I know I've discussed calling in sick before: We just can't do it. There's no one to cover for us most of the time; we don't get paid sick leave; and when you're really booked, it can be danged near impossible to reschedule clients within a reasonable time frame.

Consequently, most of us just don't get sick. And a little case of the sniffles isn't enough to keep us down.

Which really calls up a delicate double-edge hypocrisy about us: We want our clients to reschedule their appointments when they're sick because we don't appreciate being exposed to their cooties when most of us can't afford to risk getting sick, right? But most of us also continue to show up when we probably shouldn't.

I mostly go with the philosophy that I'm willing to be exposed to whatever they've got — I have a pretty good immune system and I'm willing to put it to the test. Which, I guess, has paid off since I've only had to cancel clients due to illness two — no three — times in 19 1/2 years.

Yep. Last week made my third time frantically rescheduling clients at the last moment because I just could not go on.

There's a point where you just have to concede that you are not fit to file. It didn't matter if my clients didn't care about how sick I was, there was no way I could work. So by four o'clock on Thursday afternoon (which happened to be my birthday too), I crawled home and into bed. Sore throat, headache, all over aches and fatigue, and feverish chills.

I slept till Saturday afternoon, when I dragged my blanket and pillow out to the living room and took a nap.

It occurred to me at one point that I might be Patient Zero for the Zombie Apocolypse. Even the BF said he hoped I wasn't coming down with "zombie."

Well, it looks like I made it and am back at work bushy-tailed if not entirely bright-eyed, dealing with the inevitable onslaught of rescheduling that always seems to greet me on Monday morning, as well as an overdue blog post, and six voicemails that need attention.

I don't think I'm a zombie. But if that's what it comes down to, I'm really looking forward to the new virus getting named after me: Zombius Maggius? I think it has a certain ring to it. At least zombies don't get sick.