An Explanation

I found out today that I've had mono since sometime in October.  Who knew?  I didn't have most of the visible symptoms, which is why we realize it until now, but I definitely had the constant exhaustion and lack of motivation.  At least now I know why I felt so out of sorts this fall!  Hopefully a good solid week at home without work or school will help me get over it.

And yes, this means I did defend my Master's thesis while I had mono.

Illness in Illinois

In case you were wondering, it hurts very badly to fly when your ears are plugged because of a cold.  Descending is the worst.  And then you look silly because half the time you're trying to yawn as big as you can on the off-chance that your ears might clear and the rest of the time you're shaking your head or grabbing your ears.  One plus: you can't hear the shrieking toddler who is two rows away.

Despite my discomfort, the double trip to Illinois went very well this weekend.  We worked with two wonderful families and a couple sweet kids.  The suitcase made it to Peoria (see my post from Feb 2010) this time, and there were no other mishaps.  I drove a Nissan Cube, which was interesting.  I'm definitely not a fan of the way it looks from the outside, but it was quite spacious inside, and the cup holder to the left of the steering wheel was perfect.  My colleague enjoyed pointing out the sights to me as we drove from Peoria to Chicago (she went to undergrad nearby).  I particularly liked the wind farm.  I've seen modern windmills before, but never so many in one place!  After a successful visit and only a 1-hour delay in O'Hare, I made it home in time to see the second half of the KU game.  Rock Chalk Jayhawk!