Are you feeling well?

Delft, rainy, not too cold

Yesterday and today I stayed home to work. Yesterday I made an effort in going to University (my conscience dictated - stupid isn't it? I work more and faster at home but somehow I feel guilty not to go to work, and this guilt probably boost my energy when I work at home - it sounds a bit sadistic, if I say so myself). Anyway, since before Easter my desktop at the University does not run FORTRAN ("cannot access whatever") and other programs are quite slow. Of course, it was not repared yesterday even so I made a call about it last week. The day I called there was of course noone who came and I was away the rest of the week (for a conference). Somewhere during that period, the computer guy called me back (I could see it on "missed calls" on my phone). I have the feeling the computer guys are quite well educated: they don't come when you are not there, even so they can access your computer with their own logins! I tried to call him back three times yesterday, but he didn't answer. So what do you do when you can't use your computer's programs at work? You check emails of course, but alas, yesterday was not a good email-day. You read articles (booorring). You chat (but my colleagues were not in a mood to chat). You go home to work.

Another reason I didn't mind leaving and why I am home today (and not trying to get my desktop fixed for the 28974562 time) is that I catched cold. Yeah. I am quite impressed however: last time I was sick was during my stay in Trondheim in November! Usually I catch cold much more often.
As you can imagine, I am now feeling how you usually feel when you catch cold: tired, eyes hurt,  nose runs, ears and brain seem full of cotton... (well, to summarize: you don't feel at your best) so imagine my reaction when I got the following phone-call yesterday (at home):
- Good afternoon, Madam. I am XXX of YYY.
- Grml? I am not interested in polls.
- I am not from a poll-center, don't worry, Madam. May I presume that you are younger than 69? Your voice indicates so. (yeah, sure, having a cold like mine, my voice must have sound young and cheerfull!).
- Yes...
- May I ask you if you have already consider what would happen in case you decease? Do you have a life-insurance? Did you settle your funerals?
- ...
Same thing this morning at 9:30 : this time it was the Red-Cross who called... for a moment I thought about a joke from Cyril (with regard to our "if I don't give any life-signs during a while send the ambulance").
A good thing about working at work, I must admit, is that you avoid all these stupids phone-calls (even though spam-calls are provided enough by the secretary).

OK, last terrible news to end: I don't have handkerchiefs anymore and it's raining... but if I continue to use toilet paper I am going to run out of that as well, so I fear I must go shopping soon...