Happy Birthday! (sing it twice to get the germs off)

In honor of those born today (and tomorrow)

I celebrate you in song and germ warfare.

Happy Birthday!

-- to George, Jennie & Susan!

We finally all the got the (Swine) flu, here.

I had a vaccine, but I guess when everyone around you has it, you're going to get it, anyway.  I mean, it was an act of the purest optimism to think that I would avoid the flu given that the day I got vaccinated both my husband and daughter came down with it.

It took 6 days for the bug to work it's magic on me, and now I've got it.

Today, I went in and tested positive for H1N1, even though I didn't have a fever at the time.

For some reason this seemed to surprise the doctor.  I don't know why, I explained the three other people I live with also have it.

So, within one week and it got every one of us.

I still think the vaccine is useful, but apparently it takes a long time for it to kick in.  In the end, it didn't help me much after all.

By the time I was home today from the clinic I'd hit 102 and was sneezing more than I ever have in my life.

Oh, well.  Thank God for TCM and motrin and kleenex and great nurses in this ward.

By they way -- Courtesy of the wonderful website, Crooks and Liars, I found an interesting video from the Today Show pretty much turning former CDC estimates about Swine Flu mortality in the US upside down.  In this video we learn that the CDC is now stating that the Swine flu has killed nearly 4,000 people in the US, including 540 children, whereas previous estimated death tolls from the H1N1 virus in the US were at 672.


Oops.

I didn't come up with the title of this even if they were posted in the time of Swine Flu.

Click here to view an amazing collection  of vintage Halloween photographs from over the years.  

They're a remarkable assortment of images some of which have a very Diane Arbus quality to them.

Thanks to stevechasmar and his amazing work on Flickr

Halloween in the Time of Cholera