Coughing Fit

So yeah, because I cut off the heat overnight (still don't trust that it won't leak), I got all this phlegm in my body and my joints ache.  Coughing all day at work.  Well, I think I've been doing that every day for pretty much the last two weeks, but still.

I was going to see my shrink after work yesterday, but I had time to go to the library and blog post the previous blog post.  I was coughing up a storm and some old asshole from behind me goes, "Cover your mouth when you cough, please."  That totally set me off.  I really wanted to troll this fucking stranger.  I mean, how dare he tell me what to do in a public library?  But there were a lot of things that stopped me: I was weak and tired; I had to see my shrink in a bit; if I do start something I might be barred forever from this library, and I kind of like it; I wouldn't even know which fuckin' dude it was; and, finally, well, I've been on the other end of this fight, where some asshole was coughing up a storm and bothering the shit out of me.  Besides, when I heard that warning, this childhood fear of getting into trouble seized my diaphragm.  I actually didn't cough that badly for the rest of my time at the library.  Well, that's what primordial fears get you.

Oh, This Cunt At Work I know is pissed off beyond belief over my coughing.  We shared a quick laugh over men and women in the morning, but as I continued to hack, I know she volunteered herself to be moved to an entirely different area for the rest of the day because she couldn't stand both the sound of my coughs and the germs that I spewed.  I would understand, but ... well, finding another place to work without telling me is pretty goddamn passive-aggressive, you know?

But even I realized that what I did yesterday was too much.  So I asked for a mask, something people there actually use when they're coughing.  Should have thought that up sooner, and I think that's weird, but really, it was time to do something about this.  Don't know how many brownie points I get, but let's see where this goes.