Howard Hughes coughs up a lung.
Feb. 16th, 2008 04:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Well, this is going to be very short, because, as it turns out, I'm sick as a dog. Whatever that means. I mean, why dogs in particular? Wait a second...with a quote, I attempt to answer my own question:
There are several expressions of the form sick as a ..., that date from the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries. Sick as a dog is actually the oldest of them, recorded from 1705; it is probably no more than an attempt to give force to a strongly worded statement of physical unhappiness. It was attached to a dog, I would guess, because dogs often seem to have been linked to things considered unpleasant or undesirable; down the years they have had an incredibly bad press, linguistically speaking (think of dog tired, dog in the manger, dog’s breakfast, go to the dogs, dog Latin — big dictionaries have long entries about all the ways that dog has been used in a negative sense).
At various times cats, rats and horses have been also dragged in to the expression, though an odd thing is that horses can’t vomit; one Nineteenth-Century writer did suggest that this version was used “when a person is exceedingly sick without vomiting”. The strangest member of the set was used by Jonathan Swift in 1731: “Poor Miss, she’s sick as a Cushion, she wants nothing but stuffing” (stop laughing at the back).
Er...anyway. When we left for the dentist on Wednesday, I had a cough. Thought nothing of it. I never get sick. I mean, not germy sick. By the time we got back to Atlanta that evening, I had a sore throat. By Thursday night, I was achy and running a fever of 100F, which feels like 101F for me, because I'm a freak and my normal body temperature is actually 97.7F (Spooky, also a freak, averages 97.3F). And since then, I have bounced feverishly up and down, mostly slept, moaned, bitched, cursed microbes, and annoyed Hubero with my mountains of snot rags. Too woozy to sit up for very long, I have not written. This is officially my worst "flu/cold" sort of crud since 2003. Anyway, at some point, Spooky took the following humiliating photograph:

Erg. Here comes gravity again. Maybe by tomorrow I'll only feel like ass.
There are several expressions of the form sick as a ..., that date from the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries. Sick as a dog is actually the oldest of them, recorded from 1705; it is probably no more than an attempt to give force to a strongly worded statement of physical unhappiness. It was attached to a dog, I would guess, because dogs often seem to have been linked to things considered unpleasant or undesirable; down the years they have had an incredibly bad press, linguistically speaking (think of dog tired, dog in the manger, dog’s breakfast, go to the dogs, dog Latin — big dictionaries have long entries about all the ways that dog has been used in a negative sense).
At various times cats, rats and horses have been also dragged in to the expression, though an odd thing is that horses can’t vomit; one Nineteenth-Century writer did suggest that this version was used “when a person is exceedingly sick without vomiting”. The strangest member of the set was used by Jonathan Swift in 1731: “Poor Miss, she’s sick as a Cushion, she wants nothing but stuffing” (stop laughing at the back).
Er...anyway. When we left for the dentist on Wednesday, I had a cough. Thought nothing of it. I never get sick. I mean, not germy sick. By the time we got back to Atlanta that evening, I had a sore throat. By Thursday night, I was achy and running a fever of 100F, which feels like 101F for me, because I'm a freak and my normal body temperature is actually 97.7F (Spooky, also a freak, averages 97.3F). And since then, I have bounced feverishly up and down, mostly slept, moaned, bitched, cursed microbes, and annoyed Hubero with my mountains of snot rags. Too woozy to sit up for very long, I have not written. This is officially my worst "flu/cold" sort of crud since 2003. Anyway, at some point, Spooky took the following humiliating photograph:

Erg. Here comes gravity again. Maybe by tomorrow I'll only feel like ass.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-16 09:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-16 09:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-16 09:58 pm (UTC)Hubero must've eaten it. Ours do that to me all the time. Damn face-eating cats. And then you have to chase 'em around the house with cat treats to get 'em to drop your face, and it's got cat spit on it...
no subject
Date: 2008-02-16 10:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-16 10:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-17 12:04 am (UTC)I'm a nerdy vet tech full of useless info
Date: 2008-02-17 12:38 am (UTC)Horses are unable to evacuate their stomachs by vomiting. They need naso-gastric intubation to avoid stomach rupture.
Actually, horses CAN vomit but it's usually right before they die.
And having seen dogs dying of parvo..yeah sick as a dog.
Incidentally, normal temp for dogs (and horses) is around 101 degrees. Maybe you ARE sick as a dog!
Re: I'm a nerdy vet tech full of useless info
Date: 2008-02-17 07:34 pm (UTC)Indeed! ;-)
no subject
Date: 2008-02-17 12:39 am (UTC)There *is* hope. Unfortunately, you're going to have to go through the phases of Darwinian evolution first. Give it a week and you'll feel hope again.
And eat frozen fruit sorbet bars. Numbing, hydrating, and feel like you're kind of eating.
*much love*
no subject
Date: 2008-02-17 07:38 pm (UTC)There *is* hope. Unfortunately, you're going to have to go through the phases of Darwinian evolution first. Give it a week and you'll feel hope again.
Oh. Joy.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-17 12:53 am (UTC)It's good that at least we can have pets nearby when we're sick. (And for what it's worth, that is a pretty cute photo, sickness notwithstanding.)
Signed,
Chris
another person with lower-than-98.6 normal body temperature (nice to know it's not uncommon)
no subject
Date: 2008-02-17 02:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-17 03:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-17 04:58 am (UTC)I just bought us a bottle of Elderberry extract, as I have only had the barest indications of symptoms, and suddenly remembered today that it is supposed to be good for decreasing the duration of the flu and boosting immunity.
Kind of wishing I had remembered this tidbit, oh... back on Thursday.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-17 05:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-17 08:18 am (UTC)Anyways the photo is cute. Look so like curled up like that.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-17 08:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-17 07:45 pm (UTC)under the weather
Date: 2008-02-18 01:39 pm (UTC)Sending good vibes your way from Brooklyn (and Babbage, of course)
Even I have had an emotionally draining past few days in SL due to a recent portrait I did.
I'll tell you about it sometime in-world, but I must warn you it is a sad tale and at the same time very inspiring.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-18 05:54 pm (UTC)Uhm, question. Since you are an professional writer and all, do you know what kinda of binding the A Series of Unfortunate Events has, is called. The one where all the pages look like they were cut by someone not very good at there job, and they decided heck just let it go.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-18 06:01 pm (UTC)Since you are an professional writer and all, do you know what kinda of binding the A Series of Unfortunate Events has, is called. The one where all the pages look like they were cut by someone not very good at there job, and they decided heck just let it go.
I have no idea whatsoever.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-18 06:16 pm (UTC)Seriously, I desperately want to meet Huberto: paint him black with white chin, paws, and chest, and you have the Czarina's cat Tramplemaine. The color may be different, but the attitude shines through.
no subject
Date: 2008-02-18 11:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-19 01:52 am (UTC)In case I ever get to decide things like what type of binding I want, and in my world, that's something an author gets to decide.p
Well, if you stick with certain small presses, it's not entirely out of the question...