Happy Friggin' New Year!

Okay, I've been down-for-the-count for the past week and a half with - what started out as - a *really* annoying head-cold, but has now morphed into "The Black Death" (I swear!!!).

Hubbie's been down with it, as well. So we are planning a regular Rockin' Party of a New Year's Eve. That is, if you call clutching a box of Kleenex and snarfing down glassfuls of Alka-Seltzer Severe Cold & Flu Medicine a "Rockin' Party!"

And - Just For The Record: It is a VERY BAD THING when Hubs and I are sick simultaneously. Very-Very-Bad, indeed. In fact, I may be driven to create a new - anonymous - blog where I can rant to my heart's content (Hubs knows of this blog, so I cannot "share freely" here!).

Reader's Digest Version of "The Rant Du Jour" is that Hubs and I have very different ways of dealing with illness. Generally speaking, I prefer to hole-up in the guest room, buried in several layers of feather-beds and down-comforters. I tune the TV to something mindless (used to be HGTV, now I'm more into American-Pickers, Storage Wars and Pawn Stars re-runs). I keep a box of Kleenex handy, and a trash-can (raised out of the dogs' reach - otherwise: Ick!). And I take slugs of Ny-Quil 'til I'm damn-near comatose.

Pretty much: My approach is to TRY to hole-up in a corner someplace and sleep-it-off 'til it goes away. And I try to MINIMIZE INTERACTION with all other sentient beings...

Hubs, OTOH, wants EVERYONE (Okay, well, "Me") to know just how miserable he is. And, for the most part, he shuns any and all advice that I might offer (hence, I no longer offer advice). That would be okay, except that if I *don't* offer advice, he starts ASKING for advice so that he can, then, shun it.

"My head's all stuffed up and my ear feels plugged. What should I take?"

"Antihistamines"

"Those space me out. I don't want to take antihistamines."

Repeat that conversation over-and-over-and-over again, inserting different medications/vitamins/homeopathic remedies/ad nauseum for each exchange...

There's more to that particular rant, but I'm gonna stop. Like I say, he reads my blog and I think I need an anonymous blog for that stuff... But suffice it to say, with ME being sick at the same time (and wanting nothing more than to hole-up in a corner and be left alone), it was kind of a Toxic Situation...

Add to that the fact that I am soooo plugged-up, I really can't lie down comfortably (without feeling like I'm about to drown in snot) ("You're welcome!"). Well, I've been forced to enter the "Communal Zone" because, quite honestly, the recliner is the only place where I can rest and breathe comfortably. And that, of course, means that I have to interact with the Spousal Unit (who is miserable and wants everyone to know it...). Yeah, it's been a really crappy coupla weeks!

It got so bad, I had to order groceries online, for delivery (we were running out of "essentials" - including Kleenex *and* TP - Eeek!!!). Yesterday, I desperately wanted to make a vat o' Chicken Soup and figured I'd run over to Lucky's to buy a hot rotisserie-chicken. I got as far as putting (semi) clean clothes on and scrawled out a list... But when I actually considered the EFFORT it would take to pick-up my purse and walk-out-to-the-car... (Oh Gawd - THEN face the MASSES at the grocery store... NNNOOOOOOO!!!!!)

Well, it was more than I could comprehend, so I went online to place an order thru Safeway. Unfortunately, I couldn't order Rotisserie Chicken online - but I did get spaghetti fixins'.

So, New Years Eve Dinner will be spaghetti with meat sauce (and the sauce includes a quart of my Frozen Squozen 'Maters!). Now, with my Smeller and Taster being broken, I have no clue how everything will taste - but Hubs can't smell/taste either so nobody can complain, right?

Unfortunately, Safeway did NOT have a couple of key items (heavy cream being the most important one - oh Gawd, can't drink coffee without heavy cream!) so I ended up having to run out to Lucky's anyway :::sigh::: (Me and the Entire Population of Suburban San Jose!). I got my cream *and* my rotisserie chicken. So chicken soup will be blorping in the crock-pot tomorrow!

And we did replenish the supply of Kleenex and TP, so we're good there. We even got a couple of Duraflame Cheese-Logs for the wood-stove. And Hubs *did* go to CVS earlier this week and loaded up on OTC Cold Medicines (I've developed a new-found love for Alka Seltzer!). So I think we're pretty-well "set" for tonight.

Man, this is a FAR CRY from New Years' Eves past... I don't even want to think about it ("Getting Old" and all that sh*t!!!). No, this is just a Super-Crappy Cold and sh*t happens, right???

Furthur (a Grateful Dead band) is playing the Civic Auditorium in SanFran tonight (we did do NYE at their show a few years back). They're broadcasting it on Sirius so Hubs has rigged it up to the stereo in the family room. I shall claim my space in the recliner, curl up in my Snuggie and attempt to stay awake 'til midnight!!!

PARTY ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(or "Kill Me Now!!!")

Hey - Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and feel a jillion times better and it *will* be a Happy New Year! (Hope springs eternal!)

Happy New Year!