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[licleaning]

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[melbournebio]

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[steviewashere]

To Be So Mundane

Rating: General CW: Brief mention of Covid-19 (as this is set in 2021) Tags: Post-Canon, Post Vecna, Future Fic, Set in 2021, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Older Steddie, Domestic Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Teacher Steve Harrington, The Intimacy in a Bowl of Soup, Emotional Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson is a Sweetheart, Steve Harrington is a Sweetheart, Soft Eddie Munson, Soft Steve Harrington

Thought about finishing up the fourth chapter of my merman Steve fic. And then I got sidetracked, so here's this. Also, I don't know where they live or what Eddie does for work (maybe mechanic, if you feel so inclined to imagine him that way). Pick your flavor <3

🥣—————🥣 At the end of the day, Steve realizes it’s not the horror he’s experienced that will linger. Sure, they persist and he is frightened and he shakes sweating from it all. But when he comes home, exhausted to his core and sluggish to the soles of his feet, it’ll never be the agony he finds in his kitchen. It’s the warmth.

The sweet musk of vanilla bourbon candles bought from the home aisle of the neighborhood Walmart. A singular orange bulb in a second-hand floor lamp, tucked cozy by the couch, in the corner between the back door and the right armrest. Bookshelves of knick knacks and framed photos from 2003—when he finally tried the college route and graduated. The sprawl of mini-figure painting equipment on the coffee table: half-open paint jars that he closes up tight, still drying clean paint brushes, paper towels and yellowed newspaper, and magnifying goggles.

It’s to music. Soft crooning through the—now considered ancient—record player from 1988. Sometimes Jim Croce. Sometimes John Prine. Sometimes the goddess, Dolly Parton. Something familiar and nearly worn out from playing the records over and over and over. Tonight, it’s Jim. It’s coming back to the floating husking rasp of Eddie Munson’s fifty-five year old voice, not all that great but always sweet from by the stovetop.

To where Steve migrates, shoeless and briefcase free and his teacher’s badge hung up. Where soup simmers on the low heat—smelling of paprika and roasted carrots and chicken bouillon. The oven heating up a loaf of French bread, basted in garlic butter, sprinkled with shredded mozzarella cheese. Where Eddie stands, stirring and singing—his now silver hair pulled up into a bun, dressed down in a plain white t-shirt and black sweatpants, and his scruff not shaved—he must’ve had a lazy day. Steve wraps his arms around Eddie’s waist, his body warm and his tummy a little pudgier. Eddie hums, reaching down with a free hand to cover the back of Steve’s, squeezing. And Steve’ll never be used to their wedding rings clinking together.

“Long day?” Eddie murmurs low.

Steve grunts. Digs his chin into Eddie’s left shoulder. His glasses going crooked from the angle. Peers down at the bubbling pot of dinner. “Kids kept threatening to take their masks off. Nearly started a coughing fight,” he answers at the same volume. He sighs, long and genuine. “They’ve officially turned Covid-19 into classroom warfare. Whatever happened to spitballs and globs of food?”

Eddie chuckles deep in his chest. “Don’t give ‘em ideas, Stevie.” He smiles softly down at his cooking, dimples deep and smile lines deeper. Steve kisses under his left ear just because. Because he can. Because this is what the world is when it doesn’t end, thank god. The soup is stirred slowly for a few more beats. He scoops up a spoonful in their beat up ladle. It’s got a few char scars from when they first learned to cook meals for one another—Steve believes it’s from the time he forgot to turn off the stovetop when making macaroni and cheese. Lesson learned.

“Here, taste this for me, baby?” Eddie gently requests, holding the ladle to Steve’s face over his shoulder. Hand cupping the underside. Face turned slightly to try and make eye contact, he’ll give himself a knot if he does it too long. Steve knows, having given many massages over the last decade.

He leans forward slightly, accepting the soup as Eddie tilts the ladle. Makes an obnoxious slurp that Eddie snorts at. Smacks his lips and hums. “Ooo, that’s good,” Steve mutters close to Eddie’s ear. “Got a little kick to it. You put a little bit of that new chili oil?”

“Mm and chili flakes,” Eddie hums. “Thought it would pair nicely. Remember that chicken I began marinating last night?”

“The chicken you told me I couldn’t make for my lunch today?”

Eddie rolls his eyes, turning back to the soup pot, shutting the burner off. “I told you not to take it all,” he points out with pleasant tease. “Because you’ll do that if I don’t stop you. And then you come home and complain that your stomach hurts because you ate too much. And then I have to put you on bed rest for the night.”

“I’m not that bad—“

“Anyway,” Eddie cuts in. “I marinated it in this ginger, coconut sauce that I saw a few nights ago on uh…What’s that app that Robin’s always sending videos from?”

“The…The TickTick app?” Steve guesses.

Eddie snaps his fingers together. “Yeah! That app!” He exclaims softly. (They’ll learn later it’s definitely not that, but it doesn’t matter.) He shrugs Steve off to grab the bread from the oven. Steve just moves around to their bar countertop, not a complaint on his tongue. Eddie continues, “I also added a little bit of coconut milk to the base broth. So, hopefully, this’ll be good. With the leftovers, I was thinking you could make your cauliflower rice for lunch and put the soup on top? Only if it’s good, though. If this sucks, I’ll pay for pizza tonight.”

Steve laughs from his belly. “If you do, make sure to get the gluten free crust. Stupid stomach has been acting up again,” he says softly.

Standing up, Eddie hisses. “You’re lucky that the bakery section at the grocery store only had gluten free baguettes then,” he teases gently once more. He sets the finished bread on the countertop, grabs the bottle of chili oil from by the pot of soup, and drizzles it lightly overtop the cheesy, garlic goodness. When he finally dishes up their dinner, he settles next to Steve at the counter. Bowls and small plates of bread in front of them. Glasses of crappy Barefoot red wine, because this is what they can afford—and it doesn't really suck, not when it's served thoughtfully like it is tonight.

“Thank you, baby,” Steve murmurs. He leans in close to Eddie’s side, presses a chaste kiss to his cheek, and then promptly digs in.

And it’s good. Everything’s so good. Jim Croce is singing about time in a bottle. The soup is warm and fresh and homemade. Every light is a careful amber. He’s tired and happy and…complete.

Eddie’s got soup in the scruff under his lip. But Steve doesn’t say anything. Just admires the fine wrinkles and lines to his face, where they’ve begun to really deepen. Admires how his eyes are just as big and soft and expressive as they were thirty-five years ago after Vecna. Where his body is soft. His endearingly white hair.

How he’s alive.

“Hey, Eds?”

Immediately, Eddie looks onto him. Eyes wide with trepidation. The corners of his mouth pinched downward. “Is it not good? I can go get my wallet if it’s—“

Steve lays his hand on the back of Eddie’s forearm. The right one, closest to him, where scars swamp the bats. And that says something, too, he’s sure. About how Eddie fought the bats and came out victorious anyway. His thumb runs soothingly over Eddie’s malleable, aged, warm skin. And his eyes prickle with tears—it would’ve been embarrassing if he were nineteen still, but what a wonderful thing to be alive and cry at all.

“I’m so fucking happy you’re here with me,” Steve breathes out all at once. He sighs through his mouth, a gentle sob escaping.

Eddie drops his spoon into his bowl of slowly cooling soup. And he reaches up, dislodging Steve’s hand on his arm completely, cupping his face between his hands instead. “Oh, baby,” he coos. “Baby, are you alright? Where’s this coming from?”

Steve shrugs because he doesn’t know. Not really. But it’s here. And he’s got a therapist in the aftermath of everything, and feelings deserved to be felt—so they’ve said. “I just—“ He wetly exhales, leaning into Eddie’s soft hands. “—I don’t know. It’s so fucking…I’m so happy to just be boring. To do the same mundane things every single day. To just come home.”

“Oh,” Eddie coos again. He tugs Steve closer, burying his face into his shoulder. Pets a hand through Steve’s own white hair. A hand between his shoulders. Letting him dissolve safely. “I am, too, Steve,” he states like a promise. “You have no idea how my heart just soars in the morning when I look over and you’re…God, you’re drooling all over your own forearm and snuffling deep into the pillow and your hair is all spiky and you’ve got creases all over your face from going to war with the top sheet.” Steve chuckles just as Eddie pulls him back. Hands back on his cheeks, thumbs soothing tear tracks. “You have no idea how relieved I am to look over and see you at peace, sweetheart. Every day—I don’t know how you do it—but every day you let me discover a new part of you to love.”

