I have an awesome cold that makes me sound like a chain-smoking jazz singer. Singing is out of the question for at least a few more days, which stinks because today is when Keith Lockhart and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus attempt to break the world record for largest group of carolers.

If we’re short of the record by one singer, I will never forgive the slimy germs that plague me. Yeah, I’m talking to you, virus. Be afraid.

What’s a singer to do without a voice? Plenty, apparently.

• Listen to recordings of voice lessons. (Now that I own a great recorder, the Zoom H2, listening to myself sing is no longer torture.)
• Listen to recordings of other singers.
• Memorize music.
• Translate text. Memorize said translations.
• Map out dramatic intentions and actions. Figure out the answers to these four questions.

Alternatively, one could wallow in self pity while eating homemade chicken noodle soup and watching QVC on the couch. Resting is essential to recovery, right?