Ramblings of the Refusing-to-be-Ill

I've been fighting off whatever Kevin has had for 3 days now, and the battle is as of yet undecided. True, I have succumbed to nasal congestion and sinus pressure, but I have not yet conceded the sore throat, cough, or intermittent fever. Will I win? Check back in a couple days to see.

I noticed something I had not noticed before at the grocery store last week. I was sorely tempted by a small crate of small oranges that have proven wonderfully sweet in the past. They looked very ripe. I was facing temptation for the third time when I saw a crate with the top netting torn open. The oranges looked awful! I looked around. The oranges are encased in orange netting. The tomatoes in red. The potatoes are in a reddish-brown bag. All of the packaging effectively inhibits the consumer's judgment of the quality of the produce in question. Why have I never noticed this before???

In spite of its designation as a sick house for the past 8 days, my home doesn't look that messy. Somehow, we've continued to run the dishwasher, wash pots and pans, and even do laundry on a semi-regular basis. Hooray for me!

We bought a humidifier to help with breathing ease. I also bought a new thermometer. There were two of the same brand, both digital, both waterproof, identical to the eye except for color. One was $4.99. One was $9.99. I examined the packaging. One claimed to be equally effective for oral, underarm, or rectal use. (Aren't all digial thermometers?) One claimed to be excellent for daily use and accountability. (Do some stop working if you use them every day?) Both remember the last temperature taken. Both claimed "Professional Accuracy," whatever that means, but didn't specify to what nth of a degree they measured. I took them both up to the pharmacy counter and asked the technician if they were actually different. She looked at them. Read the packaging. Examined the claims. The she called over the pharmicist. He looked at them. Read the packaging. Examined the claims. Asked what I was going to use it for. (Does that matter?) Then he determined that it was most likely marketing. I commented on the $5 price differential. He seemed a little confused and examined them again, only to come to the same conclusion. I bought the $4.99 one.

Do you know what Oklahomans must do now to buy pseudophedrine? I had to turn over my driver's license, wait while they entered it into the compuer (presumable to see if I'm a meth manufacturer), and sign an acknowledgment that illegal use of the drug is. . .(drumroll, please) illegal. *gasp!* (Okay, it didn't actually say that verbatim. . .but really, who doesn't know that using drugs to make drugs to sell on the street is wrong?) *sigh* The pains we who do right must go through to prevent others from doing wrong.

I'll be going now. So long.