On Monday night, I started feeling a little tickle in my throat. Things quickly progressed and I am now coughing and hacking...and as of this morning, have no voice at all. Not an easy thing when most of my day is spent negotiating and placing orders.

Unfortunately, only two of us in the whole office have this cold, and you can bet who the other person is. Yes, the comments are flying fast and furious.

He talked me into trying the Canadian standby, Buckley's DM. For those that don't know what that is, it's not just cough syrup but basically liquified tree. A lot of people swear by it and the company tagline is 'It tastes awful but it works'.

I was very hesitant but seeing as he seemed to shake it and is back bouncing off walls this morning, I figured what could it hurt.

I was wrong. It is pure evil in a plastic container. The smell is reminiscent of Pinesol. One swig from the bottle and a shudder passes through your spine.

Two minutes after that, I lost my voice completely. Now I can only squeak, much to the amusement of everyone else in the office.