#nd also don’t take into account the pandemic

[d-criss-news]

20 Questions With Darren Criss: How Acting Has Helped Him Make New Music

While Darren Criss has graced our TV screens with a range of characters, from high schooler Blaine Anderson on Glee to serial killer Andrew Cunanan on The Assassination of Gianni Versace, he was last spotted just being himself, on our For You Page on TikTok. “I’m walking to rehearsal with a guitar on my back with a Trader Joe’s bag ... I did not bring an umbrella because I forgot that it was raining. I’m rocking that NYC musician life,” the Glee alum explained in the hilarious clip posted three days ago.

While Criss’ acting work has earned him acclaim and stardom, he leaned into making music during the pandemic. On Aug. 20, he dropped a new EP, Masquerade, featuring five new tracks that Criss says were inspired by the different characters Criss has embraced throughout his career. After Criss wrote songs for his musical comedy web series Royalties and Apple TV+’s animated sitcom Central Park before the pandemic struck the United States, he then used those experiences as a precursor to his new EP. As Criss continues to promote his new music, he answered 20 of Billboard's questions – giving us a peek into how his new EP came together, and how growing up in San Fransisco shaped him as an actor, singer and all-around artist.

1. What inspired your latest project, Masquerade?

Although I would have preferred that it come at a far less grim cost, I finally had the time. Before the pandemic, I had written 10 new songs for my show Royalties -- along with an original song for Disney and another for Apple’s Central Park. These were all assignments in which I was writing for a certain scenario and character. Go figure. It was the most music I had ever written in a calendar year. This really emboldened me to rethink how I made my own music— to start putting a focus on “character creation” in my songs, rather than personal reflection. The latter was not proving to be as productive. The alchemy of having this time and having set a new intention with my own songwriting and producing made me put on a few of my favorite masques and throw myself a Masquerade.

2. How do you think your background as an actor complements your music?

They are one and the same to me. I treat acting roles like musical pieces— dialogue is like scoring a melody; there’s pace, dynamics, cadence, tone. Physical characterization is like producing -- zeroing in on the bass line, deciding on the kick pattern. Vocal characterization is like choosing the right sonic experience, choosing the most effective snare sound, and mixing the high end or low end. It goes without saying that it works in the complete opposite direction. Making each song is taking on a different role literally and employing the use of different masques to maximize the effectiveness of the particular story being told.

3. On Instagram  you wrote that “Masquerade is a small collection of the variety of musical masques that have always inspired me.” Which track do you identify with most in your real life?

Everybody absorbs songs differently. Some key into the lyrics, some into the melody, some the production, some into vocal performance. When I listen to songs, I consider all of their value on totally different scales. So it’s hard to say if there’s any track I “identify” with more than any others, since I -- by nature -- identify with all of them. I think I just identify with certain aspects more than others. If it helps for a more interesting answer, I will say I enjoy the slightly more classical, playful -- dare I say -- more Broadway-leaning wordplay of “Walk of Shame,” but that’s just talking about lyricism. I enjoy the attitude of “F*kn Around,” the batsh--t musicality of “I Can’t Dance,” the relentless grooves of “Let’s” and “For A Night Like This.” All have different ingredients I really enjoy having an excuse to dive into.

4. What’s the first piece of music that you bought for yourself, and what was the medium?

Beatles audio cassettes: “Help” and “Hard Day’s Night.” I just listened on repeat on a tape-playing Walkman until my brother and I got a stereo for our room with a CD player in it, which was  when I just bought the same two albums again, but this time as compact discs.

5. What was the first concert you saw?It’s hard to say, because my parents took us to a lot of classical concerts when we were small. But I guess this question usually refers to what was the first concert you went to on your own volition, and that my friend, was definitely Warped Tour ’01. My brother and I went on our own— two teenagers going to their first music festival, in the golden age of that particular genre and culture. It was f--king incredible.

6. What did your parents do for a living when you were a kid?

My dad was in private banking and advised really, really wealthy people on how to handle their money. My mom was, by choice, a stay-at-home mom, but in reality, she was my dad’s consigliere. They discussed absolutely everything together. They were a real team, and I saw that every single day in the house. They both had a background in finance (That’s how they met in the first place.) and were incredibly skilled at all the hardcore adulting things that I absolutely suck at. They were total finance wizards together. So of course, instead of becoming an accountant, I picked up playing the guitar and ran as far I could with it. Luckily, they were all about it.

7. What was your favorite homecooked meal growing up?

My dad was an incredible chef. For special occasions, I’d request his crab cakes. They were unreal. I’ve never had a crab cake anywhere in the world that was good as my dad’s.

8. Who made you realize you could be an artist full-time?

I don’t know if I’ve actually realized that yet.

9. What’s at the top of your professional bucket list?

The specifics change every day, but the core idea at the top is to continue being consistently inconsistent with my choices, and to keep getting audiences to constantly reconsider their consideration of me. But I mean, sure, what performer doesn’t want to play Coachella? What songwriter doesn’t want to have Adele sing one of their songs? What actor doesn’t want to be in a Wes Anderson film?

10.  How did your hometown/city shape who you are?

San Francisco. I mean, come on. I was really lucky. The older I get, the more grateful I am for just being born and raised there. It’s an incredibly diverse, culturally rich, colorful, inclusive, vibrant city. By the time I was born, it had served as a beacon for millions of creative, out-of-the-box thinkers to gather and thrive. I grew up around that. The combination of that with having parents, who were unbelievably supportive of the arts themselves, laid an incredibly fortunate foundation to consider the life of an artist as a legitimately viable option. It’s a foundation that I am supremely aware is not the case for millions of young artists around the world. I was absurdly lucky.

11.  What’s the last song you listened to?

I mean probably one of mine, but not by choice. I know, lame. But I’m promoting a new EP, what’d you expect? But if you wanna know what I’ve been listening to, as far as new s--t is concerned: a lot of Lizzy McAlpine, Remi Wolf, and Charlie Burg.

12.  If you could see any artist in concert, dead or alive, who would it be?

The Beatles is an obvious "yeah, duh." Sammy Davis, Mel Tormé, or of course, Nat King Cole. I would’ve loved to see Howard Ashman give a lecture on his creative process and his body of work.

13. What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen happen in the crowd of one of your sets?

I feel like just having a crowd at all, at any one of my sets, is pretty wild enough.

14. What’s your karaoke go-to?

The real answer to this I’ll write into a book one day, because I have a lot to say about karaoke etiquette. I have two options here: I can either name a song that I like to sing for me, for fun, or I can name a song that really gets the group going. The answer depends on what kind of karaoke night we’re dealing with here. So I will say, after I’ve selected a ton of songs that services a decent enough party vibe for everyone else, then I would do one for me, and that would be the Beatles’ “Oh! Darling.”

15. What’s one thing your most devoted fans don’t know about you?

What I have up my sleeve.

16. What TV show did you binge-watch over the past year?

Dave is a stroke of genius. There are episodes that I believe are bona fide masterpieces. Also, My Brilliant Friend is a masterclass in cinematic television.

17. What movie, or song, always makes you cry?

It’s A Wonderful Life.

18. What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?

Get used to sharing everything about yourself and your life now, or more astutely, to the idea that you don’t necessarily get to control how your life is shared. I know it’s not really your thing, but you’re gonna have to get used to it, so start building up those calluses now. And don’t worry, all the stuff you love now will be cool again in your mid-thirties, so keep some of those clothes because you’ll be a full-blown fashion icon if you just keep wearing exactly what you’re wearing. Oh nd also, put money into Apple and Facebook.

19.  What new hobby did you take on in the last year?

I’ve always been a linguaphile. My idea of leisure time is getting to study or review other languages. This past year, I took the time to finally dive into learning how to read, write, and speak Japanese. Other than making music, it was one of the biggest components of my 2020-2021.

20. What do you hope to accomplish or experience by the end of 2021?

I hope I get to play live shows again.

[nancydrew428]

Game 34

As of yet, there’s no proof that there’s going to be a 34th game. Her Interactive has answered a few fans and said that they were working on a game, but who knows what that really means? To get a semblance of an idea, let’s do a deep dive.

Starting with the past couple of weeks, HeR is selling all of the physical copies of their games, as well as some other products (like their physical puzzles). I watched a YouTube video that said that while this may seem like a bad sign, it might not be. For starters, many of the physical games have been sold out for literal years because they only make a set amount of physical copies. When they run out, that’s it. So this isn’t a completely new thing. However, they are doing a mass sale. On the one hand, it could be a last ditch effort to get whatever money they can before calling it quits. But on the other, it could mean that they are trying to make the best financial decision that they can think of. Story Retold (LJ), on YouTube, works for Her Interactive and commented on that video in early April.

