March 26, 2003 - 12:12 p.m.

it started on the walk home from missjenjen's party. my throat hurt, but i thought it was from the secondhand smoke and talking loudly in the noisy bar.

i was fine sunday and monday, with only a tiny niggly throat.

i woke up yesterday and noticed that everything was aching, mainly my head. it felt like a fever and/or sinus infection.

i took some paracetamol and went to work (newspaper trial, week two) anyway because i didn't want to jeopardize my chances of getting this job.

it wasn't enough to really classify me as "sick" because i was coherent and functional, but my head and eyes were pounding all day. at 3 o'clock i couldn't take it anymore and asked to go home.

i went to bed and took a three-hour nap because, well, all my naps seem to last three hours these days. (it's so freaky how my body can do that, yet i still need an alarm clock to get up in the morning.)

i was awoken by a loud knock on the door - we have a metal door knocker, so i mean genuinely loud. it took me a minute or so to figure it out, though, because i was still in the land of Nod.

i opened the door, only to see marty and emma, who have never been to my house before. "i'm in my pajamas," i said sheepishly from behind the barely-cracked door. had i been more to the point, i would have said, "i am sick, and i just woke up, so that's why i don't make sense and why i'm hiding behind this door." but then i would be an eloquent, thoughtful speaker, mwah ha ha ha!

they handed me a large bag and said it was a present from the lucksmiths for helping them out with photos. i said thanks, crawled back to bed and opened my pressie. in the bag was a nice card, the new lucksmiths cd, and - one of the best gifts ever - the cook's companion. i have been wanting this book for a long time but have not indulged myself because it costs $100.

i alternately slept and read through parts of the book. it's amazing that she can provide so many vegetarian (and vegan!) recipes yet still talk about things like "cold tongue and brain fritters". hmmm.

i woke up this morning, got ready for the second trial day this week and nearly caught the tram. i wanted to poke out my eyeballs, though (a bad sign indeed), so after a talk with simon, i decided to stay home. i called the office and told them i was going to stay here and go to the doctor. i said i felt terrible about the situation and wanted to know if i could reschedule for another day. they've got another girl trialling tomorrow and friday, though, and he didn't know what the situation is for next week. i'll have to wait for a phone call.

in the meantime, i'll just annoy myself in this empty house and look for things to eat that avoid any sort of chewing or crunching. or maybe i'll just sleep some more. zzzzzzzzzz