Toasties: I have a cold. It’s officially flu season. Get the flu shot! The one without mercury if you care about that sort of thing. In any case, ZICAM (falsely labeled PREcold, because, who does that?) and much much hot tea is my way forward. And roasted garlic (not pictured). What are your remedies? Or better, tell me your tales of health! Fun Fall weekend plans? Work gossip? Entertain me!
Tags: meta, open thread, the bartender, zicam cannot stave off death which comes for us all
Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay was pretty good – and the movie adaptation with Kristin Scott Thomas wasn’t too bad either!
Work gossip is…if I get sick again, I lose my job. And it’s work that makes me sick.
Oh, guys, my grandma died last night and I’m leaving to the sorta South to go to her funeral tomorrow and I’m angry and sad and all over the place and this year, seriously? I don’t even know what to do with it. But she was a great lady, so I will have a drink to that (which I realize is ironic b/c she was a teetotaler, but so what) and man when people know you write they ask you to write eulogies and it is an honor but yeah.
Also I know that lots of folks go through this but I mean it seems like getting older includes so so so much loss and I’m tired of all the ones I’ve had already, not lyin’, but I don’t know how to not feel grief? so that’s weird but on the other hand I’ve heard some really great Ralph Stanley while trying to find a good version of Will The Circle Be Unbroken? and it makes me cry but who cares.
My only work gossip is the possible looming federal government shutdown. If it happens, I will be furloughed, and I only have two days of PTO before leave without pay starts. UGH.
Oh, where have I been? Yesterday one of my colleagues in the States said “here’s my home email address just in case you can’t get me at my gov. office.” I was like, “oh, ok, whatever, I don’t think I need to talk to you for the next two months anyway?” Where have I been? What’s going on in the States? No, don’t tell me. I will look it up.
We’re at the end of a fiscal year, but no money has been authorized for the next fiscal year. Republicans are withholding the money unless they de-fund Obamacare. Because, you know, it is BAD for people to have healthcare. I’m sure you Canadians understand what I’m saying.
No, tell us. Inquiring Canadians want to know!
Coca-Cola burns phlegm away. #totallytrue
Ugh I had a question I was saving for this Open Thread and I FORGOT IT.
Okay but is that #reallytotallytrue because I never drink Coke (or any cola) but I might have one this afternoon if it will work because I am so phlegmy right now and I want to die.
Haha. Awwww. I don’t know, it makes me feel better, but then I’m a total addict, soooo…
true cold remedy or feel-better drink, at least, hot water with a shit ton of lemon juice (bottle, not fresh what am I Gwyneth Paltrow?) and honey in it.
Yeah I’m just gonna rock that when I get home I think. Thanks!
Coke and other colas were originally “tonics”, or for-your-health. Dispensed by the pharmacist. I know a biochemist who heats up Dr. Pepper in a sauce pan to drink hot when he’s sick. The idea of drinking it warm disgusts him *except* when he’s sick. Then it just feels so good, soothing.
Coca cola boiled with ginger is great for a cold (This remedy also came to me via biochemist…)
They’re always in the kitchen, aren’t they, those biochemists, concocting good stuff. Mine creates the most unusual, but always delicious meals. Ever go to a cocktail party for chemists? They swap recipes all night.
Hot toddies are my cold remedy, Bartender.
I am going APPLE PICKING this weekend, and I’m looking forward to picking up some pumpkin (hard) apple cider while I’m there.
Jealous! I went apple picking a few years ago and it was so much fun. I am hoping one of my friends with a car wants to go this year and take me along (in exchange for gas money, obvs.).
I plan a trip every year! Of course, I have to always finagle friends who have cars or a Zipcar membership. I used to pick different orchards, but last year I found one that also has a winery, so I think we’ll keep going there forever.
One of the (few?) benefits of living in the exurbs is that I have 6-8 orchards within a 20-minute drive from my house, and one is basically down the road.
yes. hot toddies are important. but so is zicam and tea when the alcohol feels bad to your seemingly dying system.
Grandma Jinx always swore by the healing powers of the Hot Toddy, for whatever ails you, though Pa Jinx was an advocate of hot ginger ale (recipe: open can of ginger ale, pour into microwave-safe mug, microwave until heated to your liking). I’m a fan of both.
I’ve never heard of hot ginger ale! I’ll have to try that next time I’m sick.
It’s delightful! It stays a little fizzy, so you have this hot, mildly sweet, fainly gingery thing with little fizzy bubbles that pop around your nose when you sip.
Yes! How weird but also awesome are hot fizzy drinks? I tasted hot lemonade (Sprite) for the first time last year and it blew my mind.
They’re magical. I’m not even sick (though I am sneezy from allergies), and I might have to go get a Sprite from the vending machine so I can nuke it.
I hate it but it totally helps: frequently gargling hot water with salt and cider vinegar.
Toasties with babies: what are good presents to get a one-year-old? I am attending a birthday party for a rather young man this weekend. Want to get a present that both baby and parents like.
I don’t have a baby, but I feel like you can’t go wrong with books!
Yes books. His dad is an english teacher!
Adorable! If you wanna be clever, you could buy a couple of books with a certain theme! Etc., animals, dogs, nature, sparkly things, cars. This works as long as he has mainstream interests. I don’t know any one year olds but I assume they’re pretty easy to pin down in that respect.
By “etc.” I mean “e.g.”. IT’S LIKE I TOOK THOSE THREE YEARS OF LATIN FOR NOTHING!!!!
Seconding books! Books books books books books. If you can find them, I have had great success with something called “Indestructibles” (http://www.indestructiblesinc.com/), they’re beautiful picture books made of this almost, well, indestructible woven cloth stuff that’s waterproof, won’t crumple, almost impossible to tear, etc. My 1-year-old nephew lasted happily through his dad’s entire graduation ceremony nomming his way through “Hickory Dickory Dock”.
Whoa, those are cool! And developed by a mom of triplets! Icebergmama, do you have a book-binding business on the side?
I WISH, our house is full of nommed scraps of cardboard that used to be books
Well, at least the Bits are getting their daily fiber… (Sorry.)
Bahahahahahahhaa!
I found them at my bookstore! They were smaller and cheaper than I expected. I got Old MacDonald Had A Farm (In Bolivia!) (THERE ARE LLAMAS, PEOPLE). I also got a baby version of Moby Dick because it’s a funny thing to get for a small child. Thanks for the tip!
I vote for board books! He’ll chew the shit out of them, but it’s fine. Gotta start that book-nerd indoctrination early 😉
Books books books books
Pat the Rabbit by Dorothy Kunhardt is an excellent board book choice. I have given it to one-year-olds very successfully.
Fuck yeah Pat the Bunny. That book is a classic. I worry about getting him a book he already has, but let’s face it–it’s a baby, he’s just going to gnaw on it.
Hungry Caterpillar comes in board form – the BBs like that one! They also have some Spanish versions of classic ones like goodnight moon and Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See?
The party is actually Very Hungry Caterpillar themed! I do love me some Eric Carle though. I like the idea of the Spanish books, too.
There you go, buy Eric Carle ones – and Very Hungry Caterpillar Spanish version!
