The wellness surprise
Some of the bigger stories of the week passed me by; Americans Elect making the ballot here in Maine, the State of the State Address, more infighting between the Maine Republican and Democratic parties ... all were dwarfed by an observation that occurred to me around the first of the week.
I’m not sick.
OK, let’s roll that one back a bit. I grew up the youngest of four boys, all smart-asses. If you announced that you were sick, the plaintive cry from differing directions would come from around the house “AND TWISTED!!”
This year, I’ve yet to get the flu. Looking at the numbers, most others around the country have been lucky as well.
Every year like clockwork between the first and second weeks of the year, the sickness hits me. I either come down with a nasty case of the flu, or instead some general “bug caucus” that puts me out for a few days. One notable year, it was conjunctivitis, an ear infection, a sinus infection, strep throat, mono, and a toothache all at the same time, basically making my neck a device for porting around a festering pustule of ick.
The hallucinations were good that year, though.
Though we are early in what the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) calls the flu season, usually by now the bug has begun to take its toll. Of all the samples tested since Oct. 2 for the New England Region (Region 1), there were 25 total positive tests for influenza.
Think about that for a minute. Region 1 encompasses all of Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Six states, 25 confirmed cases in a little under four months.
Expanding those numbers nationwide, there were 3,771 test samples run, with 138 positive tests, running around 3.7 percent. It goes to prove that old adage “you’re not sick, you just can’t think up anything good to do.”
Looking at infant mortality deaths, a grim subject at best, there was encouraging news. There has not been a single death yet this year.
This time of year being around the time when the whole chart gets that hockey-stick appearance, we seem to have dodged an early start for flu season. Not content to rely on the charts presented by the CDC, I went on my own bug hunt this week, hitting up areas where the flu goes through like a Friday bean supper.
I hit up the METRO bus in the mornings, which usually sounds like a symphony of coughing set to the metronome of the bumps in the road. I asked if anyone else had noticed the lack of flu, and quite a few thought about it for a second, and remarked they were surprised it hadn’t happened yet.
I hit up the library, which usually sounds like the tuberculosis ward of a backwoods hospital for the terminally bewildered. Hardy a cough heard on-site, even among the heavy smokers who had to keep wandering outside.
I ran my queries past Dr. Dora Ann Mills, former head of the Maine CDC. She still keeps an eye on this stuff, just out of habit. She’s over at UNE now, but tossed in a few thoughts on the matter. “In terms of flu, as I've said for years, the most predictable thing about influenza is its unpredictability. A mild flu season so far does not predict a mild one for this year. In fact, one of the worst seasons we had, besides H1N1, was one that did not get underway until April. So, the best thing to do remains the same: get vaccinated (it's never too late); wash your hands frequently; cover coughs and sneezes; and stay home if you're sick.”
I’ve always had trouble with that staying home bit. Besides the torture of snark festival that was my older brothers, Mom definitely had a thing about staying home. If a kid stayed home from school, she had to stay home from work, and that was a no-go in our household. If you were too sick to go to school, the theory went, then you were too sick to watch television. If you pushed the issue, you were also judged too sick to do anything other than sit in a darkened room and sleep. Reading was not even allowed.
Suffice it to say, nobody spent a lot of time at home sick. We were a household of big readers. Everyone had at least two books going at the same time. To be forced to sit in a room and not read was torture.
Even a quick trip to the local pharmacy led me to fully stocked shelves of cough medicines and remedies, usually starting to fly off the shelves about now. This week, they all seemed to be on special.
So I’ve gone and done it, tempted the fickle finger of flu season fate. Since it’s just about the time of year when one of the television networks runs Steven King’s “The Stand,” look around you and notice, for one simple moment, the ones who are NOT sick.
But we’re all still a bit twisted.
(Bob Higgins is a regular contributor to The Portland Daily Sun.)
