Doing Battle against The Cold

For the past week or so, every third person I have interacted with regularly either has had a fresh or lingering cold. So it is no surprise that I finally have succombed to the germs myself and have been fighting the good fight since Saturday morning. Surely the bachelor party schedule in Tahoe - what with the days skiing, nights drinking and carousing, and sleeping minimally - has aided the attack of the germs. But on day 3 of the cold I seem to have, at least temporarily, stopped the advance of the cold from itchy-scratchy sore throat phase to nasal congestion and discomfort phase. At the risk of sounding cocky, I have pushed the enemy back and am advancing towards their turf. Who knows, maybe I'll be cold-free by Wednesday?

Here's the current anti-cold regiment:

- LOTS of water, throughout the day (constantly drinking water)
- Tea 2-3 times a day (pick your favorite. Just NO MILK. Brew with fresh ginger)
- 3000mg minimum vitamin C a day
- NO DAIRY. Minimal processed foods.
- Meals with vegetables and lots of raw garlic, including:
- CABBAGE. I think I have eaten half a head a day. Three variations:
Chinese cabbage (olive oil, soy sauce, serrano or jalapenos, 4 minced cloves raw
garlic, ground black pepper.
Thai cabbage (olive oil, lime juice, fish sauce, serrano or jalapenos, garlic,
chopped peanuts or cashews, salt, sugar, cilantro)
Mexican cabbage (olive oil, lemon or lime juice, garlic, onion, cilantro, cumin,
cayenne, salt)

Yes, it's some homeopathic, hippie type shit. But I think it's working. To celebrate, I opened a bottle of Jo Landron's excellent 2006 Domaine de la Louvetrie Muscadet 'Amphibolite.' I am happy to report that my tastebuds are working pretty well - the wine tastes just as pure, snappy and delicious as I remember. Probably should stick to just 2 glasses though....