I can usually shrug off a cold in 24, maybe 48 hours. This one, however, is being pretty tenacious. It started to rear its ugly head on Friday, danced around the outskirts of my perceptions on Saturday, barged through the front door with a full-bodied roar on Sunday, lazed about telling tired offensive jokes in its yellowed underwear all day Monday and is apparently happily demanding coffee on Tuesday. This houseguest has outstayed its welcome. While I usually just check myself into bed for a full day to kick one of these things, I can't afford to do that this time so I'm throwing down an all-out offensive: chicken soup with crackers, Tylenol cold medicine, multiple pints of orange juice, and even some yogurt raisins for that extra Vitamin C kick. If this bugger hasn't been driven off with its tail between its legs by this evening, I'm driving down to Jamba Juice for one of their Coldbuster smoothies: the H-bomb of virus defense. I refuse to be sick for SXSW.

And with that, I'm going to go take this lying down. Time for a power nap. Out, out, damned virus!