πͺ΄π± Hi there,
I hope you've been well. Itβs me again (Jay), and Iβm reaching out about my mom yet again, Despite successfully crowdfunding her cervical cancer surgery, sheβs now facing severe kidney complications from the cancer. Weβre in a tough spot financially, having exhausted our resources on her previous treatment. Weβre still offering some of her beloved plants πͺ΄ to anyone who donates $10 or more towards her new phase of treatment. We need a minimum of a 500$ to commence her treatment, itβs the 2nd week of crowdfunding and we are still $300+ away.Β Β We desperately need help! Just as you did helped us with during her cervical cancer stage, we need you again.Β
You can find more details, donation links, and plant commissions in my pinned post. Any support, whether through donation or boosting my pinned post, would mean the world to us and help my mom get the life-saving care she needs.Thank you for your kindness and understanding.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Jay π±
^^^^
going to take a major break from tumblr for 4 months. when i mean major break, i'm deactivating my account. i'm still available on discord, but tumblr has to go for the time being, and logging out, setting screentime limits, it's just not working. hence, the deactivation.
oh damn. you can't deactivate. i guess i'm deleting it
fuck it, i literally can't. there's way too many memories. i'm going to try to change the password to this blog using the help of a friend, so i can't access it. there's too many small memories i don't want to completely use.
going to take a major break from tumblr for 4 months. when i mean major break, i'm deactivating my account. i'm still available on discord, but tumblr has to go for the time being, and logging out, setting screentime limits, it's just not working. hence, the deactivation.
oh damn. you can't deactivate. i guess i'm deleting it
every time I successfully resist a self-destructive urge, I am so proud of myself. I can literally feel my synapses rewiring to create healthier habits or whatever
Lets hope Stella isnβt in too much trouble for letting someone sneak into his office π I wonder if there are any little chapter hints in here? Thatβd be crazy right π
Artfight attack against @lab-labrava ! (do NOT let Eclipse see into that folder!)
Last artfight attack FOR REAL this time because I forgot they extended artfight a few days due to the website being down a few days at the beginning of July. Was working on this anyway but now it gets to be an artfight piece so yippee!
At first, I disliked Alastor/Vox and Alastor/Rosie, but reading the fics in the tag, they're actually more likely to acknowledge his aroace identity than other ships? Even in the fucknasty smut, I've read more details about Alastor's relationship and complicated reasons for having sex, even one that discussed his touch aversion, etc. I'm not claiming the fandom still isn't horrendous towards aroace people, but it's certainly a surprise to find some of the most Kudos fics actively including Alastor's aromanticism and asexuality in how he navigates his relationship with Vox.
I'm really surprised how many young fiber art people don't know that they can get pattern books from their local library. So as a PSA:
Your local public library has pattern books! They have crochet, knitting, weaving, and quilting pattern books! If they don't have the book you want, or the craft you want, you can ask for us to get it for you! It's free!
And hey musicians, we have sheet music, too!
Also, there's a high likelihood you can just...order pattern books that your local public library doesn't have! I remember checking if the books I had on hold were available, and then looking at Pica Pau 2 and Pica Pau 3 (crochet amigurumi books I requested through the book form) in shock. Same with other books. I've ordered so many e-books, but I think you're generally better off ordering physical books since once they buy it, the license can't expire.
Also, I recommend ordering The Complete Guide to Crochet Dolls and Animals by the Japanese Amigurumi Association through your library. I pirated it online, but I was struck by what a good resource it was. It teaches you all the basic stitches, different techniques for making arms and legs and creating little dolls, and is an excellent reference guide if you're like me, have ADHD, and drop your hobbies then return to them. You can just crack open this book, for a reminder.
this recall of boar's head products now includes old country branded products. some were also exported to the cayman islands, dominican republic, mexico, and panama.
please note, people have died from this outbreak, dozens of people have been hospitalized, and since listeria can take months to kick someone's ass after exposure and then a while to be investigated and recorded by the government, these numbers are expected to rise. you do not need to have eaten meat or poultry to be exposed to listeria from this outbreak, you could have just eaten food that has come in contact with it like in a kitchen, deli, restaurant, or anywhere else these meats were used to prepare food. listeria is a nasty fucker that loves to contaminate whatever it touches. there is more information on listeriosis and high-risk groups further down this post.
announced july 30th, 2024, current as of july 31st, 2024. this is not a complete copy/paste of the announcement or all relevant information, please check the links for more complete information and updates from the government.