The most accurate explanation is that we at HeR Interactive wanted to celebrate the month of April as Nancy Drew’s anniversary. 💜 We made it themed as collectibles but yes, once the physical units sell out, we don’t make anymore. :(

I personally don’t believe that that is the only reason. It makes sense that they want to honor Nancy Drew’s anniversary (the first book came out in April 1930), so maybe that’s why they chose this month? But I feel like that can’t be the only reason.

I agree with Nancy Drew Walkthroughs on YouTube that Her Interactive probably has to pay for storage to keep physical items, so by selling the games, they won’t have to pay for the storage. They’ll also be making money off the games that they otherwise would not be making money from. As we have learned with the pandemic, and as marketers have known for decades, having people panic is a really effective way to sell something out. It’s why so many websites will have flash sales, the biggest words will be “for a limited time only,” and sometimes they’ll tell you how many copies of the product there are left, how many people have it in their carts, or they’ll say “hurry now, less than 50 left!” Even if you realistically had a long time to buy that product or the company actually has a lot of the product left, they create artificial scarcity and manufacture panic so that you’ll make impulse purchases. While it feels kind of slimy, it is effective when done right. And, correct me if I’m wrong but, I don’t think that Her Interactive has really done this before. So it seems like they might be stepping up their marketing which could be a good sign for the company.

I think this could be the company taking a step in the right direction to make everything digital. Although I absolutely love having physical copies of the games and other memorabilia, I also think that we are living in an increasingly digital world, and it only makes sense for them to get with the times. Go digital, spend less money on making physical games, etc. So many laptops these days don’t have CD/DVD drive, so many of their older games (and their newest game) have issues which can be especially hard with a disc, and so many stores don’t sell the physical games anymore. With a smaller, probably not very wealthy, company, it makes no sense for them to waste money on this. Like I said, I love collecting the physical copies, but I don’t really use them, and younger people coming across the games will probably go for the digital version, probably even buying it directly from Steam. (Which kind of a side note, kind of related, this article on Her Interactive is really interesting. It mentions that HeR kind of fought putting their games on Steam, because Steam took too big of a cut of their money. But I do think that that’s better than not having any of your games sell. And if they’re going completely digital, and almost all of their games are on Steam now, it seems like maybe they’re modernizing and progressing.)

While this could be a bad sign and I don’t want to get my hopes up too high, I do have some hope that it might actually be a good sign that they are finally getting smart.

Another thing that could either be worrisome or a good sign is that they changed offices. In another video from that same YouTuber, he talks about how Her Interactive still has the address that they’ve had for years on their contact page, but on their privacy policy page, they changed their address to a PO box. Plus, there’s a listing for their old office.

Obviously, this could be a bad thing, because they no longer have an office, and that just doesn’t sound good? But this also means that they’ll be saving money by doing so. During the pandemic, they’ve probably had to work at home anyway, so why pay for an office that no one is going to be in? It also makes sense, because at this point, they probably are not the ones making the games. They’re a marketing team who gives the Nancy Drew name to other companies to make the games. All of this can be done from home. LJ also commented on this video in early April, saying:

As far as I know, we are NOT going out of business. 😋 We are all remote working now, since our team (including a male) is all over the U.S. Our work is digital, so it’s an easy change.

Something else that he talks about in that video is that they changed the layout of their website. He points out that it costs money to pay someone to change a website, especially where it seems like multiple details have changed. Hate it or love it, you have to admit that the website is more sleek, modern, and just a different vibe to what it was before. Why would they put in the money for a website and company that’s going to be dead soon?

Lastly, he discusses the company’s change in advertising. I hadn’t even noticed the change (mostly because I don’t look at what they post; I only come across it if it’s posted by someone on here), but when he pointed it out, I did see the difference. The picture advertisements that they post are better quality (not necessarily in content, but in size and resolution). They’ve also changed the font that they use, they’ve ditched the logo, and they use random pictures as well. Regardless of whether it’s good or effective or not, it is a change. Here are two examples (one, two) from the past two years, and here are two examples from the past two weeks (one, two).

This change in marketing is also in line with their Facebook posts. Facebook is the social media that they are most active on when it comes to engaging with fans, at least from what I have seen in the past. But at least since January, they didn’t respond to any comments until they announced that they were selling out all of their physical copies. They didn’t respond to too many questions, but they responded to a few, for the first time in literal months. If they were shutting down, why would they start caring about answering fans’ questions now?

I also found information about some of the stuff that HeR has been doing in the past 2 weeks. I don’t have an account on the website so I can’t see all the information, so I don’t know what was blurred out. I also can’t see any other “scoops” about them, so I don’t know what they’ve done in the past, and I don’t know if this amount of activity is normal or more or less than they usually have. But the company has been doing a few things here and there, so as I keep saying, maybe this is a good sign.

With all of this being said, it seems like Her Interactive might not actually be going under. We can’t be sure, but we can have a little bit of hope. But even if that is true, just because they’ll still be a company, does that mean that they are going to make any more games?

I honestly don’t know. There isn’t much information out there about game 34,  but I will still compile the information that I’ve found here. Unfortunately, it gives us nothing other than them maintaining that there will eventually be another game.

(Timeline) TL;DR: I think that the key points are that they started saying that they were working on the game in December 2019 (as far as I can tell), but since then they’ve also said that they were planning the game. To this day, they are saying that they can’t give out any information regarding the new game yet and can’t make guarantees as to when they can release any information, let alone the game itself. The only thing LJ has seemed to say with certainty is that the next game will be made on Unity. They also have confirmed that there will be some improvements from MID, but it will be similar.

Some other tidbits from this that sound promising but probably don’t mean much: they have said that it shouldn’t take as long for future games as it did for them to make MID, they’ve mentioned that there are plans for multiple more games, that we should subscribe to their newsletter to stay up to date with any new information regarding anything (game 34 or otherwise), and LJ hopes to share news in the near future.

And other things that they’ve said that I’m 99.99% sure don’t mean anything at all: Nancy might potentially someday go on a boat in the future, LJ likes jump scares too “😉,” and Bess and George might appear in future games. (The first two are probably just jokes and fun, but the last one seems like it could be true, just because they’re in most of the games in some way or another.)

Lastly, some speculations: the next game might take place in Austria, and they might address the drama between Nancy and Ned.

Now here is the timeline.

On May 8, 2017, someone from Her Interactive said: "Yes we plan on making a 34th ND game. No is hasn’t been designed yet. Yes there will be a teaser at the end of MID, but no, we haven’t decided on what that teaser will look like yet." Obviously, it’s been years and plans can change (proven by the fact that there was no trailer at the end of MID, lol).

In December 2017, Her Interactive posted a letter about why MID was taking so long to come out. Here was the most important part:

As you may recall, we are moving to a new engine to be able to develop a game not only for PC/Mac but also for tablets, consoles, and now for the increasing popularity of augmented or virtual reality. Very exciting!  Part of us going down this path was to ensure that we have multiple platform options for future Nancy Drew titles so that all Nancy Drew game fans and those new to our games could play these amazing games no matter what their preferred device or platform.

This versatility means that the design and development of our games are even more complex than in the past. Our PC/Mac game design will work for players on the go with tablets and possibly for players that may want to immerse themselves in the mixed reality world. We are also constantly evaluating new technologies and trends in the game industry. Consequently, this is why it is taking much longer to develop this title than previous ones. This thoroughness will put HeR Interactive in a better position for the future while providing us with the tools necessary to continue to deliver amazing experiences for our fans.

On January 2, 2018, LJ responded to a comment on the blog saying, “Hello Carmen! South America is always a possibility for future game locations. However, we haven’t planned that yet. MID will be available for PC as well.”

On July 21, 2019, a Reddit fan posted a response they got from Her Interactive. They explained that they lost trust in the company and would not be preordering the game. They responded with their reasoning for the game taking so long and how it won’t happen in the future.

We are moving to a new engine to be able to develop a game not only for PC/Mac but also for tablets, consoles, and now for the increasing popularity of augmented or virtual reality. Very exciting! Part of us going down this path was to ensure that we have multiple platform options for future Nancy Drew titles so that all Nancy Drew game fans and those new to our games could play these amazing games no matter what their preferred device or platform. This versatility means that the design and development of our games are even more complex than in the past. Our PC/Mac game design will work for players on the go with tablets and possibly for players that may want to immerse themselves in the mixed reality world. We are also constantly evaluating new technologies and trends in the game industry. Consequently, this is why it is taking much longer to develop this title than previous ones. This thoroughness will put HeR Interactive in a better position for the future while providing us with the tools necessary to continue to deliver amazing experiences for our fans.

On October 1, 2019, they responded to a fan on Twitter saying, “Hello Grace, the consistent schedule back then was on a system that never changed or upgraded with the times. Once we get the structure of this upgraded game done, the future games will not take 4 years to make.”

On October 2, 2019, they responded to a fan on Twitter saying, “The frustration is understood. We hope to be more accurate in the future, and to regain our players' faith in the next game release.”

