I was horribly embarrassed about my bedbugs a few years ago, and today I read an article in the New Yorker that said the whole city is going through a rash (no pun intended) of them. Apparently bedbugs are this year's cockroach. So I feel better.

I am conflicted. If I leave work now, I'll get to the gym way too early to go to Pilates & Meditation, which I want to try out. But on the plus side, I wouldn't be at work anymore. Life is hard.

Lynn Harris? Yes. (Or, at least, I'm 90 percent sure.) I've seen her writing in Salon a few times lately.

I just didn't even look at the byline. I wasn't actually questioning your statement, more slapping myself upside the head. I loved Breakup Girl. I was a recurring letter writer on her site, back in the day!

I loved Breakup Girl. I was a recurring letter writer on her site, back in the day!

That's awesome. (Well, it's awesome because, clearly, things turned out for the best for you. It wouldn't be awesome if you'd written her a lot of letters and were still in need of romatic advice.)

She once ran an answer I sent in to someone whose boyfriend had psycho parents. It really made my day.

True, but you don't need to share the diagnosis with the whole world. "A rash" or "allergic reaction" will do for people like that.

Oh, I don't plan to. I'm actually kind of surprised I shared it here. I figured you guys would understand, though. You're all smart and stuff. But most people? They'll get the allergic reaction story. *Technically* that's what it is...an allergic reaction to the scabies...

{{{vw}}} At least it's something treatable.

t scratches along with vw

I don't think my rash or whatever is scabies, although the worst is behind my knee, which is apparently a common location. If it doesn't get better, I'm going to have to go to the doctor and discover that I have distemper or mange or something.

that's what it is...an allergic reaction to the scabies...

Totally true! I bet some people have the scabies and never know it because they're not as allergic!

{{{vw}}}

We still never figured out what was causing the rash I had. The dermatologist gave me a steroid cream which made it go away, and it stayed completely gone for about a month before cropping up again, in mild form which disappeared after two applications of the cream (just saying that makes me feel like a rulebreaking baseball player). So no big deal, but I still wish I knew for sure what was causing this so I could make it go away for good and not have it as a niggling worry.

Okay, pop quiz: My boss's boss just told me a change that's coming up in the newsroom that I'm fairly certain my boss doesn't know about yet, which will affect him.

I don't want to tell him, because I'm not sure it should come from me, but I also don't want him to know I knew and didn't tell him.

So what should I do? Tell him to talk to the uberboss and not let him know what it's about? Keep my mouth shut? Am I overthinking this?

Serial:

The change isn't anything really bad ... just that someone is leaving and I'm going to have to do part of her job for a few weeks.