ether-c

[ether-c]

/repost, not my original content

[ether-c]

[ether-c]

Today I learned something

I reblogged a comic the other day about a doctor watching House, MD and diagnosing toxoplasmosis, tagging it with "you're more likely to get toxoplasmosis from a salad than a cat". There's a story behind that.

I used to work in the kennel at a vet clinic. One day one of the vet techs came into the kennel in a tearing hurry, handed me two cat carriers, and said, "Find a cage for these two. Don't know how long, but you can put them together." And then she left.

This was not how that was supposed to happen. I had no cage cards--no names, no feeding instructions, no health information--they weren't on the schedule, and techs didn't usually intake boarders. Medical cases had a separate kennel, so a tech shouldn't be bringing me an animal in during office visit hours. But I had a cage in the cat room, so I tucked them in--two adult females, very friendly, apparently healthy.

Half an hour later the tech came back--with cage cards--and said, "It's okay, they're staying overnight and going home tomorrow." She slumped against the kennel wall and told the cats' story.

They had been brought to the clinic to be euthanized, to die.

These healthy, friendly, beloved cats had been brought in to be killed, because a woman's doctor, her obstetrician, had told her that they had killed her unborn baby. He told her if she ever wanted a child she had to get rid of the cats. He told her they should be euthanized before they killed any other woman's unborn child.

He said, with no evidence, that they had toxoplasmosis. He said that toxoplasmosis caused her miscarriage.

The woman was distraught. She had just lost her baby, she was dealing with the hormonal changes of the pregnancy loss, and now she had to euthanize her beloved cats. Fortunately no vet I've ever worked for will euthanize healthy animals brought in by a sobbing client without asking why!

The vet spent almost an hour talking to the woman, educating her on toxoplasmosis, telling her all the reasons her doctor was wrong.

Not all cats have toxoplasmosis, and even when they do they only shed the oocytes in their feces--they're only infectious--for the first few weeks. Most cats are infected as kittens and are no longer infectious as adults. According to Wikipedia, "Numerous studies have shown living in a household with a cat is not a significant risk factor for T. gondii infection,[61][63][64] though living with several kittens has some significance.[65]"

Most people get toxoplasmosis from raw vegetables, especially salad greens that grow close to the soil and are hard to clean. Raw or rare meat, raw seafood, and unpasteurized milk are also a risk.

Toxoplasmosis can be a soil-borne disease from feces in the soil. Gardening is a greater risk than cat cohabitation.

Toxoplasmosis infection is dangerous to the fetus in pregnancy, yes, causing birth defects and miscarriages. But only the first time the person is infected. If this this woman had lost her first pregnancy to toxoplasmosis--and the vet said it really didn't fit the symptoms--she would be at low risk in a subsequent pregnancy.

So basically the vet told the woman that 1) her miscarriage probably wasn't toxoplasmosis, 2) even if it was, she probably didn't get it from her cats, 3) even if her cats had given her toxoplasmosis, they weren't infectious anymore.

The woman kept her cats and got a new obstetrician.

Human doctors get a few lectures on zoonotic diseases--diseases transmitted from animals to humans or vice versa. Veterinarians get semesters. If a doctor ever tells you your animals have given you a disease, get a second opinion from your vet!

[ether-c]

My parents and I have an amazing relationship,

And sometimes I wish we didn't.

If we didn't, it would be much easier to just leave.

My anxiety consistently threatens my career,

My self doubts spoil any triumph.

My body is tired and aches,

Everyone's body is tired and aches.

We are all unhealthy, we are all slowly dying.

Fed poison after poison after poison

It would be easier to go.

If I wasnt so loved, so afraid of hurting others

I would have done it by now.

[ether-c]

If I reblog

A quote on Tumblr.

Is it always formatted the same?

if i write

a quote on tumblr

where does it go

[ether-c]

I know somebody in my town. #12.18

She's a mother of six kids, and now all of them are adults.

Do you know what horrible things she has been through, and what her children have been through, because she did not have access to resources?

Her family looks very different from most. She gave birth to three boys, and then two girls, and her final child was a c-section. Her oldest son was her favorite, and now is a criminal. He hurt his siblings, more than once. Her second oldest son doesn't speak to her, and she will not call him by his name. Her youngest son also doesn't speak to her, but it's for a different reason. I don't blame either of them.

Her oldest daughter had to go to court. She had to fight to keep the custody of her child from an abusive ex. She gave up a scholarship to have enough time for court appointments. This woman's second daughter, shortly after, decided to have an abortion. Because of this, the mother does not speak to her second daughter. When she is asked about any of this, she replies, "so what, you think I'm a bad mother?"