They smile at one another, softly, eyes shiny with tears. Their soup is going cold, but it doesn’t matter. They’ve got all the time in the world to reheat it.

“I love you,” Steve breathes, states. Just because he can.

“I love you, too,” Eddie says immediately. Because it’s that easy.

It’s easy when life is nothing more than this.

🥣—————🥣

[rennorthernlights]

The World We Knew

Chapter 1: Radioheart, Chapter 2, Chapter 3,

Trigger warnings; Zombies, mentions of death, very brief mention of suicide in the very beginning.

You can also go to AO3 for RenNorthenLights. I post more on there than here. If you go to my AO3 than PLEASE look at the tags for this fic! MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

——————————————————————————————

October-ish, 2023. Time??? Location???

It’s become almost routine now.

Waking up at the ass crack of dawn, checking her backpack, cleaning her rifle, making sure the ‘room’ she’s in is safe. Over a year ago she wouldn’t be up this early. Over a year ago she wouldn’t even be touching her fathers rifle without permission. But life has a funny way of throwing curve balls. In this sense, life threw a massive curve ball at everyone and everything. The world as she knew it become sick with disease— No, not COVID-19, though many speculated that it was the reason, the beginning of it all. No it was the dead-come-back-to-life-and eat-your-face kinda disease. Normally people bring up that type of disease in conversations with speculations on the “what if” scenarios of what they’d do.

Many of her college friends all had plans and ideas and yet most of them now roam the streets looking for the next person to chomp on. Ironic isn’t it? She never believed she’d live this long hell many times the conversation of “Quick a zombie apocalypse happens! What do you do?!” She’d laugh and says she’d die in the next month or two. To which her friends would moan and groan because surely “You wouldn’t give up so easily?? Come onnnn what would you actually do.” She’d think it over and before putting much thought, she said.

“I’d kill myself.” Her friends went silent before laughing at how serious she sounded and even she laughed. A good banter back and forth as her college friends sipped on cheap booze. “No, no, but in all seriousness. I’d stay with my parents. My dads a police Captain after all. He’s taught me how to shoot before I could write and my ma… well she’ll probably teach me something.” Snorting a chuckle since her moms a teacher. One of her friends asks what she’d do if her parents became zombies.

“Well I guess I’d try to find groups to stay in. What do y’all think? I guess I’d put up with y’all.” Nudging her friend playfully on the shoulder. Laughter in the room as the music starts playing and the cheep booze starts kicking in. As her friends dance and sing to “Only Girl in the World” by Rihanna she sits on the couch in deep thought. Her drink in hand as she thinks bout her life. Thinks about her finals coming up and how she’s gotta take all the tests to become a nurse. Both her parents were exceptionally happy that she didn’t follow in their footsteps.

“I love kids but please… do not become a teacher.” Her mother sounded so exhausted when they spoke early on the phone. “And don’t become a police officer!” Her father yells in the background. The running joke for every phone call even though her parents are well aware that she’s going to be a nurse. She’s been deadset on it since she was a kid. She doesn’t plan on telling her ma that she’s gonna try and apply to be the school nurse where her ma works. Sipping her booze some more as the apple news on her phone pings “Reports of a New Virus, Scientists say… ”

She huffs, reading the first couple of paragraphs before getting bored and exiting out of the article. “Probably another variant of COVID. Great another shot I’m gonna have to take.” Turning her phone off and chugging her drink before she starts dancing with her giggly and much too drunk friends.

————————————————————

Oh how life turned so fast and so quickly the following week. Nearly half of the friends in the room became the first percentages of “Turned” and the other half “Missing, have you seen them?” She barely made it out herself. But that’s life. Cruel and beautiful and so, so lonely in the world she now knows. She stays too long thinking about it and she’ll drown. She doesn’t want to think about her friends, her home, her… family. It’s still too much even after all this time. Even with it being well over a year it still hurts.

Shaking her head of those thoughts as she gets situated. Glad that she triple checked the ‘room’ she’s in. Her anxiety has been through the roof these last couple days and every lil noise is having her jump. At least she can put her mind at ease since she’s checked and barricaded the exit. A couple deads outside that she handled quickly. Who knew that she’s be so proficient with a bat and knife? She’s a good shot but before a to keep her rifle hidden. Not many bullets being made anyways..

She turns her radio on as she waits for it to come to life. For months she been speaking on it. Using it as a dairy of sorts, it helps her when she feels the loneliest. Helps when the days feel colder than what it typically does in Texas. She spoke and spoke until one day it started speaking back. The man on the radio commented how he’s been hearing her speak and at first, he and his group thought it was a hoax since they couldn’t get the radio to work. She didn’t speak on it for days, but the men would still speak back and call out to her.

Finally, she worked up the courage to speak back and from then on, they’ve become a part of her routine. Once a day around noon they’d speak. She has her rules, No names, no locations, no descriptions. She doesn’t want to get attached only to one day not hear them speak back again. She doesn’t need another name added to her list of grief. That, and as much as she wants to trust them, she knows that humans can be just as dangerous if not more so.

“Static, come in Static.” She grins as she sits in the office room that she’s been sleeping in. Stretching her legs as she’s never gotten used to the floors even after all this time. Her legs stiff as her other hand rubs her knee. The radio crinkles and scratches until finally.

“Must you keep calling me that?” The man speaks, the heavy Scottish accent shining through, and she can just tell he’s grinning. “I’ve told ya, mah name is Joh- “

“No,” she cuts him off as she clicks on the button. “No names. I don’t... I don’t want to hear it, please.” She’s told him before that she doesn’t want to hear his name. He’s been understanding but sometimes he’ll still try it... The thought that there is an actual person behind the radio scares her and intrigues her. Hearing someone even through all this mess makes it all bearable even if it’s just by a little bit. “Don’t make me ‘hang up’.” A lighthearted threat. She wouldn’t actually do that. She needs her daily talks with them.

“I know, Bonnie, I know,” the voice speaks with understanding. The man knows all too well on why it’s easier to stay nameless, easier to not be attached incase the voice one day doesn’t speak back. “But one day I would love ta hear my name from your pretty voice.” The voice chuckles, “Where are ya now?” A hopeful tinged to his voice.

“You know I don’t give locations, Static.” Singing back her words with a furrow of her brow. “But… I’m in an office building.”

“Ah, I see that’s become a fan favorite of yours.” A tease in the man’s voice. “Oh, it seems my friend wants to speak to ya.” Her eyes perk up as she knows who is about to speak.

“Electricity!” She smiles big and she just knows Static is rolling his eyes.

“Sunshine haven’t heard from you since, Static,” emphasizing the other man’s nickname and she can practically hear the glare. “has been hogging you.” Electricity, as she’s been calling him even though he’s also tried to get her to call him by his name, has a much softer voice. Calmer and levelheaded compared to Static who's more outgoing and louder. She’s called them the duo 1 and duo 2 before she called them Static and Electricity. Much to their annoyance and amusement, much better than her other idea of calling them Thing 1 and Thing 2.

“Well next time hit him or something.” She smiles as she can hear Static mouthing off something. Probably Static telling him where she’s been in for a bit. “In an office building again? That seems to be your usual, yeah?” The man speaks lowly. His words concerned and yet with the subtleness of memorizing something.

“Am I that predictable, Electricity? She stands up from where she was sitting. “Static said something similar.”

“Not predictable just doing what you always do, Sunshine.”

“That’s… That means I’m being predictable.” She teases as he stammers.

“No, no, I meant that you are more comfortable with what you know to be safe.”

“Soooo predictable with my safety?” She teases as she can hear him muttering “bollocks” like he always does when, she assumes, he is flustered. “I’m pulling your leg, Electricity. Just messing around and being a brat.”

He laughs and sighs in relief. His voice cool like the summer breeze after a rainy day. “So where are you?” His voice sounding slightly insistent.

