Under-the-weather? That’s an understatement.  Heck, I’m S.I.C.K.  Again!  Cold number three is almost gone but it’s still lingering around enough that running a couple of errands has wiped me of my energy.  I never used to sick, at least never this much, maybe once a year a really bad cold would rear its ugly head.  This year I’ve been hit three times and all three were lay-around-in-bed, energy-zapping, prolonged colds.  Yuck!  Here’s what I was thinking about last night as I sat in bed playing what seemed like the hundredth game of scarab solitaire in the last four days on my iPad:

Never underestimate the power of chicken soup.  My favorite is pho, but since this isn’t N.Y. – so no delivery – and the first day of this cold there was no way I could leave the house during the day, an old-fashioned can of Campbell’s works just fine.  {note about the link – I’m too tired to write down the recipe from the Momofuku cookbook but why should I?  Here it is in a blog by someone who is more obsessed with the book than me. Enjoy!}

Vaporub on the soles of your feet?  Okay, I don’t know who thought this up and I’m pretty sure there is no clinical data showing this actually helps to relieve coughing but I do it anyway, cream not the ointment.  I confess, I kind of just like the smell.  But only because it conjures up childhood memories of my grandma rubbing it on my chest and then snuggling between her and grandpa in bed and watching t.v. underneath a pile of soft warm blankets. It was safe and comforting – that’s good enough for me.

Yes, you can stay in pajamas all day!  But after a while even the truest, die-hard pj-lover gets sick of it and you put on regular clothes {okay sweats} just to pretend that you are among the living.

You know you’re in a bad way when you dog’s hair looks way better than yours.

At the first hint of a cold, bypass the ‘Tussin and go straight for a shot of whisky.  It is my go-to-cough syrup, cold remedy.  And I think it works every time to kill some of those nasty germs.  Why get bogged down in all that awful syrupy sugar?   Sorry Chris Rock, but it’s whisky over ‘Tussin all the time here.

Tea, tea, tea!  Chamomile and mint, together.  Trust me, it’s good and soothing.

Thank goodness for the neti pot.  Get over the squeamishness of running saline water through your nasal passages…this is the best $10 I’ve ever spent.  I haven’t had a sinus infection in years and they were pretty common place around my house forever as a result of awful seasonal allergies.  No more sinus infections, I don’t take medicine for hay fever that used to knock me out – seriously leave me useless – and I swear it helps shorten the length of a cold, especially alleviating a lot of congestion. 

I’ve discovered the cure for Angry Birds: an achy all-over body cold. 

The best thing to have around when you’re sick is a furry friend.  Especially of the canine persuasion – they can’t take care of themselves like a cat.  You’re forced to get out of bed and walk them.  Good for the dog, good for the sickie.  Then you can come back and nap with your warm companion who just looks at you and thinks, “pathetic” but loves you anyway.

For the love of God, get a flu shot!

And…the next time Goldfarb comes home from work sick, he’s immediately quarantined to the guest bedroom.