Icon from a picrew by grgikau. Call me Tir or Julian. 37. He/They. Queer. Twitter: @tirlaeyn. ao3: tirlaeyn. 18+ Only. Star Trek. The X-Files. Sandman. IwtV. OMFD. Definitionless in this Strict Atmosphere.
Do a quick scan of TikTok and you’ll find trendy young people
casually blowing hundreds or thousands of dollars on clothes and
jewelry, often set to the clattering, bass-boosted din of Florida rapper
Saucy Santana’s fittingly titled “Material Girl.” Plenty of those
influencers get the goods they flaunt for free. But if you don’t have
the followers, or the up-front cash to blow, TikTokers have a tip: Just
use “buy now, pay later” services, the hottest new way to take on debt.
You may have seen some of these names — Klarna, Sezzle,
Zip (formerly Quadpay), Afterpay and Affirm — pop up as you shop online,
presenting an easier, more seamless alternative to having to type out
your credit card information again and again. With a few clicks and a
small down payment, you’ll have what you ordered on hand — all you need
to do now is complete your four payments.
The services, also known as point-of-sale loans, are
heavily marketed by influencers and brands on TikTok and Instagram. They
giddily display their “hauls” from the most popular brands, not just
normalizing debt, but actually glamorizing it — and selling it as a way
for trend-conscious young people to have all the coolest consumer goods,
whether they have the cash on hand or not.
A lot of Northerners were very kind during the freeze in Texas this winter with tips on how to stay warm for people who had lost heat. This is an attempt to repay that favor for people in the Pacific Northwest and other northerly locations who are facing dangerous heatwaves without built-in A/C. My qualifications to give this advice are that I was a summer camp attendee and counselor with no A/C for many summers in humid-ass central Texas with highs over 100F basically every day. Hopefully some of it will be of use to somebody who isn’t used to the heat.
1) PUT ICE WATER IN YOUR BODY. Ice water is your best friend and the #1 way to drop your body temp. Drink more than you think you need (like, at least a half-gallon a day and closer to a gallon or more if you have to be outside doing manual work all day) to cool your insides down and stay hydrated. Have some bananas, trail mix, or a sports drink to help replace the electrolytes you’re sweating out and keep you from getting cramps, but try to have most of your fluid intake be water. I used to take a giant water bottle, fill it part way with water, and freeze it on its side so the ice would slowly melt over the course of the day and my water would stay cold longer.
2) PUT ICE WATER ON YOUR BODY. Cold water, ice, or a damp rag on your head and neck, the backs of your knees, the insides of your elbows, and under your armpits will help you cool down the best, because your blood runs close to the surface in those places. Cold packs designed for injuries or lunchboxes, bags of frozen vegetables, etc. can substitute for ice water as well. Even room-temp water will pull heat away from your body better than body-temp sweat will, especially if it’s humid, so if you don’t have enough ice, the sink, bathtub, or hose will do fine. Dipping your feet into cool water helps a ton as well if you have to sit and work and don’t want your clothes to be wet.
3) WHERE AM I SUPPOSED TO GET SO MUCH ICE?
To make sure you have enough ice to last you the weekend, especially through a potential power failure, I recommend getting a cooler (even one of the cheap styrofoam ones is fine in a pinch) and ~10lbs of ice from the big coolers at most gas stations, drug stores, or grocery stores. Try to do this now, before anybody loses power, and store as much in your freezer as you have space for to keep it from melting. You can use it for drinking or to keep your food cold in a power failure. You can use it for a party later if you don’t end up needing it during the heat wave, but you will probably be very happy you had it.
4) AIR FLOW. Being inside a room with the windows closed is the worst possible place to be if you don’t have A/C, because glass windows create a greenhouse effect and the hot air can’t escape. If at all possible, find a shaded place outside where you can catch any possible breeze. If not, open all your windows and, if it’s safe, doors so you can get a cross-breeze. Hopefully you have window screens to keep pets and kids in and bugs out. If not, you’re gonna have to do your own risk assessment. Fans of all sizes and descriptions are your friend; ceiling fans should be set to spin counterclockwise in summer. Even if you have A/C, finding or making a handheld fan will be worthwhile for when you have to venture outside. If you aren’t in a situation where you need to conserve ice, blowing air over a cooler full of ice will give you a makeshift A/C.
5) SHADE. You will probably immediately notice that direct sunlight is a miserable place to be when it’s super hot. Find or make a shaded location, and don’t be afraid to move around to avoid the sun as the day goes on. Stay on the shady side of the sidewalk whenever you walk someplace. Try to shade your windows as best you can without obstructing airflow using blinds, curtains, shutters, etc. especially if they’re directly in the path of the sun.
Do not be a jerk to your neighbors if their shade solutions are ugly.
If you can get a shade for your car windshield, I highly recommend it, as the steering wheel, dashboard, seatbelts, and even seats can quickly become too hot to touch in a sealed car and will hold that heat for a long time.
