I'm back from vacation. Actually, I got back a few days ago, but I promptly came down with a case of the flu, which I probably picked up on the plane, and that took me out of action for a few days. Coincidentally, the book I read on the plane was The Great Influenza by John Barry, about the flu pandemic of 1918. So it was with all those images of the gruesome ways flu victims died in 1918 fresh in my mind, that I first noticed flu symptoms developing in myself. Thankfully, I seem to now be over the worst of it, though I felt like crap for several days.

I didn't get a chance to see anything particularly hoax-related on my tour through the southern states. The one oddity I made my wife take a detour to see was the Gay Dolphin Gift Store in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. From what I had read, the store was supposed to be full of all kinds of strange novelties, like feejee mermaids. But I was very disappointed. It was just row after row of junk, like seashells, keyrings, and tacky postcards. I recommend skipping it if you're ever in Myrtle Beach. In fact, I'd recommend skipping Myrtle Beach entirely.