I have to admit, I had to check my temperature to be sure this was a common cold and not a flu. It started pretty slowly yesterday evening, and grew over time. By morning I was reluctant to go to work mainly because I did not want to infect everyone on the bus and at work by sneezing, but I felt fully able to work, so I decided to go. At least I would fetch my laptop so I could work from home for the next day or two. By evening I was completely pickled, and even if I don’t get worse, it will be hard to concentrate on work for long. I am also already getting a hint of chest cold. That was early, but my temperature is still close to normal range, so I doubt it is a flu.

The weather has approached freezer temperatures again but today go only a few degrees below zero. Despite the name, scientists assure us that the cold is not the cause of a “head cold” or “common cold”. Or not directly. Spending more time indoors with other people causes us to exchange viruses and this is the cause. But I think we should also factor in the stress on the body from adapting quickly to high and low temperatures every time we leave home and return.  After all, the difference between my living room and outdoors earlier this week was as large as the difference between a nice warm bath and freezing water. If you were immersed in one of them and went into the other repeatedly, I am pretty sure your body would have to do some fancy footwork to adapt.