Meet the new year, much like the old year, in which an increasing percentage of my time is spent miserable.

I’ve suffered a head cold for an entire week, with no sign of improvement. Now, thanks to the variety of medications I’ve taken in a (mostly) vain attempt to not feel quite so lousy, I itch. All over. It’s a mild itch, but it travels. You know that itch which, when scratched, immediately moves to a different, random point elsewhere on your body? Yeah, that’s the itch.

So not only has my throat been sore (in the “ow, it hurts to swallow” sort of way) for an entire week, not only have I been coughing and sniffling all that time, but now I’m afraid to take anything for it because I don’t know what medication (or combinations thereof) gave me the allergic reaction. Outstanding. And since I’m such a trooper, I’ve shown up at work without fail each day during this ordeal. (I burned too many sick days in the last few months for my comfort, so of course now I’m even more miserable than I was when I took those days. Go figure.)

As you might expect, what with the pain of swallowing waking me up all through the night coupled with an urge to itch one spot or another on my skin, I didn’t sleep well last night. It’s not like I get a whole lot of sleep normally, so this is just adding injury to insult.

I suppose the good news is that I might be able to afford a new mattress soon. Of course, the last time I made plans of that nature I lost my job…