Colds, cereal.

It's November, I must be sick.

Unfortunately, cute outfits alone are not enough to distract from the exhausted, glazed look in my eyes (trust me, I've tried). Getting to the gym yesterday was what I expect trying to get a whiny toddler into a snowsuit must be like. However, the highlight of the week was probably when I put too much whiskey in my hot toddy and dozed off while watching "The Last Starfighter." I'm weak, but I know there's work to be done, and that's why I'm returning to something I haven't done in a long time: BREAKFAST CEREAL REVIEWS.

Here we have Nature's Path Optimum Blueberry Cinnamon:

I'm usually pretty conservative with my cereal purchases. Without prior research, it's basically impossible to get the real story from the box, as every "natural" cereal seems to make the same claim:

"In 1929, Ol' Burl Huggins started his own farm, with the dream of making a better breakfast cereal for his children. 80 years later, the Huggins family continutes in Burl's tradition, growing wheat on their 2-acre organic farm and using Burl's original plow, drawn by Sunshine the Mule. Huggins Crunch: 100% natural, from our family to yours. Now with GMO-Free Organic Di-Plastinoids!"

In any case, a cereal could be owned by Exxon and contain industrial plastic by-products, and they'd still put a smiling mule on the box and stick it in the natural section. Add to that the weakness of USDA's organic labeling standards, and it's so much easier for me just to stick with what I know. However, that day there was a "2 for $4" sign which instantly dissolved any misgivings I might have had -- into my basket, Exxon Flakes! Upon arriving home, a quick Google search revealed that Nature's Path has not done anything reprehensible, and they seem like very nice people.

SCORE: 8/10. This is the first cereal I've ever had that manages to have "twig" shaped bites without tasting like actual foliage. This is undoubtedly due to the cinnamon coating, which is awesome -- sweet, but not overpowering or fake-tasting. There seemed to be about 6 blueberries in the entire box, but it actually made no difference to me. Do I need a freeze-dried blueberry in each bite? (No.)

Next. Nature's Path Organic Flax Plus Raisin Bran!

Score: 7/10: The ability to make a decent organic raisin bran is, for me, the ultimate test of any cereal manufacturer; until now, none have received over a 4/10. UNTIL NOW. Nature's Path, you've managed to make a bran flake that avoids the dreaded "Organic Cardboard Syndrome" that has plagued so many of your contemporaries. Totally delicious! Unfortunately, I take issue with the name you've chosen. Perhaps "Raisin Jerky Bran" might be a better fit, though to be fair your raisins were by far the best I've had in any organic raising bran. What is that smiling Kellogg's sun's secret? (Is it chemicals? I think it's chemicals.)