I love big chaotic cities! I grew up in NY and consider Moscow the best place I've ever travelled. Also adored Naples this year, which is like the most chaotic of cities even by Italian standards.

Man.This will have to be managed. I don't want to muscle in on my dad but I really want to go.

What Vortex said. I had a roommate who used to swear by garlic tea too - basically a ton of garlic in hot water. Not the nicest tasting, but always effective.

Garlic, ginger and lemons are your friends, though possibly not together.

And echinacea, Sophia.

That would be an awesome trip, brenda. Do it!

Anybody have any good methods for staving off a cold?

Lots of vitamin C -- whether in Emergen-C form, like Vortex said, or generic pill form -- can help. Like, 2,000-3,000 mg, spread out over the day.

I still swear by zinc lozenges, though their efficacy seems to have been disproven, so it might just be a placebo effect.

Chicken soup with garlic. Or pho. Or hot and sour soup.

Happy birthday, Lori!!

Holding-off-a-cold vibes for Sophia. And travel-to-China vibes for brenda--very cool possible opportunity for you!

IcompletelyON, a very neat story about how the Brits used Monopoly games to send escape kits to WWII POW camps.

Thank you-- I am going home "early" and will consume garlic and vitamin C (since that is what I have).

Lots of vitamin C -- whether in Emergen-C form, like Vortex said, or generic pill form -- can help. Like, 2,000-3,000 mg, spread out over the day.

I tried the pills, but went back to the emergen-c because the warm liquid made me feel better, especially if my throat was tickly.

Chicken soup with garlic. Or pho. Or hot and sour soup.

YES. both of these are excellent. Problem is, you often have to leave your home to get them :)

Now i want pho. but I don't want to leave my house.

good methods for staving off a cold?

Sophia, in addition to the suggestions above, and the usual metabolism- and immune-system-support, something that has been working for me is gargling with Listerine mouthwash. I usually rinse with the orange-flavored stuff as part of my morning and evening routine, but when I get that suspect irritating pre-sore-throat tickle now I gargle with it too. It has worked really well.

Be warned, though: don't swallow any of it. The one time that happened it made me throw up worse and faster than ipecac, salt water, or eggplant ever did.

Oh, yes, DCP is right with the listerine. It also numbs your throat slightly if you're feeling scratchy.

Happy birthday, lori!

My dad swears by physical activity to fend off a cold, but he's kinda weird. It does tend to get things moving.

I got some, but not all, that I wanted done today. 5 mile lake trip, mile swim, errands run. Half the house vacuumed and mopped (but not the other half. May do kitchen shortly.) Picked up some paint strips, but don't have a match yet. I may just take the pictures in. Still up: finish taming the medusa bush, go through my closets and try every damned thing on (it's going to be a bloodbath, I know) and yank at least 2 of the a/cs and wrestle them down to the basement.

Giant refused to sell me insulin syringes. I've bought them before there, so who knows. She insisted I needed a prescription. I insisted not, state law has never required. She refused to sell me them. I informed CS I will be taking my business elsewhere and that if this was their policy, they needed to post it. Never did like Giant anyway. Ptui.