🧵I’m in a weird place with trying to maintain friendships with back to normal folks. The few people I stay in touch with are aware of my struggles with LC. They acknowledge Covid is bad & they feel for me. They’ve dropped off care packages & sent vitamins & gift cards…(1/5) I’ve insisted I don’t need any of it. When they’ve asked what they can do to help I’ve told them to wear a mask since they’re likely infecting other vulnerable people like me. One of them lies & says they still mask (not realizing I can still see their pics on FB).(2/5)

🧵Today is World Suicide Prevention Day.

We have a neighbor who attempted suicide back in the spring of this year.

One day we saw her partner’s belongings on the porch. We checked in with her to see if she was ok. She said she was fine. (1/8) The following day, paramedics were wheeling her out on a stretcher. They had given her Narcan to reverse an overdose. She was conscious but very disoriented.

I stepped outside to offer to take care of her pets while she was in the hospital. (2/8)

🧵I live in a small complex with a private swimming pool for residents. When we first moved here a few years ago, the pool was one of the biggest perks of living here.

It was always clean, well-maintained, & rarely crowded. (1/16) My spouse & I would go throughout the summer & would often have the pool to ourselves. It was bliss! Arthritis relief for both of us, close to home! The best kept secret in our neighborhood!

This summer, all of that changed. (2/16)

🧵
In a former workplace I had a coworker named Joyce who retired and left a Boston Market Swedish Meatballs frozen dinner in the freezer. That thing lived rent-free in the freezer for years. (1/6) Every now and then someone would be like “whose frozen dinner is this?” And one of us would say “it was Joyce’s” and the person asking would just say “oh” and close the freezer door.

Swedish Meatballs hung around for so long it sort of became one of us. (2/6)

🧵For everyone who’s been asking for different masked black sheep designs, I’ve finally got some new ones uploaded.

Use promo code BLACKSHEEP for 15% off.

I’ll cash in commissions for a couple more Bonfire gift cards and do another tee giveaway soon. (1/6) (2/6)bonfire.com/rare-black-she…

🧵Opened up FB long enough to see a post from an old friend complaining she went to 2 different urgent care centers yesterday afternoon. Both were full & told her they couldn’t take any more pts. Sent her to ER. ER told her it would likely be a 12 hour wait. She went home (1/6) …and called an ambulance. Ambulance from a neighboring county took (gasp) 40 minutes to get to her. They took her back to ER where they put her back in the waiting room. She finally got seen early this morning. Was sent home & told it’s just one of the many viruses (2/6)

🧵Everyone is an abusive relationship right now.

EVERYONE.

The Covid-Cautious are in an abusive relationship with the people & institutions that have surrendered to Covid.

Those who have surrendered to Covid are in an abusive relationship with the virus. (1/6) The wheel of power & control is in perpetual motion. It doesn’t slow down or make rest stops. It only accelerates as the abuse worsens.

How do you stop the cycle of abuse?

By leaving. You can only make the abuse stop for yourself by leaving. (2/6)

🧵In a former job, a colleague & I used to teach BLS (CPR) twice a month. When we’d bring out the infant manikin, most people would look at it & say “awwww.” Every single class.

The manikin wasn’t even realistic looking… (1/5) …but what it represented was enough to evoke an emotional reaction from people of all ages, genders, work roles, & backgrounds. People would lower their voices & hold the baby tenderly. Many would verbalize the hope that they’d never have to do CPR on a baby in real life. (2/5)

A 🧵

1) “Do you ever get the feeling that people are incapable of not caring? People are amazing.”
- Charlie, ‘The Whale’

If you haven’t yet seen this movie, you should. The scene in which these words are spoken is heart-wrenching and beautiful. 2) I didn’t feel that way the first time I watched that scene in 2022, when the movie was first released. I had learned by that point in the pandemic that people are quite capable of *not* caring.

In fact, many people prefer not to care.

A 🧵

1) In 1953, a North Carolina law banned mask-wearing in public as a way to deter people from joining the KKK. It was written to help police identify people who were committing violent, criminal acts against marginalized, vulnerable people. 2) In 2020, an exception was added in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. People were allowed to wear masks in public for health reasons.

Even though most people have abandoned masking now that it is no longer required, many marginalized, vulnerable people continue to mask.

