I don’t believe that anthrax is a real threat, just something that is blown out of proportion by the media. I got a card from someone in northern NJ, and to show I wasn’t afraid (and wasn’t thinking clearly) I licked the envelope. Yes, what the hell was I thinking, I licked the stupid envelope. Someone hit me with a large blunt object, it might knock some sense into me, but I did it. I am still not very worried about any biological war problems, but I still think I was stupid. What should I do? I’m not going to panic, just reasonably and rationally keep track of my health over the next few weeks, and be aware is all I can do, I guess. But I still don’t believe that any problems will arise and I am not afraid.
you should have done it on TV get some fame from it , it shows you defiance to who ever is planting the stuff in the post and showing your resolve ,
course your not very very brave since bio stuff has only affected about 0.00001% of the US population , just don’t do it when your local postal depot gets reports of workers being ill or when there is a major escalation to events
the only thing that bothers me is that the letter was mailed from New Jersey, and most likely from where it was mailed went through one of the many mail areas under the stress of anthrax attacks.
For someone who proclaims himself “not afraid” of Anthrax you certainly seem to be seeking opinions from lots people to reassure yourself.
Chill, you’re not a congressperson…
Sam
Yeah, I’m betting on the odds, but it still wasn’t the smartest thing I could have done.
I dare say you’ll be right.
Is the affected Postal Centre in NJ still open for business? Surely they’re undergoing tests and decontamination? Something? Is your letter from anywhere near where the actual postings have been made?
You have a good chance of being ok. If there was a risk of Anthrax being spread by mail passing through the mail centre, then I think they’d be taking measures to stop it. If that was a risk, licking it wouldn’t be any more harmful that touching it with a cut on your hand, right? Someone here is sure to know!
Yeah. One time when I was five years old, I wanted to prove that I wasn’t afraid to do a cartwheel off the couch, just like Mary Lou was doing off her balance beam thingys on television.
Funny how easily arms can break.
I usually get the mail at work (post office is right across the street) and one day last week, the boss got an unmarked letter from Florida! He opened it without a moment’s hesitation. However, a postage meter (with a bulk rate) had been used instead of stamps. Also, it was window type envelope and his name was neatly printed on the inside. Turns out to be a subscription renewal notice from Forbes magazine!
There are deep sociological implications here. I predict that in the next decade, “Licking the envelope” will replace the colloquial “Pushing in the envelope.” Or something.
Just an update, Everything’s going great, no problems and i don’t expect to find any in the future.
another update: I feel like shit. It was 6 days ago that I licked that envelope and now i feel like shit. I hope to god it has nothing to do with it, i just ache all over, i feel like shit.