I…kind of want a tshirt that says “Fuck Yeah Pat the Bunny”
If you find one, do let me know.
Mentioned above–I got a board book version of Moby Dick. It’s got cute pictures!
Mom of two boys here. My boys generally liked the ‘here’s a picture of this thing’ books at that age. Google ‘Bright Baby’ for some examples.
Also, wheeled things. Wheeled things! We took a 2-day car trip from Texas to Kansas when my older son was 18 months. Apparently we drove through a 600 mile-long mating-swarm of tractors; that’s how often he yelled, “Mommy! Tractor!”
This is my go-to gift for one-year-olds. They love it and it doesn’t drive parents crazy.
That is an awesome gift. I wonder if I could find some around here…
Giraffes Can’t Dance is the best book present for a baby or toddler!
THANKS bartender. I’m sorry you’re ill.
Re: books, for C.’s eighth birthday, her grown-up neighbors apparently forgot about a gift until they were just headed out the door, because they gave her a William Faulkner novel (I forget which).
I guess it’s like clothes for newborns: if it doesn’t fit now, they’ll grow into it! C. did eventually read it.
Cosigning on the hot toddy!
Tales of health: today I did Nicole’s strength workout – the whooooole thing, twice through – and I feel good and proud of myself! And office gossip? My coworker, a really cool guy, is getting married today. Popular opinion (mine included) is that the bride is the Worst. I am trying to think nice thoughts.
Hot honey-lemonade + 3 shots of bourbon.. You can mix these together, but it is not required.
Lemsip is amazing and life-saving and if you don’t have it in your country you should definitely import it through whatever means necessary.
We don’t have it in the US, but last time I was in London I brought a box of that (and some Paracetamol!) back with me. I should’ve brought more. 🙁
I’m sorry if this ruins the placebo effect, but Paracetamol is just Tylenol.
No, really?! I honestly thought it was something else! Ah well. One less thing to be bummed about, then.
Lemsip does something horrible to my stomach, but can recommend Sinutab (paracetamol + pseudoephedrine hydrochloride) very, very highly.
Tea made with garlic cloves and chunks of fresh ginger, honey and lemon juice. Steep in hot (not boiling) water for at least 10 minutes. It is my go-to cold remedy and you can actually feel the health oozing from it. Also I’ve been drinking it for so many years during cold season that I really like the taste of it (I go heavy on the honey and lemon juice, that seems to help).
Flu shot flu shot flu shot!!! I can’t tell you how much they have changed my life. I’m such a baby about needles, but not being sick for the next 4 months is so awesome. I also make them give me a sticker.
If you add chili powder to coffee (or hot chocolate… or a mocha is the best of all), the spicy burns away any grossosity that is in the back of your throat. Soda works too, because of the carbonic acid. Yay, I used my science degree today!
Yesterday I used it to tell people how to grow cucumbers, and describe (with sound effects) how amoebas poop. Pfft. Yeah. Just like that.
I am donnnne with being funemployed. I want a grown-up job. I’m thinking about temping? Gosh I really hate applying for jobs, I hate it so much.
I’m working on my website though – writing all new CSS (murder) and redesigning everything. It’s entertaining in the same way that exercise is: I should do it, I have to do it, it makes me cry so much and I feel so awful.
P.S. Why is it so cold? This is poop. I love you all.
I hate to pop your placebo bubble, but the flu shot doesn’t inoculate you against anything but the 2-3 strains of the flu that scientists think will be the worst that year. You can still get colds, stomach viruses, and other strains of the flu. That’s why everyone had to get 2 shots the year the swine flu appeared.
My whole office avoided the possibility of getting the beastly norovirus because of the flu shot last winter.
Even though we were still susceptible to other flus, just avoiding that one was worth it to me.
Also work gossip! That job that I was stressing about [what seems like] ages ago – I got it and I start on the 7th! I am so excited… I’ve already had several emails from my manager and I’m already in the university directory, which given that it took me several weeks for the former and months for the latter to happen in my last job it’s such a relief that I’m getting away from that. Yaaaaaaaay jobs that don’t suck your will to live and make you into a vibrating ball of stress!
Huzzah and congratulations!
For colds, I swear by Stash Lemon-Ginger tea with honey by the gallon and Trader Joe’s Vitamin C’s. They may not work but they taste good while you’re miserable.
Toasties, I just finished Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (on a friend’s recommendation), and I am irrationally angry with the ending. Like, would’ve-thrown-the-book-across-the room-but-it-was-a-library-book angry. I won’t spoil anything for those who haven’t read it and want to, but I’m gnashing my teeth over here. I’m guessing it has more to do with what I just went through with my dad (and the fact that there was no choice in the matter) than with the book itself, which is fiction, I mean, c’mon, Bittersweet, honestly. Get over yourself.
My reaction to the 300 Sandwiches was definitely colored by some personal shit so I feel you. I love that you restrained yourself due to it being a library book though 🙂
*hugs*
Thanks for the hugs! I somehow hadn’t heard anything about the 300 Sandwiches ’til now, so just looked it up and man, that is…kind of horrifying. And I love me a good sandwich. Sorry you got upset about that…*hugs back*
I went through a phenomenal amount of that Stash tea last time I was sick. That stuff is the shit.
Work gossip! I am hoping that the House drives this budget deal off a cliff, only because that will (hopefully) mean more leverage for the Dems to end the sequester. Which would be great, because most of my workplace is funded by federal research grants from NIH, and sequestration means those are scarce and getting scarcer. We’ve already had coworkers told they’ll have to leave because grant money hasn’t come through. 🙁
And a work-related question: How can I politely communicate that I really don’t want to talk to my coworkers when I am in the bathroom stall? I’m more OK with close friends and/or relatives, but it feels weird at work. Pee time is me time, yo.
ETA: My remedy for colds is great vats of wonton soup. Egg drop soup is also a good second choice.
Selective deafness. While the stall door is closed. Just flush every time a response is expected of you. After you come out and are asked why you didn’t answer: Oh, sorry. I guess I just didn’t hear you.
Does anyone have recommendations for fiction about women set during WWII? So far I have read:
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Blackout/All Clear by Connie Willis
Gone to Soldiers by Marge Piercy
The Factory Voice by Jeanette Lynes
The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
Someone on tumblr recommended Jackdaws by Ken Follett, so that’s on my list too. I want moar! Women in WWII are my favorite.
Wein’s book “Rose Under Fire” just came out this month as well! It looks just as depressing as Verity! Yay! (sobs)
Oooh, thanks for the reminder! I was looking for books earlier this year and it hadn’t come out yet, I think I’ll get the audio version this weekend.
ahhh yes I would like to read these things too!! If you’re willing to bend a tiny bit for nonfiction, can I recommend The Wolves At The Door, by Judith Pearson? It’s about Virginia Hall, who worked as a spy for the SOE and then the OSS in occupied France. She blew up rail lines, helped POWs escape, and just generally fucked with the Nazis through the end of the war, and did so on a wooden leg. Oh my God she was awesome.
