Swine Flu

CH: So I don't know much about Swine Flu...or H1N1 or whatever it's called....but I was starting to get caught up in the media frenzy wondering where it would hit next and how close to home it would be....starting to wonder if I should even be sending to Caydan to school, or if I should go to work, or blah blah blah.....my work was even sending out company-wide updates about it...so I'm thinking it's pretty serious....

So I had a conversation about it with a couple of co-workers who I figured probably knew a little more about it than I do...and they said that from what they knew, this wasn't as serious as people are making it out to be........it's basically just like the regular flu except there is no vaccination for it.......

So if you're elderly or really young - then it might be a danger to you...same as the regular flu would be........but I don't ever get flu shots as it is........Caydan does....but even still, I think that it's no more of a risk than it is having the regular flu floating around....right?

Thoughts?

JH: The reason that this flu is more of a threat is because it's a new strain of flu and nobody has immunities to it. We are now seeing healthy people who ordinarily don't get the flu coming down with it, and even dying from it.

People are saying that it's not a big deal because it's already dying out- but the issue is that while our flu season is over here, it's just starting on the other side of the world. By the time theirs is over, it'll be our turn again. By then the virus will have mutated and become even stronger. It's a valid fear seeing as how the Avian Flu is part of this flu, proving that Avian Flu mutated and became stronger. Even though it's not dire at this point, it's still something that should be taken seriously because these virus strands aren't as timid as they once were.

I'm taking certain precautions to lessen my chances of getting it. For instance, I now carry hand-sanitizer in my purse. I also canceled a Disneyland trip. I'm not going to hide in my home and refuse to do my day to day necessities, but I'm also not going to put myself at unnecessary risk.

CH: But you cancelled Disneyland??? That's pretty extreme...although makes sense....a lot of foreigners visit there and the risk is increased....but I still don't think this scare will keep me from the happiest place on earth. :)

I was just in Indio at the Stagecoach festival with thousands of people the weekend before last....and I didn't know much about the swine flu til I was there....but there were soooo many people - but looking back, I don't think I would have cancelled that trip either even if I had known...

I guess I'm a little worried - but maybe I'm just naive because my family has all typically had pretty strong immune systems and no one has ever really gotten very sick from anything that was "caught" from someone else...it's been more cancer, strokes, etc type things that have taken people from my family....

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens...but I'm pretty sure I'll be going back to Disneyland soon - especially because we only have a short while til we're blocked out all summer! :)

JH: Here's a glimpse into my priorities ;) Scratch what I said about Disneyland because Joe and I will probably be celebrating our anniversary there next month. We decided to go the cheap route and forgo the annual Vegas trip in order to save for our upcoming (hopefully!) Paris trip this fall. With annual passes that get us in for free, and give us discounts, we can have a great time for little money.


CH: I keep forgetting to say something about your Paris trip!!! I remember you wrote about it somewhere and I was amazed!! And I never wrote you to say anything.......how EXCITING!!! That is so awesome - and you're such a good secret keeper because I didn't have a clue til you wrote that.

I'm so excited for you and I can't wait to see all the cool pictures you'll come back with!!! :) :) :)

JH: Well, you know how Joe wants to accomplish all these random things this year before he turns 30? (he has a blog here about his year of 29) One of those things is an international vacation! We were just going to do a New Orleans and New York trip, but it actually works out better to leave the country. We have that timeshare in Paris which we've never used, and it's not cool like yours where you can transfer, so we absolutely have to go to Paris to use it.

Joe is also getting this crazy overtime on through Labor Day weekend which will pay for the plane tickets. Now all we have to do is save some fun money! We each have our dream excursions that we're pulling for, so I think this is will an amazing trip. I'm also looking at tons of blogs for Paris tips, and believe me, there are a lot of bloggers to know how to vacation!

I figure we really should do at least one big trip before we start settling down with kids. Better hurry though! We're not getting any younger ;)

CH: Wow! That actually works out to be a pretty budget-friendly vacation!! Do you have pictures of your timeshare in Paris? I can't wait to see it. :) :) Soooo exciting for you. :) :)

We're going back to our timeshare in Indio in June...I absolutely looooved the place when we stayed for Stagecoach (Worldmark Indio) and we didn't have enough time to enjoy the place...so we're gonna go back and just stay around the resort, bbq, enjoy the heat, do nothing for 3 days. :) :) Should be tons-o-fun :)

JH: Here's a pic of our timeshare:

CH: It looks pretty :) :) :) I can't wait to hear all about it!! :) :) :)