When the Office Germophobe Becomes Patient Zero

Yup, I'm THAT guy today. The hypocrisy is off the charts.

I'm the first person to complain and order people to leave and go home when they are hacking, coughing and complaining that they don't feel well at work. Yet here I am, typing away on my laptop here in my office at the radio station.

I just can't help it. I justify it because I don't FEEL as bad as my voice and dry cough sound. Sure, I may be coughing like a seal at the aquarium, but I've got things to do.

Ugh! I'm so guilty it hurts.

The thing is, I just can't stay home if I'm not bedridden. I missed our show on Friday without a problem. I couldn't lift my head off my pillow and I was a mess. I watched so many movies on Friday and Saturday that my head was spinning: The Fighter, American Gangster, The King's Speech. I was really bad, so I could stay home without a second thought.

My problem is when you get to that in-between stage. Working with a guy like JR for 20 years, it's hard not to be this way. His work ethic was unmatched. It's just physically impossible for me to stay home and feel good about myself if I'm not completely down and out.

But when you flip the script, that's when I flip out. I'm such a germophobe that I'm the FIRST person to actually get annoyed (not fake annoyed, but really annoyed) when someone shows up to work sick.

My apologies to my coworkers today.