On October 4, 2019, they responded to a fan on Twitter saying, “Hello Lisa, we understand the frustration and loss of trust in us. Since this game was designed from the ground up, we have certainly learned a lot and will be applying our lessons to the future games.”

On October 4, 2019, they responded to another fan on Twitter saying, “Hi highly doubt the next game will take this long - since we had re-designed from the ground up in a new system this time. We apologize for lengthy delay. :(”

On November 6, 2019, two users on Gameboomers made comments:

One said that LJ said there wouldn’t be a trailer for the next game after MID, but “she did say that there were some ‘early ideas’ floating around for the next game.”

The other got an email from Her Interactive that said, “We will absolutely be releasing more games after Midnight in Salem. We cannot commit to a release schedule as of right now since all of our focus is on MID. It will definitely not take us as long for the next title to release. Four years is not the new normal.”

On December 3, 2019, Midnight in Salem was released. The end of the game didn’t have a trailer for the next as is the tradition for Nancy Drew games, but there seemed to be some drama between Nancy and Ned, and she mentioned wanting to go to Austria. A user on the Her Interactive message boards pointed out that the game was outsourced to an Austrian company so that might be the reasoning. But maybe it could be the plan for the next game.

On December 3, 2019, an article came out about the company that said, “Her Interactive has already developed a Nancy Drew VR proposal based on one of the books with a Spanish director, but it's more likely an AR project would come to market first.”

On December 17, 2019, a user on the Her Interactive message boards said that they emailed Nancy’s new voice actress who confirmed that there will be more games where she will play Nancy.

On December 29, 2019, they responded to a fan’s DM on Instagram asking if they were going to make another game to which they said. “Absolutely!  We’ve already begun!”

On January 7, 2020, LJ responded to a comment on the blog saying, “Hello Oona! Yes, we are planning on more Nancy Drew games. Can’t say when the next one will be released, yet. 🙂”

On January 8, 2020, LJ responded to a comment on the blog saying, “Hi again Jillian! I’m not sure on the release month or year just yet, but I do know it will not take 4 years to make. 😉”

On January 10, 2020, LJ responded to a comment on the blog saying, “Hello SWhite5052! I’m not sure what the intent from our designers is for poor Ned. I’m a big fan of Nancy’s boyfriend, and I do hope we get to have him in-game someday, be Nancy’s hero and also take her out on a romantic date. 😉” I don’t think this really means anything, but I hope it means that she has hope that there will be future games.

On January 28, 2020, they responded to a fan on Twitter saying, “Yes, there are plans for more Nancy Drew games. :)” Plural?

On February 3, 2020, LJ responded to a comment on the blog saying, “Hi Jam5022! We do not have any news to share yet, but we are working on the game. 🙂”

On February 11, 2020, LJ responded to two comments on the blog:

“Hello felicity18! Glad to hear you enjoyed Midnight in Salem! The leads didn’t add a teaser to the end of the game per tradition since we are secretly working on the next one, and haven’t put together footage to share or tease on it yet. Stay tuned for future updates!”

“Hi Madi! Ship of Shadows was shelved, meaning we stopped working on it. At this time, we are only focusing on the main mystery adventure line.”

On February 20, 2020, LJ responded to two comments on the blog:

“Hi Sarah! Yes, the next game will be made on Unity. 🙂”

“I hope so, Nicole! I always like having Nancy’s best friends on the case with her! No promises just yet, but it’s likely for a future game. 🙂”

On February 25, 2020, they responded to a fan’s DM on Instagram saying, “New game info coming shortly. Stay tuned!” This didn’t happen.

On April 13, 2020, they responded to a fan on Twitter saying, “Hi Anna! When we have news on the next Nancy Drew game, we will be sure to share it! #NancyDrew”

On May 22, 2020, they responded to a fan on Twitter saying, “No news to share yet, but we are working on it!”

On September 13, 2020, someone on Reddit said that there was an untitled 34th game on Wikipedia. As they pointed out, anyone can edit entries on Wikipedia. But almost 7 months later, it hasn’t been taken down.

On November 29, 2020, someone on Reddit posted LJ’s response to a YouTube comment. “Game 34 is in the works. That’s all I can say for now. :)”

On December 1, 2020, LJ responded to some comments from October 2020 on a blog post:

“Hello! Game 34 is in the works. Stay tuned for future updates and be sure to subscribe to the newsletter for when we announce news. Glad you liked the graphic!”

“Hello! No news yet to share at this time, but that we are working on it. Keep an eye out in future newsletters for future bits of information. 😀”

“Sadly, I do not have anything to share about the next game. 🙁 I hope to be able to tease out clues in the future, though!”

On December 4, 2020, LJ responded to some comments from October/November 2020 on a blog post:

“Hello, beka! Sadly, I do not have any new info to share about the future game at this time. 🙁 I hope to share news with you in the future!”

“Hi Stephanie! It has been a while, hasn’t it? Sadly, I do not have any news to share at this time. As soon as I have some that I can share, I will!”

“Hi Natalina! It has been a while since we have had a Twitch stream. Sadly, we do not have any news to share yet about the next Nancy Drew game. Stay tuned!”

“Hello Foundation2430, things have certainly changed since Sea of Darkness. I am limited to what we can share behind the scenes, but once I have things I can share with you about the current and future games, I will. I don’t think the next game will take 4 years. 🙂”

On December 11, 2020, LJ responded to a comment from a blog post saying, “Hi ali! We are working on the next game, but we do not have a release date for it just yet.”

On January 6, 2021, LJ responded to a comment from a blog post saying, “Hello Natalina! Sorry, I do not have any news to share about new Nancy Drew games or projects. 🙁”

On January 8, 2021, LJ responded to two comments on the blog:

“Hi Aly! The next game is indeed in the works. Sadly, I cannot share anything about it at this time. 🙁 But I do hope you have a great new year as well! I hope to share more secrets with you in the future!”

“Hello Sanjeet! Happy New Year! We do have game 34 in the works, but I cannot share anything with you at this time. 🙁”

On January 28, 2021, LJ responded to a comment on a blog post saying, “Hi Cleanna! I think Nancy spending time on a ship is a great idea, too. Hopefully, she will get to do that in the future!” I doubt that this will happen, but she didn’t have to answer it this way. I guess it was probably to create some hope.

On February 2, 2021, LJ responded to two comments on the blog:

The first response was to a fan who talked about VR where she said, “Hello Madi! Thanks for sharing your concern. We have seen others comment their worry about the graphics since they get easily sick from motion as well. We are keeping this in mind for our future games. 🙂” I don’t think that they ever really planned to do VR, but she didn’t have to add that last part. Again, I’m guessing it was to create some hope.

The second response was to a fan who asked a question on January 15th where she said, “Hi Jessica! I do not know when the next game will be released, but once I have info, I will be sure to share it!” She answered this a few days after she answered the first question, when this was the first comment on the post. I wonder if she didn’t skip it, but rather waited until she could say the right thing.

On February 15, 2021, LJ responded to a few comments on a blog post:

The first comment asked if they’ll share any information on the game this year to which she responded, “Hi Rach! I do not know when news will become available to share. Sorry!” I understand this because MID was a hot mess where they kept giving dates and time frames that they couldn’t keep. But if they’ve been supposedly working on this since November, a year should be plenty of time for them to give some information, right? That they’ll keep the same voice actress for Nancy, part of the plot, who a phone character will be, the state or country it will be set in, or something super simple. Yet she couldn’t even say that she’d give any information this year.

She also responded to someone saying, “Hi Sarah! I cannot say exactly, since the behind-the-scenes work is top secret. I hope to share news in the near future when I’m able to!” One minute she couldn’t say whether they’d give out any information this year at all, the (literal) next minute she said she hopes to share news soon.

On March 3, 2021, LJ responded to a few comments on a blog post:

“Hi Lindsay! There are plans for the future. Stay tuned for news when I am allowed to share it!”

“Aw thanks for sharing! We are indeed working hard behind the scenes here. 😉”

On March 10, 2021, LJ responded to a comment on a blog post saying, “Hello Rishi! I would love to share information about our next game, but sadly, I cannot at this time. All I can say is that we are indeed planning another game. 🙂” So they’re still in the planning stage for the next game?

On March 30, 2021, LJ responded to a few comments on a blog post:

“Hi Becca! Jump scares are my favorites, too. 😉 Sadly, I do not have any news or even a date when we will share news about the next game. 🙁” (I kept the first part, because she didn’t need to put a winky face. I’m sure this is just wishful thinking, but maybe there will be a jump scare in the new game? Lol. But she doesn’t even have a date for when she can even share news about the game.)

“Hi Grace! We are indeed working on another game. I do not have any idea when we will be sharing news about it, though.” Pretty much the same, generic response.

