Woe Is Me :(

1st February, 2010 7 Comments

In normal day to day interactions, I’m so not melodramatic.  In fact, I’m so laid back most of the time that I’ve gotten in trouble at work before for remaining levelheaded during minor crisis.  Apparently, if you’re not freaking out over a printer jam preventing you from compiling a presentation due in twenty minutes, you just don’t care about your job.*

I do get a little excited over going to the zoo (case in point, my tweets this weekend) and building snowmen or cool trips I get to go on.  But I wouldn’t describe my enthusiasm as melodramatic.

Except today, in which I am going to die. 

You see, I rarely get sick.  There’s lots of knocking on wood as I type that.  I’ve had the flu twice in my life and rather minor cases of it at that.  Never broken a bone, or sprained anything.  Spend most of the winter without the sniffles.**

So when I get sick, even the minorist (is that a word?) of head colds–you might as well start preparing my eulogy.  I am going to die because my sinuses are slightly stuffed (I can still breathe and have no cough), and the tissues here at work suck.  Actually, the nice thing about being rarely sick is that I can tell almost immediately when the cold is coming on and can combat it right away.  Hello vitamin C and lots of sleep.  Guns a blazin’ preventative measures here so that I spend a few days of existence a little uncomfortable rather than slipping into “death throes.”

The worst thing about being sick is the lack of concentration.  And here we segue into books since this is a book blog.  On those rare occasions where not only am I sick, but also actually sick enough to stay home and in bed all day, I like to read.  Actually, I like to watch television since it’s pretty mindless, but alas, I don’t have one of those so mindless reading will have to do.  But there really isn’t much you can do in the awake hours of being sick that still allow you to relax so that your immune system can do it’s thing.  Reading, watching movies–they’re great for not requiring you to do much of anything provided you’re reading or watching something that is relatively interesting but not intense.

In high school I liked to read The Cat Who mystery series by Lillian Jackson Braun.  They’re really easy to get through and I don’t need to worry about nodding off mid-way through one and having to reorient myself to the plot when I wake up.  Problem is, I’ve now read the entire series and they only take about an hour to read. 

So here I am at work finishing up my nth cup of hot honey water (so soothing on the throat) and debating on what I should have on hand for the next time I’m home curled up in bed (or under this super furry blanket I own while on the couch) when home sick. When you’re sick, you can’t really run out to the library or bookstore to pick something up, there have to be a few books tucked away for just such an occasion–books you’ve been dying to read or that require a lot of concentration don’t work because you’re brain feels like it’s floating and just needs light fluff.

So, questions for the day: 

What are some mystery or chick-lit fluff recommendations (feel free to include why you love them UPDATE: and Sci-Fi and Fantasy are welcome too) that are perfect for days when you just can’t–or shouldn’t–get out of bed?

And, what are some of your home remedies for kicking a cold?  I like to get plenty of sleep, drink lots of warm liquids, and eat soup and clementines.  I’m also a big fan of not being schlumpy when out in public–comfortable may be nice but I’m all about the faux-optimism tricking your body into thinking it’s not sick.

*Remain level headed and just send the presentation to a printer on a different floor.  It’s seriously NOT. THE END. OF. THE WORLD!

**For serious.  Even when I had my wisdom teeth out, I thought I’d get a few days of couch crashing and movie watching at my parent’s place while Mom brought me ice cream and Jell-o.  Nope, was fine–up and about and eating solid food that evening.

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