In World War I, the U.S. lost 50,000 lives. A tragic figure to be sure, but one that is dwarfed by the roughly 500,000 lives that were lost to the influenza epidemic a year after the war ended. Now this bird flu thing has the potential to be even more lethal.

This year I've avoided catching a cold or the flu, and I wonder if it has to do with an increased focus on hygiene on my part. No one who knows me would call me a particularly fastidious person. I'm probably more the opposite of the anal retentive type. More of the anal protruding sort I guess, if that would be the opposite, although that conjures all sorts of strange connotations, but whatever. I guess this flu thing and a couple girlfriends I had last year who were a bit more conscious have me thinking more along those lines.

I've especially been paying attention in public restrooms. Apparently, a study has shown that 60% of men who use a restroom don't bother to wash their hands. That means the door to a restroom in particular is a breeding ground for germs. I've noticed that a lot of places have gotten rid of the doors to their restrooms, and have those visually activated sinks and toilet facilities, so you minimize any possibility of contamination.

So when I'm in places that don't have all these visual sensors, I not only make certain to wash my hands, but I only touch stuff with my elbows or with a paper towel. Especially in the court house, where a lot of my clients are not the cleanest people in the world. I usually grab a paper towel and use that to open and close the door, then dispose of the towel in the nearest garbage.

Whether this has worked or whether I've just gotten lucky, no bugs this year so far, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed and clean.

Famous last words, I suppose.