Swine Flu Part III...

So I'm using this new blogger feature that allows me to blog from my phone. It's kind of walking the line between status updates and twitter (which I only do occasionally to make fun of it).

Anyways I'm sitting here in the ER because despite all my jokes and cavalier attitude, I think there actually might be a chance I've got that pig virus. It's kind of silly but I never get sick, especially for this long. I'll let you know how it turns out.

- M, p, z & shredder

UPDATE: So after a marathon wait at the ER, I was right after all, it's not swine flu - just some bug that showed up about a week ago. Luckily I waited around for 4 hours for them to tell me that. While I was waiting I started wondering why people always spell my name wrong when they are copying it down. Did they not learn to copy properly? It's not like I'm asking them to guess how to spell it out. I know it's long and arduous, but you've got my id in front of you (even though my license has my middle name spelled wrong as well). You're looking at it. Spell it right. Also there was this guy who was crazy and surrounded by a couple of police officers and all he kept saying screaming was, "I take it off! I take it off! NO! No no no no no NO!! I take it off!" And every time I would just start to get back into my book and finally start to drown everythi - "NO!! I TAKE IT OFF!!!! I take it OFF!!!!" Yeah guy, I get it. You take it off. Good one.

Swine Flu Protection Kit...

I don't know if you guys have seen the ad to the right for a "Swine Flu Protection Kit," but that pretty much proved the point I was making a few blogs ago. It looks like the virus has hit it's carrying capacity in Mexico and is already in decline, but I have to admit, the mass hysteria spooked me for a minute this morning.

I have felt a little cough coming on for a few days now but shrugged it off to the fact that I've been running a ton lately and my lungs are mad at me because of it. I awoke this morning fully congested and coughing up a storm, I felt 'hot', I was groggy and I wasn't hungry. So, just to be safe, I went to the CDC site and checked for symptoms of Swine Flu and of course the major signs were coughing, fever, lethargy and lack of appetite. I panicked for about a minute, worried that I might not get to go on my Euro trip (which I now realize I have not informed you about) and started to freak. Then I realized that those are also the symptoms for a common cold. So I got up, took an Aleve, and drank some water. About an hour later I ate about 6 tacos, felt fine again aside from my cough and realized that the media did their job pretty well.

I guess if people keep getting hit over the head with something, eventually it sinks in. I have been fighting the hysteria with all my might and ended up getting pwned by it. Oh well, at least I didn't have to call in sick to work.

I'm out. Go big.

-M, p, z & shredder

Swine Flu...

Clearly I'm no disease specialist, but is it just me or is this whole Swine Flu craze a little ridiculous. Maybe it's been blown a little bit out of proportion. Maybe? If you ask me, an "epidemic" needs to happen to more than just 20 people who have been infected across the country, only one of whom was hospitalized. I was reading an article yesterday where someone referred to it as pandemic, which is completely outrageous. You know why this has killed people in Mexico? Because people in Mexico get sick, and either can't afford to get to a hospital or don't go to one and unfortunately, they die. It's sad and tragic but it's not an epidemic. The people that were infected here in the U.S. were treated and are fine.

Now I'd like to point out that not only am I a not a disease specialist but I actually know nothing about diseases and all that can come about from them. But from what I understand, a common flu virus had babies with an Avian flu virus inside a pig, and out came a baby Swine Flu. Why is it scaring the sh*t out of people? People are going crazy. Maybe mass hysteria is a good thing. Maybe it's actually the only way to keep people safe and inside their homes. Maybe if the media talk about it enough and scares enough people, the Flu will go away. I actually don't know, but it could be right. Scare tactics work very well, just ask the GOP.

I look at it this way: people go to Africa despite the highest cases of Malaria and a multitude of other much scarier diseases, but they're afraid of this? And I really don't mean to make light of the fact that it has killed 152 people in Mexico, I'm just saying let's wait a little while before we start branding things epidemics. Let's wait just a minute before people start running for the hills with surgical masks on like we're in China running away from SARS. It's probably just an imaginary virus concocted by the Beef or Poultry industry to get back at the Pork industry for pwning them on Easter.

I'm out. Go big or go home.

-M, p, z & shredder