On April 5, 2021, Her Interactive responded to a Reddit fan on Instagram about the future game saying: “Hello lorichelter! The next game will have some improvements but will be similar to MID. We’re glad to hear you enjoyed the game! Also, future games will be Mac compatible, but unfortunately we do not have plans to remaster the old games at this time. :( If we ever find a workaround for the Apple restriction of 32-bit games, we will quick to share that trick.”

[gra-sonas]

Roswell, New Mexico returns for season three tonight on The CW at 8/7c. CBS’ Matt Weiss caught up with two of the show’s stars, Jeanine Mason and Nathan Dean to get the inside story on everything coming up in the show’s third premiere.

MW: Jeanine, Nathan nice to see you both! Season three of Roswell, New Mexico coming up tonight at 8/7c on The CW. How does it feel to be back?

JM: It feels so good. The timing of our show rolling out as the pandemic started in the States at least, was real a blessing because we could connect to our fans and give them a little labor of love of ours in the midst of a really difficult time.

It also meant that we had a little bit more time before we could start back up. It’s truly been a year and everybody is so excited. It’s an actual year of change for our characters. Kind of nice even though we know everybody is ready to see it.

ND: It’s hard to believe that we were able to pull this off with everything that everyone’s had to go through. That’s a credit to our showrunner Chris Hollier and to our amazing, amazing crew in New Mexico that we were able to not only get this thing started but not get stopped, not get cut short. We were able to create a product that we can now say, hey guys, we’re back, hope you’re all doing well.

JM: Back on Mondays!

ND: Here we are!

MW: I know the fans are all very excited. Jeanine, like you mentioned a year has passed since we’ve seen all your characters particularly Liz. How are things going for her in Los Angeles?

JM: Liz is per usual really focused, head in her work to save Maria. She hasn’t quite taken the time to realize her life in LA is pretty good. It’s even-keeled, we’ll say. She’s got a great place, she’s got a great job, that gives her access to everything she needs and requires to do her best work, to make her best contribution to health and medicine.

She’s got a real meeting of the minds in her lab partner played by Steven Krueger, Heath is his name. He matches her in intellect and in sarcasm in a way that’s really fun. They sort of really spar with each other.

The truth of the matter is, Liz is a woman who’s made to give to her community. She’s missing Roswell,  she’s missing her people, she’s missing Max Evans. She finds her way back to what is ultimately her real purpose, which is working with and for them.

Pretty quickly we find out how dire things are there for our alien trio. As soon as she finds out things are bad of course she’s miss hero protagonist. She wants to get involved and save the day.

MW: Nathan, pulling double duty on this season, with two characters, what’s that experience like?

ND: It was wild. It was a blast and I’m still grateful to Hollier and all of our writers for trusting me with that. Diving into it, it’s so fun to create a new character. In this world that I’ve known now for three years and meeting everyone in this town again for the first time, from a completely different perspective.

It was a lot fun. It was a lot of work. It’s a very weird process doing scenes with yourself because you’re joking back and forth. It’s really fun though. I’m so grateful to our showrunner and our writers for trusting me with that.

MW: I’m sure it’s confusing talking to yourself and also as part of that Max doesn’t even really know a lot about his own history. Are we going to get more light shed on that this season?

ND: That’s one of the wonderful things that Jones embodies is he’s sort of the window into the past of these three aliens. Since last season Michael, Isobel, and Max have always had that question. Who am I? Who are we? Where do we come from? Jones is a little peak into what that world was.

Also, a little example of who Max could’ve been had he not grown up on Earth and it’s sort of cool to see the humanity that Max has grown up in versus the sort of Alien world that Jones was in. We’re going to learn a little bit more about where we come from.

MW: Jeanine, for Liz how do you think she’ll be with Max this season? Do you think she’ll be able to forgive everything that went down with the lab?

JM: I just want to tell you. [Laughs] But that would be spoiling the fun of watching I assume. I guess what I’ll say is so much of her life has been decided for her. She is the answer to the Earth’s need for a protector and steward So much of her own opinions on it haven’t been taken into account yet. This is really the season where she just needs to for herself make the decision to take on this huge responsibility and that it feel like what makes most sense for her and her life.

So quickly she starts finding her way back. I love that she’s not a perfect protagonist. No one is perfect. No one is squeaky clean. She loves the complication. She loves that her life is so big and messy and loaded. She has huge grounding forces.

For her it’s Max and it’s Roswell and it’s her community. She finds her way back to a very big messy situation with Jones and falls into that rhythm really fast and starts making choices on where she wants to… I’ll say this, by the end of the season she’s made a decision that’s permanent. Ok, that’s it. [laughs]

MW: I mean it would be a great exclusive, so if you want to just tell me everything go right ahead! [Laughs]

JM: Just so you know. It’s my favorite Liz and Max season. It really is the one where they make their final decision with each other. That’s it, because if I say another thing I’m going to get in trouble. [Laughs]

MW: We don’t want that, you’re good! Last question for you both here, what are you most excited for people to see?

ND: I don’t know. I think for me it’s just awesome to be back. This season is wild. There’s a lot more of the alien stuff. We get to see more from all of the characters; a more adult mature experience and reaction to their world.

JM: It felt like such a gift to get a third go at this. That’s not an easy thing in this current television landscape. I think you can feel our enthusiasm throughout the year where we were just so excited to be back. We were just throwing things at the wall and trying everything and going full out.

By the end the of this season we were all so beat up and I mean that positively. That’s my favorite kind of way to finish the season, when you feel it physically; you’ve exhausted yourself. Our stunt team was just on call every minute of this season this year. I’m excited for the action and the enthusiasm I hope fans feel from all of us getting to finally be back doing what we do.

MW: Thank you both so much for the time and all the best moving forward. Stay safe!

JM: You too, stay safe!

ND: Thank you.

[eroticcannibal]

Common myths and misconceptions about home education

So in case anyone has somehow missed it, I have recently become a Big supporter of home education in a very lefty way, which has meant I have had to challenge a lot of views I have previously held about home education and that I know a lot of other lefties hold too. I am of the opinion that embracing home education, not as a last resort, but as the primary form of education for as many children as possible, is a vital part of achieving the required shifts in society needed to meet the goals of most leftists. So I am taking it on myself to convince you all that it is a very good thing, and also to clear up some misconceptions people have about home education that may make them feel they are unable to do it.

(A note, I am from the UK and shall be using UK terminology and specifics regarding law, policy and other such things will be from a UK perspective. I shall be using the term home education, as that is the legal term in the UK and is distinct from home schooling, which is the term for what school children have been doing during the pandemic.)

And I would also like to extend a quick thanks to Education Otherwise and the mods at Home education and your local authority for teaching me A LOT.

Have any questions about anything I’ve not covered here? Just let me know!

1. “Home education is illegal.”

- Sadly, home education is illegal or restricted to the point of inaccessibility in most of the world. From the research I have done, it seems that only the US and the UK have reasonable laws around home education (if I am using a very broad definition of reasonable, it is still not great). I do hope I can change this section soon, and I would *heavily* encourage people to campaign for the right to home educate post pandemic, perhaps cite any benefits learning at home has provided to children, perhaps???

2. “Home education is a tool used by religious fundamentalists to brainwash children!”

- This is a view many hold, and for good reason. For many of us, when we think of home education, we think of christian fundamentalists in the deep south of America, pulling their children out of school to avoid the liberal agenda. The truth is, anything can be used as a tool of indoctrination. This can happen in home education, and it can happen and has happened in schools too. In my own communities we have had instances of schools being a site of religious radicalization of children. The reality is this is far too complex and deep an issue to be solved by deeming any particular form of education as “bad”. I am not an expert on how best to deal with such issues, but I do feel that things like outreach and building a healthy community with otherwise more isolated religious groups would be a better way to address these issues.

3. “You need to have x qualification to home educate.”

- Again, a reasonable view to hold, given that state run and private education does require educators to hold certain qualifications, but in practice it quickly becomes evident the same does not necessarily have to apply with home education. Educational qualifications are very much focused on delivering an education in a classroom, which is a far cry from home education. During our home education of our child, my partner, who is a qualified SEN TA, has struggled far more than I have with educating our SEN child, despite the fact I hold no qualifications.

We live in amazing times when it comes to education. There are many things that parents and communities have to teach a child, and there are many things a child can teach to themself if given the tools to do so. You can even learn together! Their are endless resources available, books and games and documentaries, and even home education groups and private tutors if you feel that is the right fit for your child. You don’t need a piece of paper for your child to spend a day with their nose buried in a book, or to help the neighbor with his vegetable patch, or to cuddle up on the sofa while watching Planet Earth.

4. “You are required to follow the national curriculum.”

