Mobile disease incubators

With cold and flu season at it's peak it's only natural that I would take the time to complain about those people who for the sake of saying "I HAVE to be at work" will get on public transportation and spread the "love."

It usually takes a lot for me to get sick but if I do I can usually get over it in a couple of days without too much discomfort. A year ago I was sitting on the train in a 4-seater with two people facing me and one right next to me. The guy across from me starts hacking right in my direction and there was nothing I could do about it. Sure enough about 2 days later I was down with a 102 degree fever. I was out for 3 days before I managed to make it in to the office confident that I wasn't contagious anymore.

So here I am again, a year later and now I have a 7 week old baby at home to consider. There is no way I'm going to bring some nasty flu home this year. So on the train this morning, the man in the row in front of me keeps hacking, this time I get up and move. I hope he noticed.

There is something called "the strap" that people use in the subway. It is a piece of leather that goes over the handrail in the train so they don't have to touch it to hold on. Maybe if it gets really bad I can start carrying SARS masks and hand them out to the coughing people.

Sick days are not just for you, they are for the courtesy of the people around you. Don't go to work and spread your cold to everyone you come into contact with along the way.