Part of my nasty, nasty little cold involves the stuffing of my ears. I am totally deaf. You know how when you're watching a movie or TV show and they want to be all arty and dramatic so they take out all the incidental sound and all you hear is maybe the background noise and a lot of silence? Like the Buffy episode "The Body?" That's how my past couple of days have been. Like one long, dramatic episode.

All day I'm straining to hear things at the Temp job, which is kind of fun considering that the job is basically hearing people give you instructions and then passing the instructions onto other people. I have to double-check everything I hear to make sure I hear I heard it right without sounding like an idiot. And I totally screwed up and was talking about someone at work behind they're back without noticing they were right behind my back.

Oops.

Because I have no idea how loud everything is, I'm worried about talking too loudly so I'm I find myself talking to quietly. Hardly anybody can hear what I'm saying and I can't tell. Or, maybe they can tell and I just can't hear them say "huh?" I also find myself grinning like an idiot when I think people are making a joke. I have no idea if it is a joke, but better safe than sorry. I also feel kind of bad for my brand-new neighbor because I'm doing the old lady thing and have my TV turned up way too loud at home. I have no idea how loud it is.

Speaking of talking behind somebody's back, my temp agency called my supervisor today to check up on me. Good thing I sit right next to him, less than about ten feet from his computer. I was there when they called. That I could hear. After a few seconds into the conversation, I had to leave. I'm pretty sure nothing bad was said or anything that I didn't want to hear, it's just a little on the awkward side to be hearing a conversation totally about you when you're right there.

Or maybe I'm just really paranoid these days.