- This does vary by country (that allows home education). As a general rule, the stricter a country is about who can home educate, the stricter they are about what must be taught. In the UK, you are not required to follow the national curriculum. Education must be “efficient” and suited to the child’s “age, aptitude and ability”, and LAs do require that english and maths are covered. Other than that, you are allowed to tailor the content of education to the child and their interests. We have recently dropped geography for now and are only just picking up history again. It has also given us the freedom to focus on areas our child needs that would not be covered in mainstream education, such as anxiety management, trauma processing, self care and hygiene.

5. “Home education looks like school/is just filling out workbooks/etc”

- The thing you will always hear from experienced home educators when you begin home education is “home education doesn’t need to be school at home”. Much like you can tailor the content of the learning to the child, you can also tailor the delivery to the child. Some child need structure, timetable, instructions. Some need freedom and to bounce between topics. Some need to have an hour learning maths and only maths, some need to go dig up your garden “for science”. Some want to learn every day, some will need extended breaks.

Learning happens all the time, from the moment they wake to the moment they sleep. As an example, at home we have some workbooks, as both me and my child have ADHD and need someone to go “ok learn this” rather than us having to work out for ourselves what we need to cover for core subjects like english and maths. For the rest of most days my child is left to their own devices to binge youtube and netflix and work on their art. We try and go for a woodland walk every few days, where we have Deep Discussions about all kinds of topics, and we are also working on growing edible plants and baking cakes from around the world. We are more hands-off at the moment, due to the current bout of anxiety, but when that settles again we will get back to history themed crafts and STEM activities. Post-pandemic, we will be signing our kid up for swimming classes and “after school” clubs, and looking at sending them down to my mum for the home ed groups where she lives, like the forest school. A lot of home education outside of a pandemic is in groups and community based, or will make use of libraries and museums and other public learning opportunities. Frequently very little will happen at home.

In fact many home educators will advise new families to “deschool” for a while before jumping in to learning. This is a period where you “get school out of your system”, and just exist. Learning does not have to be intentional, you will be surprised how much you can achieve by just having fun.

6. “Home education is expensive.”

- It can be, ask my bank account. However, it is perfectly possible to deliver a quality education with little to no money. I’m not saying it’s easy, but it’s doable. Their are many online resources for free (check out oak academy), and libraries have plenty available too. Even paid resources can be very cheap if you know where to look. (psst, if your kid thrives with worksheets and powerpoints, get yourself a twinkl subscription, download everything you need for a year then cancel it.)

(This does not apply to exams. Get saving!)

7. “Home educated children are not properly socialised.”

- This is only really true during the pandemic. The rest of the time, home educated children are free to socialise whenever they want, with whoever they want, in whatever setting they choose. Socialisation while home educating is in the opinions of many of a higher quality, as they are not limited to groups of a similar age and background. Many home educating families form groups for their children to socialise together too. For ND children especially, socialising while home educated can be far less stressful and far more fulfilling than in school.

8. “Home educated children won’t get qualifications.”

- Just plain not true. Arranging qualifications can be costly and time consuming, but it is possible and regularly done. Some children may return to school or college to access exams for free, and I have heard of a handful of cases where individuals were able to secure prestigious university places without any qualifications. Home education also allows for more freedom with how exams and qualifications are approached, for example, many home educated children will pick one GCSE to focus on at a time, rather than covering numerous topics over 2 years and having exams for all of them at once like children in school will.

9. “Home education is a safeguarding risk/is used to cover up abuse/home educated children are not seen.”

- In the UK at least, home education is not considered a safeguarding risk, no matter what authorities may tell you, nor are home educated “not seen”. They still visit medical professionals, they still engage with their communities.

Now I shall add the relevant paper here should I find it again, but the idea that home education is used to cover up abuse to a statistically significant degree, or that home educated children are at more risk of abuse, is false. Home educating families do face a significantly higher risk of social services involvement than other families, but far less abuse is found in comparison to other families. It is also worth considering, when talking about social services involvement, that many families pursue home education due to failures by schools regarding a child’s vulnerabilities. In most cases, especially the Big Ones, where a home educated child is abused, the child was already known to authorities as a victim of abuse, therefore home educating did nothing to hide said abuse.

Children are also routinely abused in schools, which is another common reason for home educating.

10. “Home education has to be monitored or approved.”

- Depends on the country, I know in Japan home education is monitored by schools, however in the UK, monitoring is not lawful. Local authorities may make informal enquiries to ensure a suitable education is being facilitated (keep EVERYTHING in writing and please go straight to “home education and your local authority” group on FB for advice, you WILL need it!). In England, if your child is in mainstream education, you can deregister at will, from a special school will require LA approval. In Scotland deregistering requires LA approval. (Again, head to the aforementioned group for advice).

11. “You can’t work/get an education while home educating”

- It is hard to balance work, education and educating your child, but it is possible, people do it every day. Obviously, having at least one parent free to educate unhindered at all times is an ideal situation, but in the real world it often does not work that way. Parents may have to home educate regardless of their other commitments if a child truly needs to escape the school system. Many parents work or learn from home, and sometimes it is even possible to combine these activities with home education. Professional artists and crafters can pass down their skills while working, distance learners can invite their children to sit in on lectures. The really great thing about home education is it is flexible. Do you have a whole day of meetings? Let the kid play minecraft all day! Going to be in the office all day? Drop the kid off at the local forest school or something else they can do all day. Drop them with the grandparents to help with the gardening!

12. “Home educated are behind/achieve less than school children.”

- Their is no evidence that home education is of a lower quality than school education. Many children are home educated specifically because the school environment was detrimental to their education, and thrive with home education. Plenty of children are able to learn more simply by having 1-to-1 attention, without the distraction of an entire class. And others may well be “behind”, and are educated at home because of their specific needs that mean they will never thrive in an academic setting, so they are allowed to focus on learning skills that will allow them to live independently.

[aminiatureworld]

Hello! cookie anon here, dropping by again to say that I hope you're doing well ! The holidays are fast approaching and from where I live, literally ever street corner is decorated with christmas lights, parols, and decorative streamers - which is honestly so fun to see (altho I do question their electricity bills but hey, as long as its colorful i'm cool with it!)

how have you been with your deadlines? i hope that you're free from some of it! if not, i'm giving u energy and motivation to push through and finish ur tasks, I believe in you! but anws, remember to take care of yourself and remember that your wellbeing comes first and foremost.

moving on, remember when i told you that i've started a writing blog like months ago? it was under the name enchantingries - i deleted it a few days ago </3 mainly because i lost motivation for writing + i haven't even been able to play genshin for a while, which is a shame :(( i fortunately saved my writings somewhere so they at least won't go to waste.

but hey, at least i tried it! and it was fun for a while, so i wish i'll find the passion to write and come back again soon !!

i think that's all, i really should stop writing these messages @ 3 am in the morning ;-; anws, take care, bestie !!

- 🍪

Hello dear cookie anon!

I’m so glad to hear from you again! And I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying the Christmas decorations! I have to admit I’m a total sap for the holiday decorations and music and all that, so seeing the lights around here is also so fun, it makes so happy, a bit like I’m a kid again. Although I too question the electricity bill haha

And I’ve been alright! I got a big eam done and another project and the big paper I’m working on has a pretty good extension time. Though I also have a final and catch up homework and then stuff due at the beginning of next year, but let’s not think about that (because if we do I’ll cry haha). And thank you for believing in me! It definitely does five me the energy I need to push througha nd just get this done. I’ll be so happy when I can stop analyzing 17th century pamphlets T-T

And I’m sorry that you lost motivation for writing and playing! I have to admit I’ve not been playing as much recently too, though mainly because of work. I logged on to do more of the event (I’m going to have to speedrun it again) and I got such a wave of nostalgia. Though I do think that Genshin is a game that’s deceptively easy to get burnt out on, no matter how advanced in the game you are. It’s hard because the story is great but life, well, it keeps going. Still I’m glad you saved your writings! It’s never a waste to create something, no matter what, no  matter if you lose interest or if you look back and think you’ve improved. Writing, no matter what it is, is always a good thing. It helps you grow as a person after all! 

What matters is you try and enjoyed it! And I’m sure one day it will come back. It took me ages to write again after the first time I stopped (when I truly burnt out). I have requests on my main account that are from 2017! And it took to the pandemic to truly write again. But even if I took that break from fic and from fiction writing (mostly) I am still so proud of where I am now, and I love it. So don’t worry about not writing for a while. You’ll grow and get new ideas and experiences and hey! Maybe one day writing will call for you again in a new or old way! Don’t beat yourself up about it is the only thing. 

And omg I hope you don’t have to wake up early tomorrow! I hope you get some lovely rest and that you feel alright. It’s always lovely to hear from you cookie anon, I hope that you never worry about that. Have a lovely week and I hope that you enjoy your holidays to the fullest!

