Viruses suck. Books rule.

So, summer was going smoothly along until WHAM! I get hit by a bug (or more?), and I'm still recovering. Went from a sore throat, to a chest cold, to a vice on my sinuses. But I would willingly be four times as sick if the virus(es) would spare my family. Last Wednesday, I had to miss the first day of grading freshman essays because Ivan woke up at 6 am at >102 F. The fever lasted about 48 hours or so, and now he's just coughing, which doesn't seem to bother him too much. Nikita didn't get a fever, but was feeling ill enough to forego trips to the library. And listening to him cough at night - I'm afraid he's going to throw up. Finally, there's Igor, who is determined to stay well, but I think the attitude is only making him worse. Thank goddess that Galina hasn't caved in.

David Copperfield has been making the virus bearable. When I'm not sleeping, I want to read the Dickens masterpiece all day - oh, the days before children! One of Ivan's favorite book these days is Denise Fleming's The Everything Book. Meanwhile, I've been putting Nikita to bed with stories from My Very First Bible, published by DK and illustrated by Diana Mayo. The stories are simple enough, and the drawings are engaging.

But Nikita's really taken to There Was a Man Who Loved a Rat and Other Vile Little Poems. I'll end with his favorite one:

There was a man who loved sardines.

He always kept some in his jeans.

And when some slipped down on the floor -

that man would just stuff in some more.