The good, the bad and a rant about Food Network

I’ve got a head cold.  LC came home from work sick, and I didn’t dodge the bullet this time.  I’ve been pretty miserable, but there is something positive that’s come from it all, so I’ve got to share it with you.

Earlier in the week I started having sinus headaches, really bad ones, nonstop and the further into the week I got, the more they intensified.  I was taking all kinds of OTC meds, trying to make it better, and all it was accomplishing was giving me a cotton mouth and making my skin crawl. 

By Wednesday I was getting desperate, and decided to put on my big girl panties and use the sinus irrigation that I’ve been talking about.  Hubby was using it, yeah, he bellyached about it at first, sputtered and coughed, but if he could do it, surely I could.

So I sucked it up, literally, and took the plunge.  And you know what, hubby must be a real wuss, because I didn’t think it was bad at all.  If you hold your head over the sink, open your mouth, and exhale when you squirt the solution in your nose, it’s not a biggie at all.  I used it Wednesday morning, it helped a little bit, but not much, but I tried it again Wednesday night.

I woke up Thursday morning, feeling gawdawful and thinking “well this is obviously a bunch of hooey, this isn’t working at all.”  So I dragged myself out of bed, went online and started reading about sinus irrigation.  I read several posts that told me that you had to use it repeatedly for it to work, if you were having severe symptoms, use it 4-6 times a day.  It’s not addictive, it doesn’t irritate your membranes, people have done this for a thousand years, and people swear by it.

Okay, I could do this, I decided to do it every two hours.  I started using it at 9am, and my headache at that point was a solid 10, it hurt that bad, but by 3pm, using that NeilMad bottle of saline solution every two hours, the headache was down to a 6, and I was starting to drain.  I know, it’s a lot of info, but necessary.

By the time I went to bed Thursday night, I had no headache, and was able to sleep.  The only medicine I had taken was two Excedrin early in the morning, too.  I continue to use it, probably about 4 times a day now, and even though I feel horrible, I have no headache and my head isn’t congested, it’s sore, but I can breathe and I’m pain free.  So bottom line is this – if you’re sick, this isn’t going to cure you, but it sure does make your symptoms much better, and you don’t have to fill your body full of synthetic medicine in an attempt to breathe normally and decongest.

Will I use it again?  You betcha I will, I’ll use it daily.  Especially with spring coming, this will flush all the pollen out of my nose.  So, if you have problems with sinus, run, don’t walk to your nearest drugstore and buy this!  It’s awesome, pinky swear… ~ jan

Okay, enough of that, now I’m gonna bitch about the Food Network.  Ryan and I discuss this all the time, how good it used to be, and how bad it is now.  I was watching Paula Deen just now, O-M-G, they’ve tried to turn her into a sex siren, and it just doesn’t work.  She’s got on the big wigs, she’s throwing all kinds of sexual innuendoes to her younger male guests, and she looks absolutely silly.  And then they trot out her long suffering hubby, Michael, who looks like he would rather be having a tooth pulled than be on that show, and she’s coming on to him, and he’s so uncomfortable he can barely talk.  Sheesh!!!!  I saw a rerun this week of one of her earlier shows, she was still annoying as hell, but she was at least acting her age…

And then there is Rachel Ray, who is also annoying beyond belief, and ever since the tabloids were full of her husband’s infidelities, they’re doing major damage contorl and have  had her talk about him nonstop, like he was the greatest thing since sliced bread, trying to convince all of us what a great husband he is.  She used to talk about her pitbull, Izzy, too, but ever since he bit off another dog’s ear in the dog park, she hasn’t mentioned him.

And The Neelys.  Oh, baby, baby, baby, they make me just want to barf!  That man is no more of a cook than any other ordinary guy, he’s just trotting around in that kitchen, kissing up to her and thinking about all the money they’re raking in.  Well, they better save what they make, because I just don’t see them going on to greater things.

Oh, I can’t leave out Giada De Laurentis out of this either.  The way she rolls her tongue around all the italian phrases just annoys the beejusus out of me.  That girl is such a pain, and I’ve seen her talk down to her mother and her aunt on that show, too.  She is so full of herself, I can’t stand to watch her.

Sandra Lee, meh, she’s cute, she’s entertaining, colorful, I can handle her. Not my favorite, but she’s done a lot with what she has to work with.

But I saved the best to last, and it’s not even a rant.  I love the Barefoot Contessa, I adore this woman, she’s the only one on that is a true cook, in my opinion.  Sure, she talks about her husband, too, but they’ve been married for forty years, so I think she’s entitled.  Ina Garten, you’re a rock star, keep up the good work…

And that’s it from here today. I’m going to take my blankie and go back to bed now.  Later ‘gators…