[eijispumpkin]

good lord this is long i apologize, but hi hello, lovely human with a heart of gold, sweet creature who's full of love, i cannot thank u enough for being u! for sharing your amazing works and bringing comfort to so many people, everything u write is so magical and re-reading your stuff always makes me feel like i'm receiving a warm hug it's the best feeling out there, ik u're taking a break rn and i'm glad to see u taking time for urself, as cool as the internet is it can also be very shitty at times unf, pls take care of urself nd ur health qt ! plus ik we r going thru some rly scary times this year with the pandemic and all that too, ik it's rough, but i hope u're okay, and i wish u loots of happiness mwahh

if u're not accepting asks right now i'm rly sry! pls ignore this i hope u have an amazing day ♡ but if it's not too much trouble, how did u start posting online? bc god, the way my brain keeps convincing me it's stupid even tho ik it would bring me joy :c i see all the drafts and ideas i've had for years now but never got the courage to post or develop bc i always convinced myself that it's too late now, or like it only works if u've already done it for at least a couple years? and that i suck anw and "wanting to write what i'd like to see/read" doesnt really work when i haven't practiced much, sigh even if i gather enough courage smhow, idk wut i'd have to tackle first

you never have to apologize to me for saying long things, no worries my friend!! i am long-winded and rambly by nature, so i totally get it <3 and ahh thank you so much for your kind and lovely words, i appreciate it a lot!!!! i'm very glad to hear that you like my writing so much ♥

how i started posting... man, honestly? i first started posting fic on a tumblr account whose password i have long since forgotten, like eight or nine years ago at this point. it was an rp blog for a very obscure tolkien elf, and i was lucky enough as a young teen to find people who were really kind and encouraging about my writing, both in rp and as little side-ficlets and whatnot! that's how i first got into actual writing at all. tiny ficlets prompted by rp stuff were the first things i ever posted at all - in fact, my first fic posted on ff.net way back when was just one of those lil tumblr rp ficlets i crossposted!

as for your conundrum, i def hear you :( insecurity and anxiety brain can be a HUGE bitch, and i know it's easy to tell yourself that numbers like comments and kudos don't matter, but it still feels really bad when you really want validation and you don't get any. (though i will say, it is true that the numbers don't matter! it's totally a game of luck. some of my favorites of my own fics don't have nearly as many kudos or comments as the ones i personally didn't even like as much/didn't put as much work into. it's not that those fics aren't as good; it's just that popularity is kind of a roulette wheel. it's easy to internalize it as being your fault if something doesn't fly, but it honestly really isn't in your control at all.)

but heres the thing! everyone starts somewhere. when i first started posting fics, i can promise you i was nowhere near as good as i am today! i didn't pay attention to sentence variation, i hardly ever used any imagery, my character voices were underdeveloped, etc etc etc. that doesn't mean that no one liked to see my post, or that i shouldn't have posted! it just means that i was a beginner. and so are you! there's no shame in being new at something. it just means you have a lot to learn, and there's nothing wrong with that at all! in fact i would say there's a lot of joy in discovering your voice and how you like to write. the fear of peoples expectations can weigh you down, but you should write for yourself first, not for others, or else you'll just burn out, you know?

as for what you'd have to tackle first: i could give you a bunch of technical mumbo jumbo if you wanted, but really i think it is about writing what you'd like to see! not in the way that you seem to mean here though (and forgive me if i misinterpreted! i don't mean to put words in your mouth). i first started writing just by describing little daydreams i had about the characters. first and foremost, your creation process should be fun for you!! if you enjoy writing something, your readers will be able to tell, and it adds to the piece. but more important than that is the fact that you'll have had fun creating something. finding what makes writing fun for you is, in my opinion, the most important place to start!!

[baby-hyena]

Thinking Out Loud | KHSxJJH Fanfic

Note: Hello, Hyena babies! 😊 Here’s the third and last part of Ji Hoon’s POV. Thank you for reading my song fics and I hope I’ll still see you on my next stories. 🥰 Hope you like this one.

1st part: https://baby-hyena.tumblr.com/post/616744455208353792/tenerife-sea-khsxjjh-fanfic

2nd part: https://baby-hyena.tumblr.com/post/618258800245342208/youre-beautiful-a-khsxjjh-fanfiction

P.S.: If you don’t like this fanfic, please don’t report it. Just go on with your life and don’t make things hard for people like us who just want to fangirl over this OTP. We’re not forcing you to like them too; THIS IS ALL JUST FOR FUN.

P.P.S.: Please wait patiently for Nothing Remains Unsaid, their site will be up soon. We love you, Nothing Remains Unsaid. ❤

~

When your legs don't work like they used to before, and I can't sweep you off of your feet

Ji Hoon’s hectic schedule pisses him off. Yes, he’s workaholic before but now that something changed in his life, he’s lowkey wishing he didn’t take a lot of projects after Hyena. He didn’t want to leave Hye Soo’s house that morning after she took care of him. But he had to leave because of his manager. And when they met, his manager shouted at him “Where were you yesterday? Gosh, I tried calling you but you were out of reach!” He got scolded. “I’m sorry, okay? I was lost yesterday. I’ll just make it up to my schedule.” He explained. And that following week, he was fully booked.

Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love

One whole week without being with Hye Soo is hell for Ji Hoon. He couldn’t go to her house, they had different filming location and time; they almost didn’t see each other on set. It’s frustrating him. When he got a chance and a bit of time, he went to her, “Hey, I’m sorry I couldn’t drive you home these days. My schedule is always full.” He told her, faintly. As usual, she’d smile at him brightly, as if reassuring him that everything will be alright soon, “It’s okay, Ji Hoon-ssi. Just focus and do your best. You can do it!” She said then tapped his shoulder. Ji Hoon smield at her but he sighed when he heard his manager calling him again. Hye Soo nods at him and then went on her way.

Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks

Ji Hoon can see every tagged post on his IG. Even when he doesn’t follow Hye Soo’s IG account, he gets notified whenever she makes a post and tags him in it. He’ll laugh at her tagged locations and her funny captions. He’ll text her whenever he can and sometimes DM her whenever he finds a funny post. “Why do you always tag me on my nose?” he texted her. Minutes later, she replied, “Because those are my Himalayas.” And he’ll burst out laughing after reading her text.

And darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70

Ji Hoon made sure his manager fixes his schedule so he’ll be free during the last filming day of Hyena. It’s also their last scene together at the pub with Team H. He’s so happy when his manager told him he can have the day off. During breaks, he’d whisper to Hye Soo, “I wanna eat all of this.” He pointed at the food on their table. Hye Soo’s eyes widened and shook her head, “You can’t do that. The production would have to pay for that.” She whispers back at him while giggling. Like a child, he’d pout and she’d let out her belly laugh.

And baby my heart could still fall as hard at 23

Ji Hoon would sneakily take a bite from the snacks and Hye Soo would lightly hit his hand. They’re like teenagers fighting playfully over their lunchboxes. “Hey, do you have anything on your schedule today?” He asks her. She didn’t look at her as she’s looking at the food, “I have to shoot my last scene later at Song&Kim. Why?” Ji Hoon didn’t get to tell her his plan to pick her up because they started filming again. After their scene at the pub, Hye Soo had to go to her next filming site and Ji Hoon had to stay at the pub for his last scene.

And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways

The last scene went well. Ji Hoon did his best so they don’t have to shoot a lot and they got the scene at 3 takes. He couldn’t leave because his co-actors and staff started cheering, “Yoon Hee Jae! Yoon Hee Jae!” So he stayed there for a while as he acknowledges their regards. But he’s glancing at his watch to check the time, he’s not sure of Hye Soo’s schedule. He’s worried that he won’t be able to pick her up there. So when his manager went to him, he quickly whispers, “I have to go now. Please, wrap this up for me. Pleaaase?” His manager looks at him, his pleading face made his manager sigh. “Alright. Go now.” Ji Hoon almost jumped but he stopped himself and quickly went on his way.

Maybe just the touch of a hand

He quickly drove to the Song&Kim building. He’s silently praying she’s still there. As soon as he arrives at the parking lot, he saw her. She’s with her manager and hair stylist, they’re walking towards her car. He saw her nodded at them and they bowed to her. They left her as she scrabbles through her bag, probably looking for her keys. So she’s driving today, he thought. He gets out of his car and walk towards her. She probably heard his footsteps as she looks at his direction. He smiled at her.

Oh me I fall in love with you every single day

He stops in front of her, smiling at her. “Lemme drive you home?” he asks her. She lets out a chuckle that made his heart skip a beat. Ah, I don’t mind making this woman laugh all my life, he thought. “Aren’t you busy today?” She asks. He tilts his head and pouts, like a little boy who acts cute in front of his crush. “Manger-nim told me I can take the day off.” He smiled at her. He extended his hand to her, asking for her bag. Hye Soo shook her head while smiling as she gives him her bag.

