“Call Sid!”

Say what? Who?

I didn’t have any crew this weekend, and neither did Zorro, and the skipper for whom Gerald intends to be crew this spring wasn’t participating in this weekend’s regatta. So Gerald and I signed on as crew for Zorro Saturday. The winds were stiff, but not dangerously so, and we had a wonderful time. Unfortunately, I over-exerted myself, given that I haven’t yet fully recovered from the flu, so Saturday night was miserable. The cough that had been plaguing me attacked with a vengeance, and what sleep I got was far from restful.

Through the night, I had a series of bizarre dreams, at best only vaguely remembered. But when I first woke up Sunday morning, there was a particularly vivid bit of dream remnant echoing in my head, a voice, I couldn’t tell whether male or female, yelling frantically, “Call Sid!”

Through my befuzzed brain, questions wandered: Who the heck is Sid? And why is it so urgent to call him (or her – it could have been Cyd)? I mumbled to Pat, “Do we know anybody named Sid?”

I dozed off again, and the next time I woke up, I had no memory of the dream, except that some information had been filled in – Sid was a white German Shepherd dog. I still have no idea why it was so important to call him.

I’m not dead yet – really!

It’s just felt like I am.

Yeah, I know, it’s been nearly a month since my last post (Father, I have sinned. It has been 28 days since my last confession …).

First, there was all of the hectic getting-stuff-done that always happens at the beginning of a new term. As usual, the administration has come up with some new paperwork to complete on top of all of the paperwork invented during previous terms.

Then I had a delightful encounter with the flu – I believe I fell victim to Brisbane 10, the virus that this year’s flu vaccine was totally unprepared for. While the most acute symptoms lasted a bit more than a week, there have been lingering after-effects, the worst of which has been a persistent cough.

The nasty thing about this cough is that it is self-perpetuating. The coughing causes my throat to become swollen and irritated. Then, the swollen and irritated throat tissue causes coughing. If I could just break the cycle, I know I could be rid of the cough. In the past, I could get cough syrup with codeine in it, and that would stop the coughing for long enough for the throat to heal up, and the cough would be gone in 36 hours. But the cough syrup with codeine in it is now a controlled substance, so I have to seek other remedies.

I have tried the conventional remedies that are available, and they have very little effect. So I’ve gone to alternative treatments. So far, the most effective has been a medicinal herbal tea blend that has thyme as its main ingredient, which I originally got at the Chama Valley Supermarket (watch for a future post for why that’s no longer available). The stores in Albuquerque don’t carry it, but they do carry some other blends that, while less effective, do still help. I also found some cough drops that contain thyme, and they seem to help.

So I’m still coughing, but not as badly as before, and my throat is still raw, but not as extremely swollen as before. I’m actually feeling enough better that I’m planning to race in the regatta this weekend, with a good supply of cough drops in my pocket.