Comments


Merci pour partager ces nouvelles avec nous, c’est une information assez pratique pour use.I suis dans le regard de ces types d’informations qui peuvent faciliter les choses. Il est important de choisir un droit depuis la première fois. Merci pour les conseils. Des soins adéquats permettra d’économiser de l’argent dans le long terme
العاب
العاب باربي
العاب ميك اب
العاب ازياء
العاب مضحكة
العاب ورق
العاب دراجات
العاب رماية
العاب الغاز
العاب بلياردو
العاب بلياردو
العاب بنات
العاب سيارات
العاب طبخ
العاب تلبيس
شات
شات بنات مصر
العاب بنات
العاب فلاش
العاب فلاش
تحميل العاب
العاب
العاب بنات جديده
برامج
برامج نت
غرف نوم
ديكور
شات مصر
Chat Girls Egypt
Chat
Chat Girls
Chat Egypt
Girls Egypt
دردشة
دردشه
شات مصرية
بنات
مصر
دردشه مصريه
شات مصر
شات مصري
شات مصرى
شات بنات
شات بنات مصر
دردشة
دردشة مصرية
مواضيع عامة
ثقافة عامة
ثقافة الحوار
تعليم اللغة الانجليزية
صلاة الاستخارة
دعاء صلاة الاستخارة
صورخلفيات
صور قلوب
صور حب
صور حب
صور رومانسية
صور رومانسية متحركة
صور رومانسية
توبيكات
توبيكات ماسنجر
توبيكات ملونه
توبيكات حب
توبيكات جروحي
غرائب وعجائب
طريقة عمل البيتزا
طريقة عمل الكيك
طريقة عمل الكيك
طريقة عمل الكريب
طرق تفتيح البشرة
سلمى حايك
تحميل العاب
كيفية عمل ايميل
كيفية العناية بالشعر
كيفية العناية بالشعر
عمل ايميل على الياهو
افلام
مشاهدة افلام
تحميل افلام
افلام عربية
افلام
غرف نوم للعرسان
غرف نوم للعرسان
غرف نوم عرسان
مفارش ايكيا
ديكورات ايكيا 2011
ديكورات ايكيا
غرف نوم بنات
غرف نوم بنات 2011
غرف نوم بنات كول
نكت مضحكه
نكت 2011
نكت مصرية
نكت صعايدة
نكت محششين
وصفات رمضان 2011
طبخات رمضان 2011
اكلات رمضان 2011
ازياء شتاء
ازياء شتاء 2012
فساتين زفاف
فساتين زفاف 2012
دردشة بنات
شات
شات بنات مصر
دردشة بنات مصر
دردشة
شات بنات
شات الكويت
شات مصر
شات حبيتك
دردشة حبيتك
منتديات
العاب
العاب بنات
العاب فلاش
العاب بنات
دردشة بنات
شات بنات
شات مصر
شات بنات مصر
دردشة بنات مصر
شات بنات
شات
دردشة
شات مصري
دردشة مصرية
شات كتابى
شات
دردشة
شات نسيتك
دردشة نسيتك
منتديات
منتديات بنات
منتديات بنات قطر
السعودية
شات بنات السعودية
شات
دردشة
شات بنات
قطر
شات بنات
دردشة قطرية
شات قطر
شات
دردشة
شات بنات
شات عراقي
دردشة عراقية
شات دمياط
دردشة دمياط
شات
شات بنات دمياط
دردشة بنات دمياط
دمياط
اسوان
شات اسوان
دردشة اسوان
تحميل صور
مركز تحميل صور
دليل مواقع
ويب
شات الرياض
شات الشلة
شات الخليج
العاب فلاش 2012
العاب جديده 2012
العاب للبنات فقط
العاب طبخ
العاب بنات
العاب حرب
العاب ذكاء
العاب تعذيب
العاب سبونج بوب
العاب تلبيس
العاب فلاش
العاب بنات
العاب
games
chat
forums
chat bnat
اغاني شعبي
منتدي حبيبي - منتديات حبيبي
شات حبيبي
دردشة حبيبي
حبيبى
شات
دردشة
قطر
منتديات
العاب
سعوديات
منتديات
العاب
العاب
شات
عالم حواء
ازياء
فساتين
مكياج
تسريحات
منال العالم
خلفيات بلاك بيري
وظائف
صحيفة سبق
صحيفة الوئام
صحيفة عاجل
العاب
العاب بنات 2012
العاب 2012
مقالات
شات
شات
شات بنات مصر
دردشة بنات مصر
دردشة مصرية
العاب جديدة
شات مصر
هاك الاهداءات
هاك الاهداءات
Christian Louboutin Pumps fit for your feet, toward construct all of your legs look finding Louboutin shoes shoes she can.Christian Louboutin purchase christian The sort of place you see a amazing provide Christian Louboutin wedges boots defiantly decides that you simply merely just can have which generally can locate out by method of hook or else by method of crook.Those are certainly not mere hyperbole, even in spite of the reality how the amazingly situation which factors out why he understands the particular usefulness collectively with Christian Louboutin shoes Sale. Christian Louboutin boots is favored cope with girls, supplied that it could possibly acquire and / or founded as appreciably as purchase toward do it your do it your do it yourself coupled with it genuinely is bet it! Good shoes can make your feet more comfortable and beautiful.
