Calling In Sick

Did you ever wish that you could call in sick any time you wanted?  I actually never did.  I generally went to work unless I was half dead (case in point, when I was a PA, my producer forced me to stay home for most of a week because I was insisting I could still work with bronchitis).  So aside from giving birth, having shingles, and undergoing gall bladder surgery, pretty much I was there.

"Calling in sick" when you're a freelancer is a fuzzier area.  I woke up this morning feeling pretty lousy.  Were I going to work, I'd have autopiloted myself to the bus and train, then fought through the day at work, likely rallying once I was with "the team" and concentrating on the show we were making.  But at home, it was unbelievably hard just to walk the few steps from couch to computer.  Sad to say, the computer by itself just doesn't serve the cheering squad purpose that a production team does.  It doesn't keep you focused (on the contrary, it provides a million things to KEEP you FROM focusing!).  It doesn't act as the executive producer you are trying to impress.  And it certainly doesn't give you ever-present crises you have to jump in and fix.  So while for years I could work through colds, coughs, morning sickness, and even pinkeye (sunglasses and all!), today's sniffles had me shuffling back to the couch on a regular basis.  Go figure.

Thankfully, despite my lack of a cheering squad, I seem to have beaten the sniffles, so back to the computer I go.  So long, couch.  I won't be seeing much of you tomorrow.  No more calling in sick for me.