It seems that this winter season, I’m a walking germ. I have once again been knocked off my feet with a headache, runny nose, sore throat, watery eyes, and cough. I’m a salt-gargling, honey-tasting, green-tea swigging, tissue-blowing, sweatshirt-wearing virus.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

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It’s cold outside. Are you staying warm? Here in Georgia we’re still able to survive with a durable fleece, over a long-sleeved shirt, with fingerless mittens. But I know the rest of you are below-freezing. Take care and stay warm.

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I read a really interesting piece in New York Magazine yesterday, about how our experiences in high school influence our whole lives. If you have a chance, you should read the whole thing.

The piece is set against the backdrop of a high school reunion. Which is interesting, because in the age of social media, the power of the ten, twenty, and twenty-five year high school reunion has diminished significantly. We’re not spanning decades without seeing each other because we’re all on Facebook. We don’t mosey through life not knowing what happened to the kids we passed notes to in American History– we’re viewing online pictures of their children.

High school is high school, for sure. But we’ve had a lot more time to make peace with the stress, anxiety, and humiliations we might have had in high school by connecting online. People who never knew the other existed are friends on Facebook. And they’re not just friends for friends sake– I see them trading recipes and meeting up at exercise classes. There’s something about Facebook that has forged friendships from high school that never existed, and perhaps repaired those that ended badly.

For better, or for worse– we’re living one big reunion, each and every day.

* What movie is the title of this post from? Hint: It’s one of my favorite movies about high school.