5 Things to Do When Bronchitis Has You in Its Clutches...

For the past two weeks I have been trapped in my home, forced to wallow in the knee-deep piles of cough drop wrappers and Germ-X bottles that litter my bedroom floor, shut off from the world to the point that even school seemed a welcome reprieve from the germy boredom that has overtaken my life (unfortunately, the whole "school seems like a good idea" thing died as soon as math class started this morning). Who or what do I blame for this sad, sad fate? BRONCHITIS. 
This accursed inflammation of the main air passages to the lungs not only gives you a heinous cough that interferes with even the most basic, necessary things like, oh I dunno, SLEEPING, it also is contagious enough that you can't spend any time with your friends for the 3-6 weeks that it lasts, and your physician father forces you to wear a medical mask (like the one pictured above) any time you leave your room.
So what, you might ask, does one do to stay sane when held in the clutches of such an abominable illness? The answer is this: nothing. There is nothing you can do to stay sane -- it's just impossible. There are, however, a few things you can do to postpone the total mental/emotional breakdown that must eventually hit.


These are my personal favorites:

1. Sleep. Really, I think that one is pretty self-explanatory. When the coughing keeps you awake, medicate yourself. Look for the cough syrups that say "may cause drowsiness" and then take as much as you can without killing yourself. (Even though death might seem preferable to your current state, is OD-ing on cold medication really the way you want to go?) Once you finally emerge from your sweet, medically-induced slumber, move on to things 2, 3, 4 and 5.
2. Watch *insert TV show title of choice here* reruns until your eyes fall out. My *TV show title(s) of choice* are Pushing Daisies and Chuck. Anything silly, fun and slightly weird that doesn't involve too much thought on your part. If you're particularly medicated, though, you might be able to throw in a little Primeval or Heroes, just to shake things up.
3. Eat anything and everything in sight. Make 16 servings of your comfort food and then label the container "Poison" so no one else touches it. 
4. Listen to music. Once your favorite radio stations start repeating themselves, admit defeat and go to your dad for music suggestions. No matter how strange the 80's may have been, the music was pretty good. And really, anything's better than listening to nothing but the not-so-dulcet din caused by your own hacking (up a lung, that is). Or, if you're really lucky, you'll discover that a band you sort of like did a cover of a song you sort of like -- and the result is a sound that caresses your ears and sooths you like a shoulder rub to your soul. Yep, I'm talking about this one:

5. And five, if you ever start to sink into a deep despair because you are feeling sorry for yourself and your admittedly pitiable condition, ask your friends for a pep talk. Because if your friends are half the friends that my friends are, you will get wonderful, comforting, heartfelt messages like this:
  "Oh, you have a cold? You can GET OVER IT."
Yep. My best friend actually gave me that note. Feelin' the  love, Not Cosmo -- reeeaaally feelin' it.

I hope, but don't expect, that you have found this blog post helpful, that you will take it to heart, and that it will come to your relief the next time you suffer from acute bronchitis.

Love,
ME

Tumblr

Okay, so there is this blogging site called Tumblr that I was introduced to by a friend. It seems pretty cool so I set up an account. That doesn't mean that this blog is toast, just that I might not post on it for a while...and that it might be toast in the future...We'll see. Maybe I can find a way to link the two of them or something and then take turns posting on both...
Anyways, just letting you guys know. Here's the link:
Unwritten
If that doesn't work, here's just the plain URL to copy and paste:
themusicofthespheres.tumblr.com

I love you all!

The List

First off, I must acknowledge that I got the idea to do this post from my dear friend Kaylla. She posted basically the same thing just a couple days ago and since she always gives me shout-outs on her blog I figured it was time to return the favor. 

 So I don't know about you, but I know that ever since I was a little girl I have, both on my own and in countless Young Women's lessons, made list after list of qualities I want require my future husband to have. 

Sure, some things have changed as I've gotten older. I no longer demand that he be European royalty (No complaints, though) or be a young, LDS (but every bit just as Australian) clone of Hugh Jackman (and once again, no complaints if it does end up that way). Some things, though, have stayed pretty much the same since I was 6 years old -- 

1. He has to be a returned missionary 

2. and honor his Priesthood. 

3. He has to be worthy to take me to the temple, 

4. and he has to have all the same standards as me. 

5. He will treat me like the princess that both I and my Heavenly Father know I am. 

6. He will love liberty and fight to defend it. 

7. He'll be great with kids and want as many as I do -- at least 6.

8. He'll be smart and well-read.

9. He'll have a great sense of humor and always be able to make me laugh but also know when to be serious.

10. Oh, and he'll be a total HOTTIE. :P Maybe I will require Hugh Jackman II..... :D 

As always, thanks for reading. 

P.S. This is from what looks to be an AMAZING documentary about the oldest living Holocaust survivor. She is such a sweet lady and her laugh is contagious. I can't find an embeddable copy, so here's the link: http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2010/11/alice-herz-sommer-worlds-oldest-holocaust-survivor/

Awesome Old Stuff

I had a doctor's appointment this morning (No, not the Doctor. I wish. though. That would be sooo much better than a trip to the endocrine specialist.) While I was in the waiting room I saw a copy of my absolute favorite magazine -- National Geographic. (In case you didn't know, I kind of want to work as a photojournalist for them someday) In this particular issue was an article about something that is AMAZING but that I had never heard about before: the Nazca (Nasca?) lines in Peru.

Basically they are these...drawings? I don't really know the right word.... Aha! They are geoglyphs (ancient geoglyphs) located in the Nazca desert in Peru. On the ground level they just look like lines of rock and dirt but from the air (like in a helicopter) they form pictures. like a monkey or a hummingbird or a tree. Apparently there are hundreds+ in shapes ranging from a simple spiral to more complex pictures of orcas or llamas -- all with one line, there aren't any breaks.

The really weird thing, though, is the fact (like I mentioned before) that they could only be seen from the air. When they were constructed there were no helicopters or airplanes or even (I'm pretty darn sure) hot air balloons. So why bother?
Some people think it was some kind of offering to their gods, other theories say that they were an attempt to contact aliens. (I also read a theory that they were roads, but seriously? Does taking 10 times as long to make a journey on foot, just so you can say "Oh yeah? Well I walked the monkey. Beat that." seem even remotely realistic? Didn't think so.)
Whatever reason it was, they are still AWESOME and seeing them in person (both from the air and on a ground level) is now officially on my bucket list.

As always, thanks for reading.

PS Here's the link to the online article. Not as descriptive, but still interesting. http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/intelligenttravel/2009/08/visiting-perus-mysterious-nazc.html