~At Home
2004-09-01 - 10:13 a.m.

I've realised a few things from Mum watching Le Journal (the French news program on SBS) this morning:
I seem to recognise about as many words in French as I do when watching Das Journal, the German news program.
I actually know far more German than French (although I don't know much, really), but it takes me too long once I recognise a word to translate it to English (or at least to identify the meaning), so I miss many other words that I may know, and find it hard to get a general gist of the new items...besides, they don't normally have news items where people ask where the nearest bus stop is, or how much a map of the city costs...

Incidentally, the only reason I'm home at all is because I'm sick. It's a bugger of a time to get sick. I've only got one more week to get all of the students' portfolio work completed, corrected and handed in. I was really going to get most of that done this week, but I don't trust the CRTs (casual replacement teachers) to give the correct instructions for the work, nor to collect it all. I'm not saying the CRTs are hopeless - most of them aren't! - but it's hard dealing with a strange class and just reading instructions off a sheet to get everything done exactly right. With work for their portfolios, it does need to be done exactly right.

The other reason it's not a good time to be sick is that the Performing Arts Festival is on this Thursday - tomorrow! Today we're having our final rehearsal and the two groups are showing their items to each other. Tomorrow we've got a full-day rehearsal at the venue, and in the evening the actual performance. As a result, I really can't afford to be sick for rehearsals, the excursion and the performance!

I was sick two weeks ago, and it felt viral to me, so I didn't go to the doctor. I had two days off and bascially got better, but at night and in the mornings my throat has felt really sore ever since. Last weekend, it changed from feeling quite so sore to feeling really dry and raspy and irritated. I developed a dry cough, my chest if very congested and my nose is stuffy. So I went to work on Monday to organise things for Tuesday and the week and hold a lunchtime rehearsal and took yesterday off. I went to the doctor and he said, exactly as I'd expected, that I'd developed a secondary bacterial infection, for which I can take antibiotics. Yay! So I intended to go to work today - I really can't afford to miss the final rehearsal and our practice performance! - but the principal rang me up and suggested that she book a CRT for me and I just come in for any Performing Arts things I wanted to get done, and therefore save my voice somewhat. Isn't that so nice?? So that's what I'm doing. In about two hours I'll go into work, photocopy programs, confirm the bus booking, have a rehearsal at lunchtime, prepare a few things for the CRT tomorrow (because I'll be at the rehearsal all day), and then come home. So, hopefully, I'll only have an hour and a half there. Very nice! Very nice on my voice! Also, I slept reeeeeeeally really well last night, which is exactly what I've been needing.