I'm getting a little tired of being semi-sick. I was at a similar stage last year on March 10: being over two weeks into a virus that, while the fever and runny nose was a thing of the past, left me with a lingering cough. This year, the initial fever wasn't as high, the nose was more walking than running, and I was actually able to sing again a week after first becoming ill with only mild coughing jags, even with extended rehearsals. And my voice held up to hours of singing.
The problem: another week has gone by, and I'm no better. This year, I again had scheduled my annual physical in the middle of this, and my doctor said my lungs sounded pretty good, so it's all higher up than that. Even so, the bouts of coughing are worse than ever, or at least take more out of me. I think I was more of an expert expectorater last year.
Before I go any further, however, it's time for A Word From Our Sponsor (and no, it's not for an expectorant, or any other kind of rant):
Top Comments strives to promote each day's outstanding comments through nominations made by Kossacks like you. Please send comments (before 9:30pm ET) by email to topcomments@gmail.com or via the Top Comments KosMail message board. Just click on the Spinning Top™ to make a submission. Look for the Spinning Top™ to pop up in diaries posts around Daily Kos. We also highlight the previous day's Top Mojo and photos.
Make sure that your submission includes the direct link to the comment—the URL—which is available by clicking on that comment's date/time. Please let us know your Daily Kos user name if you use email so we can credit you properly. If you send a writeup with the link, we can include that as well. Each evening's diarist reserves the right to edit all content.
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After all that, there isn't too much left to talk about: you've coughed through one paroxysm, you've coughed through 'em all. I've been catching up on my reading with a number of books that I've bought or taken out of the library, and (when I'm feeling particularly sorry for myself) re-reading some old feel-good novels that I particularly enjoy, and that don't require as much brain power. I do have one amaryllis with four beautiful red blossoms merrily blooming away in my room, which is quite cheery to look at, and a bright spot of color hovering in the corner of my eye at other times.
The first narcissus are already blooming outside, far earlier than usual (I have planted varieties that I rarely see before a week into April), and the crocuses have mostly croaked already, far too early in the year for them to be gone. (Most years there's still inches of snow in patches on the ground, but it's been gone for weeks.) I also have a couple of pots of beet-colored hyacinths inside that smell pretty darned good, and some blue ones are soon to bloom and keep the scent alive into April.
We've had a few days more like the first days of summer than the first days of spring, but more seasonal temperatures are in store for the next week, including our first dip below freezing in a couple of weeks. The bulbs should weather this easily, and I won't mind the temporary diminution of the already burgeoning bug population, but this may be very bad for the local orchards, which already have apple trees budding out from the extended warm weather; if the swelling buds or early blossoms are killed by the freezing temperatures, there won't be apples this year. And apples are but one example…
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There was a single comment nomination tonight, which may or may not have anything to do with March Madness, weekend weather, or the solar storm, but which did cut down on submissions that met our daily deadline of 9:30pm eastern. Anyone can send us great comments. Really. As noted above, when you send a writeup with the link, we are able to include it, though we reserve the right to edit, and if you don't include a writeup (or even not much of one), you will likely have some words added by the diarist of the night, which tonight means me. Tonight's submission count is gmail, 1; DKos, 0. Neither method was particularly effective, alas.
From bronte17:
elpacifico66 so gracefully rebuts a "grumpy old men" diary derailment with the alternative emphasis on wise. Showing that application of word usage to thought processes do indeed make a difference. From the diary The U.S. is Trapped in an "Age of Ignorance:" N.Y. Rev. of Books by Dartagnan.
From
sardonyx (your
monthly Saturday diarist):
Another comment from Dartagnan's diary The U.S. is Trapped in an "Age of Ignorance:" N.Y. Rev. of Books, this one by moviemesiter76 on a few issues the New York Review of Books author omitted.
kovie mentions a comment of the night that came from Rachel Maddow, when talking about Bob McDonnell's veepabilities (or do I mean veepitude?) when it comes to a potential Romney/McDonnell ticket.
Please add your own comment finds below!
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Top mojo is from comments made all day on Friday, March 23, 2012. The listing is courtesy of the wonderful mojo generator created by mik, and only excludes tip jars and other first diary comments.
1) So this woman already had two ultrasounds by ontheleftcoast — 190
2) word. n/t by Denise Oliver Velez — 160
3) Excellent. by cai — 123
4) Oh - this one requires a big push back. by moose67 — 121
5) it's not treason by nota bene — 120
6) Wasn't Zimmerman arrested by Pager — 116
7) Tipped & Rec'd, From a Knicks Fan. by TarantinoDork — 110
8) finally. by agnostic — 110
9) Good catch - the incident is at 40 seconds. by ForestLake — 103
10) Opting out of social security is by TomP — 92
11) Why has there not been MORE medical outrage? by dmhlt 66 — 86
12) Sweet Lord, Vyan. by Onomastic — 86
13) FoxNews gives aid and comfort by TomP — 84
14) I am rarely this blunt by teacherken — 82
15) True, of course look how difficult it has been by beach babe in fl — 80
16) It took me several passes to see it, by NM Ward Chair — 71
17) Hell to the yeah by left rev — 70
18) I'm alive today by Vyan — 69
19) I'm still trying to figure this out by Diogenes2008 — 68
20) Many many thanks for this Chief by Denise Oliver Velez — 67
21) Zimmerman is hispanic. by psilocynic — 67
22) Pick me! Pick me!!!! by gchaucer2 — 64
23) Uh-Oh. Just asking a question like that by Otteray Scribe — 64
24) No Sanford needs a COMPETENT Police Chief by LaurenMonica — 64
25) . by noweasels — 62
26) I like how solving the problem by by eataTREE — 62
27) I didn't have a hoodie, so I made one. by Eileen B — 60
28) Oh noes...a brown person in a hoodie!! by SallyCat — 60
29) actually, i thought it was ridiculously easy by doesnotworkorplaywellwithothers — 59
30) Ditto, but not a basketball fan... by Smoh — 59
31) It also shows the power of Big Pharma by leevank — 59
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Top pictures is from photos and other images posted all day on Friday, March 23, 2012. The listing is courtesy of the wonderful picture table generator created by jotter, our preeminent pictorial patron. Click on any picture and it will magically take you to the comment that features that very same image.