ah-CHOO

It never fails that every single fall, I contract some disease. Last fall, I had the excitement of coming down with swine flu so I had to wear a surgical mask everywhere I went and I was more or less quarantined in my cesspool of a dorm room. The fall before that, I got pnuemonia that went incorrectly diagnosed so I ended up with cough suppressants that prevented me from coughing up whatever was in my lungs and making me feel like I was drowning in my own bed in the middle of the night.

Needless to say, even though I love the weather, this is very apparently not the right time of the year for my immune system. I had hoped (in vain, it would turn out) that I wouldn't get sick in London. Maybe something about the weather or the ecosystem or something would help me fight off the infections my body surrenders to every autumn and for a while, it looked like I was doing a pretty good job.

J got sick our first week here with a nasty cough and even though we're in a country with free healthcare and we have all-inclusive health insurance, finding someone who would see him when he wasn't registered with a General Practitioner was pretty hard. Our on-campus doctor didn't have time to see him and the walk-in clinic closest to us (a little over a mile walking) was agitated that he wasn't seeing his usual doctor. I mean, they saw him anyway but a diagnosis of: 'Idk, it'll pass' left much to be desired.

Here's a generally disturbing picture of J and I searching for healthcare. Please ignore the fact that I don't look so hot. This was a particularly nasty day outside and my body had already fallen ill to a virus.

Now that I'm sick with what appears to be an advanced version of what J had, I'm left wondering what I should do. Unfortunately, while I don't have a cough, I have fever, sneezes, wheezes, a sore throat and am, in general, a disgusting mucus factory. Hopefully it's just a cold that'll go away soon but with my luck and track record, it'll probably evolve into something heinous. And then I'll have to wander until some place takes pity on me and decides to see me. Woohoo!

On a brighter note, the flatmates and I attended a nature themed flat party the other day. The pictures are actually much more entertaining than the party itself but as improverished university students, going out to the bar/club every night is WAY too expensive. Did I mentioned I wasted (and I do mean absolutely wasted) £17.50 on a ticket to a club that shall remain nameless that threw the worst rave I've ever been to? Yes, I'm still recovering financially from that blow. Not to mention drinks were priced anywhere from £4 for a tiny shot to £121843710384 for doubles that got progressively more expensive. (I err on the side of exaggeration but I'd like to get my point across).

No one told me the party was themed so my costume is 'Texan/Londoner'