Well! Here I've been thinking I have an ordinary cold and it turns out what I have is walking pneumonia. No wonder I still sound like an accordion at night when I lie flat on my back, and still have a violent cough two full weeks after the cold started. I discovered this interesting fact in Biology tonight when we discussed the respiratory system and different sorts of lung diseases. The professor said all common colds are limited to the upper respiratory system only, i.e., the throat and points north, and anything else is a combination of cold and pneumonia or bronchitis. Since my professor has been in Health Sciences for approximately 128,000 years, based on the weariness in her voice as she imparts information to our class, I believe her. The lung diseases were fascinating, especially tuberculosis which used to be passed around quite easily before people stopped thinking of fresh air in a sickroom as unhealthy. After a while I found myself having trouble breathing if I thought about it too hard, and my chest got a little tense when we talked about restricted aveoli and bronchial spasms. I'm so suggestible.
I had a Very Special Moment at work today when I realized I've given everyone else in the office my cold. No, wait, that's not the VSM, though I do feel absolutely rotten about being the bearer of disease. The VSM occured when a guy sat down at my desk, introduced himself as Jeff, and started talking about his honeymoon to, say it with me, Italy. He gave me the flights he wanted to book and I was struck by the resemblance to flights I'd looked up earlier for another honeymoon couple going to Italy.
"Wow, this is a coincidence. I looked at these flight for another client of mine earlier today," I said alertly. He was intrigued. "Yes," I said, all flying fingers at the keyboards and cheery sales agent chatter, "that's an amazing coincidence! The same flights! The same dates! And his name is Jeff, too!"
You know how this ends. It was, in fact, the same guy. Man, was I embarrassed. But it made me laugh my head off, too, which set me to coughing violently, which ended the visit quickly. I didn't have time to tell him he couldn't catch my cold at this late date.
Unless it's really tuberculosis, in which case the disease is airborne and stays aloft and viable for upwards of eight hours in an enclosed space such as an office with bad air circulation, for instance. I'm just saying.
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