“No where near you.” Rolling her eyes as they always ask the same questions everytime they talk. “Quit askin, I’m fine on my own. I don’t do groups and you know why.” She’s told them about her run in with the only group she’s been with. Handmaidens Tale meet zombie apocalypse and she barely got out.

“I know, I know, you’ve done well on your own, but a little help goes a long way, Sunny.” Sometimes she wishes she would hate the nicknames that they give her but it does give a warm fuzziness in her stomach whenever they say it. Sighing as she speaks back. “Oh yes because you’re military right?” A bit of sarcasm in her voice as this is one of her questions that she always asks.

“Taskforce 141, Special Operation Forces, you already know this, Lass.” The other man speaks making her jolt. Guess he was listening in when she was speaking to Electricity.

“Yeah, yeah, just making sure you’re not lying and trying to sound more badass than you both already do.” Remarking quickly as a light blush spread on her face. The way he’s speaking sounds deeper. Like she’s in trouble somehow and he’s going to correct her.

“We know, Sunshine, we know you just want to be safe. It’s hard to trust especially with the dead around.” Electricity’s speaks softly, the cool to Static’s heat, “But to say it again; Joh— I mean, Static, is a Sergeant and I am also a Sergeant. Static is an expert in demolitions and trained as a sniper. I myself am an expert with prime target eliminations and covert surveillance.” He says it so sincerely and she has half a mind to believe him.

“And why are you all the way in Texas then?” They’ve told her how they moved up here and she knows the reason, but she wants them to say it again.

“We received word that a base, Fort Sam Houston, was working on a cure for the zombie virus. The BAMC is a hospital within that fort that was conducting research.” Electricity sites off the very thing that they’ve repeated for the last month.

“And?” She makes a go on motion that they can’t see but she knows that they can imagine that’s what she’s doing.

“But when we got there it was already over run and Kyl— I mean Electricity almost got killed in the process.” Static says, he sounds upset. “We’ve been over this, Lass. We tell you about the same things over and over again.” A hushed murmur from Electricity is heard and she starts feels bad.

“I know… I’m sorry, I just...” she starts off as she tries to not sound upset. “I just want to make sure that I can trust you. Last time I did...”

“Handmaidens tale, you’ve told us about it. The leader, Abraham, is a far-right Christian, yes?” Static says the man’s name and she shivers as she gives a tiny yes in reply. “He tried to keep you. To force you to stay with his group and be treated as a... how did you say it?”

“A breading cow.”

“Yes, that,” he sighs deeply on the radio, and she wonders what he and Electricity looks like. Wonders if they are as comforting as their warm voices. Wonders if they have beards or stubbles but her self-imposed rules keep her from asking. “I know it’s a lot, learnin ta trust when it's hard to. We’ve promised since the beginnin ta be honest and if I ever see him.” The threat is laced in his voice but he clears his throat. “Enough of that. We are finally moving to Houston. We acquired a car. A Jeep to be more precise. Any chance we’ll be near ya?”

“You might be…” she says softly as she bites her tongue. The urge to let them come to her gets harder and harder to say no to everyday they speak. “I don’t give locations, Static.”

“I know but can’t blame a man for trying. Oh?” She can hear his eyebrows furrowing as voices in the background speak. They’ve told her that they are a group of 4 in total. She’s never heard the other 2 speak but she can sometimes hear them… they sound funny. “It seems we have to cut this shorter, Bonnie.”

“We’ll speak again tomorrow, Sunshine, we promise.” The other man promises, and she knows they will. They’ve never broken a promise. Never did more than what they couldn’t do from the month that they’ve talked.

“I’ll see you both tomorrow and please,” she stresses the word as she hopes and prays that one day they can meet. That she’ll be brave enough to let them in and find her. “Please be safe. Please don’t get hurt, okay? I’ll metaphorically hit you, I swear I will.”

“Always, Bonnie, we will always be safe. Take care and check corners and windows. Make sure you can quickly get’n and out. Don’t go’n if your gut tells ya not to.” Static says, listing off his advice like he would to a fresh-faced recruit. “Don’t play fair and don’t play kind. Everyone’s an enemy until proven otherwise.” He waits a couple seconds before he passes it to the other man.

“Make sure to pack light and that you can easily grasp your weapon.” Electricity warns. A deep sigh from him before he speaks, “And if you ever… if you ever need help, just... please just tell us. We’ll do whatever we can to come for you, okay?” He waits and waits for her to speak but when she doesn’t, he sighs. He waits another minute and then the radio turns to static signaling the end of their conversation.

“I know,” she says softly as she hears the static of the radio. “Be safe, please be safe.” She murmurs the bits of name that she has overheard them say. Going against her own rules of not saying their names even though she knows it’s half of what their names are. She’s gotten too attached and now… now she’s worried. Worried for men she’s never met and probably never will.

“One can dream,” she rolls her shoulders and bends to stretch. Her stomach growling as she knows it’s about time to eat. Pulling her backpack on the office desk and opening it. A couple cans of food and jerky from gas stations. 2 water bottles and a simple medkit along with an extra shirt and pants. “Okay… raviolis or beans….” Humming as sits and pops open the beans. “I’ll save the raviolis for a special day.”

She’s sat for too long on her ass now it’s time to get a move on. Can’t stay for too long in the same places. Always gotta keep moving to different places. Curse the anxiety that still makes her think that a zombie is around every corner. Guess that’s what she’s been alive for so long.

[covid-safer-hotties]

As new school year opens, COVID-19 surge forces abrupt classroom closures in the US

In the opening days of the 2024-25 school year, at least two schools were forced to shut down due to SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks. This is only the tip of the iceberg, as 1.3 million Americans are currently being infected daily, and most US schools have yet to reopen. For instance, in New York, Michigan and many other northern states, districts typically start after Labor Day.

On Monday, August 12, Jefferson-Abernathy-Graetz (JAG) High School in Montgomery, Alabama closed, moving to remote learning. Fifteen educators reported COVID-19 infection after last week’s two-day orientation. Officials said they would reassess the situation and possibly reopen the building by Friday, at which point they said masks and disinfectant wipes would be made available to students.

The same day as the Alabama closure, Humboldt schools in western Tennessee called off classes at Stigall Primary. Officials informed parents by letter that the school would be closed for “sanitizing” due to an “uptick in COVID.” A later report said an undisclosed number of students and staff tested positive for COVID-19, while others were symptomatic.

“Everyone’s like, ‘COVID is back, COVID is back’,” said Jessica Williamson, a parent of a first grader at Stigall. “I just feel like it didn’t really go anywhere,” she told local media. “Those are little kids. They’re the most prone to put things in their mouths, to touch each other, to just share germs,” Willamson said.

Why, indeed, is “COVID back”? The response of the Tennessee school to the outbreak provides a partial answer.

The district said it was carrying out a “deep clean, disinfecting every surface,” according to Ginger Carver, the communications director for the school district. She added that teachers and staff would follow protocols to keep the classrooms and common areas disinfected. “When students move from class to class, teachers will be wiping down the desks, the desktop surfaces. They’ll be using disinfectants. Basically, the protocols that we were doing back when COVID was full blown,” she said. Humboldt schools reopened on Wednesday.

In other words, COVID is returning with the new school year because no action is being taken to combat the main cause of COVID transmission, the aerosolization of the virus. Furthermore, schools are being reopened almost immediately despite high community spread.

As scientists have demonstrated and nearly five years of COVID deaths have underscored, the key to fighting COVID is disinfection of the air. Without the use of HEPA filtration in all indoor spaces and other mechanisms, including Far-UV light, schools will dramatically exacerbate the spread of the disease. Despite the use of these methodologies by the ruling elites to protect themselves—at the Davos Economic Summit or at the White House, for instance—no such measures are in place for millions of schoolchildren.

The Biden administration, with the full support of the Republican Party, has deprived schools of the funds necessary to make schools safe and prioritized spending for war. The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds allocated to schools beginning in 2020 were purportedly aimed at counteracting COVID. However, they fell far short of addressing the urgently required but costly upgrading of air quality in schools. ESSER amounted to a financial band-aid to districts reeling from decades of budget cuts and inflation.

A House of Representatives study prior to COVID showed that US school buildings were so antiquated and dangerously unsafe that outlays of $145 billion per year were required to modernize and maintain them. The costs of air disinfection would no doubt significantly increase that figure. For its part, the Biden/Harris administration allowed ESSER to end while funneling more than $1 trillion into its rapidly expanding wars against Russia in Ukraine and its military build-up against Iran and China.