I LOVE THAT BOOK SO MUCH
The best was when she’s fucking hiking her way across the Pyrenees in winter and when the OSS asks if she’s having any trouble, she lightheartedly refers to the fact that her wooden leg was making the trip difficult. OSS did not get that she had nicknamed her prosthetic and thought she was dealing with a rogue operative:
Her: “Cuthbert giving me trouble.”
OSS: “Cuthbert can be eliminated.”
I read that passage in the car and had to explain to my parents why I was laughing so hard.
That sounds amazing. Thank you, adding it to the list!
It’s not a book but you should really just watch A League of Their Own, over and over, forever. It’s just a good idea.
Yes! It is on netflix too.
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky. It’s about life in France under the occupation and it is kind of amazing.
And for something completely different, Shining Through by Susan Isaacs? I think there was a movie with Melanie Griffith.
On Goodreads, Shining Through is on both the Chick Lit for the Beach and Best Feminist Fiction lists, which I think is a good sign. Thanks for the recommendations!
Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay was pretty good, and the movie adaptation with Kristin Scott Thomas wasn’t bad either!
Oooh, looks good, on the list!
Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson. Best book I’ve read so far this year. Sooooo good.
Oooh, looks intriguing, thanks!
I am the Jackdaws recommender and I’m here to lurk in this thread and make a note of all the recommendations you get, because I want to read them too.
It was you! I couldn’t remember if your commenter handle here was the same as your tumblr name. Hi!
Flygirl by Sherri Smith and Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis are both awesome YA novels about African American women during WWII.
Ahhh, these both look amazing! Books about WOC in WWII? Yes please!!
This thread is making me so happy! I have been scouring goodreads lists and trying to use Amazon/Audible’s “people who bought this also bought…” and it just wasn’t giving me what I wanted. I knew there had to be more good stuff out there!
The Book Thief. It’s about a girl, if that counts. It’s amazing.
Black Out and All Clear by Connie Willis
And maybe not what you were after but the Brytewood trilogy by Georgia Evans was average but I found it charming.
Tell me more about this roasted garlic cold remedy, please. It sounds delicious.
roast a head of garlic in the oven until it’s soft. eat the entire thing in one sitting. go to sleep. wake up feeling better. seriously works if you do this at the First sign of a cold, WHICH I DID NOT.
Secondary benefit: Your sweat will repel vampires.
I’m not sure how this happened, but I met a guy at my bachelorette (ugh, that word) party last Friday, and now we are dating… My fiance and I have been open for about a year, but planning the wedding put the kibosh on time and desire to date, so it’s really weird timing for meeting someone I do want to date. Fiance is super excited for me finally seeing someone else. The guy is really sweet and awesome and seems like just the person I needed to meet right now (and from what he’s told me, I’m the same for him).
I guess I just don’t have a whole lot of people I can talk to about it and telling you all feels like telling someone. I do feel like a crazy person for starting to date someone else in the 2 weeks before my wedding, but it is weirdly helping me feel less stressed about the wedding that is now in 8 days.
But, so now the guy wants to meet the fiance, and while I think that should definitely happen, I’m not sure if I want to add that planning into the next 8 days before the wedding, or let it go until we get back from the honeymoon. Also, how the hell do you introduce those two people? Oof.
what does fiance think? do you have to be there when they meet? because if fiance wants to meet him, and you don’t have to be there, then it can happen in the next 8 days with no additional stress to you?
Fiance wants to meet, but he thought it would happen after the relationship with the guy moved into something more serious (ie, some type of sex), and it seems like the guy wants to meet before it gets more serious.
I think it could work for them to get together by themselves if Fiance and I did not have equal free time before all the family gets into town on Monday. I feel better having a reason to write this all out, though, so I’m sure I’ll suss it out.
I’d go ahead and let them meet, if it can be arranged. It’s a good call on new guy’s part to check in with finance, and make sure it really is all ok. It’s understandable that fiance expected more time before a meet, but if new guy gets brushed off, that sends bad signals, too.
Hot and sour soup. And neti pots are hideously gross but seem to help.
Two of my friends have pneumonia and one is sick, so I’m sort of terrified about illness right now, AND I broke a tooth on Wednesday and have to get a crown on it, soooooo life is horrifying. But I had my annual review at work and it went really well!
Word to the Neti Pots. That’s the only way I can get through multiple sinus infections.
Requisite reply to Neti Pots: PLEASE USE DISTILLED WATER SO YOU DON’T GET BRAIN WORMS thank you that is all
Requisite reply to Brain Worms Fears: SUPER-HARD NEW ENGLAND WELL WATER, the worms don’t stand a chance against the iron and chloride.
Saline nasal spray, like Ayr, is neti pot lite (aka all I can bring myself to do), and yes, LIFESAVER.
Hot and sour soup is also my cold remedy, and I’ve been debating whether to get some and I think you tipped me over to the yes side.
“zicam cannot stave off death which comes for us all” tag: Ok, the Bartender must be Mallory then, right?
sadly (Sadly), i am not Mallory.
Whoa I got a response.
Are you a Ghost?
no, silly. i am the bartender!
Ghosts probably don’t get colds, you’re right.
there can be only one
sorry for some reason Highlander jokes are my thing now.
They’re surprisingly versatile.
You know that kind of horrible anti-teen pregnancy ad campaign in NYC? I was bored on the way to work today, so I signed up for “info, games and quizzes” on the subject via text message. I’ve been getting texts all day like, “Text ‘True’ or ‘False’: ‘Pulling out’ (a.k.a. ‘withdrawal’) is an effective way to prevent pregnancy.”
I would like to meet the person who comes up with the “games and quizzes” for stuff like this.
Probably the same person who comes up with the dumbass quizzes I have to take on iPledge before I get my monthly Accutane subscription. Sigh.
I was a sick, disgusting mess for all of last week and most of this one. I did ginger tea with lemon juice and honey, and I would have added a little whiskey if we had any in the house. My go-to for a cold with a sore throat is green tea all morning followed by sorbet snacks all afternoon. I don’t know if that actually helps, but it makes me happy at least.
I have no gossip, but I wrote and article about the history of pho, so if y’all have any burning questions about that, I’m happy to answer them!
I’ve never eaten it but am interested. Can you teach me how to order it?
Second. In particular, could you send directions for having it delivered to me, while trapped in a slowly moving Metro North hellhole? I didn’t get a seat on the NYC-Stamford leg, but I was soooo tired (and am generally a champion sleeper in small spaces), so I just sat on the floor, hugged my knees up under my chin (good thing it was a stretchy pant-suit day!) and fell asleep. When I woke up, this British tourist wearing an absurdly short jean skirt (?!) was looming over me in such a way that I woke up to a full view of her fanny. UGH. And she was all “this must be very inconvenient for people who have to get to work.” And I was all, “OH. REALLY? I HADN’T THOUGHT OF THAT.”
. . .
I am at the tale end of a cold too. My cousin once made me this crazy cold remedy–I think it was probably kind of a Thai-ish miso situation. All broth. So spicy that if I actually had full tasting capacity I probably wouldn’t have made it through the cup. But good for what ails ya. So, in conclusion, spicy soup forever.
side note: pho is excellent for colds. At least, it’s excellent for MY colds. Yum.
