I’m really getting tired of work kicking my butt all over the place. Fortunately, it would appear that my massive overtime accumulation has attracted some attention — for better or for worse — and my boss is starting to realize just in how many different directions my choke chain gets yanked.
Unfortunately, working like a dog since…well, late December, I guess (by German standards at least) appears to have taken its toll on my immune system. All winter I haven’t even had a case of the sniffles, but these past two days something has gotten into me, and I don’t mean inspiration.
Primary counter-measure: chug as much of the „Vitamin–C-Bombe“ as possible. We normally drink this (and other juices) as a Schorle, but lately we’ve both fallen off the wagon. Perhaps this is showing itself in my cold. Either way, when my lungs start rattling or that scratchy feeling in the back of my throat comes around, I go full-strength on this stuff at work, drinking it hot with a cinnamon stick or two in it. Half the fun is watching Germans watch me prepare it. Today (yesterday really) a secretary asked me, “Whoa — you can tolerate that undiluted? Stomach-wise, I mean?”
Well yeah; it’s just apple juice with acerola in it for the Vitamin C boost. What really gets them is my one gloved hand and giant cappucino mug coming down the hall out of our Teeküche. I need it hot, but I can’t carry it with bare skin at the necessary temperature.
I’m also taking some Hustensaft (aside: Cough juice? At first that seemed totally oddball to me until I thought about what kind of pancakes would go with cough syrup) called “Mucosolvan“. It seems to be working. After crashing out this evening immediately upon arrival, I woke up coughing a couple of hours ago.
And now I’m hungry.
Forget the cough syrup, it’s been proven not to work. Much better for you would be hot tea with lots of honey and a good shot of schnaps…ciao and feeel better soon.
I like cough syrup. Not for a daily tipple or anything, but it makes me feel better when I’m ill. And even if it’s “proven not to work,” I notice its placebo-like effects. That’s probably directly attributable to my own stubbornness.
Beside, tea and schnapps make me wanna ralph.
Not so much on the schnapps(I would ralph too; HURL even) but some mandarin orange Absolut or an ounce or two of the Old Granddad kills all known germs and viruses. For smoothing over that nasty cough try some American Honey from the makers of Wild Turkey. It’s a sweet, potent cordial popular with the ladies.
Of course it’s a better idea to take these “medicines” at the end of the day:) God Bless Sarah and get well quickly. I’ll be in Kiel for 15 days on March 16. Hello to all on your end.