A little summer cold

Hello all. I’d planned to write something else today but just don’t feel mentally up to it after hardly sleeping last night. A couple of days ago my throat felt scratchy dry, and I wondered if I was going to have a summer cold – kind of ironic here, don’t you think?  My sinuses were a little stopped up yesterday but no big deal.

Last night I lay down to go to sleep and the spigot in my head opened. It took me about an hour to cough and hack and blow it clear again.  When I got ready to lay down again, it was like being waterboarded for the next 3 hours. This went on until about 3:30 and everything seemed to dry up, and I thought I might get a few hours of sleep. Sadly, I just couldn’t go back to sleep – tried all the good Jedi mind tricks I know, but finally just settled in rest as comfortably as I could and wait for the alarm at 0615.

When that finally went off (which I knew it would because I’d looked at the clock at 0610, I did something I almost never do – I turned it off and turned over and settled in again and fell fast asleep. Don’t worry, I’m not stupid. The second alarm went off at 0630 and I got up and got dressed and left on time to be at my desk 5 minutes early, eating an apple on my walk to the office. Consultants don’t get paid if they don’t work, and I had work due to be finished today so it can be reviewed tomorrow.

Got to work and learned that everyone goes through this every once in a while, even my new friend Tofig, (to feek’) a Saudi native. Turns out there were four of us who didn’t sleep last night, for one reason or another! I have some decongestant from another consultant and am hoping to get a better rest tonight and feel better tomorrow!

Here is a photo of me with Tofig, taken last week. He retired from Aramco last year and could do pretty much anything he wished. I asked him once why he came back to work, and he said he had gotten so much from the company over his career that he wanted to return and give something back to the new generation coming in.  You used to hear that kind of sentiment in America, but not for a long time. I never thought I’d hear it again, least of all in Saudi Arabia, but I’m glad that mindset lives on somewhere.

More when I feel better! Best to all.