Gah! The thiomersal bogeyman *and* homeopathy! You know Zicam doesn’t actually have any medicine in it, right?
Also, be super super careful if it’s the nonsense that you shoot up your nose. I know some folks who’ve had some serious bad reactions to it. Go ahead with the zinc, but maybe in digestive-tract-friendly form?
oh the nose stuff is Dangerous. the chewables seem to work for me
but the zinc, it does help. got it from a doctor and not a witch. though i will take all the everything from anyone to feel better. don’t kill my dreams of feeling better!
i mentioned the mercury b/c it does seem to be the thing for people with latex allergies. or i may have the world’s worst doctor.
I survived the two days of flying-with-baby. She threw up all over herself and the carseat as we pulled up to the airport, but it was pretty good after that.
Yay!
I meant to ask you if you’ve ever tried those motion sickness wristbands? You can get them at CVS. We swear by them for my daughter, who gets car sick at the drop of a hat (or the swerve of a country road). Although they may be too large for a toddler…
Happily, Gravol has turned out to be a total silver bullet for motion sickness, but I give it to her an hour before the flight, leaving the drive to the airport a terrifying ordeal. I think I’ll just start doing half doses and space them out.
They don’t work on me, that’s for damn sure.
Sometimes all you can do is take drugs. God, my poor mother – whenever we drove to the airport I would ALWAYS get sick, usually within 10 minutes of the airport. Finally Ma learned what Nicole just did – Dramanine works for car trips as well as plane trips.
(This is a good part of why I’m afraid to have kids – karma is a total bitch and I just know I’d be stuck with as pukey a kid as I was.)
I gave my daughter Dramamine 2 summers ago on the way to a river swim in the Adirondacks…and she missed most of it, passed out on a blanket. Later she told me she’d rather have barfed. The wristbands seemed like a good compromise.
The mecclazine version of Dramamine (or generic) is non-drowsy and quite effective. My kids are prone to motion sickness and do well on it. It’s harder to find, but good stuff.
I found out this morning that my furnace has a carbon monoxide leak. So not only do I now have to spend thousands of dollars on a new one, I have to live with the knowledge that I spent last winter poisoning myself and my cat. I have a couple carbon monoxide detectors, but maybe they weren’t functioning properly? Anyway, I am the worst person in the world. 🙁
1. you’re not the worst. 2. how did you finally find out?
I had a Groupon for a furnace tune-up. The guy who came to do it found the leaks.
I mean, maybe I’m not literally the worst person on the planet. I’m pretty mad at myself for having been so foolish and complacent, though. The furnace is super old, and the carbon monoxide detectors came with the house – no idea how the previous owners treated them. The house was a foreclosure, so I never talked to them. I really should have gotten it checked sooner.
Earlier this year, I found mushrooms growing out of my carpet. I feel you on thinking I am the worst person on the planet. You’ll feel better knowing it’s getting fixed!
HOLY CRAP. That must have been the most surreal experience ever.
Yes, it was terrible. I had also just gotten my first fillings in 7 years and was all shaky and upset from that. But, the building manager took them away and wasn’t upset.
Is it possible that the carbon monoxide presence wasn’t strong enough for the detectors to register it? Maybe you don’t need to worry about poisoning yourself?
Oh man, I hope that’s the case. I tested one of the detectors and it seems to be okay? Who knows, maybe the leak happened sometime this summer after all – I’m definitely going to try to get to the bottom of this.
yes, hopefully that was the case for you! Old houses also have plenty of funny drafts and air flow, so maybe the carbon monoxide got very diluted and/orjust kept leaking right on out of the house instead of up to where you & the cat were.
I use oregano essential oil to get rid of a cold. Works like a charm at killing viruses. I have become a dirty hippie.
Yes! Love that stuff. Best if you take a shotglass, fill it with orange juice and five drops of the oil, and then chase the shot with more oj. Bonus: you get weird Italian food burps all day long.
Your answer beat my question! Thanks!
Oof, you’re a braver woman than I. I cannot drink the stuff. But a friend of mine, who got me hooked on oregano oil in the first place, got used to it and she just drops a few drops in the back of her throat. She’s intense.
Oh that sounds better than putting the drops under the tongue – did that once and it was INTENSE.
I assume you swallow it? Or is there some other method. I am v. interested in this.
My method involves slathering a couple of drops on the soles of my feet every 2 hours or so. Do that for the first 8-12 hours you have symptoms, and it’s like a wizard cast a curing spell on you. Some people drink it, like pamplemoussi says, but I’ve never been able to handle it. The oil can feel hot on sensitive areas of the skin, and for me, that includes my throat.
Anecdotal evidence time! Over Labor Day weekend, I was headed to a wedding and 2 days in Disneyland, and I woke up the morning I was supposed to leave feeling pretty bad. Achy, sore throat, vaguely dizzy… But I was not about to miss my vacation, so on the 6 hour drive to LA, I did the oregano oil on my feet every 2 hours, plus I rubbed the oil on the vents of my car so I could breathe it in. I kept it up until I went to bed that night, and I felt totally fine the next morning. Then I proceeded to spend 27 hours in Disneyland over the next two days, and I felt fantastic.
BRB, planting oregano.
OH HOLY CRAP
we had this oil that my mom got from our chiropractor when I was a kid. and I had no idea WHAT it was, but putting some on my hands and inhaling it helped with colds and congestion so very much. one day it got thrown out in a cabinet cleaning and I never learned its magical secrets. I wonder if it was oregano oil…
If it smelled like pizza, it was probably oregano oil. Although orange, cinnamon, rosemary, and eucalyptus also have similar healing properties.
hmm, I think it was more minty than pizza-like, so probably eucalyptus. I should probably pick some up, as I’m starting to feel a tickle in my throat, though is oregano going to be more effective?
Could have been peppermint!
For me, I find that oregano helps kill bacteria and viruses best/fastest, but doesn’t provide instant relief. This stuff, though, which contains eucalyptus, instantly relives throat pain for me.
Not office gossip, but office news: We just had a birthday “party” for a coworker, and for some reason they bought her a cake frosted in HOT PINK AND BLACK FROSTING. AKA all our teeth are hideously stained for the rest of the weekend. And yet somehow, I’m tempted to sneak back into the office kitchenette and get another piece. Because cake.
YOECESO
(You Only Eat Cake Every So Often)
I am also sick. You know that old saw about Winston Churchill’s favorite martini? (“Pour a glass of gin, pick up a bottle of vermouth and pass it over the top of the glass, set back down on counter. Add an olive, drink.”) That’s my version of a hot toddy. Just…hot whiskey. Better yet, let’s all make hot mulled cider! Mallory, I endorse your declaration that apples are disgusting, but they have two redeeming values and that is 1) they make cider 2) THEY MAKE BRANDY.
Speaking of Fall, I need all of y’all to tell me your favorite autumnal recipes because pumpkin flavored everything. Pumpkin flavored everything! Reign over the earth, tyrannical gourd, for YOUR TIME IS HERE: http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/its-decorative…
Pumpkin spice Hershey’s Kisses! There’s no chocolate involved, but they are delicious.
