Via JoeMyGod:

Doug Murphy, 41, the owner of the venerable Castro gay bar Moby Dick, died of the H1N1 (swine flu) virus while visiting Palm Springs on Friday. Last month Murphy and his business partner opened another Castro bar, the Blackbird, to positive reviews.

I did not know Doug, but his bar was a favorite stop of mine as it was just two blocks from my old apartment in San Francisco. I enjoyed many two-for-one frozen margaritas there.

The fact that a 41 year old died from H1N1 is of course alarming. Universities across the country are gearing up for a potentially rough flu season on campus as students return from summer break. I certainly hope my students remain H1N1-free this term!