Death and disease have been normalized, while mitigation measures as important and effective as masking have been demonized by the right wing among both Republicans and Democrats. This is another reason COVID is back to greet returning students.

An important new study in The Lancet has shown the critical importance of face coverings to prevent transmission in indoor spaces. As Bill Shaw reported on the WSWS:

Face coverings dramatically reduce the load of SARS-CoV-2 in exhaled breath from infected persons. The reductions reached as high as 98 percent, with variations according to the type of face covering worn.

Despite this clear research, neither these schools nor others will require masking when they reopen, spurring new outbreaks of COVID.

Reacting to the new school-related outbreaks, healthcare expert and data analyst Greg Travis posted on X/Twitter Wednesday, “FYI since 2020 more children have died of their SARS-CoV-2 infections … than from all other infectious pathogens COMBINED Stop pretending that SARS-CoV-2 spreading in schools is only a problem for parents, teachers, bus drivers, etc. It is killing kids.”

It is killing and disabling parents, staff and family members as well. JAG High School in Montgomery was the workplace of beloved school custodian Morris Pitts, who died of COVID on November 29, 2020. Pitts was one of eight educators from Montgomery whose lives were taken over a matter of weeks. State, local and federal government officials turned a blind eye to the rampaging virus to keep students in school and parents at work.

The criminal “let it rip” policy of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Biden’s ending of the Public Health Emergency in May 2023 has left the working class abandoned to the ravages of the disease and the growth of Long COVID.

In that vein, Montgomery parents were also instructed—in the most milquetoast language—that when their children develop symptoms, “it’s best to keep them at home.”

Education unions, including the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and National Education Association (NEA), have said nothing about the inevitable superspread resulting from the beginning of a new school year in the midst of a record summer surge. As their websites testify, the AFT and NEA are instead hyperfocused on getting out the vote for Harris/Walz in November in order to maintain their lucrative role as labor contractors and government partners.

Clare, a member of the Alabama Educators Rank and File Committee who protested the unsafe conditions in schools on the Montgomery County Court House steps in October 2020, denounced the failure of schools and health authorities to protect children. She noted that she is herself currently recovering from the virus and had been told by a Veterans Administration nurse, “Just treat the symptoms.” She angrily related that the nurse “had the nerve to say the common cold is just a variation of coronavirus, an extract of COVID. She refused to test me, telling me people are not dying as before and that I’d be alright. They denied me a test. I think they just don’t want to pay for tests anymore.”

Referring to the Montgomery educators who formed “No Plan, No Personnel” and then the Alabama Educators Rank-and-File Committee, Clare said, “This was the problem from the beginning, they have no plan. They should know we might have to go remote at any time because nothing has been done to make the schools safe.”

Clare said a recent family funeral resulted in at least eight members of her family contracting COVID in the summer surge. Bitterly refuting the claims that the virus has mutated to a mild, non-threatening disease, she said, “I felt like I was dying, I never felt like this before. On my third day, it was not a headache—it felt like a migraine. I had body aches from my head through my spine to my feet. I couldn’t breathe and was nauseous. It’s been two and a half weeks now, and I’m fatigued from just doing simple things. It’s debilitating. I get so tired I can’t even pick up the phone.”

While these two schools have been forced to close, right-wing administrators around the country are vowing to keep schools running no matter the cost. On July 31, Arizona State Superintendent of Education Tom Horne told ABC News that despite the surge across his state, “If anybody talks about closing school, I will fight it as hard as I can.” He added, “Closing of the schools that occurred last time was an unbelievable disaster.” His contemptuous disdain for the health of students and their communities was buttressed by his referencing of the CDC’s prescription to treat COVID “like a common respiratory virus.”

While the fascist right is pushing for prohibitions on school closures and outright anti-vaccination policies, the dismantling of the public health system has been bipartisan. It began with Trump but was then spearheaded by the Biden administration. Both ruling class parties insist that workers should report to work, whether or not they are sick. Under the Biden/Harris administration over 800,000 Americans died from COVID, while millions more suffered debilitating Long COVID, for which the long-term generational impacts of annual reinfections will not be fully grasped for years or decades to come.

The two schools in Tennessee and Alabama are the only sites currently reporting outbreaks, but this has more to do with lack of media coverage than lack of COVID. For instance, in a San Diego high school, the administration sent a cart around with free COVID tests (although well past their 2022 expiration dates).

Another reason for the return of COVID arises from the years of right-wing disinformation campaigns to spread confusion and conspiracy theories within the population, cultivating the most backward and fascistic conceptions. This has resulted in a terrible decline of vaccination rates for all preventable diseases, not just COVID, which will continue to worsen the impact. The share of kindergarten children with a vaccine exemption has increased in 36 states since the pandemic began. Twenty-one states have banned student COVID-19 vaccine mandates, both Republican- and Democratic-dominated states, including Michigan, Ohio, and New Hampshire.

WSWS writer Benjamin Mateus reported on the declining rates of vaccination:

As of May 11, 2024, only 22.5 percent of adults have received an updated COVID vaccine since September 14, 2023. However, for children six months of age through 17, that figure is a deplorable 14.4 percent.

He noted the social impact of these abysmal numbers:

Including the complete abandonment of all mitigation measures, the ongoing surge of infections is being driven by the waning immunity in the population.

The pandemic has revealed the contempt of the ruling elites and both of their political parties, Democrats and Republicans, for the working class. It has exposed the role of the pro-capitalist AFT and NEA, which continue to insist educators work in an unsafe environment and children breathe unsafe air.

Every day, countless people continue to die or be sickened needlessly while mankind has the capacity to end this and future pandemics. The working class must end “Forever COVID” by ending “Forever Capitalism,” taking health and safety into its own hands, and ending the subordination of social life to private profit. Join or build an independent rank-and-file committee at your school or workplace today.

[cupoftaae]

Heyy! Love your work💜 Could you maybe write something fluffy, where tae is y/n’s comfort and she goes to him after a bad day🫶🏻

Hello there! AW, thank you for reading!

Fluffy taehyung is my weakness, I hope you enjoy anon :)

warnings- mentions of weed, swearing. Soft taehyung needs his own warnings tbh. also this takes place as if they were both like, 19-20 ish ....KIND OF FRIENDS TO LOVERS LOWKEY

wanna build a pillow fort? -KTH drabble

you werent sure how you had landed in this position in the first place, but here you were, sitting in the living room while your parents explained to you that...well...the college you had been praying to get into one day had declined you.

"are you sure?" you whispered, watching your dad show you the letter. You sighed, trying to hold back any signs of emotion. You had taken a gap year between graduating high school to now, just to grasp your bearings. You put all your energy into working and getting into school, but the universe had other plans.

"I know you wanted this so badly, y/n, im sorry" your mother sat down next to you. "What am I gonna do? I had no backup plan..." your face falls into your hands. "your so young, you have time. you can also sign up to take classes, you dont need to be a student" your mom adds.

"but I wanna be a student, thats the whole point."

"listen, I know this is stressful, but just go get some rest and maybe we can figure out a new plan tomorrow? ok?" your father stands up, looking at you sadly.

You shrugged, knowing that they were just trying to help, but there was no way out of this, you were fucking upset.

Once you had gotten into your room, slamming your door shut, you collapsed onto your bed and took 5 deep breathes, you didnt want to cry. You were a big girl now and crying over school was dumb. You just wanted to be with someone right now, and your best friend was 3 streets over, making things difficult.

You could invite him over, but your father wasnt too pleased to see him late at night the last time he was here. He had walked in and alerted your dog, making him bark until your parents came downstairs, freaked out. They also just dont like the idea of a boy being in your room, despite the fact you are 19, and have been friends with taehyung since you were little....there were absolutely no feelings like that showing up... at least thats what you chose to believe.

You quickly texted him just to see if he was even up to hang.

You: wyd

Tae: making ramen, wbu?

you smiled and chose to ignore his message, making the quick decision to grab your jacket and sneak out your window. Youve only done this one other time, and it was when you had covid and your friend Vanessa dropped off chipotle outside on your side of the house for you.

