It was definitely a good thing that I started fighting my cold straight away rather than letting it settle in my body first, as I haven't suffered anywhere near as much as I usually do. I'm a little bit surprised to even have a cold to be honest though as I usually only suffer once around the end of November. Maybe I'm getting it out of the way now and will enjoy a healthy rest of the year. Last night I did my usual dosing up and went to bed reasonably early wrapped up in tracksuit bottoms, socks, sweatshirt and dressing gown in order to sweat it out a bit so I imagine I was rather an attractive sight. You can keep your natural remedy and superstition where the common cold is concerned, over the counter medicine wins the argument and if the person who invented/discovered Phenylephrine wasn't rewarded for his/her troubles then there's no justice in the world. What I want to know is this; how is it that we can vaccinate against most major diseases and offer life extending treatment for cancer, in many cases removing it and allowing the patient to carry on with life (although sadly there's no proper cure), and AIDS isn't the death sentence it used to be thanks to advancements in medicine, but if you get a cold you just have to put up with it? You would imagine a cold being the easiest thing to deal with and the scientists sorting it out during breaks from researching really serious stuff.
Last time I was stricken with a heavy cold I mentioned how I like to just get on with life and not be floored, as opposed to Mandi who shuts down completely, making a mockery of the sexist expression 'man flu' - an expression that implies that men can't cope with being poorly. This time around I have taken things a little easier regarding work and I am not sure if this has worked or not. It is probably a combination of catching it early enough to start fighting it and actually having some rest this time. If anything being ill gives you an excuse to catch up with the simple pleasures such as reading and listening to music (really listening rather than using it as background noise) and going to bed early and having a good night of sleep, a real luxury for me.
I came dangerously close to not making a tick in my diary today and breaking my New Year Resolution to do something creative everyday, but fortunately I managed to write Saturday and Sunday's blog entries although they haven't (at the time of writing this entry) been published yet as I couldn't be bothered turning the computer on once I was warm and comfortable. I also wrote this although this has yet to be published either, but I wrote it and that is what counts.
Listen to this week's edition of The Sunday Alternative here.
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March housekeeping
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