granny DROVE from Kentucky to scope out their daughter's new 'hood. We did have a good time, but most of our visit was spent in their hotel room. Granny wasn't feeling her best, and all three were overwhelmed by Brooklyn.

By Brooklyn! Some of the top quotes: "Too many people." "The cars just park on the corners like that, you can't see anything! That's dangerous." "Those people just pop out from everywhere, they don't even look!" It was funny. When I'm being hard on myself for not being a big tough city girl, I just think of where I came from. Overall, the visit was good. I taught Mom how to play Texas Hold 'Em and we bet with Skittles. And they bought me yummy food all day long. Then on Sunday, all of them met Dave over brunch at this neat restaurant with weird art on Staten Island. Of course they adored him. Then we parted ways, and Dave and I walked all around, exploring the very residential lands of Staten Island. Quite pretty, but a little boring in comparison to other boroughs.

And then I got sick. But you've heard plenty about that already. Just one quick piece of advice: EAT LOTS OF VITAMIN B AND C! Being sick is lame.