WASHINGTON, July 30, 2024 β Boar's Head Provisions Co., Inc., a Jarratt, Va., establishment, is expanding its July 26, 2024, recall of deli meat products that may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agricultureβs Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today. The establishment is recalling approximately 7 million additional pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. Whole genome sequencing results show that a liverwurst sample collected by the Maryland Department of Health tested positive for the outbreak strain of Listeria monocytogenes.
This expansion includes 71 products produced between May 10, 2024, and July 29, 2024, under the Boarβs Head and Old Country brand names. These items include meat intended for slicing at retail delis as well as some packaged meat and poultry products sold at retail locations. These products have βsell byβ dates ranging from 29-JUL-2024 through 17-OCT-24. View full product list. View labels.
The products subject to recall were distributed to retail locations nationwide and some were exported to the Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Panama. The products shipped to retailers bear establishment number βEST. 12612β or βP-12612β inside the USDA mark of inspection on the product labels.
most people exposed to listeria will not experience a serious infection. but listeriosis, the illness caused by listeria, can become pretty bad and can take weeks to show symptoms after exposure. listeriosis can cause lifelong disability or death. for people who are pregnant, listeriosis can cause stillbirths, miscarriages, premature births, and life-threatening infections in newborns.
say you ate a bad deli meat sandwich a week ago, or any food that may have come into contact with these deli meats, and you theoretically got exposed to listeria with an immune system not strong enough to fight it off. it could be weeks or even months before listeriosis starts affecting you. consider writing down what you ate, and where, and when, just in case you need to tell this to a medical provider in the future. if you do develop listeriosis, it may become difficult to remember these details later.
if your hypothetical sandwich (or whatever you ate involving the recalled products) had been thoroughly cooked, it may have killed off the listeria. listeria is killed with heat, which is why deli meats are suseptible to listeria contamination.
this is a type of contamination so serious and easily spread that entire delis are going to be shut down to be thoroughly cleaned. if you had these products in your kitchen, even if you cooked them before eating, the united states food safety and inspection service recommends deep cleaning your fridge to stay safe. consider what else may have come into contact with the contaminated food.
as a reminder, having previously been infected by covid-19 is one of the many things that can cause a weakened immune system, and many people with weakened immune systems do not know they have weakened immune systems until they get infected with something serious. you can temporarily have a weakened immune system just from a lot of stress or not getting enough sleep, so make sure you get plenty of rest if you are concerned. good quality rest makes the immune system stronger.
Consumption of food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or with weakened immune systems. Less commonly, persons outside these risk groups are affected.
Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. An invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract. In people who are pregnant, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery or life-threatening infection of the newborn. In addition, serious and sometimes fatal infections can occur in older adults and persons with weakened immune systems. Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics. Persons in the higher-risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care and tell the health care provider about eating the contaminated food. (rune note: emphasis mine)
FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumersβ refrigerators and in retail deli cases. Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them and retailers are urged not to sell these products with the referenced sell by dates. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase. Consumers who have purchased these products are also urged to clean refrigerators thoroughly to prevent the risk of cross-contamination.
