I have a cold. My colds happen in three stages, each taking a few days: first, a sore throat; second, congested sinuses; and third, coughing up buckets of phlegm. (The transition from stage one to stage two happened last night.) A lot of people I’ve talked to have colds hit them similarly, so this may well be typical. In recent years, though, some my colds have more or less aborted themselves midway through. Whether this is a result of my out-of-control immune system crushing the virus with especial force, or the high doses of naproxen, I don’t know. Certainly doesn’t stop me from getting nastier flu virii (in Europe in July 1997 and January 2000) or the Norwalk virus last month, but I’ll take what respites are available. I’ve been forced to take things easier in any event.