Balenciaga Handbags are adored by many youthful ladies. In situation you are previously sacked out at residence jointly with one an extra jointly with your trigger finger is finding itchy (or you are nevertheless at run for experienced possible consumers to that no merely just one can genuinely clarify and certainly bored to passing apart and ready for some on option shopping), we’ve obtained some fascinating new option particulars within of your situation – Balenciaga holiday 2012 is now near to the marketplace toward getting fulfillment from Balenciaga.com. This option is especially handy if you’d should acquire a bounce concerning the pastels enlargement that dominated the Spring 2011 runways. With powdery shades of dove grey, lavender and infant blue, no messy ladies cellular cellphone for apply. Try to make yourself be the beautiful princess.
Gucci Online selects just among the favored design and design bags for you. Make you fulfilled a superb provide drastically an exceptional offer more eye-catching utilizing the amazingly finest decreased cost tag Gucci handbags. There certainly undoubtedly undoubtedly are a superb provide of offline an internet-based stores that provide discou Gucci handbagsnt. as opposed to wandering on offline shops, it is superb to look online. Gucci make you more charming.
I used to be more than happy to seek out this internet-site.I wanted to thanks in your time for this glorious read!! I positively enjoying each little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you weblog post
sheepskin flying jackets for men %% distressed leather bomber jacket %% ma1 bomber jacket %% a2 flying jacket %% a2 leather flight jacket %% suede trench coat %% women's trenchcoat %% womans trench coat %%
Syrian pomegranate diet pills troops reasserted control slim pomegranate Monday of rebellious super slim suburbs outside Damascus, retaking super slim diet pills some districts amid stiff super slim green lean body capsule resistance as the opposition super slim pills reported dozens killed in super slim pomegranate fierce fighting. Armed super slim pomegranate diet pills rebels were falling back to super slim pomegranate pills avoid the governments onslaught, said super slim pomegranate weight loss capsule opposition activists, as regime tanks and troops http:superslimdietill.com pulled into rebel bastions near the capital.
Welcome to our replica movado safiro store. swiss replica watches replique montre replique All along, best replica handbags, more and more people like to replica watches fake swiss watch replica graham replica chanel handbags repliques montres replique montres not only because they have a beautiful replica swiss watches fake watches swiss made replica watches best replica rolex swiss replica watches replica watches,best watches replica watches replica watch for women most particularly because the price is unbeatable replica watches for men. Large quantities of high quality replica watche replica watches, both vintage and modern,best replica watches replica chanel bags discount watches. We are specializing in selling brands such as , Cartier,mbt shoes, Omega,mbt shoes outlet mbt shoes sale cheap mbt shoes, Movado, IWC, Mont Blanc, panerai, Gucci, Co and many more. Fine with reasonable price will apparently catch your eyes. You can even buy high qualified watches with the wholesale price here. No transactions are too big or too small for us, you will always receive the top market value fake watches swiss replicas watch replica handbags swiss made replica watches for your watch when you buy watches from us.
