Take My Breath Away

After coming back to Ottawa from my short visit to the Big Smoke, I was once again ensconced inside for several weeks. It wasn't entirely due to ennui. I had caught a bug some time during the trip and developed a slight fever on the Wednesday after my return. It could have been the majority of unmasked people on the bus there (the train trip back still had a mask mandate), being seated next to another table at a restaurant (despite it being mostly empty), or partially removing my mask at 2 shows because I thought I was sufficiently distanced from the main crowd. I don't know if it was Covid since I didn't get tested and the main symptoms only lasted 2 days.

But 2.5 years of being healthy, thanks to masking and social distancing, had made me forget my Achilles' heel. I am prone to a lingering cough that can last for weeks and even a few months. I suspect that this is due to (probable) long-term exposure to mold. My old attic apartment was cheap thanks to my long-term relationship with the owners. It was large, especially for the price, but needed repairs. I wouldn't be surprised if there was water damage within the walls and floor that led to mold infestation.

After the fever, a cough developed that was most active when I was lying down. It made sleeping difficult especially after I got rib pain on one side (pulled muscles from excessive coughing? additional symptoms? encroaching senility?) Compounding the lack of sleep at night with a shortness of breath during the day, I have been in a tired daze for weeks. I'm still struggling to speak without coughing.

So the trip was a bit of a toss-up. I got some vegan dishes from both Le's Sandwich and Dosa Mahal  to bring back to Ottawa. But I also ate mostly bad food and only had fun at 1 show. I didn't get to try fancy Korean spot Orote or old favourite Pam's Roti (both closed on Sunday and Monday). There was a new outpost of Maker Pizza at the short-lived Garfield Eats that I only walked by. Finally, there was also Italian restaurant Monte Bianco, a challenger to the supremely mediocre Sugo. The former is unlikely to dethrone the first mover status of the latter, so I need to check out Bianco before it folds.