A cold, verkoudheid , förkylning, Erkältung and avatars

Avatars in Skype are popular. They show the user in real, a persiflage or are an addition to the mood message.

With bad weather you see avatars with rain, snow, storm.
During a period of too much rain in Holland, I saw avatars with boots in over flown streets.
Users who are out to their favourite sports event, put up avatars wit their favourite player.
Some of my favourite avatars are those of Antoine: he has them of all sorts of Ants (his nickname)
Birthday bunnies show party-avatars.

Skype designed special avatars called WeeMee’s.
I love to browse Google Images for matching pictures and there are loads.
I was also looking for a “Sneezy” avatar because I have a bad cold.

I should not mention my cold in public because it will spoil my cold free reputation.
I managed to maintain this reputation for 10 years and I was so proud of that.
I hardly wear coats, love cold weather, don’t mind rain and considered myself immune for viruses and bacteria’s

But, it happened. Here I am; sneezing and sniffing. Tears are running down my cheeks and tissues are at hand in all sorts and sizes. I still can speak, still have a voice but only with a low tone. With higher tones you hear a mouse-like squeak. I sound more like a man (amazingly none of my callers asked if Ike was around….)

I don’t have a flu (wouldn’t have the time for one either), just an ordinary, healthy cold.
Of course there are many pictures of sneezing and coughing people but non even looked like me.

Yesterday evening I asked in a Beta chat if someone could design a sneezing Emoticon for me.
This seemed to be an impossible task because Emo’s don’t have a nose and therefore probably never have a cold.
But, they can get the flu so my wonderful Skype SuperUser and Moderator colleague Carola Clavo designed my own private Emo with a thermometer in it’s mouth (and Carola is an excellent designer!!).
Private means private so I am not going to share my Emo with you …. ;-)

But as a lovely bonus, she also designed an avatar! She used the standard Skype avater and coloured its forehead slightly red (the fever) and put a thermometer in its mouth.
It is a great avater and it will stay in my Skype profile for as long as I have this cold.

No, I am not ill, not in bed. Just working like I always do. Thus is my avatar visible to everybody in my contact list.
And for those without authorization? No, I am not going to change my blog rule “No pictures”….. sorry….