WHAT I need to do this. Thanks!
PUMPKIN BOURBON CHEESECAKE. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Bour…
Use gingersnaps for the crust, double the spices, triple (quadrupole?) the bourbon. I don’t even have a springform pan. I just put this in two pie/cake pans and bake and it’s AMAZING.
Two delicious, completely different version of pumpkin (recipes are from the same blog, but it’s not mine):
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Pumpkin & Black Bean Soup
Together, they use about a can of pumpkin, I think.
This weekend I am going to the AKC’s MEET THE BREEDS event in NYC.
http://www.akc.org/meet_the_breeds/index.html
I’m a BIT ridiculously excited about it- as far as I can tell it’s going to be like a flower show, but like for purebred dogs in outfits. I believe I am also allowed to pet them (god willing). I anticipate I will be among the only childless adults under 60 there, but that is just the kind of free-spirited spirit I am. It’s also worth noting that I don’t even have a dog of my own, although no one will know that by looking at me. It’s certainly a lot more socially acceptable than staring at dogs at dog runs around the city, which is my usual move.
Has anyone been? Is it great? If not, don’t tell me. I already bought the ticket.
Have a great time! Hope you get to pet them. Say hi to the corgis for me.
You are all geniuses. I had a horrific episode of food poisoning* this week** and I’m going to nurse myself back to health this evening with hot ginger ale with lemon and garlic-miso soup.
*You know it’s bad when barfing is the high point of your day.
**For those keeping score at home, yes, this is the capper to an equally vile and apparently unrelated bout of horrific stomach ailments earlier this month. Hey, body, what’s going on?
How’s your gall bladder? Malfunction there can lead to some pretty gnarly digestion issues…
Ugh all I have to say about this week (which was ALSO COLD-RIDDEN and I blasted it with Airborne, garlic and honey spoonfuls, tea, and much Dayquil) is that I’m picking up a pizza on the way home, and then I’m going to eat at least half of it with a bottle of wine and the new Parks and Rec.
That’s basically half of my boyfriend and I’s weekends in a nutshell. You have us down to a T. Wanna come over?
Right on. Can we get some of those pumpkin pie Pop Tarts too? :B
They make pumpkin pie Pop Tarts now?! THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
I went to Hadrians Wall! It was far from easy (very hard, actually, especially with a rotten cold) and day two it rained all day, which was…. great. But I succesfully did it and am ultra-proud of it.
Pictures are here, for all who were interested! http://www.flickr.com/photos/gingerbiscuit/
YAY!!! That’s awesome!
Woot! Nicely done!
Woo! Great Britain has the best ruins. <3
We really do, and so many of them that we’re a bit blase. We don’t take proper care of them.
Good for you! Also, holy cow, those photos are gorgeous. Now I want to do a walking tour around England’s Majestic Parts.
(OK, that sounds vaguely dirty.)
Well, Hadrian’s Wall is a tricky route to walk, but a goodun. The best ruins are between Corbridge and Gilsland, about a 35 mile trek over steep ups and downs and limestone rubble.
I was expecting altogether more ‘difficult but clearly marked trails’ and less ‘scrambling up and down sheer limestone outcropings’.
It is the ‘easisest of the national trails’. Do not mistake that for ‘easy’. People die up there, every now and again, and there’s loads of sever injuries every year.
Wow, that is hardcore. I’d hate to know what the harder national trails are like.
One of them is Mount Snowdon.
There are easier walks all round the country, but the national trails, specifically maintained as trails, are different things.
It’s suggested for ‘practiced walkers’. So don’t just roll up in your shorts and tshirt and flipflops having done no walking at all in the last two years kinda thing.
It was definitely hard work. There was a point on day two as I huddled under a tree with my feet a freezing swamp and the rest of me very damp and cold and a good 8 miles still to walk that day (mostly uphill) that I thought longingly of teleportation.
!!!! I have been listening to The British History Podcast (which is A++++++) and just yesterday I listened to the podcast about Hadrian’s Wall! This is awesome and I am so glad you posted pictures.
…Edith, are you the bartender?
i wish
I mentioned this in another thread, but I translated Hamlet’s “to be or not to be” soliloquy into formal logic for a class, and someone asked to see it, so for any fellow logic/Shakespeare cross-over nerds, here it is:
A: To be
B: The question
C: ‘Tis nobler
D: To suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
E: To take up arms against a sea of troubles
F: End them
G: To die
H: To sleep
I: No more
J: We end the heartache
K: We end the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to.
L: ‘Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished
M: To dream
N: The rub
O: What dreams may come
P: Must give us pause
(A V -A) = B
(C = D) V (C = (E=>F))
(H = (J ^ K)) => ((G = H) ^ L)
((G=>H) ^ (H=>(M V -M))) => (N = ((G => H) => M => P))
What’s the most bizarre translation you’ve either read or done yourself?
THAT IS THE COOLEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN.
I did find myself brainstorming French translations for ‘boobs’, last year. Does that count?
I understand none of this but marvel at its beautiful nerdery. Hats most sincerely off to you, good lady/sir!
We once had to translate Shakespeare into rap in middle school, but I think that’s less bizarre than teacher trying hard to connect with the youths.
One time in high school, before reading Hamlet, we were given general situations from the play to act out.
The one I still remember best went something like this
Friend A: So, I saw your dad’s ghost the other day. He said that your uncle killed him to marry your mother.
Hamlet: Really! That can’t be true.
Friend B: I dunno, it sounds pretty legit.
Our teacher burst out laughing and declared that “that was the least legit-sounding thing [she’d] ever heard.” Ever since, “I dunno, it sounds pretty legit” has been one of my go to responses when hearing ridiculous things.
I don’t understand this but I appreciate the hell out of it.
NEXT TIME YOU DO THAT PLEASE PITCH IT TO US WE WILL GIVE YOU MONEY FOR SHIT LIKE THIS
WHAAAAAAT ALL OF MY DREAMS ARE COMING TRUE
The Toast: Where Obscure Nerdery Literally Pays Off
Make some Tang (the drink of Astronauts!) with hot water instead of cold. No joke.
I take echineacea capsules to stave off the sickness
I make toddies with: fresh shredded ginger (keep a baggie in the freezer), apple cider vinegar for tartness (or lemon juice), whiskey, hot water, sweetner of either honey or agave, a cinammon stick, and a dash of cayenne if I need a kick in the butt. Sounds complicated but once you have everything on hand it’s real easy.
If I’m stuffed up or have sinus issues i SWEAR by Neil Med sinus rinse http://www.neilmed.com/usa/sinusrinse_isotonic.ph…
I’ve never poasted on The Toast before, just Hairpin, but I see that you have an open thread!!
I have an office situation. We recently took on a new employee who is, how do you say, full of it. He has a habit of basically repeating what other people say as if it is his own original idea (while they are present). Luckily, I’m not the only one who notices. How do you deal with someone like this? Turn the tables and do it back to him? Sarcastically nod and say, “Oh, yes, tell me more”? Do nothing and grow bitter?
Welcome!! Come on in and have a drink!
