Pros and Cons List

I've had the flu for days. Bad sinuses, headache, bad digestive system, aches and pains, constant fatigue, "some virus has got into my system and is not by any means letting go" flu. This is bad when you're working as a temp, paid by the hour and have a run of really bad luck in terms of attendance to date. And of course, I've already missed two days of work over this. Now, I know full well that I can miss two days of work and still make appropriate contribution to the household finances as well as throw in for groceries. Three? Ugh. However, I did the best part of a full week last week, marred only by a trip to pick up my new glasses and a lunchtime departure on Wednesday because there was nothing to do and some IT goon was poking at the only computer available for my use that day. So today I am well aware that I am going to be at least late for work on the grounds of being unable to get out of bed, and sitting up is bad enough in terms of nausea without sticking myself on public transport for an hour and a half. So the question is whether I call in late, or call in sick.

Cons of calling in sick:
1. Working a temp job as I am, they don't take kindly to people who can't come in. Temps are disposable. If my attendance record doesn't improve, there's a strong possibility that I will simply be replaced.
2. If I don't go in today, I'm getting a maximum of two days' pay this week, and that messes with the finances a little. It's not as big a deal as it could be, doing the maths in my head, because of having worked four and a half days the week previous, but still not ideal.
3. As re: 2 - it means that Brighton Below really is a bust. Daz and yshala will be disappointed, as am I; I want to see them, they want to see me, they'd like to have someone else they know there and the idea of playing a Neverwhere LARP really appeals. But if I can't get in today, I really just can't afford it.

Pros of calling in sick:
1. I still feel like crap and putting myself on public transport for a total of three hours throughout the day, spending the first half-hour of my day wandering around the department like a lost soul in search of a usable desk and possibly having to deal with the phones is probably not a good idea. Sitting upright long enough to type this is bad enough.
2. This at least makes my Brighton Below decision for me. I do want to go, don't get me wrong, but with the last-minute aspects of all of it - booking and getting the last details of my character sorted and so forth - I was a little leery.
3. There are six agencies, one of which I'm already registered with and another of which is a step forward into legal secretarial (better money, more opportunities for straight-up typing work) who want to talk to me about roles coming in, and they're bound to be better than what I'm doing now. Calling in sick gives me questionable 'leisure' to ring these people and find something better with a paycheque in the works and holiday pay owing (enough, thank you, to cover another week's worth of absence, at current rate of pay).

So the final decision boils down to: is spending the day feeling more like crap than I already do worth a Saturday spent with friends, when if I try to work through being sick, I might not be well enough to go anyway? And, given that the mere addition of toothpastey water to my stomach has just made my stomach heave, I think that's my decision made. So ... agency phone calls today, then.

My life sucks.

Travel Arrangement - a Secretary's Bread and Butter

Further data on Brighton Below:

I'm looking to be paying £10 minimum, £17.50 maximum to get there and back again, and I would definitely have to crash somewhere in Brighton as getting back that night just isn't possible unless I take the train. Which actually wouldn't be quite so bad as I could get there and back on the same day for £16.50.) Another tenner to pay for the LARP. Plus say £10 to pay for food and drinks once I get there, as a girl must eat. So that's between £30-£40 total.

The question is, is it doable with things as they stand? Even on three-day paycheque wages, I could afford to blow £20 on the Sims 2 EP, after all. I suppose it depends on how much I wind up getting tomorrow (calculating my per-hour after tax is not my strong point). Plus I could go as NPC this time around, get a feel for the game, and that would save a bit.

FUCK ME but this is complicated. I really want to go but the logistics are a right pain in the arse. Still, I managed to organise a trip to San Francisco, including passport renewal, on what, three days' notice? This cannot be beyond me.

So I've now emailed the guy responsible to see if Travesty Moran is considered sufficiently 'jazzed up' for gameplay on Saturday. If not, I'm available as NPC as that takes the price of the day down a bit and justify the train journey.

I forgot how complicated logistics could be.