None of which kept me from kicking Rid and Joe Manfre's butts in Scrabble, I might add. (Final score 178-167-298.)
Anyway, last night around 3 or 4 am the pain in both throat and ears essentially disappeared, even when drinking water, and it hasn't come back all day today, despite going to a party where there was much eating, a certain amount of talking, and some singing. So, basically, yay! After the party I came home and took a nap, where I pretty much slept like a log for a couple of hours.
I am still sick -- I've got the cough and I can feel my throat is not entirely happy with the afternoon's hijinx, etc. -- but I'm encouraged by how it's going. The smart thing would be to take it easy tomorrow, but in fact the same guy who invited me to today's party (and asked me to bring my guitar) invited me to another one tomorrow with the same suggestion. So I think I'll do it. We'll see how it goes.