In reply to Xharlie:
I agree it's unpleasant being near it but it's also much more unpleasant to have a blocked nose you can't clear. Don't know if everyone is different on this or whether it's the severity of the cold, but when I've got a bad cold I can try and blow for half an hour straight yet still not unblock my nose and I'll need to sniff or wipe it within a few steps of leaving the bathroom. It's hideous but unavoidable. Nasal sprays are the best thing I've found but they're not perfect and are pretty short lasting (plus are very hard to take when you're already blocked up without being pretty messy :-/ not something youdo in public).
Also you get bitched at for blowing your nose in public by people...so you can't win.
the big problem is that we're all guilt tripped for having a day off because we're ill so need to disgust our colleagues and fellow commuters, usually infecting a load of them, rather than have a sick day....even though many of us could work from home if our bosses weren't so paranoid! (thankfully I'm a homeworker these days...although the bad bit is you never get a sick day unless you're in a coma! :-p)
