'You give me fever'

There's a commercial on The Learning Channel that says one of life's lessons is that "merlot and email don't mix." I'll add that a fever and all forms of communication are an equally bad recipe.

I like to think that I'm resilient, but in the last couple of days, a nasty bug called streptococcus moved into my throat and gave me a fever and the sensation of swallowing glass whenever I tried to eat or sip water.

Sometime in the middle of the night, while my fever climbed, I got up as usual to feed the baby and then stayed awake, so miserable I couldn't sleep. That's when I noticed it on the counter: the postcard from a local politician. At the bottom, it included a questionaire and some blank lines asking me to list my concerns for our town. There also was a note at the bottom promising a phone call and a personal visit if I'd include my name and address.

So, in a fit of delirium, I filled the thing out. I told him exactly what I thought was wrong with the world. I won't elaborate here--one form of humiliation is quite enough. Then I included my name, address and email for good measure.

Fortunately, the thing didn't include pre-paid postage, something I apparently overlooked. Unstamped, it didn't make it to its intended destination. I found it this afternoon, safe and unsound.

I went to the doctor today and got a hefty dose of antibiotics, so there isn't much chance of repeating last night's blunder. Now, to check the "sent" folder in my email...