You prayed to God that your parents had no installed cameras, because one, you didnt want to get caught, and two, you fell on your ass on the way out. "Jesus christ" you scoff, getting up and making a dash to taehyungs house in the dark.

-

Taehyung was standing in the kitchen and dancing to music with his dog, making his little paws move according to the choreography. "Why are you making food so late?" Taehyungs mother spoke, coming into the room to fill up her tea. "because its friday.." he mumbled, mouth full of noodles.

"Okay" she laughed and shook her head, "just clean up, yeah? oh, an-"

his mother was cut off by the front door being knocked on, "who is here at this hour?" she whispered, walking over to look through the peep hole. She sarcastically looked back at taehyung, "why is y/n on my front step?" she smirked.

"she is??" he walked over to the door.

"you know if you wanted to plan a date, I could have made real food for you guys"

"mom stop" he shyly shushed her before opening the door.

"hello" you mumble, bowing at the presence of his mother.

"Hey, y/n...is everything alright?" he asks, his mother gently pulling you inside. "its almost 11 dear" she spoke.

"Im ok, Im just needing some time out of my house, I hope im not intruding?"

"oh no, no, sweetie youre good" she smiled and closed the door.

Taehyung hugged you and glanced at his mom

"i'll be upstairs if you need anything" she spoke, grabbing her tea and walking upstairs before yelling "Be good, just not too good"

He laughed and pulled away to look at you. "Not that I mind your presence, but...why are you here?"

you giggled as he took your coat and hung it up. "well....I uhm" you looked around before sitting on the edge of the couch. "I didnt get in" you shrugged, forced smile on your face.

"hm? what are you talking about?" he stands in front of you

"I received a letter in the mail today from HUFS, and it was declining my application" you speak softly, watching him frown.

"y/n...Im so sorry"

"its okay, its just a lot, but i'll be fine."

He kneeled in front of you and held your hands, "you know...its okay to be sad, right?" he whispers, "that was your dream school.."

you nodded, wanting to sink into the floor the moment you felt tears prickling your eyes. "I know, but...something new will come. I just really wanted to be like you, in school and working towards my degree already, you know?" you shrug.

he nods, "I know, but.." he squeezed your hands, "life isnt a competition, we all do things when the universe pulls us in that direction. Its ok this didnt work out, maybe it was for the best. I know you, y/n, and whatever you do in life is going to be fucking amazing, no doubt about it. So be sad, mourn what you will miss, but dont let it hold you back."

you nodded as tears escaped your eyes, small cries falling from your lips as he immediately held you up and wrapped you into his arms. "Its okay....I promise" he coo'd, hand brushing your hair as you finally let yourself feel upset.

"thank you" you sniff, wiping your eyes as you hold him.

"cmon, lets go eat junkfood and build a fort" he squeezed your waist, making you blush slightly as you followed him to the kitchen. "a fort?" you asked, eyes still wet.

"mhm, with like the pillows and stuff" he spoke, taking another bite of noodles.

you giggle, "ok"

-

You two sat under a giant pillow fort, with a blanket over the head for the roof. "I have to say, your pillow fort making skills have improved. Remember when we were little and it would always collapse on us?" you snorted, nudging him.

"I have improved and grown in many ways, trust the process of time" he joked, taking a bite of the chip in his hand.

He definitely had grown and improved, taking a moment to look over his face proves the fact that Taehyung had matured quite nicely at that.

"dont stare its rude" he teased, finding something to watch on youtube.

You shake your head, "sorry" you lean over to lay beside him so you can see the screen of his laptop.

"Your parents wont like...kill me...if they find out you spent the night, right?"

you giggle, "am I spending the night?"

"well, you dont have to, I just assumed because its already 1am and its not safe for you to be out and about"

you shook your head, "what? so I dont have what it takes to fight off street hagglers?"

"oh you do, Im keeping you off the street for their safety" he spoke seriously, making you laugh.

"mm, and no, my parents arent gonna do anything, I dont think....maybe.....you know what? I dont know"

"oh that makes me feel good" he fake pouts

"Im teasing, im 19 and they need to get over keeping me locked up all the time..." you play with the fabric of the blanket.

"I think your dad hates me, dude" he sighed, shutting his laptop and leaving you both to lay in the dark as you looked up at the green blanket roof.

"shut up, he does not"

"He told me that he didnt want me showing up there anymore"

"thats because it was 4am and you scared the dog, I told you to come in through the window you fucking dumbass" you joked, "he also caught you with weed, so there you go"

"hm, fair I guess" he sighed

"he doesnt hate you I promise" you turned on your side to face him, not realizing how close your faces were.

He turned his head, noses barley touching as you both looked over each others faces in the dark.

"are you feeling better?" he whispered

"yeah...yeah I am" you mumbled, wanting to pull away but also choosing to stay put.

"good" he smiled and turned his body so it was also laying on his side, facing you.

"Y/n?" he asked

"yeah?"

"is it ok if I kiss you?"

you felt your hear stop in your chest, what did he just ask you?

"w-what?" you look at him, eyes wide

"I asked if I could kiss you?" he repeated, voice so soft and quiet. "its ok to say no" he added.

you took a breath, realizing that in moments like this, you really have to be honest with yourself and stop saying you aren't attracted to him, because here he is, in front of you, asking to kiss after taking his time to make you feel better. You can only hold on to your discipline so much before you fold.

"yeah...yeah you can kiss me, tae" you exhale, shocked the words even came from your mouth.

His large hand came up to hold your face delicately, thumb brushing your skin as you both leaned in slowly until each others lips clashed. The feeling felt a lot more natural than you anticipated, it wasn't weird, or awkward or cringe, it felt....right?

If tae's plan was to make you fully forget about that college letter, than goal achieved.

You knew you both would have to talk about this later, at some other time when your mouths weren't attached to each other, but for now all you wanted to do was be thankful for him.

you gently pulled back and giggled like a little girl, a blush creeping over your face as he pulled you against his chest. There were no words or jokes, you both simply laid together before eventually falling asleep in each others embrace.

Maybe he was right about better things coming, and maybe this was it.

A/N- this was so cute I was kicking my feet and giggling while writing, we all need our own taehyung.

[ladymoonpearl]

Writing Share Tag

Thank you, @avaseofpeonies, for tagging me.

I haven't written this week due to COVID-19, but I'll share a little snippet from the self-indulgent WIP I have going right now.

I don't have anyone I can tag who hasn't already been tagged, but if anyone wants to do it - consider this your tag!

The sound of clopping hooves brought her slowly back to life. Her body was taller, lither, shockingly pain free – the crick in her back was totally gone, and she felt somehow bursting with energy. Only the rough motion of whatever she was straddling sent waves of discomfort through her.

She carefully opened her eyes. Gone was the shitty grey office, her angry colleague, the plague of modernity. A pure white horse with a glistening mane and a gold bridle carried her over a verdant forest floor, skilfully avoiding low-hanging branches that might scratch against its rider.

She tangled her hands in its mane in dazed awe. Another hand, hers but not hers, slid amongst the silvery hair. Clean, smooth, well-moisturised, but a little calloused too. A white formal jacket with gold embroidery around the cuffs. She felt the silky strands through it.

“Wow…”

Even the voice was deep – a man’s – though smooth and melodious. It tumbled through a flat, toned chest.

Was this a dream? she wondered. The last dream before the end? Or was this Heaven?

[coochiequeens]

Of course it would be a who MAN would try to amend a bill the Child-Parent Security Act (CPSA) to: (1) deny a surrogate child's fundamental human right to know the identity of his or her birth mother; (2) allow the possible removal of the surrogate mother's identity on the  child's birth certificate; (3) weaken the CPSA's residency requirements of the surrogate and the intending parent(s); (4) increase highly coercive contract remedies; (5) eliminate certain legal fees coverage for the surrogate in the event of a litigated dispute with the intending parent(s); (6) suggest that gamete providers have parental rights they must relinquish; and (7) loosen the requirements that surrogates must be administered informed consent procedures.

NEW YORK, May 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dozens (and counting) of New York children's and women's rights advocates, including the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, author and feminist activist Gloria Steinem, medical and public health professionals, surrogate survivors, and members of the LGBTQI+ community signed a letter to the New York State Senate and Assembly leadership detailing their concerns regarding Bill S.5107 introduced by Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal.

