Just one of those moments... (and mucus!)

This is the most satisfyingly gross picture of laryngitis I could find. Not that I like gross, but this picture shows it pretty well.

I'm now into the coughy-gross-y late end of laryngitis. Yea for the end! Boo for coughy-gross-y. Stuff I learned:

- Laryngitis can be caused by bacteria, acid reflux and whatnot. (Thanks, internet!) It can also be caused by overuse of your voice. (stoopid Jen). Basically, something hurts your vocal chords, and then super sticky mucus lodges itself onto them. The drier your environment, the harder it is to get that sexy mucus off of your poor drying vocal cords. Suck! I get it about every other year, unless I keep myself healthy. I'm pretty good about the healthy part, until last week found me and trounced me.

- As far as I can tell and read, it's not contagious. It's something that happens, and gets to be your own personal deal.

- Tried a number of different methods of bring back the voice this time - - it was exploratory! Honey/lemon/red pepper/hot water still feels good, as does Throat Coat Tea (though my favorite is Yogi Tea's Throat Comfort And it's delish!) Gargling salt-laden hot water feels healthy and horrible, all at the same time. Lozenges/Singer's Saving Grace/Thayer's Slippery Elm all feel good, at least temporarily. (Why look, what a convenient website! I love "Entertainer's Secret Throat Relief"! They don't sell that at the Wedge.. It's wearing a little tux.. awesome!)

- Gargling half vinegar/half hot water seemed to make the most immediate and long term difference. And it's gross. It totally tastes like barfies. (Drinking 8 oz water to 2 tsp vinegar tasted fine, but didn't seem to do much.) So, that's my recommendation: gargle about 1/4 cup of half vinegar/half hot water regularly, try to stay hydrated, and wonder what became of your youth.

- Also, wear lots of scarves, as you'll feel all European and awesome. (they really do feel nice on the throat).

Had dinner last night. Have been nervous about this dinner for.. weeks? Almost two months? But.. it went well. Feeling very grateful and very lucky. Also felt something shift over. Just a moment of "poom" - - like a long term cycle kind of came to a close. Maybe I'm all hopped up on products from the Wedge, but it felt good. Something's different. More.

Need to figure out if my voice is decent enough to teach today. Mer. Mostly looking forward to hanging out. Also need to GET SOME STUFF DONE. CRAP!!! You know, like administrative stuff I've been putting off as this week was super busy, my throat stopped working, and my mind has been happily elsewhere. lalalalalaa...

Lesson #998: To enjoy the non-responsible moments, please take care of the responsible ones too. Or else you're just a slacker goon. (which is Australian for a box of cheap wine. Really?)

Onward.