Thankfully, the fever part isn’t real. But here’s what this week has been like. Monday my co-worker came down with a wicked bad head cold, bad enough that he called out of work on Tuesday. I came down with it Tuesday night. I wasn’t smart enough to call out of work for a day, so while I didn’t have it as bad, it is lingering longer. Made work miserable and I pretty much just came home and sacked out each evening.
Been having some issues with my car starting, had to jump it once the previous week, but it was doing ok. So Wednesday morning, it just won’t start. Mrs B gives me a jump and still nothing. Thankfully, she was able to give me a ride to work. But with being so run down, I can’t deal with it Wednesday night. Thursday we have it towed over to a place and Friday they replaced the battery and starter. It was a LOT more money than I was thinking it was going to be.
Then throw in some drizzly days next to a sunny day in the mid 70’s and well, you’re just asking for sickness.

So that’s about how I’ve felt all week. Then add in the fact that Mrs B is going to be switching to the night shift for the next 2 months (because the Corporate Barstards want less workers in the store during the day so more customers can go in and shop) and you’ve pretty much got a donkey excrement soup of the week as far as I’m concerned.
Next week HAS to be better. Thank God it’s Sabbath right now.
Man….you really did have a rough week! That sounds absolutely horrible😢 I’m going to keep my fingers crossed for you that next week is going to be better, as you say it just HAS to be better right? 😀 Take care, and relax a bit in the weekend!😊
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Thanks Raist. I’m kind of thinking it has to be better too. Because otherwise, oh man…..
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Take it easy, most of us are having problems with this new, bleak economic reality right now. Why not take a deep dive into re-reading the first sentence of Great Expectations?
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I’m afraid this whole situation has driven me to drink! (gypsy cold care tea that is)
I’m going to be reading another volume of Yotsuba this morning, so at least I know I have some fun times ahead for today.
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Or grab a monster drink and get some ironing done!
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Can’t do ironing on the Sabbath. It’s my first rule of Ironing Club 😉
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Fair point. Rest easy.
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That sounds like a sht week (tho glad it was only a cold). Over here staff doesnt count with the amount of people allowed inside, so we luckily don’t have to do different shifts. 2 months is awefully long 😣
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We’re both just hoping it doesn’t turn into a full blown corporate policy change. THAT would be horrible.
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Ill keep my fingers crossed for you guys 😘
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When people come in sick, they are going to spread those germs. I glorify my country‘s system where sick days don’t eat up vacation. One simply stays home, healing, comes back refreshed, no one else gets sick.
Ah, I‘m in homeoffice anyway since February.
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For me, I’m not in the office environment. I come in to the office for about 10minutes in the morning, then head out with one other guy all day and then we come back at the end of the day for about 10min. So it’s just the one person and not the whole office I have to worry about.
How many sick days do you get each year?
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As many as needed, it’s got no limitation. Salary is continuously paid up to 42 days but if one gets more often sick than they pay again. This is often the case with burn-out or back/neck problems. After 42 days, the health insurance kicks in and pays part of the salary.
When one is on vacation and get sick, the vacation days aren’t counted.
Additionally, there are lots of holidays like Holy Friday, Easter Sunday/Monday, etc. Not all are at weekdays, but they sum up to 14 days a year. A couple of them are always on Thursdays (like Ascension Day) and people take a free day on Friday after, eating up overtime that way.
Does that sound nice?
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My only thought is, somebody is paying.
What about the hourly workers though? How does that all work with them?
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Of course, the employer and the insurance has to pay. But that all can be calculated and is just part of the overall salary (risk calculation). Same goes for your Sabbath btw which also has to be paid for.
People don’t get sick too often typically. Just a few days a year – 10 days, but that counts in all the long sicknesses.
Same treatment for hourly employees. An average hour is calculated and they get paid for it.
They only exemption are freelancers – there are not many, like architects, doctors, lawyers. They only get paid for what they work. I‘ve been freelancing for 15 years, and you need to calculate sickness days and vacation and set money aside. But most people are spared that risk.
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Not sure what your talking about paying for Sabbath? I lost you on that one.
But the hourly workers get the same as a salaried person, got it.
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You wrote „someone‘s paying“… for sick days and for vacation days. Same goes for Saturdays and Sundays – we don’t work at some 104 days annually but get paid for it. That’s no problem as it’s calculable for the employer.
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I don’t get paid for those days. I work 40’ish hours a week and get paid for those 40’ish hours a week.
What I do do is make that money stretch for 7 days, But I am most certainly not getting paid for them.
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40 hours per week was a social revolution which workers had to fight for. Before that they had 60hours and had to work 6 days a week. They fought for getting off Saturdays with the same amount of money – to achieve this, hourly wages have been increased to compensate. You kind of inherited that social advantage nowadays.
The same has been achieved for 35 hour weeks, e.g. in France: People work shorter but get the same salary as before.
It’s not the case that anyone is stretching money – it’s the other way round. At least that’s what the unions fought for the last 100 years or so.
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Gotcha, you’re playing semantics with the word work.
And I’ll have to completely disagree about the stretching money part.
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Well, you’ll have to read about social improvements and the history of unions, mayhaps 😁 Take a Wikipedia tour!
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I had to come home on Monday, no fever, but hot / cold flashes, lethargy, loss of concentration, slight confusion ( more than usual ). I had a COVID-19 test, CVS had the results in one day, negative. By Tuesday, I was 90% better.
I hope it gets better for you, Mr. Bookstooge.
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I can tell you, I am keeping an eye on our temperatures a LOT more than I used to. If I get a fever, I’m calling out of work, period.
Glad to hear that result was negative. Was it the quick “big q-tip up the nose test”?