And I just wanna tell you I am

Ji Hoon started talking about his busiest week. For some reason, he always wants to tell her how his day went, what he had for his lunch and every random thing he did. He’s so comfortable to talk about anything with her. And to his delight, he noticed her listening to him. “Ahh, I have to shoot my Burger King CF next week.” He tells her. He glanced at her and she blinks, “They wanted Prince Lee Chang but I suggested I’d act as Yoon Hee Jae too.” He said. “I bet Yoon Hee Jae would love to show off how good looking he is.” She said. Ji Hoon laughed at it.

So honey now, take me into your loving arms

They arrived at her house and he’s still talking. Of course, he’s also asking about her and her day. “Did you have a lot of fun today?” he asked. Hye Soo didn’t look at him as she walks inside the house. “Yes, it was fun. Ji Eun cried like a baby.” She laughs. He’ll smile while listening. When they’re inside, he started wondering. Imagining how they’ll spend this day together and how he’ll confess. He took off his baseball cap and fixed his hair. Hye Soo was telling him something but his mind is too occupied so he didn’t hear her.

Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars

If they were normal people and there’s no pandemic at the moment, he’d take her to beautiful places. Where they can see the stars; away from the city and they won’t have to mind the world behind their backs. He’d take her to places where they can eat their snacks and where they can drink their coffee peacefully. Without worrying about what will people say; without worrying about scandals and articles that would be written when their relationship was revealed. That’s his dream. But he’s not complaining, as long as he is with Hye Soo, this reality with her is always better than that dream of his.

Place your head on my beating heart

He didn’t realize he’s spacing out as they eat together. She was talking about her documentary. When he’s finally on his right mind, he utters, “I missed you.” He noticed her stops chewing and blinks. He wanted to chuckle because of that. Wow, I caught her off guard?, he thought. “You beat me. I was gonna tell you that first.” Hye Soo said. Now, it was his turn to stop and blink at her. She caught him off guard. So, she missed me too, a voice at the back of his mind screams. He can feel his heart dancing.

I'm thinking out loud, maybe we found love right where we are

Ji Hoon’s favourite spot is on the floor while they drink their tea. It’s his favourite spot because he can see her fully as she sits on her couch while drinking her tea. It’s like watching your favourite show no matter how many times you’ve seen it. Today, Hye Soo played some Coldplay songs. He loves Coldplay too. When the song A Sky Full of Stars played, he tells her, “Oh, that’s my favourite song of them.” Then he started singing along. He always wanted to sing for her, he just can’t find the right timing. But now, he doesn’t care about timing anymore. It’s his favourite song and he’d sing it to his favourite person.

When my hair's all but gone and my memory fades and the crowds don't remember my name

After the song, it started pouring outside. Ji Hoon looks outside and smiles. He loves the rain. They’re both staring outside as it pours. “You know, I like it when it rains.” Hye Soo tells him. Ji hoon looks at her. He realizes that moment, as much as he loves the rain; it’s a different feeling when he’s staring at the person he loves while it rains. He realizes how lucky he is; that falling in love with her was the best thing that’s ever happened to him. He won’t regret it even if he risk his all; even if he lose it all; because it’s her. It’s Kim Hye Soo.

When my hands don't play the strings the same way, mm, I know you will still love me the same

Their fame will fade eventually, that’s for sure. But also one thing’s for sure, he’ll still love her the same. He’ll still love her even in her weakest, in her darkest moments. He’ll still love her brown eyes even when it’s filled with tears. He’ll still love her skin even when it’s all wrinkly. He’ll still love her even when her hair turns to white. He’ll love her fears, insecurities, her pain. He’ll love her bad side. He’ll love all of it. He knows he’s not perfect and he’ll make mistakes she wouldn’t like. But he’ll make sure he’ll never let her sleep with a heavy heart.

'Cause honey your soul can never grow old, it's evergreen

Ji Hoon looks at Hye Soo who also seems lost in her thoughts. He smiled as he stares at her. He reaches for his phone, “Don’t look for me. I’m in a safe place.” He sends a text message to his manager. He puts his phone on silent mode and speaks, “Can I sleep here?” She looks flushed. I wonder what she’s thinking, he thought. Hye Soo asked him a lot of questions that made him chuckle, he couldn’t resist her charm when she bites her lower lip and gave him a faint smile afterwards. “I’m allowed to stay here until tomorrow.” He tells her. He’s happy and excited but he hid it in his smile.

Baby your smile's forever in my mind and memory

They’ve finished watching her favourite indie movie and they ran out of snacks. Ji Hoon feels hungry and so he volunteered cooking an Italian dish for their dinner. He doesn’t mind cooking; he’s more than willing to cook for her. I wish she’d allow me, he thought. Hye Soo helped him in cutting the ingredients and after that, she patiently wait for him to finish. But before finishing, he called her to have a taste. “Hmm!” Hye Soo said and gave him thumbs up. He smiled at her and took off her apron that he used. They ate their dinner together.

I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways, maybe it's all part of a plan

After having dinner, they have nothing else to do. They’ll look at each other and giggle. “What should we do?” he asks her and pokes her on her arm. He can see her thinking, “How about new set of movies?” she said. But Ji Hoon shook his head. He’s slowly getting tired of watching movies; he wants try something else. “Let’s watch movies later, how about an activity?” he suggested. He saw a glimpse of unease in her eyes. He’s a bit worried now, what if they’d fight over trivial things like this and ended up breaking each other’s hearts?

I'll just keep on making the same mistakes

Ji Hoon sighs to clear his mind. He won’t let that happen to them. He’s not a teenager who’d throw tantrums if he doesn’t get what he wants. Yes, he’s stubborn. But he knows he’s soft when it comes to Hye Soo. He’s willing to adjust to her needs and to her wants. He’s about to say yes to her new set of movies but she speaks before he could say a word, “Do you wanna try painting?” When he heard that, excitement was all over his face. He couldn’t hide it so Hye Soo chuckles and nods, “Okay, I’ll get you some materials.” He nods at her, “I’ll wait here and make a quick call.” He said.

Hoping that you’ll understand

He watches her enter a room. Ah, so that’s her studio, he thought. He looks away and reached for his phone. He forgot that he put it on silent mode and now he’s getting a lot of calls and texts from his manager. He answers one of his manager’s call, “Hey! What were you thinking? What do you mean ‘don’t look for me’? Are you crazy?!” His manager screams so he puts away his phone from his ear. “Relax, manager-nim. I’m fine, okay? I’ll confess today so please just support me. Alright?” he calmly said. “Are you sure about this?” He can hear his manager’s hesitation. He smiles, “I trust my love. I’m sure of this.” He made sure he sounded confident as he is.

But baby now, take me into your loving arms

After ending the call, he followed Hye Soo to the studio. Maybe she needs some help, he thought. When he opened the door, he was amazed. The room is full of paintings and art materials. He looked around and when his eyes landed on Hye Soo, his eyes caught the canvas she’s holding. It’s merely a sketch. But he could recognize it well. “What’s that?” He asks her. His eyes were glued on the canvas. He couldn’t believe she’d paint him. He never thought he’d see his face on something she loves doing; in her painting.

Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars

Ji Hoon gets the canvas from Hye Soo. He’s still staring at it as if it’s his first child. Hye Soo was talking behind his back and he couldn’t hear her because he’s still dazed by her painting. He sat on the couch while still holding the canvas, “It’s me.” He says while smiling at it. “It’s not even finished yet. Why are you so happy?” He’s speechless. Yes, it’s just a sketch of his face and he’s like a child being so happy about it. But he can’t help it. He’s so happy, it’s just like when he heard her say those three words that night. If he could marry her right there and then, he would; with all of his heart, without hesitations.

Place your head on my beating heart

He looks at her with his puppy eyes as she sat beside him. She asks why is he being like that and he’d just let out a sigh. He puts down the canvas and holds her hands. There’s nothing to fear now, he knows she feels the same way. And this is the right moment for him to confess. So he started talking, “I know you’re way out of my league. You’re my sunbae and I know I shouldn’t feel this way. But I can’t help it.” He looks down to gather his confidence and compose himself. He’s losing it to her. “I think I like you, Kim Hye Soo sunbaenim.” Sunbaenim? What the hell, Ji Hoon, he thought. So he shook his head and looked at her, “No, no, scratch that. I think I’ve fallen in love with you. Hye Soo-ssi.” He smiled at her, not showing his teeth because he suddenly felt shy when he dropped the honorifics.

I'm thinking out loud, that maybe we found love right where we are, oh

Hye Soo laughs at him. “Hey, don’t laugh at me.” He said while pouting his lips and he looks down to hide it. When he heard Hye Soo stops laughing, he anticipated her next move. She cups his face to make him look at her and then she holds his hands again. He’s still frowning but she’s smiling at him, “I know you heard what I said that night.” Ji Hoon’s felt his heart skipped a beat, his eyes widened. She knew? How did she.. woah, he thought while looking at her. He waited for her to say something, she nods, “I wasn’t supposed to say that out loud but I couldn’t stop myself.” He saw her cheeks turn red before she looks down to hide it. He smiles. Adorable, he thought. “I don’t think I can say that again—“ It’s now Ji Hoon’s turn to pull his hands and cup her face. She’s still blushing “It’s okay. You can say that again whenever you’re ready, whenever you want to.”

