The saga of the cough syrup comes to an end tonight. Anya wanted to save the last dose, but her coughing was too intense, and she succumbed to finishing it off. Now, I know that she will try to avoid taking the anise-flavored Norwegian stuff, (and the thyme extract will continue untouched; I wont’ even suggest it!). Fortunately, I found a citrus Fisherman’s Friend throat lozenge that she will tolerate. The menthol in them does help.
She stayed home from school again with some fevers and coughing throughout the day. My email notification to the teacher was returned with consolation that there were only 15 students today out of 27, as the flu has hit almost half of his class. We figured it out earlier that this was probably flu, despite the flu shot (nasal mist for Anya) this fall, but the full course of penicillin will be completed anyway to not build up drug resistance.
When Anya was feeling good, I went to MHS for a 5:15 pm “trial lecture” as part of a PhD defense. I went to see it to see what I can expect in the future. The German-woman PhD candidate did research comparing Beijing preaching and Beijing teaching in the schools. (I’ll hear her 4-hour public defense tomorrow and will give you the jist of her mammoth, 700-page dissertation.) Her committee (one from Sweden, one from Germany, and one from MHS), assigned her the topic of how Confucianism is reflected in Beijing preaching rhetoric. So, it is a topic related to but distinct from her dissertation.
It was good to get a glimpse of what to expect. I am encouraged a bit, as well as humbled by this journey. I expect to be even more humbled tomorrow! (FYI, the “disputatio” or defense is public, so when my turn comes–ideally next year sometime if I get my act together–feel free to come and watch me sweat!)
Please add 2 friends to your prayer lists: Anne, who was just diagnosed with breast cancer, and Jean Wahlstrom in Tanzania, who was bitten by a dog (so they have started rabies shots in a precautionary measure and will watch the dog for the next week or so).