If you're wondering where I've been (at least, for the past week)...

I've been home, in bed, with swine flu.

I urge everyone who thinks H1N1 is just the media overreacting again-- think again. I was as much a cynic as anyone, but this thing is real, and it's NO fun, trust me. Over the course of the past week, I've been stricken by dizziness, disorientation, extreme fatigue (the kind that left me unable to even sit up in bed), a runny nose, a bad cough, total devastation of my appetite, a fever of over 100 degrees, chills, and a bunch of other symptoms that are rather unpleasant to even mention here. The worst was a few days ago, when I got so dehydrated that I could have very easily bought the farm then and there (for serious, yo) if I hadn't started drinking every drink I had in the fridge.

Needless to say, this has been a very unpleasant week for me.

It appears it may be winding down now, but it's left me in such a weakened condition that I think it's going to be another week at least before I'm back on my feet again.

I'm warning all of you-- this illness hits very hard and very fast (for me, it was literally a matter of a few hours). Even I, who had never gotten the flu in my life, was not resistant to it. If you notice yourself rapidly developing symptoms matching the ones I've described above, please get some rest, drink lots of fluids, take flu medication, and consider seeing a doctor. This pandemic is no laughing matter.