Her youngest child moved out the day they turned 18. They're giving themselves room to figure things out. I really hope her youngest 5 kids are able to figure things out. I really wouldn't mind it if the oldest died, but truthfully I'm afraid even to say that out loud.

The mother, I heard that she grew up in a cult. She left pregnant, met someone else and then met someone else and married him. Everyone knew things were going poorly, I think it would have been impossible to hide all of those bruises. When he died, no one was quite sure if it was an accident. In one house, 5 kids grew up with at least 3 - or more on holidays - violent, older people in the house. The mother became mean enough to also become the villain in her children's story.

Sometimes I think about this family. Her oldest son isn't in prison anymore. He has three young daughters. I get worried about how much time he spends alone with them.

.

.

[ether-c]

As Kinktober begins, your friendly older tumblr aunt is here to remind you that not all sex you read about online is accurate or even possible! :)

Here are some fun reminders!

Always, always, check for consent before you begin anything with someone else! Check ins during are also good and hot!!!

Use lube - not just spit. Lube is designed to last on your body while spit is soaked into your skin and therefore, not useful. (By all means, if you wanna spit after you’ve applied lube and your partner is into it? Go for it. But lube up first!)

Most people with female anatomy cannot squirt and before you say “it’s in porn!!” Please know that it’s an actual skill that you have to train your body to do. Some people can naturally relax the right muscles - most can’t.

For most people, a 10+ inch dick is ridiculously large and would hurt. Size doesn’t matter half as much as fics make it out to matter -there are so many other factors that matter significantly more. (Angle!! Friction, LUBE, speed, position, etc.)

It’s totally fine (and normal!) to not have an orgasm during sex. Especially if it’s your first time. Yes, even those with male anatomy. Sometimes, sex is about the closeness and the experience, not the orgasm.

USE PROTECTION! Never ever assume your partner is using some form of protection. YOU MUST DISCUSS THIS WITH YOUR PARTNER. It’s only awkward if you make it awkward.

Also, condoms are supposed to be tight on a penis. You can wear the wrong size and it will not work the right way. They can fall off if they’re too big or break from being too tight. However, unless someone has a literal allergy, it being “uncomfortable” is not a valid excuse to not wear a condom. And hey! You/they DO have an allergy?? Guess what - they probably make a condom that you’re not allergic to!! Isn’t science neat? :)

When you put on a condom you need to leave room at the tip. You need to pinch that left over space and verify there are no air bubbles. If there are air bubbles - it’s going to break. If you don’t leave that extra space? It’s going to break. Quite a few condom brands have a built in “ reservoir tip”. If the brand you prefer doesn’t, make sure to physically check that there is room.

NEVER HAVE ANAL SEX WITHOUT LUBE. Yep, back to lube! Guess what happens when you don’t use it? PAIN. The anus does NOT stretch naturally. You have to work it open - PREP WORK. It will tear, it will hurt, and your fun time will be over before it ever began.

Choking someone can be incredibly dangerous if not done properly. Do your research. Your goal isn’t to crush someone’s trachea - that can cause actual permanent damage.

CONSENT! IS! HOT!

Most sex isn’t a BDSM situation. Most people will never enter that type of partnership. BDSM is much, much more than “dominant/submissive”.

On that note, being submissive does not mean always whining, whimpering, or crying. It can mean this - but being submissive is about giving up control and trusting someone else to give you what you need. Submissive does not equal infantilization.

Other hand! Being a dominant does not mean being hard, rough, and emotionally closed off. A dominant understands they are being handed trust from someone and they take that role very, very seriously. Being dominant does not equal being a dick.

“Vanilla” sex is not boring. The term actually was created in the ‘70s but the definition varies depending on the subset of people talking. (Monogamous vs. polyamorous, sexual preference, etc.)

Finally!!

It is completely and totally okay and normal to read about something and like it but not ever want to do it in real life. It’s okay to not like reading about something but enjoy it in real life. It’s okay to try something and never want to do it again or stop halfway through.

It is not okay to shame anyone else for their preferences, even if they differ from your own. :)

Please remember as you’re reading through all the fun fics that they are just that - fiction. Real life is never quite like it’s written and that’s okay! Be safe, do research from real experts, and remember to be nice to your authors!

Enjoy Kinktober!

Signed,

A concerned older tumblr aunt

[ether-c]

New Years resolution that I won't tell my friends about

Should probably start brushing my teeth at least once a day

Would really be a good idea to cut smoke breaks out of my daily habit

I want to exercise daily, I really want it, and I'm really mad that it's something I come back to every year knowing I'm at the same or an ever worse place physically this year.

Stop talking over my therapist.

[ether-c]

The world of academia folks ✨

Philosopher: "What is 1 + 2 ?"

Mathematician " 2.5. If one more person says that irrational numbers are valid I'm going to drown someone."

