I think it’s definitely caused by dry air conditioning. Not just the recycled air on the airplanes, but also in the hotel rooms and the convention center itself. Convention Cough itself is IMO not contagious — I noticed that my cough greatly diminished whenever I was outside, underneath the Sails or even on the Trolleys. It’s just the body trying to re-hydrate your throat, sinuses and nasal passages. But if you don’t pay attention to how dehydrated you get within even the first day you’re there, you’ll get so worn down that you’ll quickly become susceptible to the actual cold bugs floating around. I still have a bit of Convention Cough today and I’m going through Post-Show Crash (not jet lag as I’ve never really adjust to Central Time since i moved here and my sleep pattern is just consistently two hours off here.) But I don’t feel sick, just Post-Show-Crash tired.

I also recommend everything that you suggested as remedies — these have long been the voice-preservers of choice for the various college choirs I’ve been in — but I’d also add to that anything with milk as it coats, soothes and relieves the throat itself, but also — gross and too-analyze-y in the first play , I know — produces the phlegm — the lubricants (mucus) that congeal, build up and cause the cough in the first place.

— Rob

PS: Warning: do not drink both Milk and Orange Juice or any other citrus, even Emergen-C, within any two-hour period or you’ll regret it. And don’t drink Milk if you have Con Cough and have to do any extended period of talking as the phlegm is bad for talking — the milk is simply a natural expectorant.

(yeah, it may be lame to joke about live blogging typos but I couldn’t ignore this one)