6) CLOTHING. Light-colored, loose clothing that is as close to 100% cotton or linen as you can find is your friend. It doesn’t necessarily have to be short as long as it’s breathable. You will sweat through anything you wear, so I personally prefer only wearing machine-washable stuff. Sun hats, sunscreen, sunglasses, aloe gel for sunburns, mosquito repellent, anti-chafing supplies, etc are all worth looking into if you aren’t used to spending time in the heat.
7) TIMING. Try to stay out of the sun and avoid doing anything strenuous in the middle of the day when the heat is the worst. If you have a choice, plan to be more active early in the morning and late at night when the temperature is more bearable, and take a break in the middle of the afternoon.
Here’s a graphic from the CDC about how to recognize heat-related illnesses and what to do about them. I will add to this that if it’s hot and you stop sweating, you are getting to a dangerous level of dehydration and need to drink something BEFORE you start having more serious problems.
With all the heatwaves this needs to go around again.
Alright you guys, ‘tis the season again and I’ve already seen bullshit float about so here we go: what to do and what not to do when you happen to have a tick attached to yours truly.
WHAT NOT TO DO:
DON’T cover the tick in anything. Vaseline, nailpolish, whatever. Doesn’t matter. It’ll all suffocate the tick, making it panic vomit germs into your blood stream. That’s the opposite of what you want.
DON’T burn the tick. Same problem, plus the additional option of giving yourself a burn wound in the process.
DON’T squeeze the body of the tick when you try to remove it. Again this empties the tick’s digestive system into your body. Bad.
DON’T wait for the tick to detach itself. The longer it stays on you, the higher the chances it’ll transmit anything to you. Plus when ti detaches it may again vomit germs into you.
WHAT TO ACTUALLY DO
STAY CALM. A tick hanging on you is not a reason to panick. You’re not going to keel over just like that, and if you’re unsure what to do, there are many resources on the internet on how to safely remove a tick, like this one from the CDC (aka the professionals)
USE APPROPRIATE TOOLS. These can be suitable tweezers (the pointy kind, not blunt tipped ones), tick removers (there are cheap ones out there, those you can buy at the vets are totally fine for use on humans, too!). Ideally you can remove the entire tick in one go, however if that doesn’t work and the mouth part breaks off in your skin, that’s not a terribly big deal and you can totally remove it separately after you got the body remove. Again, don’t panic.
KILL THE REMOVED TICK. But not by squeezing it. Flush it down the toilet, submerse it in alcohol in a container etc. Ideally if the tick has bitten you and not your dog, keep the tick around in a sealed container in case you start having symptoms and someone needs to identify the tick species. Also IF you start getting symptoms like the tell tale Lyme disease rash, HIT A DOCTOR RIGHT AWAY AND TELL THEM ABOUT YOUR TICK BITE. Do not wait this out, ticks can transmit a whole host of diseases beside Lyme, so be mindful of that, too!
Some of those diseases you can actually get vaccinated again, such as tick born encephalitis. Check with the local authorities if you live in a risk area, and if so, get the shots to protect yourself.
Excellent post! I would like to add that ticks hide in tall grass and bushes mostly. They do not drop down from trees or jump to other people’s heads etc. Ticks aren’t designed to jump, they latch on somewhere on your leg and then crawl upwards in most cases.
So be careful with bare legs and tall grass!
And also, if you have a tick. Take a picture of the location on your body so that when you’ve removed it you can easily keep track and see if a red circle pops up since it might take a few days for the circle to show. When it does, immediately visit your doctor!
Hi! Wanted to share an important experience I had recently that I think you should know about, especially if you’re a fellow petite trans guy or similar!
I just got an awesome gynecologist who works with all sorts of people, including trans guys and such. She made me feel very safe, comfortable, and heard! One of the things she asked me during my visit was if I had anyone in my family who has/had Osteoporosis - a condition that makes your bones weak and brittle.
I had no idea why that would even matter, but both of my mom’s parents did, and I found out later that my mom has Osteopenia (sort of a halfway point between healthy bones and Osteoporosis). My doctor nodded and then explained that since 1) Osteoporosis runs in my family, 2) I am a trans guy taking weekly testosterone, and 3) I am petite at 5′0″ and 100-110 lbs, I should get a bone density scan done. Huh??? Why???
Did you know that estrogen actually protects your bones by suppressing reabsorption of the bone itself?? It works with the osteoblasts needed to create new bone! She explained that those of us with smaller bodies naturally have less hormones, and thus less estrogen to begin with, and when you start taking testosterone for a long time, it stops the estrogen, which stops protecting your bones. Damn!!!!
Now, because studies on trans bodies, especially over long periods of time, are in a growing field, we become part of the data. There’s not a lot to read on the subject yet, just like the similarities between being on testosterone and going through menopause.
My doctor looked at me in all my confusion and said,
“I bring all this up because I have a couple of trans male patients who have developed Osteoporosis by the time they’re 30.”
Let that sink in. (I’m almost 26.)