Re: annoying idea-stealing guy: can you redirect back to the original idea-haver? i.e. “That’s an excellent idea, Jim! I think I heard Cathy mentioning it earlier as well. Cathy, what do you think about…” and then proceed to direct questions and conversation on the idea only to Cathy. Little conversational jujitsu.
I think it would be best if you all cover each other’s backs there. Next time he does it to somebody else, say something (in a pleasant tone!) like, “Yes, thank you, we got that when Sarah (or whoever) mentioned it earlier,” or “Thanks for reminding us about Sam’s idea,” or something, and have ’em do it for you. That way only he looks like the idiot who didn’t pay attention or tried to steal credit for an idea and nobody else looks bitter or combative.
When I’m sick all I want is pho. Pho for hangovers, colds, flu, depression, or just for a delicious meal. Pho all day!
Last week when my congestion was at its height I got the hottest curry I could find and that helped a little. Most of my home treatments are just food, whoops.
I heartily endorse this method of curing congestion!
I second Pho all day!
Pho is actually a breakfast and/or all day food in Vietnam, which I find delightful. I now want to have pho for breakfast every day.
Ginger tea is my go-to! The kind that’s just ginger, no actual tea leaves, works better; the mixed tea-leaves-and-ground-ginger kind tastes better.
(I also completely believe that NyQuil is magic. IT WORKS SO WELL. AND SO FAST. AND IT’S A PRETTY COLOR AND I EVEN LIKE THE TASTE.)
Nyquil works miracles but tastes nasty. I envy you enjoying the flavor. Even the “cherry” version is disgusting to me. But I choke it down so it will bless me with its magic.
Cherry is the worst.
I bought store brand Nyquil last time and it tasted like licorice! Which did not impress me, but maybe someone would be thrilled?
That’s the flavor I like! Original-flavor NyQuil — mmm, licoricey. (I know many people hate licorice, to which I say, GOOD, MORE FOR ME.)
This week at work makes me want to go back in time to every conversation with every well-meaning acquaintance who told me, “It must be so nice to work at your dream job!” and punch them in their stupid well-meaning face.
And everyone who told me, “If you enjoy the work, it’s not work.” FUCK YOU THIS IS WORK.
Hi guys I am curating a weekly newsletter of pictures of men in dad jeans. You can sign up here https://tinyletter.com/dadjeans
Not work-related, but this weekend’s going to be a doozy and I am equal parts stressed and psyched about it!
My housemates and I are moving into a new house on Sunday, because our landlady at our current place decided to raise the rent by $600 a month(!!). Very excited about the new place, but our house/basement has like 5 years worth of accumulated stuff from my housemates and even some previous tenants, so moving out’s going to be hectic. I also somehow got voted the responsible adult one of the house (hahahahahahahaaaaa joke’s on them!), so I’m simultaneously trying to round up checks from everyone, including the two new housemates (new place is bigger), for the deposit so our landlord will make keys, and call up all the utilities places and get them transferred and ahhhhhhhhhhh!
That’d be enough for one weekend, but this is also the weekend a friend is coming to visit (she bought tickets way before we knew we were moving). She’s staying with a different friend of hers on Friday but she needs a place on Saturday & Sunday night, so I’m trying to host someone in the middle of the moving maelstrom. She knows we’re moving and it’s going to be nuts, but having another human semi-dependent on me this weekend is stressful.
BUT new place is so pretty and friend is so fun! Things will be fine.
Be sure visiting friend helps with the move! She’s extra hands, so she’s useful while being semi-dependent.
REAL TALK! Thanks! I keep forgetting that’s an option, because I feel a little bad putting people to work while they’re on vacation, but a little help is probably a fair trade for a place to stay/the faster we’re done, the more time we have to go have fun.
So work today was so bad that everyone left early. I am already at home nursing a chocolate milkshake (pregnant). One of my co-workers, a truly kind, even-keeled man with four kids, killed himself last night. We were not close friends, but the world makes no sense. And the entire office will talk about this incessantly for the next 2 weeks, at a minimum. Can I call in sick even though I already got the flu shot?
I don’t even know that man and reading about his suicide felt like a kick in the gut. An actual pain. The world cannot afford to lose even one truly kind person. So very sorry. Yes, call in sick. It’s an emotional sickness, existential illness.
That sounds so horrible. Sorry you’re going through it.
I had a coworker die of an OD years ago. This was very much a conservative, white-collar office, and it freaked people out pretty badly since very few knew about his addiction. Honestly, in our office, people didn’t talk about it after the initial shock. I would hope that if you say (or use body language to say) “I’m not comfortable talking about this” people will respect your wishes. It probably feels, in the moment, like you guys need to cease to work out of respect for the dead. I found that to retreat into the work was the better choice.
Oh no. That’s terrible. I think it’s ok to just peace out of water cooler convos and if someone tries to talk to you directly about it, just be really polite and clear that you can’t.
You guyyyys, I just found maybe the worst New York Times Vows article in the history of Vows articles. It would be completely worthy of derision and satire, except for the horrifying part. It needs the Mallory treatment, except maybe not. Ugh.
Hjoly fuck. I mean, what, even is that? How is that an article about a wedding!?
I don’t even know how to react to that.
WHAT.
I’ve only made it past the first paragraph and I already want to barf:
“She rarely gets upset over things like parking tickets or bad-hair days. (Naturally pretty, she probably doesn’t have many.) She is sometimes stern but never shy.”
Are you telling me it gets WORSE?
Omg it does get worse.
This “castor oil, pineapple juice, vodka and baking soda” thing sounds relevant to cocktail hour, in all the wrong ways.
ETA: Also, pigeon blood.
If only the castor oil and pigeon blood had been the worst things in the article…
I am having trouble processing that article–the horrifying part seems like it only belongs in a bad satire. What function does that paragraph serve except to demonstrate complete terribleness (oh, I’m sorry, a “calm, philosophical and open demeanor”)? Is the author of the article aware of how terrible it all is? THE CHILD’S DEATH IS IN PARENTHESES, IS WHAT I’M SAYING.
Last night I did a dramatic reading of that to my friend and I cannot recommend strongly enough that you all do the same to your own friends.
OH MY GOD
ETA: Ok, I actually finished it now – honestly, I never ever read these things unless i see someone post one with an intriguing hook (like here) – are they always like this? I was under the impression that they were only for like, really upper class, they met at an exclusive club and/or college, and they are both 25.
ALSO: Neelu.
They are usually eye-rollingly amusing, yes, like the bride and groom are both Harvard MD-PhD’s and they met on a pro bono medical trip to Inner Mongolia and they both love scuba diving in the Maldives and wow, wouldn’t you know it, both their mothers serve on the board of Goldman Sachs. This one includes that extra casual mention of utter tragedy.
When I saw “Neelu,” my first thought was, holy crap, they named their poor kid after the woman in The Fifth Element. That’s just cruel. (It’s not quite the same, though.)
“said Mr. De Rosa, who is so knowledgeable about food he can tell you what to eat to feel more grounded, to get over a broken heart or to sleep better. ”
Im assuming the answer to each of the above is pasta, right?
