Sometimes, things don't work out the way we want them to. The past five days have been a perfect example of this, and the best way to summarize my misfortune are two words "The Cold". As mundane and unexceptional as having a simple cold sounds, it is surprisingly newsworthy. Six days ago, I woke up in the early morning hours on a Thursday, feeling tired, empty, bored, irritable and mostly sad. The night before had taken a toll on my weary soul and so for a change of pace, I decided to go to Hooter's for breakfast. Normally I like to go to Mcdonald's for a Mcgriddle or some hash browns and a mocha, but on this particular morning I wanted to break away from the beaten path that was (and still is) my routine. I remember waking up that morning, feeling groggy like someone had beaten me over the head with a blunt object. My initial goal that morning (as with every previous morning) was to make my way to the kitchen table and sit down to let my head clear. After begrudgingly swallowing my morning pills and sitting back down for an additional fifteen minutes, I asked my dad if I could borrow his van. When he asked me where, I told him I wanted to go to Hooter's. With that, he handed me his keys along with the forty dollars he owed me and I was on my way.
After about ten minutes of driving, I finally arrived in the parking lot where Hooter's was. Before I went to Hooter's, I decided to go to the Circle K corner store, which is located in the same parking lot. Once I made my way into the corner store, I pulled out some of my money to buy another three packs of cigarettes. I was about to buy my usual Pall Malls when I realized that there was another brand I had never heard of called "Crowns". The Crowns cigarettes were about the same price, so I decide to buy those instead. After buying my cigarettes, I walked over to Hooter's, picked a seat to sit down in and ordered a coffee and some mozzarella sticks. It was a very comfortable environment; there were beautiful women, great music and one of my favorite shows was playing on one of the five TV's in the restaurant. I'm normally not a big fan of Hooter's food, as a matter of fact, I don't like their food. However, my stomach was hungry, my pockets were deep in cash and the environment was perfect. So I ordered the mozzerella sticks anyway, regardless of my taste aversion to their food. The coffee was the first thing to come out. I enjoyed sipping it and staring at the TV while the soothing morning sun massaged my back through the window. Once my meal arrived, the grubbing was on. As soon as I bit into and tried to swallow one of the deep fried cheese sticks, I started to gag and gasp for air. There was no napkin to spit into and since I didn't want to be rude or embarrass myself, I managed to force the breaded grease cheese down my throat anyway.
After a few minutes of attempting to swallow the cheese sticks, I quickly discovered a choke-proof strategy for eating my fast food. I sat there, mesmerized by my favorite show while sipping my coffee now and again. Taking in the beauty of the place and the serenity that I could not seem to find anywhere else. After I paid for my meal, I left promptly and drove home, feeling refreshed and relaxed. Once I got home, I decided to start smoking. It wasn't until the afternoon hours that I asked my dad if I could use the garage to smoke in. Since the weather happened to be terrible at the time, he agreed to let me kick it in the garage while listening to my favorite rock radio station. I spent the rest of the day there, and when I finally finished, I put my hookah, cigars and dip away for later. About an hour after I finished up in the garage, I started experiencing strange cold symptoms. I had an irritating stuffy nose, clogged ears like the hoover dam and a cough like a hippy with a hangover trying not to puke. Over the next couple of days, my symptoms intensified. After three days of nightmarish coughing, nose blowing and chest pains, it seemed as though the worst part was over.
It was a little over two days ago that I was told my parents were planning a trip to the city of Glenwood Springs, which is well-known for its naturally warm and purified river water where people can bathe. Unfortunately, just yesterday I was informed that if I did not improve by today, that the trip would be canceled and rescheduled. Today, I'm feeling alright but not the best. I'm hoping I'm healthy enough to let this trip happen, as I feel I'm in need of more vacation days.
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