The scan took all of 5 minutes, completely harmless, got to keep all my clothes on. A few days later and I get a result that my pelvic bones are fine, but that my spine has “MINOR Osteopenia” and that I should do the following things to prevent worsening:
Take Vitamin D3
Take Calcium (preferably with food, but supplements are okay too)
Do weight-bearing exercises (“In regard to weightbearing exercises, we think the best is walking and/or running, hiking, and yoga. Swimming or biking is not recommended as a weightbearing exercise.”)
While this looks like a simple “eat better, get more sunshine, exercise more!” bit, (which I guess it sort of is??) it’s also… a little scary? Research on trans bodies has never before led me to this possible conclusion, and I wanted to make sure other people knew about this possibility as well, so they can ask their doctors questions to stay healthy!!
If for no other reason than spite, trans bodies have to keep living!!! STRONG BONES, LACTOSE INTOLERANCE BE DAMNED!!
me: i wish i could turn off certain mobs. i’d love to play more survival mode but the spiders really upset me :(
my dad, the most stoic person in existence, LEAPING out of his chair with great concern: I AM NOW OBSESSED WITH THIS PROBLEM. I WILL PROCEED TO SPEND THE NEXT MONTH SCOURING THE INTERNET FOR NICHE MODS OR CONSOLE COMMANDS IN HOPES I CAN BRING YOU AND THE ENTIRE MINECRAFT PLAYERBASE PEACE.
my dad, a week later, more distraught than i’ve ever seen: brittany it’s awful. i’ve been googling around for solutions to your spider problem and lots of little kids have asked for help on the same issue and people online were Mean to them. i cannot type fast enough to stop all of them. this is a crisis right now
if you play java edition i can make a datapack that kills all spiders when they spawn so you don’t get a chance to see them
hi!! i do play java edition, and any help would be amazing!! my current method involves a small redstone machine in the spawn area and command blocks, but i’ve not looked into datapacks since getting back into playing. they seem like they’d be more intuitive though, so i’d love some help!! :0
I realised I just posted a link without information here so let me expand on this:
This is a massive Jif peanut butter recall. Basically every single variety of it is recalled. The lot numbers included are
1274425 through 2140425, but the recall notice itself doesn’t say those are exclusive, so I’d be wary for a while (I am a smidge paranoid).
If you have Jif in your pantry, check it, and if it’s in that lot number range, throw it out. Do not eat it!!! Even if you’ve been fine so far! Just don’t!!
If anyone needs a new period tracker app, Planned Parenthood’s free period tracker app Spot On doesn’t sell your data and it’s only saved locally to your device so only you can access it. I transferred over my cycle history from Flo and deleted it and its data, took 5 minutes.
i never do these PSA posts because most PSA stuff isn’t actually actionable, but, uh, this one is:
tl;dr:there are now a bunch of drugs that are really damn good at treating COVID. if you or a loved one get COVID, especially if you have extra risk factors, you should ask your health provider about them (and, if you’re in the US, you can even use this handy dandy website to see what’s in stock near you). also, consider telling people (esp. older people) about this, i guess? so that they know too?
As of March 7, 2022 The US “Test to Treat” program allows you to get a covid test and, if it is positive, you will be met by a trained medical practitioner at that same location who can give you a prescription for a covid anti-viral drug. This new program allows you to directly bypass the normal medical nonsense that is part and parcel of life in the US.
Here is themap of american locationsfor Test to Treat (test + medical professional) plus additional locations to fill your prescription of Lagevrio (molnupiravir) or Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir / ritonavir) if they cannot fill your prescription at the same site.
When visiting a Test to Treat location, bring a list of your current drugs with you. Both of these medications can interact with some drugs. The medical staff and pharmacist at Test to Treat locations will be able to select the best course of treatment for you if you have your complete list of prescription drugs (or just bring the drug bottles) with you.
Covid anti-viral drugs need to be started during the first 5 days of symptoms so if you or someone in your life has symptoms, look into this. Especially do not delay of you/the person has one or more high risk factors for covid.
Test to Treat
The Biden-Harris Administration launched a new nationwide Test to Treat initiative in March to give individuals an important way to quickly access free lifesaving treatment for COVID-19. Through this program, people are able to get tested and – if they are positive and treatments are appropriate for them – receive a prescription from a health care provider, and have their prescription filled all at one location. These “One-Stop Test to Treat” sites are available at hundreds of locations nationwide, including pharmacy-based clinics, Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA)-supported federally-qualified health centers (FQHCs), and long-term care facilities. People can continue to be tested and treated by their own health care providers who can appropriately prescribe these oral antivirals at locations where the medicines are distributed.
A Test to Treat locator is available to help find participating sites. A call center is also available at 1-800-232-0233 (TTY 1-888-720-7489) to get help in English, Spanish, and more than 150 other languages – 8:00 am to midnight ET, 7 days a week. The Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) is also available to specifically help people with disabilities access services. To get help, call 1-888-677-1199, Monday-Friday from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm ET or email DIAL@usaginganddisability.org.
