My cough was a little better in Venice and then a titch worse again when we got home, and anyway this cough has responded to being kept wet (mostly with frequent sips of tea or water) more than any other I can remember. Thus today I bought a humidifer, in hopes that sleeping in damper air will make the damned thing go away again already. Though I did get most of my singing voice back about two days ago, when I distinctly remember having none at all earlier this week, so there is progress. Also, though I don’t remember using liquids to treat it before, I have gotten dry coughs a few times before when I was here. (What happened those other times was that I took them home to the bad air of Taiwan where they became bronchitis – at least I was spare that this time.)
Today I got my hair cut, and in addition to being a little more flattering because I had a tiny piece in front cut short to mitigate my very high forehead, it feels marvelously clean. For the last couple of years I have been washing it only twice a week, which has resulted in a lot fewer split ends, but it’s felt like it has more buildup on my hair and scalp that never seems to quite go away. (I have noticed that a fair number of people who have or are growing out long hair and who are very careful are preserving it have more tolerance for greasy hair than I do, though there are also lucky people who can do anything to it and still have healthy hair, or whose hair never gets too greasy.) I’m either going to have to go back to every-other-day washing or change shampoos, or both. I hope the former works, since I have full unopened bottles of a slightly different flavor of the shampoo and conditioner I’ve been using (The Body Shop’s Balance instead of Shine line).