Hi everyone, I'm running the blog while Brad is gone. Please try to contain your enthusiasm.

Who's in and out: Rosanne is out this afternoon through Monday. She will return to the office on Tuesday.

Here's some interesting information I pulled from the web about the flu:

How do you know it’s the flu?

The term “flu” is tossed around casually enough to confuse what actually qualifies as an influenza infection. There is no real “stomach flu,” for instance, and while the flu shares some symptoms with the common cold, they are very different viruses. Far more than a case of the sniffles, influenza typically comes on with a miserable mixture of fever, chills and body aches. The onset of a high temperature—101 degrees to 102 degrees Fahrenheit in adults, and higher for children—is sudden, and the patient can hardly bear to stand upright.

And the flu bug is just getting started. Because it’s a disease of the respiratory tract (nose and mouth to lungs), flu is also characterized by coughing, stuffy nose and sore throat. The cough, dry and unproductive in early flu stages, is believed to be the result of fragile tissue being destroyed in the trachea.

Abdominal pain and nausea are less common, except in children, and everyone can expect a painfully pounding headache, especially after a coughing fit or in response to light. Other fun stuff includes pink eye and the requisite runny nose. The medical term for runny nose is rhinorrhea. Tell your boss you have a contagious case of rhinorrhea, and see how quickly that gets you a day pass.

That’s the flu. Once you know these symptoms, it’s hard to miss. But if you’re too groggy to diagnose yourself, call the office and tell them you’re going to see a doctor. Let your GP decide if you should go in to work. You may need a physician’s note anyway, and a formal diagnosis removes any skepticism on the part of your employer.

How the flu spreads:

Like all viruses, influenza needs a host in order to survive and multiply. The flu spreads from one person to another when tiny droplets of contaminated saliva are airborne by a cough or a sneeze. Hanging in the air, they find a new home when inhaled into an unsuspecting host.
Flu virus can also survive for several hours on a surface—a telephone handset, a copying machine, a doorknob, a screwdriver—before a host comes along, gets the virus on his or her hands and then internalizes the virus by touching the eyes, nose or mouth.

It’s possible to pass the flu along 24 hours before you even exhibit symptoms. The virus has a quick incubation period, and most people will fall ill within one to three days of becoming infected. You may still be contagious up to a week after symptoms first set in (a few days longer for children). In otherwise healthy adults, influenza lasts between seven and 14 days, with at least three days of severe symptoms.

No-nonsense tips:

Finally, a few ideas you can use and share in the workplace to help stop the spread of flu germs:


If you know you’re sick with the flu, stay home.
Get a flu shot, which not only protects you but helps prevent contagion.
Within a day of becoming ill, ask your doctor about antiviral medications, which can shorten the episode and contain the virus.
Be especially cautious between late December and early March, the peak of flu season.
Sneeze or cough into your elbow, not into your hands.
Clean phones, doorknobs and desktops with alcohol swabs.
Throw used tissues away!
Wash your hands and face often with hot, soapy water.
During flu season, never let anyone lick your keyboard.