Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Live Blogging the Stomach Flu


Not really. I wouldn't do that. No one needs that kind of detail.

What I can tell you is that Avery got sick on Sunday, stayed home from school Monday, and we thought we were in the all clear by last night. Not so. This morning at 2:30, I woke up and felt so bad I wished the roof would collapse and crush me to death so I'd be put out of my misery. That particular episode lasted until about 4:30 when my fragile, little body finally gave out and I fell asleep on the couch. Not before Maryn woke up to throw up and Suzanne told me that she wasn't feeling so hot herself.

This morning after her 9 am feeding, Parker puked everywhere - like she coated the whole universe in formula, you know? So we are officially the sickest house in the world right now. Avery stayed home to act as our gofer. I don't want her to get reinfected but, at the same time, we need someone who isn't utterly incapacitated to help out. She's a good kid.

On a less gross, less infectious note, I've been thinking about a meme. I know they're kind of lame and 2008 and yet I love them. I call roll using a different question every day. Instead of just answering "here," students have to answer a quick question about themselves. Some students seem to kind of hate it and roll their eyes but mostly it seems to be something students look forward to. So here is a meme using the roll call questions I use each semester (Give or take. Some questions get retired, some get refined, some are occasion specific.)

1. What is your middle name? Sheffield

2. What is your nickname? As a boy, it was Mark the Shark. These days it's, "Why haven't you done the dishes yet?"

3. When you were a kid, what did you want to grow up to be? An architect.

4. Name one thing you're really good at. Picking out patterns and themes in movies.

5. If you had one superpower, what would it be? Flying. Or possibly the ability to instantly grade papers. Or spontaneously produce money.

6. What's the last book you read all the way through? Double Indemnity by James M. Cain.

7. What's the last movie you saw in the theater? Avatar.

8. Name one song you think everybody should listen to. "American Music" by the Violent Femmes.

9. Name one guilty pleasure. Watching Brothers and Sisters on Sunday nights. Having "Party in the U.S.A." by Miley Cyrus on my Ipod. Watching Teen Titans reruns with my kids. Comics. Action figures.

10. Name one thing you're terrified of. Snakes. Cannot handle freaking snakes. No legs, no shoulders. Ew.

11. What is the sickest you've ever been? Cancer, radiation treatment and insufficient anti-nausea medicine. That was a very bad day. We got better medicine the next day.

12. Are you in love? Yes.

13. Mountains or beach? Today, I think the beach.

14. Name one thing that makes you happy. Watching Parker splash in the bath like a manic Irish step-dancer. Going to the movie theater. Peaceful drives on sunny days.

15. Who is your celebrity crush? Other than Barbara Stanwyck, I'd have to say Tina Fey. Maybe Selma Hayak.

16. If they made a movie of your life, who would play you? I've written about this before. Apparently, according to my students, it would be Seth Rogen.

17. Name a pet peeve. Students who Facebook during class.

18. Where would you go on your dream vacation? If I were in a cultured, sentimental mood, we'd go to the Czech Republic so Suzanne could show me around. If I just wanted to relax, I'd go to southern California and hang out by the water.

19. What was your first love? (Not a person - just thing you remember being really, really important when you were a kid.) Specterman, a Japanese import show about a mild-mannered guy who transforms into the powerful Specterman when there's trouble. It. Was. Aweseome.

20. Name one person who broke your heart. Antonia Decker. Sunni Sorenson.

21. Name one thing you do when no one is looking. In the car, I talk to myself a lot.

22. What's next? Need to get the taxes done. Need to finish putting stuff together for the campus literary journal. Need to stop being sick.

So, that's most of them. Feel free to cut and paste and apply to your blog or to answer in the comments section here.

3 comments:

Shalee said...

What happened to Mary Alice from Ace of Cakes? I thought you had a little thing for her....

And I hope you get well soon. Houses collapsing and universes sprayed with formula- sweeeeet.

Paul and Linda said...

Well, I hate to "bring this up" at a time like this, but I have a couple of answers I'd like to "throw out" on the meme :

Last book I read is called "Remarkable Creatures" and it truly was !

My first love was my little black dog, Licorice, who was my friend, my confidant, and foot warmer !

(my verifier is couties ! How funny is that ?)

Karen said...

Love, Love, Love the Quote of the Week.