"I wouldn't touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole."

Though I think I've mentioned him in one or two of my other posts, I have never formally introduced my brother Evan.

And now I have.

I'm featuring Evan for this week's topic mainly because he inspired this week's topic. Although he is not a full-fledged germaphobe, nor OCD about germs and cleaning, he is rather acutely aware of other people's less than hygienic habits.

"I'm grossed out by things easily. In general, other people gross me out." That's how he put it. And believe me, just because I'm family doesn't mean I'm excluded from that statement in any way. Nor my dad. Nor my mom. All people gross him out.

So this week I'm letting him tell his side, partially because it was rather fascinating to hear what bothers him exactly and why, and partially because I owe it to him for all those times I teased him (to my shame) about the way he wouldn't drink or eat after us. (Maybe this is a good time to confess that I even drank out of his drink once or twice and didn't tell him. I won't rat my dad out though...)

Excuse me, exactly how many germs are on that?

Apparently, I'm always one day behind. During my last week of blog posting, I found out about America Recycles Day the day after this national go green day. This time, I found tips for staying germ free during Thanksgiving...on Black Friday. Oh, well. Today is Thanksgiving in my mind. My mom was sick yesterday, so we decided to postpone the big feast one day.

The fact that my mom got sick at such an "inconvenient" time (Isn't that what always happens?) made me think about what caused her 24 hour virus. Germs obviously. But could she have avoided getting sick by being a little more OCD about germs? Perhaps so.

Now just a little clarification, in this week's topic I'm not exactly arguing for full-fledged germaphobia, which is actually considered a mental condition. (You should read some of the online germaphobe chat rooms where people advise other people how to calm themselves from a traumatic germ experience by sitting down and taking deep calming breaths for 15 minutes. And here's a funny article about "Confessions of a Germaphobe.") Actually, I'm arguing for being more germ-aware.

Maybe you're wondering, "Am I a germaphobe?" Chances are, you're not. But to find out how germaphobic (or germ-aware) you actually are, take this short quiz.

After researching germs for a while, I've been enlightened about the billions of germs waiting out there. If you wish to remain ignorant about how much grossness lurks on everyday items, don't watch this video.  

Scary isn't it? You'll probably be repulsed forever now by your toothbrush and ice and lemons from restaurants.

So what are some ways to keep those germs away?

Week 9: Obsessed with Sanitation vs. Building your Immune System

I took a week off, but now I'm back with a new and exciting topic! I tend to be the one who eats/drinks after (almost) anyone, with the reasoning that I'm building up my immune system with every new little germ I intake. This philosophy typically works too. I rarely get sick, and I definitely get sick less than my friends who are extremely careful to avoid germs.

But I know plenty of people who are the opposite. They avoid eating or drinking after others (even family), use hand sanitizer or wash their hands frequently. Some people I know do this because they are trying to avoid getting sick, but others are simply grossed out by the thought of sharing other people's germs.

So this week I'll be taking the position of what most people affectionately call "germaphobes."

On this issue, people sometimes have a very difficult time understanding the other side. Non-germaphobes find the obsession annoying, and often rather rude and snobbish. Germaphobes are often repulsed by the "nons" habits/practices of sharing and supposed "lack of sanitation." Hopefully, this week I can help share how germaphobes really feel, and why they obsess about sanitation.