I better not get the flu.

Most colds have an incubation period of 3-5 days. Today marks exactly THREE days since I was in the emergency room waiting room visiting someone dear who'd been admitted for an emergency appendectomy.

I've been sniffling all day and I can't tell if I'm about to get slammed with whatever these people had or my nose is just being weird.

There was NO ONE in the waiting room but us and they were standing RIGHT next to me, coughing and sneezing and generally spraying the plague in my direction. They were all wearing masks, which hospital personnel confirmed, "Anytime someone comes in exhibiting flu symptoms, we make them wear that." (We'll find out soon enough if that works or it's just a big cloth placebo.)

How come, given an entire waiting room that was empty and open, people flocked right over to me? It happened ALL night. Especially the sickest of the sick. They wouldn't even sit, because that would mean they couldn't get close enough to me. NO, they chose to stand right next to me so we were almost touching arms. I got up and moved once and that was awkward, but seriously.

There was an entire inviting cavernous expanse of space full of chairs and sofas with which to writhe to one's heart's content, why throw all that away just to STAND next to the only other person in the waiting room? I don't understand.

If I get sick, I'm going to be pissed. I can't miss work next week, it'd be a terrible time to be out. Two weeks from now I can probably schedule a good flu, but not right now.

Wandering around the hospital, one notices things:

I didn't see anyone using these hand sanitizing stations
but us but at least they were there.

"Nourishment" -- I guess they couldn't quite bring themselves to call it "food":

When the hospital doesn't have a marketing arm:
"What should we call what's behind this door?"
"The kitchen?"
"Well, is what's in here really food?"
"Good point..."

On the hospital menu. I kind of feel like if you need your corn muffin pureed, can't you just wait until you can actually eat it? Is it really that urgent?

Pureed Diet menu.
The first item is one big giant breakfast shake that comes in a bucket.