sick

The last few weeks have been a lesson in appreciating the senses.  I've had a cold that won't budge, just moves around the inside of my head.  I haven't smelled anything for weeks.  On Monday I stopped being able to taste, which seems to happen before I throw parties... The other day I stood at a cheese counter optimistically tasting blue cheeses, trying to find anything to say to the woman helping me when each one tasted 100% like nothing... Yesterday I couldn't hear very well and today I may as well have one of those huge old school horns to hold up to my ear because I can hear virtually nothing, except my own loud voice.  I've also learned I have a very difficult name to say when congested.  In fact, it's impossible.  The other day I had to talk to three people on the phone:

What's your name?
Brodwed Dewcott.
Brodwed?
No, BroDweD, with an ed.
Oh.  Brodwen?
No...
And I simply had no way to correct it.  Thankfully, today my N's have returned!

Silas and Ben just left for a Redskins preseason game.  Silas has had his outfit laid out since Monday.  The game countdown has utterly trumped the first day of school countdown.  Monday will simply arrive, and he'll walk into his classroom with a game under his belt.  I seem to have made the mistake of offering to drive Silas to school for the first week and THEN transition him to the school bus.  It didn't occur to me (because of my own bus-fear -- will there be bullies?  will he feel scared?  will anyone sit next to him?  will older kids tell raunchy jokes?  will he get off at the wrong stop and be stranded somewhere random?) to put him on the bus Monday!  But apparently, that's the thing to do.  So now we are in negotiations...

I'm sitting on the front steps because it's COOL outside, actually cool.  I have goosebumps on my arms.  The air is humid but ripe with a storm.  It is supposed to thunderstorm for the game...  In fact, just now it's begun to rain in heavy drops, so I must relocate to watch the wind through the windows.