Cold, Cold, Go Away

I am finally, hopefully, very nearly, almost over a terrible cold that has had me in its sinister grip for over three weeks.  It was a doozie of a cold.  On Monday I finally got my sense of smell and taste back, which prompted some thoughts about how losing your sense of smell has both positive and negative sides.

For example, food doesn't taste good, so it really takes the pleasure out of eating, and therefore you're not inclined to do as much of it.  That can be a big plus for dieters.  In fact, why do they not just come out with a diet pill that inhibits your sense of smell?  Or a pill that makes everything you eat after you take it taste like tin foil, or just really bitter or some other unpleasant sensation.  It can't be that hard to create such a thing. I think it's a winning idea.  Truly.

And there's another thing...this requires a story, so get comfortable.  Last Saturday the whole family was at Costco (yes, that's right.  We took the whole family to Costco on a Saturday.  I told you I'd been sick for three weeks right?  I wasn't in my right mind).  We were in the laundry detergent aisle and I added our usual Kirkland liquid detergent to the basket.  Tyler says, "They have a coupon for the powered detergent also.  I wonder if it's cheaper?  I know we never get it, but I don't know why."  We looked, and of course it was cheaper.  I had a vague notion that we never buy powder because I don't like it, but I couldn't remember what in the world my reason was, so I decided to give it another try.  We took out the liquid and added the powder and we were on our way.  Fast forward two days to Monday when my sense of smell started to return.  I walked downstairs that evening and said to Tyler "Something smells so weird down here."  I couldn't think what it could be.  Well, you guessed it, the first time I walked into the laundry room I figured it out.  That powdered laundry detergent was overpowering me with its "clean fresh scent".  And the box hasn't even been opened.  I shudder to think what will happen when I finally pull that cardboard strip and start using the stuff.  I'll have to put a clothespin on my nose while I load the washing machine...and who knows how I will survive actually having to wear the clothes that have been permeated by that smell.  If only I hadn't been robbed of my sense of smell by my cold I could have avoided weeks of olfactory unpleasantness with this detergent.  Although I am saving 2 cents a load over my non-offending liquid detergent, so there's that.

Lastly, another thing that's kind of a pro and kind of a con.  On Monday I also discovered that my kitchen washcloth was emitting some serious fumes of rottenness.  I'm usually highly sensitive to this and change my kitchen washcloth a lot, but because I couldn't smell anything I forgot all about changing it.  I guess the only pro here is that I was spared smelling it.  The con, of course, is that I was using a foul wash cloth to wipe my counters for a day or two.  But why am I the only one in my house who notices things like the smell of the kitchen washcloth?  You'd think someone would have mentioned it - we all use the kitchen quite frequently.  Oh well.  I am just happy to be very nearly, almost, quite possibly, over my horrible cold.

P.S. I shouldn't be surprised that people leaving comments know the same movies I do...the original Parent Trap, Sleepless In Seattle, and The Family Man. 

Name That Movie

Sometimes I find myself thinking of obscure quotes from movies I really, really enjoy.  Do you want to know which one popped into my head yesterday?  Here you go:

"Did you bring home all your underwear and personal things?"

If I was into this blogging thing I might make it a contest in the comments to see who could guess it correctly first,  but my sister Sally would have to be disqualified.  She and I watched the same five movies over and over again for about two years.  I'd tell you which five movies, but then you'd be able to figure out where all my random quotes come from, so I'll keep that information on the down-low for now.

Here's another really random one from a different movie that Sally would get in one second:

(singing) "Horses, horses, horses"

And from that movie again:

"Who can believe this?!"

As strange as it seems, those two lines crack Sally and I up every single time.  

I just love having people around that laugh in all the same parts of movies as I do.  I had a good friend I met in graduate school who I visited once after we'd both moved.  We spent an evening each eating our own pint of Ben and Jerry's and watching a movie that contained this line:

"This is just...sub-par."

The fact that we both found that amusing was just one more reason it was a great trip. 

If anyone knows what movies all of these quotes are from I will be seriously impressed!