Rangy Manatee

So it's been a whole day since I've had full broadband capacity. This has also coincided with me developing a cold. Coincidence?

Went to play indoor footy for 20 minutes yesterday. It made me realise a couple of things. Firstly that I am utterly at the mercy of my body. If I were to, say, severely sprain a wrist, as did one player on my 'team', half an hour before a shift supervising at the bar, I would be quite fucked. No boss is going to appreciate a call like that. "Yeah, what happened?" "I was playing football and I fell over. I can't work till next week."

What I also realised is that perhaps I am not in good shape. The 20 minutes of running around (we lost the game by the way) resulted in a total shutdown of all physical as well as mental and social capacities as I struggled hopelessly to regain composure. What then followed was the onset of a sore throat, a burning sensation in my chest and a mild cough. And to top that I'm working in the bar till 2.30 tonight. And to add insult to a rather pathetic injury, we've got a party tomorrow night and I'm gonna be a grumpy shit sack.

Enough.

Reading Generation X at the mo. Nearly finished it. Enjoying it. Can't help feeling that like Catcher in the Rye, I should probably have read it when I was 16.

Went to the chemist today to spend capital on bits of sugar to comfort me through my drudging ailings. Went to the localest local chemist where one must press a buzzer to enter. I was then greeted by an old Asian woman who said
"What do you want?"
"Cough medicine".
"What?"
"Cough medicine" I croked, realising this was the first thing I'd said all day and I hoped it would be the last.
"What? Cob radicin? I don't have that." I then pointed at come Strepsils.
"I have a sore throat."
"Oh." Oh indeed. Sympathy? Nah!

Pauses while I peruse the rather generous selection and take a few deep breaths ready to speak again. I opt for Lemsip Max stuff. That should knock me out.
"How much are these please?"
"Price is on there."
"No it isn't (that's why I asked)"
"Yes, there is no price".
"Right."
"I can sell you those Halls Soothers (that you are clutching onto like a lifeline)"
"But I want these."
"No price".
"But..." And at this point, and I'm not proud, but I lost my temper. I slammed down the fucking Halls Soothers in disgust like a petulant child and stormed towards the door.

Unfortunately there was a slightly awkward moment when the woman had to slowly walk halfway up some stairs to press the button to let my ass out.

So, swearing and muttering and feeling not a little bit like a nonce, I went to the convenience shop down the road and bought some Lemsip and some Halls Soothers and then I asked for some "Cheap paracetemol". The woman in the shop stared at me, concerned and then started looking at the Lemsip packet. "It's cool", I said, "I know there's paracetemol in there already. (I'm stockpiling for the apocalypse. You'd have a headache too.)" She sold me them. Bless her. I must have had some kind of mild suicidal fervour in my eyes.

Anyway, must go finish Douglas Coupland's ode to the modern world and eat more sweets.