When I’m sick (which I was last week), my favorite cure is honey on everything. Honey on toast, honey in tea, honey in yogurt, honey on a spoon… And occasionally sleep and rest and water and those things as well.
Also, I have discovered a new truth, based on my past experiences with opera and classical music: It’s not True Art until someone takes their shirt off.
I got my driver’s license this week! Passed the test the first try and everything! Also I’m in my mid-20s so this has been a long time coming.
Also I never know what to do to actually get rid of a cold. I usually just take ny-quil to sleep through the night and have a steady supply of tissues for the day time. Eventually it goes away. Although not really because I’m pretty sure I have a crazy sinus infection, that is the next thing to tackle like an adult.
Well I am sick too, I am at student health services now actually and I have been here for TWO hours. They just came and told me it was going to be another half hour and I cried. But they put me on antibiotics (for strep throat) on Monday and nothing is better. I have two mid terms this next week and I need to be a human who can think soon. I have been doing a lot if salt gargling, tea drinking and soup eating.
Oh God, strep is the worst, darling. I’m so sorry!
Thanks! The good news is I really liked the doctor I saw she was young and very nice and made jokes. And it is the first time since I’ve moved here that I thought “I would not mind doing a PhD here, because you are cool and I want you to be my doctor” I wish I could be a Russian Grandmother about this but I have to continue to function as a graduate student. (However,I did watch all three LOTR movies this week in an attempt to rest and nourish my soul.)
How bad of an idea is it to dye my hair myself?
I think it’s fine, but probably not if you’re planning on dying it more than 2-3 shades darker or lighter in either direction.
Not at all! I used to do it all the time. Wear something you don’t care about staining and make sure you hit all of your head-parts (nape of the neck, behind the ears, etc.)
And yeah, don’t go for something super-dark or -light. And red dye will never last as long as you want it to.
Depends on the color and what you’re using. What are you thinking of doing?
Oops! I meant my reply to be at you, not Nicole, but I’m being hella lazy and posting from my phone while lying on my bed.
I have the world’s most fatalistic attitude when it comes to getting a cold. I’m like a Russian grandmother. I do not believe that there is anything you can do to ward them off; I do not believe there is anything you can do to minimize the symptoms or cure yourself. If the world wants you to get a cold, you will get one, and you will have it for as long as the world wants you to. Take to your bed and reemerge after health has returned to you.
Well I mean the least you can do is get high on DayQuil.
This seems like the most sensible way to go about things, really.
false
I am the same way. I will suffer for four days with some garbage cold and then when a co-worker or a friend asks what I’m taking I just stare at them. I’m kind of this way with all over the counter medicines. I guess I’m not so much a Russian Grandmother as a Stoic Skeptical Dad. In my mind over the counter medicine has all the same efficacy as, say, magnetic bracelets or healing crystals. Sometimes I forget that modern medicine is a marvel which exists and which is available to me.
no
mallory. i love you. but i’m russian. and one day will be a grandmother(father). they (we) do not believe that. they (we) believe in zicam and lemons and hot beverages and magic. keep your sickness negativity away from this place of healing, please. you can only write that because you’re not currently stuffed and miserable. achew. (sneeze, not “a jew in these parts”) but, yes, love.
OH MY GOD WHO ARE YOUUUUUUU
russian toast at the moment
This is actually very sensible. Drop as quickly as you can and rest as much as you can so your immune system can focus on attacking the bug. Unfortunately less possible with toddlers, but trying to push through just makes any illness worse.
No gossip to report, I’m afraid. I suffered my cold last week. My friends and family are getting theirs now, serves them right.
It’s getting that point in the school semester when my priorities actually shift towards doing work, and I get frustrated because the things that held my attention before this point start to be relegated to the backburner. I’ve decided I don’t want to do that anymore so I’ve taken to addressing my obligations early, so they don’t drag me down when I’m trying to focus on other things. Working well so far.
Beyond physical illness, I’ve been recovering from a bout of psychic illness, aided in large part by the benevolence of friends online and in the flesh, as well as a stranger or two. I think it’s crested, which is good.
I have a piece coming on the HP, was supposed to be published this week but there was some sort of sandwich news that needed addressing? Anyway it’s going up on Monday. I’ll be listening to “The Making of Grief Point” until then. Dan Bejar writes the way I think when I’m most lucid. http://youtu.be/I6N8K9t2o74
I have no remedies, but I did just totally spill my freshly-poured mug of hot tea (licorice spice, by the way: the stuff made of distilled heaven) over my hand because I AM TOO STUPID to leave it on the counter while I carry the milk jug to the recycling bin.
So I recommend you be careful with your delicious, healing hot tea. (Honey, plus whisky, in camomile – may not be a cure but it makes life better.)
I second everyone’s hot-things-with-lemon-and-ginger suggestions. During the unpleasant period of my life when I’d get sinus infections that lasted for upwards of six months, this is what I ended up liking best for congestion-busting/throat-soothing/phlegm-banishing. Steep these things together as a tea (or tisane, if you are pedantic about these things):
Half a lemon (including rind) or somewhere between 2 Tbs and 1/4c lemon juice
1-2 inches of fresh ginger, sliced or grated (sliced is easier cleanup, grated is probably more effective)
2-3 whole cloves
4-6 peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
1 dried chile or a couple red pepper flakes
Skip any spices that you don’t have – don’t try to sub in powdered stuff if you’re coughing, it usually makes it worse. Definitely skip the chili/red pepper if your stomach’s off. Use water that is actually boiling, or just stew everything together in a pot over the stove until it is at a rolling boil. Steep for fifteen minutes, then add liberal amounts of honey. Drink while pretending to be at Hogwarts consuming Pepper Up Potion. Retain enough sense of reality not to be completely distraught when it is not actually magic and only temporarily relieves your symptoms.
That is the non-lazy, functional-enough-to-deal-with-stoves-even-though-your-sinuses-are-kiling-you beverage, of course. More often I am grabbing whatever bagged tea is handy, and then managing to drop the teapot and scald myself on boiling water because I am clumsy and exhausted. So, y’know, possibly I should just be recommending cold fluids which don’t need prep. Fluids, cold medicine of choice, and sleep. This is best. Unless you are getting untreatable sinus infections for months because you have undiagnosed severe dustmite allergies, in which case you should wash your sheets in hot water before sleeping and get your doctor to refer you to an allergist. (PSA.)
So I read Code Name Verity last weekend after discovering that Tam Lin does not exist anywhere in ebook form. ( It goes without saying that I was too comfortable and warm to venture outside my apartment to buy it in hardcopy. This is the central peril of having a really comfortable bed and one I did not consider when first buying my mattress.)
But to return to Code Name Verity — and this is spoiler-ish — I had no idea it would be so sad! I know I should have know, because it’s WWII and that’s just generally not a happy story, but it caught me off guard anyway. I ended up sobbing like I haven’t since I was nine and reading Mercedes Lackey’s “Brightly Burning” for the first and only time.
So generally this weekend is looking a little dull, but I do have an OkCupid date with a strange man on Sunday. (My first date in months! I’ve been on a dating sabbatical since March.) I picked a bar I’ve never been to with the logic that the setting will be interesting even if the interaction is dull.
