And I didn't think I was going to make it through last week! But I did, albeit barely. I admit it was partially the fault of my own inflated ego that I ended the week draining my sinuses onto enough rolls of toilet paper to... to... wipe clean an elephant in an Ex-lax factory? Oh, I don't know... I just felt that I'd had enough colds in the past six months that I couldn't possibly catch another. And certainly not one teensy, weensy, wittle cold from the toddler in my house. But no. I felt as if I'd been broadsided by a whole school bus full of green-snotted kindergartners on their way to a research study at the CDC.

Came out of nowhere, it did. These things usually come at night where I wake up feeling sniffly and by morning am all scratchy and stuffed, but this one came midday. I had a little sneeze and blew my nose and figured, well, that was the extent of it -it's good to be an adult and not catch these things like the kiddies do every other week! And then WHAM! By the time the sun went down I was rummaging through the medicine cabinets, begging for mercy, pining for a hit of Zicam.

And now I'm not so sure I can make it through this week. Things were a bit put off from the rain of late, which giveth me twice as much work in the coming days -but at least good spring weather is forecast. 72 and sun! (Okay, 68.) There are vexing problems this week that I just don't have the answers to, however. I assume the answers are out there, like cold fusion, life on other planets, bigfoot -but these are answers I have to find! Which is a bummer. It'd be easier if I wasn't sick, but it could be worse. It could always be worse. Sometimes it is worse.

Dove into the NyQuil last night, which I am loathe to do. I'm not sure why exactly I am loathe to do this, but I always try and hold out as long as I can before I start hitting the heavy meds. I figure it's healthier in the long run, and that I might heal faster, though I have nothing to substantiate these notions. It doesn't matter, for I usually end up taking plenty anyway as the misery is so, well, miserable. I was smart enough to buy the NyQuil at Costco about six months ago. "Flu season's coming," I said. "Better stock up!" My wife pushed the cart right on past but I insisted, "No. Seriously." Flu season did come. She was pushing the cart forward because the NyQuil sold at Costco comes in the super-multi-jumbo-case. I swear, it may as well come in a liter bottle with a shot glass on top stacked up on pallets next to the Captain Morgan, if they're going to do it like that at all.

Anyway, it worked a little, but the stuff doesn't have the kick to it like it used to since they took the pseudoephedrine out of it. Anyone notice this besides me? They replaced it with something called "phenylephrine" which some studies say is as good for a cold as cat food and dandelion petals. I guess you can still get "NyQuil D", which is the old stuff, but not at Costco. Stores keep it behind the counter with the rest of the Sudafed so that the kids aren't buying it for the meth labs in their stepdad's darkroom. Dumb kids. What? NyQuil D not strong enough for you?

So I stocked up at Costco way back when because I hate going to the store when I'm sick to buy medicine. It's the fluorescent lights. (They clog up my sinuses when I'm not sick, for crying out loud -which is why I have a career outdoors.) I'm finally at the age where I have accepted the fact that I'm going to get sick again. When you're young, you never think about getting sick, (which I guess is part of the reason why you'd do meth) but at some point, sooner or later, you get sick and you can't remember what it was like to be healthy. That's when you think, man, if I ever get healthy, I don't ever want to be sick again. I know, I know, it sounds deppressing but... we're all gonna get sick again, dammit. And it'll suck.


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