nnngh

I'm making my fourth attempt on the same bowl of plain white rice. I never managed more than three forkfuls before, but I've just taken my fourth this time. I might go a little nuts and add some salt. I'm really not hungry, but I am also quite noticeably weak, so I should probably keep trying. My guts were all rumbly a little bit ago, but whether it was unrest or hunger I couldn't say. I have called in today, though. I had the strength upon rising to comb and rebraid my hair, and take a quick shower (didn't wash my hair-- that takes a ton of effort, and with my body temperature regulation all over the place, the process of air-drying my wet hair was likely to be uncomfortable).
I hate calling in sick. But every single staff member is working today. It would have been fun, actually; there are only six of us, and I like all of my coworkers, and it's fun to see everyone at the same time. Also it's the store manager's birthday, and she has a party tonight which I would have liked to go to.
Ugh. I just feel weak and icky and I don't really want to eat this rice. But at least my body's not actively rejecting the rice.
Seven forkfuls now. Can I stop?
Being ill forces you to pay way too much attention to the mundania of the physical processes that keep you alive. Really, plain white rice and flat Coke?

Oh, I should state for the record: next time you are sick and can't stop throwing up, try flat Coke. Seriously, it was like a miracle. Open a can or bottle of Coke, pour it in a glass, swish it around for a couple of minutes. Wow! I still felt like hell, and my stomach still hurt and I was sick as a dog, but I stopped throwing up. I had been throwing up every hour or so for about nine hours, and plain water, ginger tea, flat ginger ale, all were coming right back up in nearly exactly the same quantities and condition they'd gone down in (gross), but once I started drinking the Coke nothing came back up at all. It was truly bizarre! I think it's the acid and sugar? I don't know. I surely wasn't anywhere near done being horribly ill-- the fever climbed up pretty high in the evening after about six hours of not throwing up-- but I didn't puke anymore, which is an enormous mercy. It is just so uncomfortable and unpleasant to regurgitate. I can't imagine being bulimic. Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh.

I could happily be anorexic for a while, though. I just don't want to eat anything. Bleh.
Think I'm done with this rice again. Put it back in the Tupperware and give it another shot in an hour... Eight forkfuls this time. We'll make it nine and then take a hiatus.