Computer virus?

We've all heard of computer viruses. Most of us have received several emails alerting us about one kind of virus or another-some true, some not. But sometimes it really does seem like there is a different kind of computer virus. Perhaps it would be good to call it the "Sharing Online Virus," because that's what seems to happen. You chat with someone either through a chatroom or an instant message. That person, or someone with them, happens to be sick. Before you know it, you, or someone with you, gets sick with the same symptoms.

Take this morning, for example. I was doing my usual morning chatting with family (today it was Mom, De, and Stacey). A little while into the chat, Stacey pretty much said, "Oh, yeah, I didn't tell you that Chris (or was it Daniel?) was sick and throwing up again last night. I said something along the lines of, "And yet you're online?!" She did say he seemed better this morning. The rest of the chat went along as it usually does. But then it happened soon after I picked up Emma from school and had just given the girls their lunch.

The phone rang. Looking at caller-id, it was the elementary school. I knew what they were going to say before I even answered it. And I was right. It was one of the ladies in the office calling to say that they had Jimmy back in the nurse's room saying he felt like he was going to hurl. My first thought went to Stacey and her statement about her sick child. I thought, "That was fast." I also couldn't help but thinking of earlier online conversations about this online virus. Most notably when I was pregnant with Alyssa and Di got on and said that she wasn't going to get on when I was on anymore because she seemed to catch everything I had.

So online chatters beware...