Sorry for the lack of posts. Woke up this morning with a sore throat and stuffy nose, and didn't make things better by swallowing half a mouthful of Listerine. (Don't do that. It stings all the way down. XD) This is apparently the two-to-three-day, feel icky cold that has been flying around the public school system around here.

So, I took the day off from school and slept. Now I'm feeling slightly better, so I'm off to bed. I'll post something soon, I promise!

On an unrelated note, I got to see the International Auto Show, which was a blast. Ron Tonkin had a collection of his personal cars there. (For all of you who went: Yes, that Ferrari Enzo, F430, and Lamborghini Diablo were *all his*. Guy has good taste in cars, no?) We got to see the new Porsche Cayman, which is interesting, even if you can't see or work on the engine. And BMW brought out their new 650i, which is a good-looking machine. Ford brought out a Shelby-tuned 2007 GT500 and their gorgeous GT (the modern incarnation of the GT40), which had tires about double the width of your average passenger car. Going made me want a Mini more than ever. XD

-tao

=> Completely unrelated, but here's some good tips for making colds better:

When you've got a sore throat:
Gargle Listerine. It kills the evil things that have attached themselves to the back of your throat, and makes your sore throat better much more quickly. (Assuming you don't screw it up like I did.) DON'T SWALLOW IT. It could give you a hangover if your stomach's empty.

Drink green tea with equal parts honey and lemon juice mixed in. Honey is an antibiotic and the lemon is full of vitamin C, so it soothes the ache and heals the swelling. (Honey is also good for sealing and sterilizing cuts)

For those of you in the Northwest, eat a bowl of McMenamin's Beer Potato Cheese soup. It has pepper in it that stings, but seems to do good things for your sinuses. And tastes better than condensed Chicken Noodle Soup any day.

Take a long shower. The steam helps to clear up your sinuses, and gets your blood circulating. While you're in there, massage the area under your throat where the thyroid glands are. This expels some of the sick-gunk and makes them swell less.

And most of all: Sleep with your head at a forward angle instead of flat, so your sinuses can drain and it doesn't fester in the back of your throat, which is part of what causes sore throats anyways. (Gross, I know. But what sickness isn't?)

These are just what work for me. Perhaps cures aren't what those of you trying to get out of school want, but it's helpful for those of us susceptible to and made miserable by Cold Season.

Hope this helps someone!