The plane story reminded me of something I hate....people who sneeze or cough without absorbing it some way. Waiting for a plane, I heard a woman sneezing over and over and over again. It was probably allergies, you know? But still. What else was she spreading? I made a mental note not to sit by her, but OF COURSE, she got on after me, and her friend sat right next to me on the full plane. She sat across the aisle and one seat back, and sneezed through the WHOLE FLIGHT, while leaning forward and talking to her friend the WHOLE FLIGHT, even when the friend was trying to read her book.

Did I mention that, instead of burying her face in her elbow like I've trained myself to do for the unexpected sneeze...she instead placed her hand delicately over her mouth and held it there while the sneeze built up, and then JUST as the sneeze erupted she twisted her wrist to move her hand away from her face--AS IF TO PREVENT HER SECRETIONS FROM GETTING ON HER HAND!!!!

I only know this because I was giving her and her friend dirty looks, but they were talking so much they didn't notice me and I couldn't get a word in edgewise anyway. I tried to just hold my breath as much as possible. The friend seemed nonplussed by the sneezing. I shall never forget that hand curling away from the mouth as if it were afraid. blech.

Karen