Oh, god, I’m so sorry you were not warned about Verity. Literally the only things my friends told me were: a) go in as unspoiled as possible, and b) you are going to cry, so have an entire box of tissues handy. AND BOY WERE THEY RIGHT. (I read it two weeks ago and I’m still sad.)
Tam Lin is the greatest, though. I hope you got a hardcover so you could read it and recover!
No, no warning at all! I went from reading with my breakfast to crying all over my coffee and buttered toast in a hot second.
As far as Tam Lin, I hope so too. I found some super cheap copies on Amazon, and in the meanwhile I’m recovering with some Diana Wynne Jones.
Well, I just finished watching Broadchurch, so I need something new to make me cry – I’ll add this to my to-read list. I am excited but also really scared, by what you’re saying.
Hey, I’m wondering if people would be interested in reading a post/column about bicycle mechanics/maintenence and DIYourselfiness. I am a music school drop out turned professional bike mechanic, and I have an idea that it would be funny and useful to read “Unsolicited Advice from a Curmudgeonly Feminist Bike Mechanic”, but I might be totally off-base and that this is a thing that only me and other geeks care about. BUT if you are a bike-riding person, I could seriously save you some money.
I am not a bike-riding person, but I would still totally read that column because it sounds pretty awesome. (Plus, I do know bike-riding persons and I would point them towards your column.) You should email the ToastOverlords!
Well, at least 3 people are into that, so I’m gonna go ahead and pitch them something. Probably on Monday. (BE PREPARED FOR MY GRUMPILY-DISPENSED GENIUS, MALLORY)
I can’t even RIDE a bike, but I bet there are a lot of biking Toasties. I say go for it!
I can make a bike move forward, but am too scared to go anywhere on a bike. I could use a human to ride around with me and be encouraging.
You just need to be more of an asshole than the drivers and have an aggressively bright light. (It’s Dana. I made an account!)
Of course!*
* RIP Car Talk
YES, I would absolutely read this post or column! I can do the most basic of repairs on my bike but will be moving up to buying a touring bike and building a getting-around-town bike this winter. I have a lot to learn and many questions!
Curmudgeonly Feminist Bike Mechanic sounds like my favourite person ever. Make this happen!
I would definitely be interested like here is a question – say you were driving through a neighbourhood in chicago and got some sweet air on a speed bump and caused your bike rack and bike to come flying off your car … and it seems that the front wheel … brackets … doo dads may be slightly bent out of shape. is that fixable? the front wheel is not on the bike, hence the bending. also the speed bump hence.
I just lean on it until it’s back in the right place right?!
It’s probably fixable but I would take it to a mechanic and have them assess it before you go HAM on the frame, you could end up damaging it more if you’re not careful. Those are called “drop outs” by the way
OKAY DID Y’ALL INFECT ME THROUGH THE INTERNET OR WHAT, I VERY SUDDENLY CAME DOWN WITH A COLD AT 5:00 THIS EVENING WHEN I HAD JUST GOTTEN TO WORK. THIS IS SOME BULLSHIT. *sneezes 18 more times*
Sorry ;( {achooooo}
Guysguysguys. I was at a party last night and my Party Persona was basically telling everyone to come read the toast so if there is not a slight uptick in readers from my area this week, it is not because I didn’t try really hard OK.
I have the world’s best “I’m sick/hungover/etc and can’t leave the house” recipe.
S8 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
1.5 L/48-50 oz. beef broth (I usually use a 32oz container of broth, and make up the difference with red wine and/or water. Beef broth is very strong.)
1 t. caraway seeds
½ t cayenne
2 t marjoram
2-3 T soy sauce (optional)
pepper to taste
artisan bread
Gruyere (or Swiss, or Emmentaler) cheese
Sautee garlic and shallot in olive oil until translucent at medium heat. Add broth (and water/wine), and bring to a boil. Add caraway seeds, cayenne, pepper, and marjoram, and reduce heat to medium-low. Boil for 30 minutes. Slice bread and broil until golden brown. Add slices of Gruyere, broil until cheese is melty. Place bread in bowl, ladle soup over it a la French onion soup, but tastier. Enjoy, but make sure you spend the rest of the day around other people who’ve eaten it! It’s so effing good, I love it so much.
Also, I bought 25 lbs of apples and 25 lbs of tomatoes to can tomorrow. Wish my family luck.
how many cloves of garlic? I’m assuming 8 but that number is confusing. if it’s 58 then I will make this immediately.
8! It’s 8! It’s awesome for shitty dark nights, which is what we’re having here.
Boiled Sake with a raw egg and spoonful of sugar stirred in. Japanese cold remedy.
Originally read as “boiled snake,” was temporarily freaked the hell out.
Well, I’m late to the cocktail party, friendly Toasties, but I needed to come back to the thread to look for cures/nostrums/MAGIC to ward off the beginnings of a cold, and to look for gossip, encouragement, adjurations to be of stout heart and fierce wit, &c. before writing up my first draft list of books for PhD generals exams. On the negative side, I need to pick all these books to read knowing that I will be ruthlessly grilled about them sometime in May. On the positive side, I get to read ALL THE BOOKS!
Any academicians of The Toast have advice about getting through All The Books? Or list-making in general? (Alternatively, a colleague suggested I stop worrying about making my list and just give my advisor a picture of Benedict Cumberbatch with an otter in a party hat instead. So that’s the backup plan.)
I kissed the wrong person.
I’m an asshole.
Aw. Wrong how? Either way, I’m sure you’re not totally an asshole.
My best friends girl.
I think that makes me just over 100% pure asshole.
I’m so sorry.
I take extra zinc, oregano oil capsules, and manuka honey with cinnamon. Also, black garlic (freshdirect sells it), whole bulbs of it. Lots of soup (I keep chicken broth in the freezer for emergencies), with lots of oregano and lemon. I also use the neti pot with salt, and a little colloidal silver (I know people are afraid to use colloidal silver, but I’ve read up on it, and use it within reason). I’ve been taking extra iodine over the last year, and I think it makes me stronger overall. I got my first flu shot in twenty years last year out of courtesy to a friend with a baby (who vowed not to let any unvaccinated person near her baby), and the side-effects were WEIRD. I’ll not do that again. I got the one without mercury, too. I was going to take the nasal spray because it makes more sense (live attenuated makes sense to me), however, upon reading the ingredients, I found one of the first was MSG. WTF, MSG? Yes, monosodium glutamate. Why would I want that?
I’ve been fine since I got healthy over the last few years (got rid of my debilitating hay fever by going gluten free, so that’s one less thing to overburden my system every year), and have barely caught a cold, barely just get the sniffles every now and then when everyone is sick around me. I stay home, and take care of myself instead of spreading it to everyone I know. I even have surgical masks to wear, and I clean all the doorknobs and lightswitches to try to prevent my hubby catching it, too. I’ve been very lucky the worst of it usually hits on the weekend.
There are good explanations on using baking soda to battle the flu. It’s a very old remedy. Many people take a spoonful of baking soda in water before bedtime when they feel something coming and wake up fine. Just remember never to take it on a full stomach.