The bill significantly amends the Child-Parent Security Act (CPSA) that legalized reproductive commercial surrogacy in New York. The CPSA was enacted by former Governor Andrew Cuomo in April 2020 as a line item in the 400-page state budget at the height of the COVID-19 emergency in New York. It was never afforded the opportunity of critical public discussions or deliberations.

Although Bill S.5107 is presented to the NYS Senate as a merely technical, "clean up" intervention, it in fact introduces substantive changes that far worsen the positions of children born of surrogacy arrangements, persons providing gametes, and surrogates. 

The extensive amendments to the CPSA offered by Bill S.5107 propose to: (1) deny a surrogate child's fundamental human right to know the identity of his or her birth mother; (2) allow the possible removal of the surrogate mother's identity on the  child's birth certificate; (3) weaken the CPSA's residency requirements of the surrogate and the intending parent(s); (4) increase highly coercive contract remedies; (5) eliminate certain legal fees coverage for the surrogate in the event of a litigated dispute with the intending parent(s); (6) suggest that gamete providers have parental rights they must relinquish; and (7) loosen the requirements that surrogates must be administered informed consent procedures.

The speed with which the proposed amendment appears to be moving through the New State Senate approval process just a few days before the end of the legislative session is extremely troubling. The signatories of the letter call for open and fair deliberations and discussion on Bill S.5107.

For more information, contact: Wendy Chavkin, MD, MPH wc9@cumc.columbia.edu

Yasmine Ergas, JD ye36@columbia.edu

Taina Bien-Aimé, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women media@catwinternational.org

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gloria-steinem-and-dozens-of-new-york-womens-rights-civil-and-human-rights-advocates-express-deep-concern-about-proposed-new-york-senate-bill-on-reproductive-commercial-surrogacy-and-call-for-public-deliberations-301835077.html

SOURCE The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW)

[licleaning]

Hiring a Professional Covid 19 Deep Cleaning company?

Hiring a professional cleaning company for your Covid 19 deep cleaning has many benefits. Firstly, they will be able to assess needs and their services

[revolutionsingingintherainnn]

Reggie definitely has a weak immune system, because his parents never paid him much attention, and he was so underfed as a child and growing up. He probably ate more after he’d ran away to be in Sunset Curve, than when he was living at home.

So, when 2020 comes, and the boys become human again (they’re part human part ghost, but they can eat and stuff), and its COVID-19 time, Julie is confused watching not only Alex, but also Luke going into full panic mode. Like, the second news of COVID-19 hits, Alex and Luke are locking all of them in the Molina household, and they had all kinds of sanitisers and hand wipes and soaps in the studio. Literally, one sanitiser was always within a hand’s reach.

When Julie questions the overboard planning, Alex tells her, “Reggie has a really weak immune system. He never had the chance to build a strong immune system as a kid, and when we get sick, it hits him the worse.”

Julie, then, joins in on the crazy precautions. She’s pretty sure that at one point, she’d ended up spending her monthly allowance on just face masks and sanitisers. But, if it means Reggie will be okay, then she’ll happily do it.

Now, because of all of the crazy planning, Alex and Luke sort of forget to take the same precautionary methods when they’re not around Reggie, and they end up getting COVID during the peak months. The two lock themselves in the studio, and just generally stay away from each other so that they can get better quickly. Reggie and Julie made them soup and stuff like that for them day and night, and would have to leave it outside the studio door. The only way they could talk to each other was through the phone that Luke and Alex had in the studio, and even with the amount of pictures and videos and jamming sessions when they were feeling better, the boys sent to Julie and Reggie, it still hadn’t been enough. Reggie missed his best friends, and if he ever cried at the scary possibility of never being able to see them again, that was his business.

But, the boys got better, and once they were out of the studio, Ray, Julie, and Carlos had deep cleaned the studio.

They were all okay after that, mostly.

AND THEN, in 2021, Reggie and Luke went out to get pizza, because honestly, they were all craving it. How could they not? It’s freaking pizza!

But, a day or two after the pizza night, Reggie starts showing symptoms of corona, and it freaks every single person in the house. Reggie shifts to the studio, and they give him all the necessities that he would need, and damn it, they’re trying so hard not to cry because the risks are just higher.

Two or three days go by, Reggie’s fever gets worse, but no one can tend to him like they want to. Alex and Luke each have breakdowns at different times of the day, and Julie tries to comfort them the best she can.

“It’s just, he had us when he used to get sick, y’know? Now, his fever is off the charts, he can barely keep his eyes open, and I can practically hear him coughing from the studio, and I’m so scared, Jules. I’m so scared that I won’t be able to protect him from this, and he’s my best friend. I’ll become a country band if he wants!” Luke cried to her. Julie wrapped her arms around him, letting her tears fall, mixing them with Luke’s tears.

They would talk to him on the phone as much as Reggie could, and on the days that he was feeling better, they would just play music together. Every time Reggie would be smiling and happy on the screen, Luke, Alex, and Julie would smile so softly but their eyes would be filled with tears, because Reggie Peters is an angel and if something were to happen to him, they would all lose their minds.

Some days, he’d get worse right after getting better, and during his calls with Luke and Alex, he would try and make jokes when he saw their worried looks, “Do you think it’s possible to die after already being dead?” They’d laugh in front of them, but they’re definitely holding hands under the screen, lending each other comfort and support, because is that really possible??? Can Reggie die after already being dead?? Were they going to lose him??

But, slowly, Reggie got better, and he’d insisted to remain isolated for an additional week to make sure he really was okay.

When he did finally come home (the studio was also home, no doubt, but the Molina family and his best friends were the first home he ever had), it took every ounce of self control every member of the family had to not just go up and hug him. They still had to be cautious.

But, it would be light touches here and there. Julie’s hand on his waist when she leaned over to see what he and Ray were cooking, or Ray’s hand against Reggie’s shoulder for a second, or Carlos poking Reggie every now and then to make sure that he was real, or even tía ruffling his hair (“tía, im a badass guitarist! You gotta stop messing up my hair”). Alex and Luke would just lock their pinkies with Reggie, and follow him around like a lost puppy (Luke already was a lost puppy, but Alex became one too). And sometimes, if Reggie needed both his hands for something, they would find a sliver of skin poking out from somewhere, and just feel his warm skin.

When the vaccines come out, Reggie is the first one to get the shot, because they are not going to go through that kind of pain again.

[lil-gremlin-gal]

NaClYoHo Days 17, 18, & 19

The 17th was a busy day for me. I had energy and wanted to make sure I used it while I could, so I:

gave the new cast iron pan another oven seasoning session

cleaned the microwave for the first time in forever

found some cans of paint from the previous owner of the apartment and started a paint cupboard so that our tremclad spray paint could live with its cousins

finally took clothing consignments to Plato's Closet, and

took dead appliances from the kitchen crazy cabinet and an exploded can of spray insulation to the recycling depot

Of course expending any amount of energy will result in what I call 'reckoning days', where my symptoms all surge and leave me feeling tired, crappy, and struggling to function at my usual level. After going out 2 days in a row and doing a lot of salty pirate tasks last week, the weekend took me down a peg.

My big accomplishment on the 18th was being able to unload and reload the dishwasher. It's not a lot, but I wasn't able to do that just a few weeks ago, so I am really, really grateful that I was able to make clean dishes on a reckoning day.

The 19th was similar: dishes, changed the sheets on the bed, and managed to fold towels. I managed to stay awake all day and perked up a little in the evening enough to finish making rainbow tassels for my NaClYoHo craft project. :)

On the list today is to handwash dishes, deep clean some old birdcages and a piece of furniture I need to sell, fold some laundry, and get as much rest as I can. I finally got my doctor's approval to get my COVID and flu vaccines, so that will happen this Wednesday and I need to rest up in advance.

[lesbianslovebts]

I am trying my damned hardest to cope right now, but I have to get some anger out first. I hate being disabled. I hate living in a house full of disabled people. I hate surviving instead of living.