Statistician " 4. When in doubt, add plus one."

Engineer: " 3 is the strongest number, but regulations require to double our numbers for safety. So I'm saying 6."

Physicist " 3.5. I'm the smartest person here & I have no idea why the equation outputs that number. Y'all just to cowardly to admit the same."

Atronomer : "It's probably 2.3, give or take a few .3s."

Biologist: " Do you have any idea how complicated the dynamics of 1 interacting with 2 is? I've got no idea."

Geologist: " I'm guessing 2."

Chemist: " we mixed a bunch stuff together for fun. The carcinogen we made could only have happened if the equation equals 3. So I'm saying 3."

Mathematician: "I'm going to drown you."

[ether-c]

I wrote this in class and it was too good for a private document

""

        The crone looked out the old broken window and stared at the neighbor’s child, the young and beautiful Maid Marian. The Maiden danced and squealed with her friends as they hung party decorations in their yard. The crone frowned, there was never any peace and quiet. Maid Marian always found an excuse to throw extravagant parties that lasted deep into the night, sometimes even until sunrise. The crone rubbed her aching, wrinkled hands. I asked her for a week, just seven days of quiet. The crone had recently buried her own daughter, Evelynn, the day after Evelynn was supposed to give birth to twins. Now, the crone sat alone in her house, watching Maid Marian once again prioritize her festivities over common decency. 

The crone walked out her backdoor and into her yard. Over the privacy fence, which had long since been covered in thick vines, she could hear the hooping and hollering. A few musicians rolled in; they began blowing loud tunes on their horns. The people next door cheered. A champagne bottle popped. The crone crossed her yard to head to her shed. The grass had grown surly, wildflowers had become hedges, hedges had become massive overgrowths. She opened her shed and looked at all the gardening equipment: spades, hedge trimmers, a machete. She sighed, had she been young and full of life like Maid Marion, she would have been gardening; maybe she would have even enjoyed the music. Evelynn would have enjoyed the music. 

The crone went deep into her shed and dug out a cauldron. She hadn’t practiced in years, but now she was alone, and she had nothing to lose. She pulled a grimoire from her shelf; there was a summoning spell she still remembered. She began pulling from jars, specimens she had preserved, and began preparing an offering. She hauled the heavy cauldron into the center of her yard, and through it in the fire pit. She nestled broken branches and small logs around the bottom, and dumped an old bottle of gin on the timber. She struck a match and lit the cauldron. She drug her hose to the pot and filled it with water, then added the herbs, then the bones, then the sinew. The smell filled the air. The music stopped playing, the hoots and hollering turned to murmurs. The crone laughed. They had already breathed in the smoke, it was time. 

The crone climbed into the cauldron and as her skin boiled she laughed and cried. Her body was transformed, her skin became red and tight, her muscles grew back to the size of the former glory. She climbed out of the cauldron. Smoke drifted from the corners of her smile. She walked into the shed and picked up the machete. ""

✨ thank you for reading ✨

[ether-c]

The crone looked out the old broken window and stared at the neighbor’s child, the young and beautiful Maid Marian. The Maiden danced and squealed with her friends as they hung party decorations in their yard. The crone frowned, there was never any peace and quiet. Maid Marian always found an excuse to throw extravagant parties that lasted deep into the night, sometimes even until sunrise. The crone rubbed her aching, wrinkled hands. I asked her for a week, just seven days of quiet. The crone had recently buried her own daughter, Evelynn, the day after Evelynn was supposed to give birth to twins. Now, the crone sat alone in her house, watching Maid Marian once again prioritize her festivities over common decency.

The crone walked out her backdoor and into her yard. Over the privacy fence, which had long since been covered in thick vines, she could hear the hooping and hollering. A few musicians rolled in; they began blowing loud tunes on their horns. The people next door cheered. A champagne bottle popped. The crone crossed her yard to head to her shed. The grass had grown surly, wildflowers had become hedges, hedges had become massive overgrowths. She opened her shed and looked at all the gardening equipment: spades, hedge trimmers, a machete. She sighed, had she been young and full of life like Maid Marion, she would have been gardening; maybe she would have even enjoyed the music. Evelynn would have enjoyed the music.

The crone went deep into her shed and dug out a cauldron. She hadn’t practiced in years, but now she was alone, and she had nothing to lose. She pulled a grimoire from her shelf; there was a summoning spell she still remembered. She began pulling from jars, specimens she had preserved, and began preparing an offering. She hauled the heavy cauldron into the center of her yard, and through it in the fire pit. She nestled broken branches and small logs around the bottom, and dumped an old bottle of gin on the timber. She struck a match and lit the cauldron. She drug her hose to the pot and filled it with water, then added the herbs, then the bones, then the sinew. The smell filled the air. The music stopped playing, the hoots and hollering turned to murmurs. The crone laughed. They had already breathed in the smoke, it was time.

