Flu season is starting!

Me at work when I hear someone coughing:

The office candy jar is dead to me now:

Any communal cup is basically a petri dish, actually (restaurant mints, etc.):

How I view all public restrooms:

 

The toddler with the runny nose at the supermarket ogling the candy at the checkout counter:

Strangers who want to shake my hand:

The metro during flu season:

What I want to do when I'm trapped on a flight with someone hacking their head off behind me:

Why I will not touch slimy lettuce or leftovers after more than 2 days:

Why I wipe my cell phone down with alcohol almost every night:

Why I don't want the meat packed in the same bag as my gum and why I don't like bags that touch the floor on my counters:

Fine, I'm a germophobe. I like to think I'm just conscious, since I aced that microbio class so awesomely.

My actual notes. (Click photo to enlarge.)

However, did you know that antibacterial soap does more harm than good? It's the act of handwashing that gets the germs off your hands - you're supposed to count to 20 or else you're not spending enough time washing your hands. The soap makes the surface of your hands slippery and the rubbing motion makes the germs slide off.

Alcohol sanitizer is wonderful for killing the germs but doesn't actually remove the dirt so if you really want to be clean, wash first and then use the sanitizer.

Do not use antibacterial soap (unless you are immunocompromised) because it contributes to antibiotic resistance and we need to save our antibiotics for the people who really need them.

See? http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-enemy-within