I am autistic. I have anxiety, depression, and PTSD. I am an abuse survivor. Trying over 5 different antidepressants and going on birth control for menorrhagia and dysmenorrhea made me gain over 100 pounds between ages 12 and 15. I am immunocompromised. I get a sinus infection that lasts for 4-8 weeks every year. When I was younger, I had bone removed from my face because of chronic sinusitis. They had to put me on one antibiotic after another as a kid. The pediatric ones stopped working, so I ended up on adult antibiotics despite the risk for joint damage. I even had a PICC line put in when I was 8 to pump antibiotics right into my heart. I've had multiple cauterizations to stop severe nosebleeds. One time, the bleeding was so bad that trying to stop it from coming out my nose made it come out my mouth and eyes instead, and my eardrums almost ruptured. When I had Covid-19 in 2021, it lasted for 3 months. I developed seasonal allergies just this year. I have chronic migraine, which at this point is more than half the days in a week. I have GERD and IBS. Insomnia, sleep apnea, and restless leg syndrome. I no longer have tonsils, adenoids, or a gallbladder. I have chronic muscle pain.

My gramma has lived with us since I was 5. She smoked for 50 years and has had a heart attack, strokes, triple bypass surgery, stents, blood transfusions, aneurysm, COPD, staph infections, inch-deep craters in her leg, sepsis, amputation, type 2 diabetes, no teeth, celiac disease, glaucoma, sleep apnea, and countless episodes of heart failure and fluid in her lungs. We think dementia is coming next. She almost burned the house down a while back. Not to mention anxiety, depression, obsessions, and so on.

My mom has chronic vestibular migraine, narcolepsy, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, anxiety, depression, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, IBS, GERD, and recently started bleeding out her ass, which could be simple hemorrhoids or colon cancer. 🙃

My dad was an abusive alcoholic, so I cut him off. He is autistic and has Dupuytren's contracture so severe that he can't open his hands and can barely use his thumbs and index fingers, horrible allergies, PTSD, anxiety, depression, and addiction, obviously.

My brother is a type 1 diabetic with a phobia of low blood sugars, which means he purposefully avoided taking the appropriate amount of insulin since he was a teenager. Combined with a diabetic-specific eating disorder, his A1C has been regularly over twice what it should be for over a decade, which has led to the following: diabetic retinopathy and cataracts, complete kidney failure (on dialysis), neuropathy in his legs and feet, no teeth, chronic pain, chronic fluid buildup, and malnutrition. Not to mention Dupuytren's contracture, ADHD, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and addiction.

And it may be silly to count my pets in with the people, but my dog and two cats are all 17. I've had them since I was 10. The dog has a severe heart murmur, is deaf, and takes several meds, but she's still happy, does brief zoomies once a day after a good shit, and lives to eat. Both cats are arthritic, which is to be expected of such old ladies. One has a sore on her chin that won't heal, and I'm about to spend $1k on her to see if it's solvable or time to make decisions. 🙃

Every single one of us in this house, animals included, are disabled. My mom and I worked so hard to make this a safe, clean space for us after moving out of the filthy, broken house we were in for 15 years, where we all suffered trauma. But ever since my mom let my brother move in due to his health issues, the house has gone to shit. I am the only one who cleans, and I just can't keep up with it. The only safe, clean space for me is my own room, where I imprison myself to survive.

All this, and I still haven't committed suicide because I am dying to live a better life. I have worked too fucking hard to get here. I remind myself of this, of the progress I've made, of my accomplishments, of what I want to see and learn and do, of what and whom I love. But Dear God, I am praying for a break, for some rest, for some peace, for all of us.

[ausetkmt]

Inverse: Even Just a Little of This 1 Overlooked Activity Can Reduce Depression

Spring comes with many little rituals and urges: A deep clean, the shelving of winter jackets, a desire for a salad instead of soup — and an urgent, gnawing need to buy and cultivate as many plants as possible (garden optional). Nature is aligned: The stretch of time right before summer is also the moment when bright, flashy flowers start to bloom and suddenly your lawn needs to be cut. It’s a moment for impulse buying tomato plants, lugging bags of topsoil, and investing in some fresh gardening gloves. Fortunately, this particular ritual does more than beautify our spaces: Gardening has a powerful effect on our mental health.

Consider this: In the first months of the Covid-19 lockdowns, some studies suggest people used their gardens and outdoor spaces 50 to 82 percent more than they did before the lockdown. In one 2022 study, researchers quote a participant who hits on the truth that gardening relieves stress:

“You can’t worry when you are engrossed in weeding, building rock walls, and installing stone paths, or planning and planting a garden,” the participant explained. “Having your hands in the earth connects you directly to nature, which is a welcome companion in my life.”

The findings jibe with a mountain of evidence showing interacting with nature — taking a walk, for example — holds massive health benefits. But gardening is distinct in that it's an active engagement with green spaces. In turn, it offers unique perks. Any garden, big or small, can aid your mental health, but there are certain elements you can include that can enhance the benefits and create a fulfilling space scientifically shown to boost your brain.

Why gardening is good for your brain

What I’m about to state might seem obvious, but science backs it up: Being in nature is good for us. A large body of research shows that time spent in natural settings provides physical and psychological benefits, including (but not limited to) feeling happier, more relaxed, more focused, less anxious, and less fatigued.

Studies on gardening also support the link between enjoying green spaces and better mental health. Gardening can reduce depression and anxiety; it can also improve emotional well-being.

For example, in the study that examined the mental health impact of gardening during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, people who gardened were less anxious. The paper’s senior author, Rachel Rosenberg Goldstein, says the study also found a connection between spending more time outdoors on weekdays and decreased anxiety scores.

“People who listed exercise as their motivation for gardening have less anxiety, suggesting that the physical activity involved in gardening might impact mental health,” explains Goldstein, who is an assistant professor at the University of Maryland. She is also leading a project examining how gardening can address mental health challenges and food insecurity.

Naomi Sachs, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland and the founding director of the nonprofit Therapeutic Landscapes Network, adds that studies suggest “green exercise” — exercise performed in nature — even “benefits people more than the equivalent amount of exercise indoors.”

How to garden for your mental health

Gardening is good but gardening with others can be even better. Getty Images

Gardening is demonstrably helpful for the mind and body, and there are certain actions that can enhance the experience. These include:

Gardening with others

In a recent study published in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health, researchers found that first-time gardeners found their stress and anxiety lessened after they started tending a plot in a community garden. These new gardeners also got more physical activity than the comparison group, which suggests this outdoor work could play an important role in preventing disease.

Jill Litt is the paper’s senior author and a professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She says that it's possible that the social support in the community garden amplifies the general benefits of gardening.

“This social support can activate a series of social processes such as shared learning, reciprocity, and relatedness,” explains Litt. “All these processes tap into intrinsic motivation, which is important for behavior changes that support health and well-being.”

Creating a garden that activates the senses

While what you can grow often depends on where you live, It can be helpful to “have a variety of positive sensory engagement plants — plants that engage all the senses throughout the entire year,” says Sachs.

“For example, lavender is beautiful to look at and smells lovely, and can even taste good when used in baking,” explains Sachs. “It’s also great for pollinators.”

She also recommends serviceberry trees, which come in different varieties that are native to various regions. They are visually striking in different ways throughout the year — in spring they bloom, in fall they often turn orange-red — and their summer berries are edible. They also provide a great habitat for animals.

“The aesthetic experience of gardening is crucial for awakening the senses and creating a sense of wonder,” says Litt.

Other ways of engaging the senses include getting your hands dirty, planting colorful flowers, and making the space inviting to birds — research also suggests the sound of birdsong benefits the brain.

Incorporating other joyful elements

Your garden doesn’t need to be limited to plants and flowers. You can also make space for other activities that destress you.

“Maybe it’s a space for yoga and a separate space for kids or dogs to run around,” Sachs says. “Maybe it’s a space for entertaining, or a hammock for reading a book or taking a nap.”

Litt describes spaces that are hospital to company as “interactional spaces” — areas where people can come together, meditate, and more. You can make way for these sorts of spaces by adding shade and walking paths, she explains.

“These spaces can amplify the social experience by activating social support, promoting shared learning, and fostering friendships,” Litt says.

[tipscleaning]

SAFE CLEANING – Commercial Cleaning Company in Toronto that Ensures the Health, Safety and Productivity of companies

SAFE CLEANING is a specialty cleaning company bringing the next generation of intelligent cleaning and sanitization solutions into the Canadian market. They are convinced that a clean space is a safe space and more productive space.

