We've had more sickness in the newsroom over the last few weeks than I can ever remember. The list of people calling off grows longer by the day. I was out Friday because I woke up that morning and felt like I had been run over by a truck.  Actually, I felt like I had been run over by a truck and cracked in the head with a baseball bat.

 It made me wonder. Is this payback for not getting a flu shot?  I skipped out on it this year, and now I (along with my co-workers) must pay the price. Despite the "germaphobes" madly running around the newsroom with cans of disinfectant spray, we are all passing along the flu to each other.   

   I remember when I was in elementary school and would "fake" getting sick so that I could avoid an evil bully at school (we ALL did it, so don't be judgmental). Usually my mom knew better and would send me packing. However, now that I'm an adult, I feel tremendous guilt for missing work (is that normal?) I think it's from faking it when I was younger. So now, if I call off work, I have to wonder "Do they think I'm faking it?"

   I can only take comfort in knowing that a lot of other people called off on Friday too. Unfortunately we weren't all having a party at my house and "skipping work." I say this because we did that in high school and once again, I got caught. It seems the secretary was tipped off when me and my group of friends all got "sick" on the very same day. So, the school called my house and I tried to fake my mom's voice. I told the secretary (in between giggles) that my daughter was very ill and wouldn't be coming in to school.  Somehow she just didn't think I sounded like my mom and called her at work. She came home and found people running out the back door. Things got pretty ugly from there.

  You know, some things just stay with you, like the flu (for several days) and childhood memories of bad deeds (for several years.)

Wishing you all well!

Jessica