Full of Brain Worms (affectionate)

Turning this into a tag game

@sleepy-echo19 (the tag didnt work despairr)

And then my besties

@morphologist @floohy @zora-thesidecharacter @warblingcritter @andro-m3da @lionacuty @banditbeloathed @that1chaospotato @diverdrivedown @partialpablo @duckofmisfortuneoffical

I forgot who exactly said it so have ALL OF MY FRIENDS ON TUMBLR

Just a little something I made as an another addition to Caroline's collection!

This soft crown bonnet appears in her fourth book, Caroline Takes a Chance. Neither it nor this dress were ever produced for her collection, so I decided to just do it myself.

Unless you were on the MV Hondius or in close contact with someone who was, you're probably safe.

It is extremely unlikely that the Andes strain of hantavirus will be the next pandemic. This is mostly because, unlike COVID or the flu, it requires very close and relatively long contact to spread. It usually spreads only among people living in in the same house or otherwise in very close quarters (including, in this case, a cruise ship).

"Close contact" is a narrative, not clear, static, physical reality. The WHO has walked back what they mean by this phrase three times already from "prolonged one-on-one contact" to "shared space for a couple hours" to "within six feet and 15 minutes." Several people on the ship got sick just passing confirmed cases in the hallway, and two flight attendants have come down with Hantavirus from being in proximity to people from the cruise. Sadly, viruses riding on aerosolized spit don't listen when you say "close contact" like a prayer. Andes hantavirus may be the newest, trendiest threat, but wearing a respirator in public is a good idea for many more reasons including a flu season which won't end, continued covid circulation, RSV, HMPV, rising measles cases (your vaccine isn't perfect and there are new outbreaks every day), tuberculosis (nearly an entire high school in California was infected by a few active cases last year), wildfire smoke, air pollution, allergens, and more! With a national healthcare apparatus run by RFK jr, its just a good idea to be a little more cautious, especially since those not in the quarantine center in Nebrasksa are literally just pinky promising not to go out. Okay: what about their families who live in close contact with them? What if they decide "fuck it, I want to go to the bar"? We should follow the precautionary principle specifically because we no longer have a public health apparatus interested in preventing the spread of disease.

It also needs to be said that the longest recorded incubation period for Andes hantavirus is 63 days. It's possible there are already dozens or hundreds more people who have been exposed who simply have no clue they've been exposed. You cannot be effectively PCR tested (the only test we have at the moment) until you are showing symptoms, and by then they have likely been actively shedding virus for a day or two. It's not panic to be prepared, and it's not overzealous to stand up for your own and your community's health with a simple act like wearing a respirator. It breaks the chains of infection from hundreds of diseases, meaning less ER visits in your community, less future cases of Alzheimer's and cancer and hashimoto's and post-viral illness, meaning more healthy kids getting better grades and living happier lives, meaning more time with grandma and grandpa because they're not dying of preventable illness we've decided is normal and dandy.

- "Hey, how was your summer? Good, good."

- "Mic'd up. I'm mic'd up. Don't."

- "Have you ever been to Greece? Told Ilya I would ask you."

- "What? No, man, he didn't say that. He said he was gonna get your ass. Yeah, man, he only fucks one ass. Yeah, I mean, I would say fuck you too but--"

- "Heeeey, davai, davai. Great assist. Hah, no, don't come closer, I'm mic'd and you know I don't trust you."

- "The Royal Tiger Towel Paper Towel Power Play. The Royal Tiger Towel Paper Towel Power Play. The Royal--"

- "HEY MATHESON. You ever been to Vegas? I said, you ever been to VEGAS? I hear they let the good hockey players go there in the summer but I feel like you wouldn't know that."

- "FUCK. Hey, ref, what the fuck was that? Oh, you didn't see that? Fuck you. No, you stay there, my husband's gonna talk to you--fuck you, put me in the bin then, this is bullshit--"

- "You have the smelling salts? Yeah. FUCK--"

- "I am mic'd. Remember I am mic'd. Nope, not even in Russian."

- "Oh, yeah, the pickle video was funny. Harris said it got a lot of views, so. Yeah, no, he actually really does love pickles that much."

- "Sinclair, you got something to say? Yeah, I'm better at hide the pickle than you are at hockey. You want to ask another stupid question?"

- "You know, I run a charity too. Oh, I just assumed that you were doing some kind of Make-A-Wish thing out here with your wingers, since it looks like this is your first day on the ice."

- "Oh, hey, look. Jackie and the kids are waving at us. Okay. Okay, Rozanov, that's enough."

- "Mic'd. Mic'd. Mic'd."

- "Hello Hockey Night, welcome to my husband's shoulder pads--" "Fuck OFF, Rozanov."

Median Center-Right American Dude at the party, also two drinks in: "Damn that's crazy, I never thought of it like that. Man, I'm sorry you gotta deal with this shit."

Me: "Ahh it's alright. I deal."

Random Guy: "People should just chill tf out."

Me: "No actually it was the opposite. It just made me even more upset and confused. I didn't know what being non-binary was. I saw people that transitioned from one gender to the other and knew I wasn't that. It took me a long time to figure this shit out."

Guy: "man that sounds rough. No wonder you guys are upset all this time this sounds painful."

Me: "Well, it sucks until it suddenly doesn't. It sucks and then it rules hard."

Guy: "so It's like working out."