Better Than Ever!

First, thank you all for all your well wishes and advice over my recent trip down Sickypants Lane. Sorry I've been AWOL, but I've done nothing but lie in bed and moan for the past four days. I honestly don't remember the last time I felt so completely run down, achy, and miserable. Happily, after days of wondering whether I was going to die, I woke up this morning feeling like myself. Yay! I had planned on going to the doctor this morning, but since I felt so perky, off I trotted to the Ministry of Health.

Ah, the Ministry of Health. No soap, no toilet paper, no running water. Unbelievable. Just flushing the toilet involves three trips, a bucket, and a water barrel. But guess what happened there today. WARNING, WARNING, GEEKY HISTORY NERD RAPUTURES TO FOLLOW. IF THIS WILL BORE YOU, PLEAE AVERT YOUR EYES. I can't remember if I told you earlier about the really incredibly frustrating process of using archives down here, though my history buddies reading this will certainly feel me. Basically, you have to go to an archive or library and talk to the librarian, describe your project, and then you sit at a table and wait for them to bring you documents. They do so, but slowly and parsimoniously. Painfully. So painfully. But more than anything it's just frustrating because you never know whether they're really paying any attention, or truly understand what your project is about, etc. I mean, are they really bringing you everything of interest? I perpetually feel like they don't really understand what it is I'm trying to do, no matter how clearly I try to explain everything that might be of interest to me, and that if I could only get back there myself, I know there'd be lots of very amazing cool stuff I'd never see otherwise.

WELL.

Today when I got the the archive I asked for the HUGE STACK of documents I had reserved for further perusal last time I was there. "Oh!' the librarian replied. "When you didn't come back the very next day, we re-shelved it all." ALL? My God woman, I know I've been sick for a few days, but I told you I'd be back, and that was about 3 full days of work right there! At first this seemed a tragedy, but it shortly turned into the greatest thing that could've happened. The librarian, a very lovely woman, I'm sure, just seemed so overwhelmed by the possibility of locating and bringing me every single document AGAIN, that she finally said (OH MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE SAID THIS) "Well, how about you just come on back into the archive with me and look for whatever it is you want?"

I, the Amazing Cheastypants, was invited directly into the Sanctum Sanctorum. I GOT TO HUNT THROUGH THE ARCHIVE!! Oh, thrills, oh chills, oh happiness. Just me, the mice, and the spiders, sitting on the floor, climbing up the shelves, poking through dusty crusty volumes of old ministry archives. Ahhhhh. I found so many cool things.

So all in all, a very good day. I feel great, my work just got a million times better, and, I didn't die of the mystery body achey-fever-sicky-poo-disease-o-rama. Best of all, I went swimming today. I AM A ROCK STAR!!!