Transitions: plus black mold, cedar fever, or D. turning the air conditioner too damn low!

Last weekend was spent in Austin moving L. out of the dorm and into a storage unit.  Last year, under some misconceived illusion that a dorm room does not hold much, our moving technique was clumsy at best.

This year we went prepared, like the moving/packing pros we are; boxes pre-collected, packing tape with dispenser, plastic packing wrap (on a roll, available at Wal-mart, never move without it!), large garbage bags, 3 Marks-A-Lot.

A rented U-haul pick-up truck, Extra Closet sized storage unit, one hour in traffic getting back (caught in graduation traffic), two and 1/2 hours packing/loading, 1/2 hour unloading and the deed was done.

L. is home for two, measly weeks then returning to Austin for lab work and to take advantage of the summer course of Inorganic Chemistry.  We met H., who he will be sub-leasing an apartment with, and M., a lovely, young woman L. met in April.  Sophomore year is in the books.

We stayed cheaply (rooms were difficult to come by) but to our good fortune the room had a new heating/cooling unit. This is very important as D. requires the room to be cool/cold and the standard motel room unit rarely has the umph to reach his optimum temperature.  This particular unit blew arctic cold and D. took full advantage.  I share this because come Monday morning we were all sick.

Not just an occasional cough or sniffle sick but a full on; sore throat, hacking cough, sinus headache, chills, achy muscles, multiple Kleenx box running nose, sick.

D. made it to work one and a half days, then two days in bed before an Urgent Care visit, $40 worth of meds and relief by Friday.  I made work all week going through 2 boxes of Vicks infused tissues, (still looking like Rudolph), a box of OTC allergy meds and spreading ill germs throughout the office.  L. slept for three days and made it through with a few doses of antihistamine.

Odd that we were all afflicted at the same time.  There was some black mold in the hotel bathroom but we gave it a pass considering the price point...could that have been a factor?  Austin is known for an allergy, Cedar Fever, that several friends pointed out can manifest in such a way. Allergy season is at an all time high...could this be a factor?  And then, there was sleeping in arctic like temperatures for two nights...could this be a factor!?!  Whatever the cause it provided a dramatic wrap up to a successful weekend and academic year.

What are your 'go-to' remedies for an allergy or cold?

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