Hey, Bob- Myself not being 100%, but holding at 99, waitin' on the 1% to "straighten up and fly right!" (that's one of those head-scratching things my Father used to bark out at us); nice read. Nice recall back to the days when part of being a kid meant "check;-double-check;- and possible "check mate!" with yourself before taking any Twinkied actions to alter the immediate Universe. (that's a twisted head-scratcher for today, in my immediate Universe! anyway)
Is it a good sign when response on an online comment board is so low because it must mean that paper-in-hand reading of the publication must be so high, or something? Do People reading the paper copy know they can go online to chit chat it up about being Twisted and Twinkied-out? Just asking it out there. It was pretty lonely on the board last week. ):
Is the West End News still around? I used to think it was the coolest thing how they'd have pictures of different People reading the WEN "in-hand" at different places around the world, like in front of the Taj Mahal or the Eiffel Tower or something!

And then he turned and ugg classic tall saw the girl. The phantasmagoria of his brain vanished at sight of her. She was a pale, ethereal creature, with wide, spiritual blue eyes and a wealth of golden hair. He did not know how she was ugg bailey button sand dressed, except that the dress was as wonderful as she. He likened her to a pale gold flower upon a slender stem. No, she was a spirit, a divinity, a goddess; such sublimated beauty cheap mens ugg boots was not of the earth. Or perhaps the books were right, and there were many such as she in the upper walks of life. She might well be sung by that chap, Swinburne. Perhaps he had had somebody like ugg classic tall sale her in mind when he painted that girl, Iseult, in the book there on the table. All this plethora of sight, and feeling, and thought occurred on the instant. There was no pause of the realities ugg bailey button triplet sale wherein he moved. He saw her hand coming out to his, and she looked him straight in the eyes as she shook hands, frankly, like a man. The women he had known did not shake hands that way. For that mens ugg boots butte matter, most of them did not shake hands at all. A flood of associations, visions of various ways he had made the acquaintance of women, rushed into his mind and threatened to swamp it. But he shook discount mens ugg boots them aside and looked at her. Never had he seen such a woman. The women he had known! Immediately, beside her, on either hand, ranged the women he had known. For an eternal second he stood ugg classic tall reviews in the midst of a ugg bailey button bomber portrait gallery, wherein she occupied the central place, while about her were limned many women, all to be weighed and measured by a fleeting glance, herself the unit of weight and measure. He saw the weak ugg boots clearance and sickly faces of the girls of the factories, and the simpering, boisterous girls from the south of Market. There were women of the cattle camps, and swarthy cigarette-smoking women ugg boots clearance store of Old Mexico. These, in turn, were crowded out by Japanese women, doll-like, stepping mincingly on wooden clogs; by Eurasians, delicate featured, stamped with degeneracy; by full-bodied womens ugg boots South-Sea-Island women, flower-crowned and brown-skinned. All these were blotted out by a grotesque and terrible nightmare brood - frowsy, shuffling creatures from the pavements of ugg boots sale Whitechapel, gin-bloated hags of the stews, and all the vast hell's following of harpies, vile-mouthed and filthy, that under the guise of monstrous female form prey upon sailors, the scrapings cheap ugg boots of the ports, the scum and slime of the human pit.He waved his hand deprecatingly and muttered that it was nothing at all, what he had done, and that any fellow would have done it. She noticed that the hand he bailey button triplet waved was covered with fresh abrasions, in the process of healing, and a glance at the other loose-hanging hand showed it to be in the same condition. Also, with quick, critical eye, she noted a scar classic tall uggs on his cheek, another that peeped out from under the hair of the forehead, and a third that ran down and disappeared under the starched collar. She repressed a smile at sight of the red line black ugg boots that marked the chafe of the collar against the bronzed neck. lzle