Germs: Personal space guaranteed

I don't like being sick. In fact, I'm a pretty miserable sick person. I whine, sniffle, complain, and in general make myself impossible to deal with. Most of all, when I'm sick, I don't like to be touched. But there is one thing I do appreciate about a good illness--personal space.

Whenever you're sick, people tend to steer several feet clear of your contamination zone. This fun fact is particularly useful on public transportation. You sneeze, cough, or even give a deep sniffle, and suddenly you sense the sea of people around you shrinking away and trying to avoid coming into contact with anything they've seen you touch.

The more I notice this behavior, the more it prods me to really play up my symptoms, even if I'm not feeling quite that bad. I start to sniffle more often, maybe even adding in some crumpled tissue-dabbing for extra effect. I throw in a cough, a sneeze. Definitely some labored breathing and a long sigh.

The result is wonderful--you finish your commute in your own germ bubble. You don't have to deal with the pushing and shoving and other annoying habits of your fellow commuters.

You've got to find a silver lining somewhere, right?