They offer specialty services, including certified methods such as electrostatic and UV-C light technology to eradicate the most resilient bacteria, viruses, and fungi without damaging equipment or surfaces.

SAFE CLEANING uses cutting-edge technology to clean every corner and surface and remove grubbiness, even the unseeable. Also, they serve different clients in a wide range of industries. Their services are especially useful in facilities with a high influx of people. Thus, their client base is diverse, including schools, gyms, offices, banks, places of worship, government facilities, and hotels, among others. This service is also very relevant to healthcare facilities, including hospitals, clinics, long term facilities.

They understand that most threats are in the unseen world. Threats to health and safety related to uncleanness are, in fact, in the microscopic world. It is in the unseen world where viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other harmful germs can thrive. Ergo, their cleaning methods go beyond making your space look pretty and organized. They say, “We are not a “dust-remover” company; we go further.” Every technology they use is certified and focuses on improving safety for the users. They use technology everywhere, from their commercial cleaning service to Covid-19 Specialty cleaning. For every service provided, they use state-of-art equipment and best practices within the cleaning industry.

If you want to know more about them, I leave their contact options:

Phone: 4165260998 Email: info@safecleaning.ca Location: 542 Evans Ave., Unit 501, Etobicoke, ON M8W 2V4 https://goo.gl/maps/BsB3g3t1WyuCrSwq9 Website: https://safecleaning.ca/

They also offer commercial cleaning services such as: Carpet Cleaning Service: https://safecleaning.ca/specialty-cleaning/carpet-cleaning-service/ Commercial Office Cleaning Service: https://safecleaning.ca/specialty-cleaning/commercial-office-cleaning-service/ Covid-19 Cleaning Service: https://safecleaning.ca/specialty-cleaning/covid-19-cleaning-service/ Disinfection Services: https://safecleaning.ca/disinfection-services/ Deep Cleaning Service: https://safecleaning.ca/specialty-cleaning/deep-cleaning-service/ Electrostatic Disinfection Services: https://safecleaning.ca/electrostatic-disinfection-sprayer/ Green Office Cleaning Service: https://safecleaning.ca/specialty-cleaning/green-office-cleaning-service/ Commercial Restroom Cleaning Service: https://safecleaning.ca/specialty-cleaning/commercial-restroom-cleaning-service/ Strip And Wax Floors Service: https://safecleaning.ca/specialty-cleaning/strip-and-wax-floors/

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[aurafms]

The Role of Janitorial Services in Preventing the Spread of Illness in the Workplace

In today’s fast-paced work environment, maintaining a clean and healthy workspace is more crucial than ever. The rise of remote work may have altered some dynamics, but the importance of effective janitorial services remains a key factor in preventing the spread of illness in the workplace. Let’s explore how professional cleaning teams contribute to a healthier work environment and the various strategies they employ.

Understanding the Impact of Workplace Cleanliness

A clean workplace not only enhances the overall aesthetic but also plays a significant role in employee health. Studies show that a dirty environment can lead to increased absenteeism, decreased productivity, and a rise in healthcare costs. Illnesses such as the flu, colds, and even COVID-19 can spread rapidly in office settings, where employees often share spaces and equipment.

Key Benefits of Professional Janitorial Services

Regular Disinfection Protocols Professional janitorial services are equipped with the knowledge and tools necessary to implement effective disinfection protocols. Regular cleaning and sanitization of high-touch surfaces—such as doorknobs, light switches, keyboards, and shared equipment—are critical in reducing the transmission of germs.

Use of Industry-Approved Cleaning Products Janitorial services utilize hospital-grade cleaning agents that are proven to kill a broad spectrum of pathogens. These products are designed to be effective without harming the environment, ensuring the safety of both employees and the planet.

Tailored Cleaning Schedules Different workplaces have unique needs. A professional janitorial team can assess the specific requirements of your environment and create a customized cleaning schedule that ensures the highest standards of hygiene are maintained. For instance, higher-frequency cleaning may be necessary in common areas or during flu season.

Training and Expertise Professional cleaners are trained in best practices for cleaning and disinfection. They understand the nuances of various surfaces and materials and can employ techniques that maximize cleanliness while minimizing damage.

Promoting Employee Well-being A clean workplace fosters a sense of well-being among employees. When workers feel that their health is prioritized, it boosts morale and productivity. Additionally, organizations that prioritize cleanliness signal to their employees that they care about their health and safety.

Implementing Effective Janitorial Practices

To fully harness the benefits of janitorial services in preventing illness, consider implementing the following practices:

Frequent Training and Updates: Ensure that cleaning staff receive regular training on the latest disinfection techniques and health guidelines, particularly during outbreaks of illness.

Communication with Employees: Keep the lines of communication open between janitorial services and employees. Encourage staff to report areas that may need additional attention.

Encourage Good Hygiene Practices: While professional cleaning is vital, fostering a culture of personal hygiene—like handwashing and using hand sanitizer—complements janitorial efforts and enhances overall workplace health.

Emergency Response Plans: In the event of an outbreak within the workplace, have a plan in place for deep cleaning and sanitization to mitigate the spread of illness quickly.

Conclusion

The role of janitorial services in preventing the spread of illness in the workplace cannot be overstated. By employing effective cleaning practices, using quality products, and maintaining clear communication with employees, these services play a crucial role in promoting a healthy work environment. Investing in professional janitorial services not only helps keep illnesses at bay but also contributes to a more productive and positive workplace culture. As we navigate the complexities of modern work life, prioritizing cleanliness and health should remain at the forefront of organizational strategies. Source: https://aurafms.wordpress.com/2024/09/21/the-role-of-janitorial-services-in-preventing-the-spread-of-illness-in-the-workplace/

[khfmcleaningsolutions]

Why House Cleaning Services Have Gained Importance Nowadays?

If you or anyone you might know is searching for House Cleaning Services In Andheri, then you don’t have to worry about anything at all because KHFM is your destination. Today, in this article, we are going to shed some light on why house cleaning services have gained importance these days.

1. Time-Saving for Busy Lifestyles

Hectic Schedules: With work commitments, family responsibilities, and other daily activities, many individuals and families have limited time to devote to cleaning. Hiring professional cleaning services helps save time, allowing people to focus on their personal and professional lives.

Work-Life Balance: Regular house cleaning services reduce stress by maintaining a clean environment, helping individuals achieve a better balance between their work and personal life.

2. Health and Hygiene

Reducing Allergens and Bacteria: A clean home reduces the risk of allergies and illnesses.

Post-Pandemic Focus on Cleanliness: The COVID-19 pandemic heightened awareness about hygiene and cleanliness. Regular deep cleaning and disinfection of homes have become more crucial to prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria.

4. Customized Cleaning Plans

Tailored Services: Many cleaning companies offer customized cleaning plans to meet individual needs, whether it’s a deep clean, a regular maintenance clean, or special services like carpet cleaning or upholstery cleaning.

Flexibility: House cleaning services can be scheduled at convenient times, whether weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, ensuring that homeowners maintain a clean environment without disrupting their routine.

6. Preserving the Value of Your Home

Long-Term Maintenance: Regular cleaning helps preserve the quality and longevity of furniture, flooring, and other home materials, protecting the investment homeowners have made in their property.

Preventing Damage: Dirt, grime, and mold buildup can cause long-term damage to surfaces and materials in the home. Professional cleaning services prevent these issues, avoiding costly repairs in the future.

7. Special Occasions and Deep Cleaning

Pre-Event and Post-Event Cleaning: House cleaning services are particularly valuable when preparing for special occasions, parties, or family gatherings, ensuring the home is spotless. They also help with post-event cleaning, reducing the hassle after the event.

Seasonal or Deep Cleaning: Professional cleaning services provide comprehensive deep cleaning, including tasks like window washing, carpet shampooing, and cleaning hard-to-reach areas that are not part of regular cleaning routines.

If you or anyone you might know is searching for Home Cleaning Services In Andheri, then you don’t have to look for them and can connect with them.

About KHFM

KHFM is one of the reputed names because it offers a wide number of cleaning services at economical prices. To know more details about the services, you can connect with them without any delay.

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