Swine flu swarm

There hasn't been much time to blog recently. The swine flu has taken over a good part of life, not because I'm sick (there are still no official cases in Louisiana, thank goodness), but because it's my story every day. I always enjoy following a beat, especially in a big story like this one. You get to know who to call and all the ins and outs of the topic --- it makes you feel like you're on top of things. I now know more about the H1N1 flu than I had ever hoped to know. So far, my feelings about the disease change day by day. In some moments, I'm amazed and worried at how quickly the disease has spread across the country. At other times, like today, I feel comforted. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control is now saying that the virus may not be as ominous as originally thought. I visited with one 2nd grader in my story today who has a different take on the whole scary event. Her school is closed because of a sick student. In her eyes, she's just excited to have the day off. You can catch that story tonight at 10.