The crone climbed into the cauldron and as her skin boiled she laughed and cried. Her body was transformed, her skin became red and tight, her muscles grew back to the size of the former glory. She climbed out of the cauldron. Smoke drifted from the corners of her smile. She walked into the shed and picked up the machete.

[ether-c]

I will not let my light die. I will continue to light the way, though I may not know what the way may be. I will continue. I will continue.

To outlast Trump

To outlast Orban

To outlast Höcke

To outlast Putin

To outlast Erdogan

To just keep living, despite people wishing you wouldn't

We are here. We are many. And we are loud.

Just staying alive is an act of defiance. So stay here dammit. Stay here to outlive all that old privileged fascist scum. We won't give them what they want.

[ether-c]

Medicine in Culture

Humans are bio-cultural, being influenced by both biology and culture. Both our biological dispositions and our culture are subject to trends, as is medicine. We, as humans, notice what works in the people around us and try it out, if it works to cure a disease, then it becomes medicine. In western countries, we are (usually) most familiar with western biomedicine, but like other cultural medicines we used our own theories to observe trends. In biomedicine these trends can be verified and tested with rigorous tests and trials, but the herbal treatments popular in many cultures, from China to Mexico, are also effective. 

For many diseases (certainly not all), if the body is given enough time and resources, the body can adapt or heal itself. In all forms of medicine, we are supplying the mind, body, and spirit with time and resources. Medicine focuses on promoting behaviors that cultures observe and believe are beneficial to the body, and when someone believes in a treatment they are even more likely to heal. We see this with the placebo effect mentioned in the book. So why do treatments - that are not "based in science" - work? Because they are still based in science, just not as people understand it in the western world. While they may not be tested by the scientific method, it is still based on observable patterns and gives weight to the power of the mind and body. 

One example is drinking tea. A plethora of cultures place tea and other warm drinks on a pedestal, and if you were to examine it from a biological and cultural perspective, it makes sense why. Once a day, set aside time for yourself. Heat up some water, once warm, let it be infused by an addition of herbs. Sit with the warm cup in your hands, smell the soothing herbs, and then drink. In this small 15 minute action, you are providing your body with hydration (not to mention, you boiled the water first so it’s potentially cleaner than it was prior), and you’re consuming antioxidants and maybe some polyphenols and other substances that our cells can use to build up their defences. Most importantly, you are doing something for yourself that you believe will improve your wellness. This simple act, even if it is not verified by drug testing and clinical trials, is medicine. 

[ether-c]

Globalization AU's

Arranged and in reference to and if I like it more than or less then steam punk

Nature Punk — The balance of nature is prioritized above all else. There are conflicts sure, but there's no true right or wrong way to be an individual so long as you are prioritizing the Sacred Balance. Go scream at the equinox, and a few months later, lounge and celebrate on the solstice. Wanna run around in a loin cloth? Great, there's a dozen other nature bros that beat you to it. Just be wary of the ones who took it too far.

Magic Punk — Physics is a guideline and all power is temporary. Some places are much safer than others, and that is subject to change too. At least 1/3 of the population can use magic, in some areas the concentration is higher. The market is the strangest place and you are never quite sure you actually know what you're buying. 1 out of 5 citizens is convinced they are the main character.

Steam Punk — There's a random train in more scenes than it is absent from. The populace has been or is about to be liberated by industrialization, but it's still early enough that no one is enslaved by it. Of course the factories have guidelines and the workers have rights, pay no attention to the implications of romanticizing one of the most diabolic eras in regards to worker safety. With enough coffee, building materials, and oil lamps, anything is possible!

Agriculture Punk — Everyone lives on and for the giant farms that fuel us. Above all else, agriculture is prioritized. Biggest question, who owns the land and who gets a final say? Who knows. But with the right union and/or co-op, life is pretty fair. That's what my representative keeps telling me. There's also giant looms and textile-making contraptions.

Diesel Punk — The electricity grid is down, but gasoline fueled machines still work. Undoubtably a gang is going to form and monopolize the gasoline. I sure hope no one poisons the water source in an effort to get more gasoline.

Plastic Punk — Whatever the hell this reality is. We're somehow more concerned about bugs and germs than the microplastics invading our literal organs in spite of the fact that evolution has spent millennias creating things that protect us from bugs and germs and we have no protections against the onslaught of endocrine horror that plastics and other manufactured compounds may bring. Everything is for some weirdo with way too much generational wealth making a profit.

✳⚝ Add your own take below ✳☄

[ether-c]

"Resentment has grown where love should be"

[ether-c]

if i write

a quote on tumblr

where does it go