Things I love when I'm sick

I'm not one to criticize the infinite wisdom of the universe. I'm just sayin'. After what I went through at the beginning of the week, it might strike some (myself included) as unfair that I should wake up this morning with a lousy cold, the day before I leave for St. Louis, no less. Still, I'm hoping that if I can rest up today, I'll get it out of my system and feel good for the weekend. I can live with that. Thus, I thought I'd focus on the silver lining in this snuffly cloud and share with you a few things I love when I'm sick. sofa

My couch. It's an Ikea Ekeskog couch that's about a thousand feet long and ridiculously deep. So deep, in fact, that it makes it a tad difficult for casual sitters to do so without falling into the abyss. Still, when you want nothing more than to lie on a couch, this is the one for it. Ideal for napping, wide enough to accommodate two. Although I'm not sharing today.

Teapot

My teapot. Last year, Chris bought me a beautiful persimmon crackle green teapot from Beehouse. I've been through a number of teapots over the years, most of which seem to taunt me with their inability to pour without spilling. This is the cream of the crop, something I never would have splurged on myself. And while I love it all the time, it's extra nice when you're feeling lousy to have something beautiful from which to pour large cups of lemon-zinger-green-tea blends that soothe the throat.

neti pot

My neti pot. A different kind of pot entirely. Nothing soothes nasty, dry sinuses like this ancient tool and, I must say, even though I don't know if it truly helps speed me through a cold, the ritualistic feeling I get when using it certainly makes me feel better. Not recommended if you're completely stuffed up, otherwise you just end up with salt water cascading down your chin. Trust me.

Alka Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine, TheraFlu and Cold & Flu bath soak. The first really works, the second soothes and the third...what can I say? Soaking in some sinus-clearing, chest-easing goodness is as close as you get to feeling good when you're feeling bad.

Netflix Instant Viewing. Ideally, you want to lie in bed with magazines and books, but sometimes that gets old or your headache makes it hard to concentrate, at which point, the urge to lie on the couch watching old movies and TV reruns becomes almost all-consuming. For those of us without cable, it's a bit tough. Fortunately, our Netflix membership includes the ability to instantly watch pics from their library of Instant Viewing materials, including tons of old (and some not-so-old) movies and TV shows. And they just expanded the service so that you get unlimited hours of viewing each month. I just prop up my laptop on the coffee table and go to town. Thanks, Netflix!

And now, back to said couch...