On 21 October, 2009, says Facebook, I posted a quote from Greg Brown's "Where Is Maria?": "Sweated-through shirt hanging over a chair." Then I called the doctor, and my symptoms led to this: "Doctor's appt. at 2:15. I have to put on a mask when I get there." And finally, I posted the diagnosis: "No H1N1. Just a normal virus." I have no memory of any of this, but there it is: I wore a mask for a doctor's appointment in 2009 because of an influenza pandemic comparable to the 1918-1919 pandemic, and though the mask was worth noting, it was completely uncontroversial – and Facebook posts offer a record of that. (Andrew Shields, #111words, 21 October)
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