On colds, bad backs, and earthquakes

I apologize for the silence much of this past week. I really had intended to add some entries about various genealogical things, but I really wasn't feeling well. I didn't feel well when I went to work on Monday. By Tuesday morning, I was running a fever and really sick. It was one of those things that just has to run its course and which medicine only treats the symptoms. Just as I was beginning to feel better Thursday afternoon, I prepared to sit down, and before I got down, my back went out. I had never had this happen before, but I instantly sympathized with everyone who has ever had it happen to them. Somehow I managed to make it through work Friday, although when I went in, I doubted that I could manage to stay the whole day between the residue of the cold and the back. I was able to stand when I needed to do so and move to a better chair when I needed to do so. I enlisted student workers to do my bending and lifting for me. With the support of the couch, my back was doing better. This morning, it started hurting again, but I could tell it was more muscular this time and that I needed to just get some more support behind it. I sat down to watch the UT Vols game, and as I was sitting down, I felt the earth move under my feet. It wasn't long before the USGS identified the epicenter as Whitesburg, Kentucky with a magnitude of 4.3. I will say that Facebook and Twitter were abuzz with reports of the earthquake at least 20 minutes before USGS ever posted a thing.  Now, I don't know about you, but I'm almost afraid of sitting down. If it can bring on a bad back and an earthquake, what else can sitting down bring on?