Sick in Quarters

Last week, I got a nasty headcold from Michelle starting Saturday night. When I woke up Sunday morning, I knew there was no way I should go to work later that evening. The problem with a head cold is that you might not be able to clear your ears with altitude changes, and this can lead to an ear or sinus block. I had an ear block back in primary flight training in the T-28. We were doing an IFR penetration from 20,000' coming down in a hurry and my ears couldn't keep up with the pressure changes. I was down for about a month and I'm lucky it didn't rupture my eardrum. So, Sunday I called in sick. The problem is that this was to be my first trip after 3 weeks of vacation, and it looks really bad when you do that. I called my assistant chief pilot and spoke to his admin coordinator. She's a real joy to work with and although she could have required a doctor's excuse, she said not to worry about it. I guess I'm not on the bad boy list as a repeat offender. Anyway, I'm on my way to Ontario to see if I can remember how to fly this week.