Aches and Pains

It all started with a cursed box of cereal ...

Okay, not really, but the truth is not so different, either.  Since I'm not working right now, oatmeal isn't as appealing a breakfast.  I used to cook the oatmeal on the stove, put it in a plastic bowl, and eat at my desk right after getting to work.  A lot of people sip on coffee or nibble on bagels at their desk, so it was no big deal.  More importantly, the oatmeal would have time to cool down.  It's super annoying to wake up in the morning and not be able to eat breakfast because it's too hot.  So I bought some cold cereal to reduce the wait for breakfast.  The problem was that I didn't pay attention and I bought a soy-based cereal.  Soy and I don't get along well, at least when it comes to digestion, so I was done after one bowl.  However, I didn't want to waste food if I could help it, so I offered the remaining cereal to Samuel.

It didn't agree with Samuel either, but he had more than stomach cramps: he ended up developing a mild fever.  The fever may not have been unrelated, or it could have been caused by a compromised immune system busy dealing with other problems.

Feeling at least partially responsible, I stopped by the store and picked up a few ingredients to make chicken soup.  I had carrots, garlic, chicken breasts, as well as a couple of chicken carcasses in the freezer ready to go, so all I needed was some celery, a couple of onions, and some fresh parsley.  I spent the next four hours crafting the soup from scratch.  That may seem excessive, but it was fun to make soup again and since Samuel comes from a culture that regularly uses gifts of food as a sign of respect, he is always appreciative.

I may not have made my roommate sick, but hopefully I'll be able to help make him feel better.