'Tis The Season

You know that one person in class who just won't stop with all of their coughing and sniffling? To the point where at first you feel sympathetic, but after a while you are just irritated and angry because it is a major distraction. You're thinking to yourself, "How on Earth can I focus on derivatives and slopes when this person is obnoxiously hacking every 25 seconds?!" Well, this person is me. Yes, it's true, it appears I am deathly sick, and for once, I have been on the receiving end of the annoyed glares by my fellow classmates. I first came to this realization yesterday in my third block math class, when my coughing and sneezing just happened to reach its peak. I was coughing so hard, I myself couldn't even hear the lesson. I decided to make an apologetic glance across the room, only to be met with a bunch of peeved eyes. Although I knew I couldn't help it, I felt their pain for I have cursed a few sick classmates in my day. Now even though I knew I was becoming a nuisance, my cough persisted. Finally, a helpful girl in my class decided to stop this madness, and she tossed me a few cough drops. I could almost feel a weight lifted off of the classroom. Spirits were lifted, there was hope yet that we would make it through this lesson in peace! I could have sworn I actually heard a few sighs of relief. So my cough began to subside, and I felt that the situation had been put to a rest. I have never been more wrong.

You know that one person in class who constantly gets bloody noses? I mean the kind where thick, snotty blood is just pouring out, and it's so absolutely disgusting and revolting to those who have to endure seeing such a thing, it is almost impossible to feel the full amount of sympathy required toward the person the blood is spewing from. Now this person has never been me, I never get bloody noses. They gross me out to a degree that I cannot stress to you enough; I have gagged at the sight of a bloody nose. But yesterday, I was this person. My basically non-existent life history of bloody noses betrayed me, and decided to take a turn for the worst. While my ever-so-sweet math teacher was explaining a problem to me, I felt a tickle in my nose. I politely excused myself, thinking I just had to quickly blow my nose (like I had done probably 1,000,000 times already that day). But oh, I was mistaken. I blew my nose only to find a Kleenex literally full of blood. For those of you with weak stomachs, I will spare you any more gruesome details. Needless to say, this ghastly scene was witnessed by mostly everyone. My math partner smiled nervously, trying not to let the disgust show on her face; the girl who was once sympathetic enough to pass me a few cough drops now looked at me with this look on her face similar to one made by someone who just smelled something incredibly foul; and my motherly teacher, with eyes full of sympathy, sent me down to the bathroom with a pass. Yes, this was my day yesterday.

Now of course, I'm probably exaggerating the situation, but my nature is one big hyperbole. Even so, this is something that no one likes to have to undergo. But it is that time of year again people; I doubt my infected, virus-ridden self is within the minority here. Luckily, today I came a bit more prepared. I stocked my body up on cold medicine, I have a pocket full of cough drops, and a nice cool water bottle. I suggest all of you do the same, so perhaps you can save yourself from any similar mishaps. So far I haven't had to suffer any of the aforementioned misadventures from yesterday, but it's still early. On the other hand, it's corn dogs and cinnamon rolls for lunch, so at least there's that. Happy healing, all!