Ring Around the Rosie

Well, it is the flu -- or as my doctor says, a "flu-like" virus but not exactly the flu. Possibly tonsillitis too. Remember, I was sick with something similar about six weeks ago, though this time a sore throat and racking cough have added to the fun. The good news is that I have medicine now. A dollop of bacteria on top of the virus means it should respond to an antibiotic.

My (gay) doctor asked if I had been around a lot of children lately. No, I said. Then -- and this had been in the back of my mind all along -- I noted that I'd been two-stepping at R's a lot lately.

"You've been taking the lessons?" he said.

Yes, and also dancing some on weekends.

"Two-stepping," he said, "is like a daycare environment."