FSIS recommends retail delis clean and sanitize all food and non-food surfaces and discard any open meats and cheeses in the deli. Retailers may refer to FSISβ guideline, Best Practices Guidance for Controlling Listeria monocytogenes in Retail Delicatessens, for information on steps to prevent certain ready-to-eat foods that are prepared or sliced in retail delis and consumed in the home, such as deli meats and deli salads, from becoming contaminated with L. monocytogenes.
the wikipedia page for listeriosis notes: βListeriosis may cause mild, self-limiting gastroenteritis and fever in anyone.β and βPeople who were previously healthy but were exposed to a very large dose of Listeria can develop a noninvasive illness in which the bacteria do not spread into their bloodstream or other body sites. Symptoms can include diarrhea and fever.β
and here is the united states center for disease control page on this outbreak.
as of the time this post is going up, the CDC page has not yet been updated with the latest recall information, and reflects the previous, smaller recall.
list of all affected product names under the cut. check the product information list for more information on each product and where they were exported, and here is what the labels look like.
this list is long.
do not risk this. do not mess with listeria. do not eat these recalled foods!
Lesser-known steps of the writing process:
assuming every thin person has never been fat is so stupid. a lot of you understand restrictive eating disorders as "vain thin person who wants to be thinner" and don't bat an eye at those before and after extreme weight loss pictures where someone supposedly lost 80+ pounds in under a year through healthy methods. the reason eating disorders like this in fat people are seen as nonexistent is they're portrayed as success stories unless the person reaches a low enough weight to be considered unattractive.
me talking about a thing i like: yeah it's pretty good. you should check it out
me talking about a thing i don't like: eh, not a big fan. it's whatever though
me talking about a thing i saw a flash of potential in but overall isn't good: Okay so what you have to understand is that if they had just done it right,
"actually a lot of the things you express interest in about it take from something that does it much better and is REALLY worth checking out" and???? that doesn't answer the question of what if the bad version was good
Listening to some youtubers read reddit situations and react to them and uhhhhhh
Friendly reminder. If your sanitizing process doesn't involve boiled/boiling water and/or steam, then you are NOT in fact sanitizing your sex toys properly!
Aka, please god stop hand washing your sex toys in a sink. Please don't. I want to invite all of you to understand that soap and touchable water is not enough to sanitize most things, especially silicone.
The advised care for sex toys is one or the other of the following: placed in a delicates bag and thrown into a high temp washing machine load, placed in a grate container/rack (e.g. a silverware rack) in a dishwasher and rubbing a complete clean cycle (boiling water typically) and/or a sanitizing cycle (steam based typically)
If it weirds you out to use the same machine washing for your sex toys as for your dishes/clothes, you can run separate cycles for each, and look up sanitizing maintenance for the machine in question. But handwashing in the sink is likely inadequate care for your sex toys, and while boiling them in a pot can work, it also risks damaging your toys AND your pots, so I strongly advise against it.
Personally, I wash my clothes with a washboard in a galvanized steel washbasin in my shower which has a water temp gauge for the faucet, so I can control for temp. That said, because I'm hand washing, I mostly use my laundry powder for cleaning and sanitizing, and it's not sex-toy-safe. So dishwasher it is! I will usually hand wash with a skin-safe and silicon safe soapy water first because I find it helpful for ridged or textured toys, but I drop them straight into the silverware basket along with the pots loads, and run them with a couple drops of dish soap and a gentle cleanser.
It can be important to maintain your machines! Learning how to run cleaning loads (dishwasher or washing machine) can be valuable! Same with cleaning and changing out filters, and such. But that's true regardless of what's going into your machines, so if it'll matter to you once your sex toys go in, treat that like a motivation to learn.
Good luck and happy fucking.
Its Mirabelle day! The day of Mirabelle! Woooo!
Propaganda for Mirabelle:
And sheβs Aroace
And she's aroace
I haven't described art pieces in a hot minute, but I hope those image descriptions were adequate. happy mirabelle day! @silver-oneshot-is-transmasc
IMPORTANT late addition to my Aroace series.
ID: Art of Mirabelle smiling as she holds her hands in front of her, coloured in the oranges, yellows, blues, and whites of the aroace flag. Her skirt, bow, and circle pendants are yellow, her bodice is orange along with the glints in her dark blue eyes, the same dark blue as her hair. Her skin tone is the lighter blue of the flag, contrasting with her white gloves, which mark the creases in her clothes as well. There are little decorative curls in these colors surrounding her, against the white background. End ID
