For starters: a sore throat always sets in slowly, but surely. It's like one minute you swallow and your fine, and the next you notice a small twinge of pain. Take that as a sign that by morning, it's going to suck and you'll probably have a nosebleed and sinus pressure to accompany it since bad things come in threes. At this point, there's really nothing you can do besides pour yourself a glass of orange juice and stuff a kleenex up your nostrils before bed.
Which brings me to my next point: don't skimp on tissues. Unlike opting for 1-ply toilet paper in a pinch, tissues can not get the shaft. In fact, I've noticed since the last time that I was sick, a new product came out - Puffs Plus with Aloe with Vick's Vapor Rub! These sheets are crazy - that minty, tingly scent hits you like you just shoved your nose in a jar of the good stuff. I don't know why I like it, but I think it has something to do with the fact that I get a small buzz each time I blow my nose. A two-for-one, I love it!
Then: pop the Sudafed. This is the stuff people use to make meth, so it must be good - or at least, strong, which is what you need when your head feels like it's about to explode.
And finally: get a boyfriend/girlfriend. Even the best of friends can make up an excuse why they can't make a run to the grocery store and get you soup when it's -15 degrees out, but the significant other cannot - I repeat cannot - hide from this obligation. One suggestion: always opt for him or her to run to a grocery store over the drugstore - it makes asking for little extras like "cheesecake bites if they've got them" (of course they got them) easier.
All in all, it looks like the remedy to the common cold is a little huffing from the Vick's on my tissues, followed by popping mini-meth, also known as, Sudafed, with a dash of hand-delivered cheesecake bites. Sounds like a party to me.
