Perhaps I should just cut off my nose

Spring has to be the best season of the year. Temperatures remain between 65 and 80 so you can be outside without breaking a sweat from the great humidity that is still a few weeks away. Of course, if you're unlucky like me, spring also means allergies for two months. On Monday, I was driving by a mower on the GW parkway when I got a whiff of the cuttings and felt it in my nose. I had hoped it was just a random occurrence and would go away. But alas, a few days later and here I am talking about the horrible evolutionary result known as allergies. Mine are strong until mid-June when all of a sudden they're not a problem anymore. Right now I feel like crap with my nose running and a sneeze every 30 minutes.

It's always the same time of year for me and my allergies. Back in high school, I once took an AP chemistry test and blew my nose, sneezed and coughed my way through it. Not that having a clear head would have improved my score, but everyone else probably didn't appreciate the background noise.

Maybe I should just do all my work upside down so gravity can't do its part and pull the mucus (what a great image) out of my bed. Actually, none of this would happen if the stupid sun didn't do it's part. If you need more info, just read this post.

No surprise to me, but the mid-Atlantic region is a hotbed of pollen activity right now. Green is the worst, red is the middle and yellow is the place to be to avoid pollen. You can check your own pollen count at www.pollen.com. The map below is the current pollen situation for all us Americans.



I went to Shoppers last night for some last minute groceries and started looking for the Claritin-D.



I must have circled the pharmacy aisle three times until I realized what that empty area on the shelf used to have. So all soldout of Claritin, I decided something was better than nothing and went with Alavert. It's chewable and a bit minty so it freshens your breath at the same time! It's two products in one! Well, I chewed that pill 3 hours ago and my symptoms have subsided enough so that things are manageable, but it's no replacement for Claritin.



Until I can get some Claritin, I just have to grin and bear it (poor me). I'm making a promise to myself not to rub my eyes (as much) this year. It just makes it itchier (sp) and doesn't really solve the problem. I've thought about cutting off my nose to make it stop running, and while that would provide some of the temporary relief promised by these allergy medicines, once the pollen subsides, there's that whole issue of putting it back on. So for now, I'll take my drugs, blow my nose and remain angry at pollen. Beautiful flowers or not, it's tough to deal with.