I am not sick.

I am not sick.

I AM NOT SICK.

Just because my nose keeps running, and I feel tired and run-down, does not mean I am sick.

And yes, I have been in several places where people meet and shake hands, and also in a doctor's office this past week. But that was a pain-management specialist and he doesn't count.

I AM NOT SICK.

Writing this on Friday afternoon, listening to more reports on the coronavirus, as the number of cases here in New York ticks upward -- 33 right now. Not much? Well, didn't stop Evil-Eyes Andy Cuomo from grabbing some weird, undefined emergency powers.

But that's fine. Because I am not sick.

Yes, I live in the lower Hudson Valley, not too far from Woodbury Common, Disneyland for shoppers, which is one of the top tourist destinations in the state. Very popular with Japanese travelers and, in more recent years, Chinese travelers. It's true that the travel bans recently have made an impact on the place. I know someone who works in one of the stores, a money machine that takes in $25,000 a day normally. The take is down, by 20% to 40% of late. But the tourists haven't vanished entirely.

And yes, this person claimed to be sick on Thursday. Cold-like symptoms. But I did not contact this person in person.

Which is why I AM NOT SICK.

Scene from the film Contagion, which I did not see
and do not have to see because I am not sick.

Now we hear that coronavirus can be spread via "fecal shedding." Okay, well, I don't touch other people's butts. But we don't have to:

The toilet bowl, sink, and bathroom door handle of an isolation room housing a patient with the novel coronavirus tested positive for the virus, raising the possibility that viral shedding in the stool could represent another route of transmission, investigators reported.

Oh, goody! So, like that guy at my old office who was NEVER, EVER seen to wash his hands in the toilet (I'm not kidding) would have a new and interesting way to play Typhoid Murray. Glad I work at home now.

I could just have a mild cold, anyway. It is still winter, you know. Will be for two more weeks. Of course, the weather has been really mild.... That's it! Early spring, as forecast by Punxsutawney Phil; this is just seasonal allergies, earlier than expected.

That's all.

I'm going to go take a nice hot shower now....

Shortly thereafter

Ahh. Much better. Yes, I'm still rather run-down, but it was a busy workday. I'm sure I'll be just fine on Saturday morning if I get a good night's sleep. Which I will ensure by taking some diphenhydramine, which will treat the seasonal allergies, which is probably what I have, if anything, or if not that just a mild cold.

That's all.

Saturday morning

All right, I still don't feel great, but I am certain it's not coronavirus at least. A New York county health department released this:

The three distinguishing symptoms are shortness of breath, cough, and fever, and I have none of these. I'm just tired, sniffly, and paranoid. Sounds like I'm in the clear! Probably just allergies.

All the same, I'm keeping my hands in my pockets the whole time I'm outside the house. It may be difficult to drive that way, but my health is worth it.