THREAD🧵

1) Please help halt the passage of NC House Bill 237: Unmasking Mobs & Criminals

There is a long-standing ban on masking in public, but an exemption for health reasons was introduced in 2020 for Covid-19. This bill would repeal that exemption.

Here's how you can help: 2) First: Please take action TODAY if possible. This bill was literally announced last week, leaving those of us who want to fight it short on time.

** Watch discussion & voting in the 5/14/24 NC Judiciary Committee Hearing @ 11 a.m. EST***  ncleg.gov/LegislativeCal…

Quick thread…

1) Just went to a local big box store to pick up a prescription. An alarm sounded & over the loudspeaker came the message “a fire emergency has been reported in the building. Please proceed to the nearest exit & leave the building immediately.” 2) I was one of 3 people who immediately went to the main entrance and left. Other people continued to shop without apparent concern. Several crowded into the checkout lanes. On the way out, more people were grabbing shopping carts & entering the store…

A thread...

1) My chances of getting killed in an auto accident are low - around 1 in 100. Not non-existent, but low.
I took driver’s ed decades ago and have plenty of driving experience, so I have a good knowledge base. I know where I’m going and how to get there. 2) There are road signs and traffic lights and navigation apps that give me even more guidance. I practice defensive driving. I recognize signs of danger. Disabled vehicles on the shoulder, swerving cars, road rage, etc.

A 🧵

1) In every dystopian comic book, novel, series, & movie, the characters in the resistance are the heroes. 2) You celebrate Professor Xavier for building a community of ostracized mutants & helping them learn how to use their powers.

IRL, people with disabilities are advocating for your rights while you’re slowly becoming disabled yourself, & you shame them for ordering food.

Thread
1) Several years ago I worked for a boss who was extremely conniving. When I found another job, coworkers said “don’t tell her where you’re going, she’ll call your new employer and try to sabotage it for you to keep you here.” Apparently that was her thing. 2) So when I went into my office to turn in my resignation I didn’t give a reason for leaving. She asked me where I was going next. Told me that HR required me to give a reason and she couldn’t accept my resignation until I told her my next place of employment. So I said ok, BRB.

Thread:
A childhood story with modern-day relevance

1) One of my favorite things to eat as a kid was a cheese sandwich. Just two slices of bread, a little mayo, and a slice of American cheese nestled in between.
Food of the gods.
I loved that shit. 2) When I started kindergarten, my mom would put a cheese sandwich, sans crusts, in my Scooby Doo lunchbox. I got to enjoy my cheese sandwiches for about a week before someone in my class asked me what was in my lunchbox. I showed him. He started laughing and made a big scene.

A thread…

1) For my fellow Covid-conscious Southerners who are trying to talk with friends & family about Covid….

Let’s talk NASCAR.

You can hop in a race car & race around the track with other drivers all you want. You have the right to do so. It’s a thrill, I get it. 2) Do it enough & eventually you’re going to crash.

Wear your seatbelt. It won’t stop you from crashing, but it will likely keep you from going through the windshield & dying.

It’s a personal protective measure to limit acute harm.

A thread:

1) Since summer is coming up, it’s a good time to review sun safety.

Your skin protects your body from all kinds of environmental hazards, like the sun. Exposure to the sun can be dangerous.

So you do things to protect yourself, like wear sunscreen. 2) Sunscreen can help your skin do a better job of protecting you when it’s exposed to the sun. With minimal exposure, you might avoid a sunburn, or just get a mild sunburn.

It doesn’t take much exposure to burn your skin, but sunscreen can lessen the damage.

A thread…

1) Years ago, when my kid started dating, we took her to the doctor for birth control. We told her we still wanted her to wait until she was more mature before having sex. We understood how confusing the message was. We struggled with the right way to frame it. 2) Luckily, the doctor knew what to say: “I encourage all my teen patients to wait till they’re adults before having sex. Your body may feel ready, but a pregnancy can change your life. Until you’re an adult & have the means to deal w/the consequences, it’s best to wait.”

A thread…

I know many of us have observed personality changes in people following
a 🦠infection. Some of these folks were previously 🦠-cautious, including some with a large social media presence. (2) I think many of us have been surprised to see some of them become minimizers after a Covid infection, turning away from their academic & moral foundations. I’ve also seen this happen among friends, family, & colleagues. After 🦠hit my household a couple of years ago…