Last week I had a really sore throat. It started on Monday and by Thursday it had morphed into a horribly sore throat, slight congestion, and a nagging headache.

So on Thursday I called in sick. Stayed home, laid in bed, ate soft foods, drank plenty of tea, and watched lots of T.V., mainly cable news. What can I say? I enjoy the news even more when I’m not working. Ha.

In order to get well I was willing to try almost anything. I consulted my friend a nurse, because as I told my boss being a freelance journalist hey don’t give me benefits. That was a subtle hint. Do you know how much it costs for even a minute doctor’s visit? Too much.

So on to the home remedies.

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So we’ve been looking for a good election night drinking game for you all, and there’s so many good ones out there.

Here’s what we’re going to do instead: Combine elements from all the fun ones we found. Enjoy! And have the paramedics on standby.

Take one shot whenever you hear the word historic.

Take one shot whenever someone says “Bradley Effect.”

Every time the term “battleground state” is uttered, take a drink.

Every time young voters and Obama are referenced in the same breath, take a drink.

Every time McCain and Bush are referenced in the same breath, take a drink.

Every time John King thinks he’s John Madden trying to illustrate something on his CNN magical board, take a drink.

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It pays to vote.

Apart from the whole democracy thing we enjoy, voters today can get free coffee at Starbucks, a free doughnut at Krispy Kreme (star-shaped, for added poignancy) and a free scoop at Ben & Jerry’s.

It’s a non-partisan effort to get out the vote. Read more about it here.

Coffee, doughnut, ice cream … that’s, like, lunch, right?

What are you up to this weekend?

Should Americans be allowed to start drinking earlier than age 21?

That’s the question that signatories to the Amethyst Initiative want answered. They say the drinking age of 21 isn’t working and they want an open debate as to whether the age should be lowered. Oh, in case you haven’t heard, the people signing on to the initiative are not college-aged students, but college presidents.

Presidents from some of the area’s most well-known college are on the list. They include presidents from Towson University, the state’s university system, Goucher College, Johns Hopkins and the College of Notre Dame in Maryland.

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Hey kids. I am curious to know, where do you think is the best place to watch the Ravens play?  Is it from your couch in the comfort of your own home, the 50 yard line at M&T Bank Stadium, or the corner bar?

The b Street Team is planning on heading out during football season to some local hangouts and we’d love to know where you’re going to be so that we can hang with our readers!!!

From today’s b, the paper

This is our motto: If it’s summer, what’s the point in eating indoors? And there’s plenty of good choices all over Baltimore, from chill burger and crab joints to trendy tapas. Here are some of our favorites, because al fresco really is the way to go.

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Meeting someone at a bar may not always be the best idea, depending on how many drinks you’ve had. But you’d be surprised how much you can find out about that guy or girl across the room. Just check out what kind of drink is being quaffed. Are you a suave, debonair, Manhattan kind of man? Or have you seen one too many episodes of “Sex and the City,” and ordering a cosmopolitan is second nature? Maybe you’re laid-back and easy-going while sipping your mojito. Baltimore’s bartenders throw in their expertise on your favorite drinks. Here’s what they reveal about you.
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Today, you may be grilling kabobs, lounging around a pool and, perhaps, knocking back a mojito or Miller Lite too many. It’s for your health and enjoyment that I recommend Joan Acocella’s thoughtful, useful and at-times hilarious meditation on the hangover. It gets scant research yet is hazardous in the workplace, disruptive to the economy and incredibly common around the globe (you are not alone!). She explores traditional and newfangled remedies as well as literature on the subject, the highlight being Kingsley Amis’ description of the “metaphysical hangover”:

“When that ineffable compound of depression, sadness (these two are not the same), anxiety, self-hatred, sense of failure and fear for the future begins to steal over you, start telling yourself that what you have is a hangover. . . . You have not suffered a minor brain lesion, you are not all that bad at your job, your family and friends are not leagued in a conspiracy of barely maintained silence about what a s— you are, you have not come at last to see life as it really is.”

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I know it’s a bit last minute but I just got back from Embassy Day in Washington. All (or at least a bunch/few) of the embassies in the district are having open houses and serving drinks and small food tidbits. An excuse to drink in the middle of the day — what more can you ask for?

That’s pretty much all I have to say for this post. Happy hunting…