mothers on the verge

Here's the good news. There is officially nothing swine-ish about me: I have been given the all clear on the H1N1 front. The bad news is that I'm still sick but, as always, I shall shoulder it with stoic determination (and possibly a minimum of whining) and rise to the challenge of the school run and incessant demands for bottom wiping/ dinner/ treats/ homework assistance. Onwards and upwards. The other bad news is that Alpha is in the midst of a frenzy of economising which means I'm not allowed to go shopping for fun stuff (I mean, who ever heard of only buying things that you need ?), am having to downgrade my mani-pedi sessions from the nice place in the Mercato Mall (replete with marble basins and an embarrassment of Essie polish shades to choose from) to the local hole-in-the-wall (I think they sterilise the equipment adequately, euw, plus their choice of polish comes in a plastic veggie basket and half of them are gunky, boo) and - GASP - no renewal of our beach...

Finally went to the doc this morning. Feeling much better but cough is still present and in danger of waking up the neighbours at night, such is its volume, so thought I had better submit to some kind of meds so I can be free of it. A pesky thing, carrying a cough around with you 24/7. Plus people look at you in a strange way (no manners, some folks) which makes me come over all leper-like. So off I trotted to the clinic. Doc did the usual prodding and waving around of stethescope then announced that I needed to be tested for H1N1. But, I spluttered, I don't have a temperature and I'm almost better, it's just the pesky cough I need you to sort out. No, he pronounced, you have all the symptoms of H1N1 and a temperature is not always present. Oh, I said, deflated, then meekly allowed myself to be taken off for blood extraction and the rather over-vigorous (in my opinion) probing of my left nostril with a q-tip. This was three hours ago and I still haven't been told if...

Agh. Total fuel for my H1N1 paranoia, read all about it here .

Still sick. Alpha sick too. Might be the same Dubai lurgy or may be another one which decided to piggy-back. Getting sick of being sick. Starting to panic that we all have H1N1, aka Swine Flu. But don't you have to run a fever for it to be Swine Flu? All very confusing. Here's a link to the NHS check list for anyone as perplexed as I am. Anyway, was flicking through our top read The Gulf News this morning (whilst feeling supremely sorry for myself and sniffling) when I came across this absolute corker of a news story  here  which urges married couples experiencing relationship strife to consider other options before jumping into divorce. I'm all for couples working things out rather than heading for the divorce courts, and this article offers an approach I hadn't had occasion to consider before. The "gradual edifying reconciliation method" advocates a gentle husbandly whipping for wives indulging in "bizarre behaviour" to show them the...

Dear Kate, What-to-do-with-yourself-itis is plaguing me as well over on this side of the world. Although I am trying to fill it with random tasks. By now Swine Flu fears have swarmed North America. I don't know if real cases have hit Dubai. The U.S. is definitely on alert. Our local CVS is out of surgical masks. Even the neighbor wonders if she should be nervous with her two young children. I went out an bought a few extra cans of soup, some Mucinex and tissues. Today I'm going to buy some antibacterial stuff as well, but I'm trying not to think too much on it. Still, it's a diversion from the economy — and hey, it's getting me to buy stuff. However my sense is that even with worries of a pandemic, the recession is still playing front and center. Sure most of the media outlets— as well as the government — are trying to make it seem as if the downturn, while not exactly over, is not in free fall anymore. But my own profession continues to be decimated, practically da...