Jacob KingWeb Designer

Around midnight of last night, the wife and I are almost in the throes of deep sleep when I get a call from Carlos, my brother-in-law: My sister is sick--they're going to the emergency room. Thanks to the H1N1 pandemic, non-sick children aren't allowed inside the emergency ward, so Molly and I drive across town to meet Carlos at the hospital, keeping my two nephews company in the lobby while Carlos goes behind the scenes.

Roughly two and a half hours later, we get word that the doctors are calling it a random virus. Pills, IV, no overnight required. Carlos opts to take the boys home. Molly and I go in the emergency ward to keep my sister company until she is discharged. It's about 3 in the morning, so I'm trying to stay awake and occupied. I do so with a WinXP workstation bolted to the wall of my sister's room. That night, I learn the following:

• This particular hospital doesn't lock down its network very well. *tsk*
• This hospital is still stuck on Internet Explorer 6. BOOOOOO.
• Note to hospital IT personnel: disabling the computer mouse won't stop us if the keyboard still works, unless your primary concern is Bejeweled Blitz.

I managed to drag myself to work on [??] hours of sleep. No word on my productivity yet.