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It was a self administered test at the drive through, they watched me. Yes, a big q-tip up the nose, just past the first part of the nose, where the older I get, the more hair starts to grow. 10 seconds of q-tip rotation per side. Not a comfortable thing!
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Oh, man, sorry to hear that! Ugh! Prayers that you’re feeling better soon, and that next week is better than this past one!
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Thanks. We’re already counting on not going to church this weekend, so we don’t spread it. Thankfully, there’s been no fever, so that’s a big plus.
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Definitely! Fevers make it so much worse. And they usually lead to other unpleasant side effects. It’s always nice to skip those!
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I hope you’re feeling better soon, and I’m glad there isn’t a fever with it!
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I’m REALLY hoping by taking this weekend off of doing anything that I’ll be fully recovered by monday. As long as the car doesn’t act up again, then next week just has to be better.
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Hang in there — and I hope next week is going to be better by a magnitude of several galaxies. I know it‘s no real comfort, but it‘s been a crap year for many (probably most) of us … I‘m just about ready to close the 2020 ledger and move on, too. Not without some serious downtime first, though. (Hah. I wish.)
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I must admit, I have been hoping for a slowdown at work, even if it means less money. Work slowed down at the beginning of April for Covid but after the initial figuring out what was going on, we’ve been rocketing along like nobody’s business. I’m tired and I had a vacation in August for goodness sake.
I’m at the point where I hope we have a super snowy winter just so work HAS to slow down.
I’m ready for 2020 to be done too…
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Fingers crossed for a snowy winter then — white Christmas and all. (Except when- and wherever you have to drive, of course!) And, yeah. I last had a vacation 2 years ago, but even if I’d had one more recently, I’d be completely out of it at this point, too. (Sigh.)
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Sorry to hear all this. I’ve had a decent week so I am, of course, waiting for the other shoe to drop …
Best to you!
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Don’t worry, you’ve still got months and months left in 2020 😉
Thanks. watching a streamed church service now, so even my spirit is recovering 🙂
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OK, my phone just died. That’s better. Things are back to normal.
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See, things are looking worse already! buck up trooper, it’s only started 😀
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I hope you feel better soon. 😦
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Thanks. Been drinking water and herbal tea like crazy, so my system should be pretty well flushed by the end of this weekend 😀
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Good!
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I know that feeling. Did tried to push on working when I was sick once and ended up working with so much less efficiency. It was not gonna happen again if I have a choice. Hoping things got better and don’t forget to take care of your health 🙂
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Feeling much better today, but not all the way. Drinking a LOT of water and herbal tea though, so I should be good to go by Monday 😀
I’ve never asked, but do you do your food blog professionally or it is just a side hobby?
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Food blog is just my side hobby. I actually work as a Civil engineer. How about you?
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I should have known! I get along pretty decent with most engineers I’ve met. You all are of a type though 😀
I’m a field technician for a land survey company. So I’m the guy outside gathering all the data.
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Ahaha, what a coincidence. I was thinking the same. Also, my role are actually flexible between office and site engineer and I appreciate every field role. Two thumbs up!
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Sounds like a rough week! It wasn’t hunky dory here either, but at least I’m not sick. And those head colds are the WORST. Hope you feel better!
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Hope whatever is happening in your neck of the woods is resolved soon.
I am thankful the head cold didn’t migrate south and become a chest cold. Then I’d be a bit more worried instead of just worn out and annoyed 🙂
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I’m so sorry you’ve had such a bad week. Really hope you feel better over the weekend and that next week things improve. I don’t know if you and Mrs B are huggers, but am sending hugs your way! ❤
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Mrs B is definitely a hugger. So thanks 🙂
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Mr. Murphy has been focusing his infamous law on you far too much this week… 😦 Here’s to a FAR BETTER next one!
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I sure hope so. I could use a normal week 🙂
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Sorry that you had such a shit week! I hope you’re starting to feel better.
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I am feeling better but not all the way. Really hoping work isn’t a bear this week.
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Ah snap. It really does sound like a painfully annoying week with plenty to get mad about/at! I do hope this week turns out much better though…
Ahhh… the unexpected and unpredictable repairs for cars is indeed one of the many reasons why I’m having such a hard time purchasing my first car hahah
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Unfortunately, this week seems to be all about the bad weather 😦 Working outdoors in rain and drizzle while the temperature hovers just above freezing is miserable stuff. Just gotta survive until Friday afternoon though!
Cars suck. at least if money is even slightly tight. If money isn’t a big problem, then they’re just the most annoying thing. At least with horse and buggies, you could just shoot the horse and then use the the cart for fuel to have a nice horse dinner 😉
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I hope that top photo isn’t a picture of you after your terrible week, lol! Hope this week will turn out better for you!
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Thankfully, no. It’s just how I felt 😀
This week is going to be all about the weather 😦
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It’s funny how we used to get a cold or winter virus and not think twice about it but now, every cough or symptom gets that little worry bead going in the brain. Not fun! I’m glad you’re feeling better though.
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Thanks. It’s still hanging on 😦 I feel much better, but am still coughing and blowing my nose like nobody’s business, sigh…
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Had a bit of a cry on Monday myself… Mentally not been doing too great, but it will get better. Hang in there mate.
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Yeah, your last couple of posts have really shown the stress you’re under. I know you’ve mentioned work but I am going to ask, is everything ok between you and your wife? If you need to email me, feel free too. I’m here.
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Clearly, it’s been a while since I checked the blog. So sorry, man, this sounds rough. Hope that the days since have been better (that’s a low bar, I realize).
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Eh, you’ve got real life going on 😀
I haven’t been sick, which is good, but we’ve had rain almost every day, which is miserable for work. Today is Friday though and I for one am beyond thankful it’s here. Just have to survive today 😀
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