My work load has at least doubled recently and I am still trying to figure out the best way to get everything done. It isn't easy to fall into a new schedule; in a way it is like trying to do your old job and starting a new one at the same time.

Sometimes when I feel overwhelmed it makes me pause and put off starting at all, which only makes matters worse.

It is an exasperating feeling to have, almost like Superman would feel wearing kryptonite underwear. Then again, I think he wore pantihose, didn't he? I suppose you can get away with wearing blue pantihose with red underwear and no pants if you are superhero who is faster than a speeding bullet and all that stuff.

Come to think of it, almost all of the classic superheros wore tights, didn't they? I don't know of any male crime fighters in real life that did so, unless you count J. Edgar Hoover. But that's another story. As I was saying, before I got side-tracked talking about cross-dressing superheros, I am feeling a little overwhelmed lately. It seems that I can't get caught up, in spite of sometimes not getting home until later than usual and leaving earlier than usual.

I remember a friend's favorite line, "Work smarter, not harder," at times like these. He always said you can do more work with less effort if you do it the right way. But come to think of it, he was unemployed most of the time.

What with the weather, the meetings and this cold bug I caught recently, I haven't been up to my usual standards of rapid movement. In fact, I haven't been up to anyone's standards of rapid movement. In between doses of codeine cough syrup and antihistamine pills, I sometimes fall into a brief period of lucidity. However, those times are generally short-lived.

The rest of the time, my head feels like it is floating independently of my body and my thoughts often lack any recognizable level of cognizance.

While I generally consider myself to be a healthy individual, it is with some reticence that I admit to having been sick twice this year already in spite of having accepted my annual influenza immunization.

To be fair, I was sick once before I got the injection. Some folks opt against the immunization for fear of needles, because they think they don't work or because they think they'll get sick from the shot. But I can honestly say that I haven't had the flu since I started taking them. It's all the other germs that are trying to kill me.

One of my friends recently went to the doctor and told me that his medicine set him back $85. That doesn't count what the doctor charged him to listen to his chest, ask him to cough three times, ask a few questions and scribble out a handful of unaffordable prescriptions. His symptoms, though somewhat more severe, were similar to mine.

Having heard that, I immediately went to my calendar and scratched off the note that said, "Make doctor's appointment." Instead, I opted for a new box of tissues, some El Cheapo non-drowsy decongestant cold medicine and a bottle of codeine cough syrup. I got by for a total of $17 and I got better almost as quickly as he did and I still have half a box of the little orange cold pills and more than half a bottle of the cough syrup. The tissues didn't make it.

Generally speaking, the cough syrup that I usually sign for at the drug store is very effective in a number of ways. It helps stop the cough, it helps clear up the chest and it can, if taken at the maximum suggested dosage level, help you lose a good portion of your mind. I instead opted for a lower dose less frequently and kept what little mind I have managed to retain. There was more than one time when I was afraid I might have inadvertently blew my brains out a couple of times there, but I was afraid to look in the tissue to find out. It turns out that I am going to be fine — or at least as well off as I was before the cold.

The main thing I want to ensure is that it doesn't turn into a recurrent problem.

Along those lines, I plan to take my vitamins more regularly, get more sleep each night and get my work done in a more efficient manner. When I am done with that, I will work on becoming president, building (or at least locating) a new house and conquering the world — not necessarily in that order. In the meantime, I am content with the knowledge that my sniffles are abating and my head feels more clear with each passing moment.

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