Putting the "ick" in "sickness"

I've been sick all week. What started out as a terrible cold quickly progressed into a sinus infection. I have never experienced a sinus infection, so the fever, headache, nausea and difficulty sleeping bewildered me. I described my ailments to my mom, and she diagnosed me from 3,000 miles away, urging me to go to the doctor. Reluctantly, I made an appointment, and the doctor confirmed that I had a sinus infection. What is it about moms that gives them the ability to be right about stuff like this? Crazy.

Wednesday evening was when I could no longer stay in denial as to how sick I was. I came home from class around 3:30 pm, and had plans of taking care of a few things and baking some cookies for my Small Group Bible study, which was scheduled to meet at 7:30 pm. Well, I woke up at 7:50 pm, twenty minutes into my Bible study, as Mike tried to call me on my cell phone. Panicking, I grabbed my Bible and papers, attempted to sprint up two flights of stairs, and apologized profusely for my tardiness (and lack of cookies). Argh! Showing up late to things is one of my worst fears... I've seriously had nightmares about being late to important events. Regardless, the small group went very well. People came, we had a lively and honest conversation about several passages (Mark 2:1-12, Luke 19:1-10, and Luke 24:13-32), and I have hopes that even more people will be coming next week. I'm excited to see what this semester will bring for this group.

I've been living as an invalid for the past few days, albeit still attending class. In my Civil Procedure class, if you're unable to participate in class for an exceptional reason (such as illness), you are supposed to leave a note explaining your situation before class on the professor's desk at the front of the lecture hall. I did this on Thursday, and my professor had the greatest reaction. He arrived right as class is about to start, putting down his books and picking up my note. He read the note silently, and then a look of panic mixed with irritation fell across his face as he dropped the note quickly back onto the desk. He looked up at the class, announcing something to the effect of "If you think you are sick, do not leave a contaminated note for me to try to infect me, too! Write me an email before class!" He then proceeded to use the end of his pen to push the note as far away from himself as physically possible, a look of disgust on his face.

The class laughed, myself included, because it was pretty clear that he was just trying to lighten the atmosphere, as we had taken an intense practice exam last week. I spoke with the professor after class, assuring him that I had washed my hands before writing the note, and he confirmed that he was just kidding around. Actually, he was really nice to me, encouraging me to try to come to class even if I feel terrible, and wishing me a quick recovery. He also told me to sit in the back row the next day in class (as opposed to my assigned seat), so that my classmates would have a lessened chance of being infected. A bunch of my classmates were curious and concerned as to why I was sitting in the back, and a couple of people even walked to the back to "visit" me, which was really nice. (I also had some people thank me for trying to get the professor sick, somewhat to my chagrin.)

Outside of class, I have been spending all of my time confined to my room in pajamas. Being sick is so boring. I don't have enough energy or concentration to work, so I've been watching videos, reading articles, playing Tetris, and sleeping. I cannot believe how much I've been sleeping! I keep taking multiple lengthy naps during the day, and then sleeping for 10 hours at night. It is really strange, considering that I dislike taking naps, and usually subsist on 7 hours of sleep per night (if that).

Hopefully, my energy will come back soon, so that I can be productive. I want to get as much work done this weekend as possible, so that I have time to hang out with Erin while she's in D.C. this week!

Moonset

I've caught some good sunset views from my window here on the 8th floor of Gewirz, but this is the first decent moonset, if you will. A pleasant reminder that it is indeed October.

The weekend was balanced. On Saturday, I explored Eastern Market with Donna, which was essentially a flea market, a farmer's market, and an arts-and-crafts fair rolled into one. I did some successful negotiating (a.k.a., haggling) at the flea market. We also ventured into Georgetown proper--the area near the university itself (as opposed to the law school) is filled with shops and restaurants. Sunday and Monday were primarily devoted to homework, but at a less grueling pace than a two-day weekend would have allowed (thank you, Columbus Day).

On Sunday, Mike and I were able to chat with Fr. Kevin O'Brien, S.J., the Executive Director of Campus Ministry for Georgetown University, about our endeavors to start a small group Bible study at the law school. He happened to be presiding over the Mass at our little chapel because Fr. Alexei was out of town. Fr. Kevin was very encouraging and offered his support, which I appreciated. We're meeting on Wednesday--keep us in your prayers!