I got sick a couple days before New Year's Day. It was a fever, but it was noteworthy in that I was so uncomfortable that I couldn't even read. I was just flat on my back in bed all day, re-watching Breaking Bad episodes. When the fever went away, the cold started in full force, with coughs and sneezes and all the usual symptoms. And then the cold lingered. And lingered. And lingered. I got a flu shot back in November and everything, but this cold/flu/crud knocked me for a loop. I was obviously improving a little bit every day, so it wasn't quite a bad enough situation for me to go to the doctor, but it was still annoying. Even now, I still cough a bit—walking home in the rain last night inspired a little coughing fit—and it seems that I'm not alone. Almost half of my coworkers are home sick right now. The people who aren't actively sick seem to be nursing symptoms from ailments that hit them a couple weeks ago—the office is a symphony of sneezing and coughing.

In short: This is the toughest cold season I can remember. Am I just getting old, or is this a typical experience for Seattle in 2014?