So baby now, take me into your loving arms

Ji Hoon won’t force her to say those words again. He can wait. He can wait to hear those words again even if it takes forever. He gently squeezed her face. “Hey.” Her voice becomes muffled because of the squeeze. He laughs at her because he finds it so adorable. This is why everyone loves her, this is why I love her, he thought while looking at her fondly. He feels heavenly and can’t help but to tell her, “I love you.” And saying those words feels oddly satisfying for him. He smiles at her then let go of her face. “That’s it?” His smile fades when he heard her asks him that. She sounds dumbfounded so he gave her a questioning look. “You forgot this.” Ji Hoon left this world when Hye Soo leaned in to kiss him. But of course, he went back to respond to her kiss.

Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars

Anyone in Ji Hoon’s position would lose control. He’d always lose his control when it comes to her. It showed in their second kissing scene. Every time they’d kiss, it feels like they both found their missing puzzle piece in each other. He felt it first on their first kissing scene. And now, he loses his mind while kissing her deeply. His hands wander through her body. He touches every part, as if he worship every inch of her body. To his delight, she’s responding to his touch. Arching her back and hearing her soft moans makes him want her more. He kisses her again and moves against her, they both got lost to their own world.

Place your head on my beating heart

This moment they shared will be engraved to Ji Hoon’s memories forever. Spending the night under the same blanket with the woman he loves is priceless. He runs his fingers through her hair and kisses it. Then he whispers to her, “I love you.” It’s the nth time he said those words to her. And he’ll never get tired telling her that. He heard her chuckles, “I lost count of how many times you’ve said that.” Then he felt her hold his hand and kisses it. “I love you, too.” He heard her uttered as she buries her face on his chest and hugged him. Ji Hoon could feel her breathe against his skin and it makes his heart beat fast. Then he’d hear her say something again, “Hope this lasts.” He smiles at that and pulls her closer to his body. “This will last. You’ll be my last love.” He whispers to her. Then they both fell asleep in each other’s arms.

I'm thinking out loud, that maybe we found love right where we are, oh

Ji Hoon wakes up with his numb arms. He winced at the pain when Hye Soo moves but he smiled at her. I don’t mind losing my arms for this beauty, he thought. He couldn’t stop himself so he kisses her. First, on her forehead, “I love you.” Then on her eyes, “The only pair of eyes I’ll love.” On her nose, “My little Himalayas.” He giggles. Then he kisses her on her lips, “The only woman I love.” Hye Soo moves again and she opens her eyes, she’s awake. He smiles and greets her good morning but she draws back, “I don’t smell good in the morning.” Then she covers her mouth. But Ji Hoon pulls her back to his arms and gave her a smack on her lips, “I still love you.”

Oh maybe we found love right where we are

They’re eating their breakfast when Ji Hoon speaks, “I already talked to my manager. Just tell me whenever you’re ready to reveal our relationship to the public.” He breathes heavily. He knows things will be hard for them when that happens. But he’ll be there for her. He won’t let her get hurt. He saw Hye Soo bites her lower lip and sighs. He reached for her hand on the table and gave her a reassuring smile. “Only when you’re ready.” He tells her. He’ll protect her no matter what happens.

And we found love right where we are

~

See you on my next fanfic! 😊

[beautifulpaxielreads]

July Wrap Up

Books completed (ratings out of five stars)

Catching Teller Crow by Ambelin Kwaymullina* and Ezekiel Kwaymullina* (★★★★1/2), begun in June

Thorn (Dauntless Path #1) by Intisar Khanani (★★★), begun in June

Taking Down Evelyn Tait by Poppy Nwosu* (★★★1/2)

This Mortal Coil (This Mortal Coil #1) by Emily Suvada *(★★★★)

Books currently in progress

Dark of the West (Glass Alliance #1) by Joanna Hathaway

Please Don’t Hug Me by Kay Kerr*

Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss #1) by Stephanie Perkins

Woven in Moonlight (Woven in Moonlight #1) by Isabel Ibañez

*Australian author

Challenges, Games, and other Booklr interactions

Completed Racing to Read tag game, tagged by @storytime-reviews​ (July 26th, link+replies)

Posted photograph for @just0nemorepage​‘s JOMP Book Photography Challenge July, Day 22: Colours (July 22nd)

 Answered @lizziethereader​‘s Weekly Bookish Question #187 (June 28th – July 4th): Do you always rate (and/or review) books, or do you sometimes “just” read them? What determines if you do one or the other? (July 5th)

Reblogged @ceraunos​’ question regarding alternatives to Goodreads with my answer (July 1st)

Posted photograph for @thebookbud​’s July Book Photography Challenge, Day 1: July Goals (July 1st)

Chatted with @idacippolinni​ and @thelivebookproject​ on Tumblr’s PM service

GoodReads/Storygraph 2020 Reading Challenge: 35 books read out of 70. I’ve hit the halfway mark at last! And six books behind…oops. To be honest, though, I’ve started caring less about meeting my target – it’s more important that I enjoy what I’m reading.

Original Posts on Tumblr

Posted photograph of my current reads plus my latest bookshop haul (July 31st)

Posted graphic to celebrate reaching 1K followers (July 24th)

Posted request for book recs (July 16th)

Posted wrap up for June (July 1st)

Reflections on July’s Reading Goals

Reading more books by Indigenous Australians: FAIL!! I did try The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf and Grace Beside Me but neither of them quite clicked with me. I think the latter was written for quite a young audience, so maybe that was why. I still must read Growing Up Aboriginal, although I think with that one it may be the kind of book that you dip into rather than reading it start to finish. I also did buy Top End Girl, a memoir by Indigenous Australian actress Miranda Tapsell, so I’ll get onto that soon. Hopefully, next month will be a better month for this!

 I didn’t finish Richard Fidler and Kári Gíslason’s Saga Land, I just couldn’t get into it. I might try it in the future, though. I did finish Intisar Khanani’s Thorn, even though it frustrated the hell out of me. I kept reading despite this because I felt there definitely some important themes and issues Khanani was trying to explore, but I felt something went wrong in conveying it to the reader. I know others have enjoyed it though, so maybe it’s just me. *shrugs*

Started Marie Rutkoski’s The Midnight Lie, couldn’t get into it.  Yet to begin Colleen McCullough’s Caesar’s Women, at this point in my reading I’ll get to it either later this month or next month, not sure when yet. I have started Joanna Hathaway’s Dark of the West and Kay Kerr’s Please Don’t Hug Me, however, and I’m enjoying them. So I’ll call it a solid 2 out of 4 for this one.

 Only 2 book photography challenges done this month. TBH I’m not too worried about it, I would like to do more but I can’t always find books that fit the prompt. I’ll do them as the mood takes me.

 I reached the halfway point of my goal of 70! Still a long way to go though, but as I said before, I’m not worrying too much about it.

New followers

109!!! Are you all real?

 A lot of the blogs I checked doing my monthly tally had zero content or content that looked suspiciously like spam. A new Tumblr trend? Or are the bots taking over?

In other news, I reached 1K followers this month!! Woot woot! Hope you’re all enjoying my content.

Interesting observations

See my note under new followers.

As I mentioned before, my attitude towards my reading goals is shifting. I don’t mind so much now about not hitting my goal – it’s more about enjoying the actual reading part.

When I check my dash each morning, to find 30+ notes – well, it’s overwhelming. But thank you all for being so attentive. PS. Likes are great, reblogs are better (hint hint).

I’ve noticed I’m buying more books (as opposed to borrowing them from the library) this month, and I’m wondering how much of that is due to the pandemic and a fear of the not-happening-yet-but-I’m-sure-it-will-soon lockdown. It’s like I want to have as many books as possible in case I won’t be allowed out of the house to get them, thereby running out of books to read. I need to get out of this mindset. Just be calm, Ellie! Be calm!

 I’ve stopped reading ebooks almost entirely. The storage management app on my tablet keeps nagging at me to uninstall the books app but I can’t quite let go of it yet. I might get it to it. One day.

I uninstalled Audible and deleted my account with them! I felt bad supporting Amazon and anyway, I never listened to the audiobooks I had purchased.

 Reading (and reading-related) Goals for August

Finish the books I’m currently reading (see above).

Make a start on each of the books on my TBR shelf: Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia (edited by Anita Heiss), Tweet Cute (Emma Lord), Caesar’s Women (Masters of Rome #4) by Colleen McCullough, Top End Girl (Miranda Tapsell), and Stars Like Us by Frances Chapman.

Read more books by authors of colour.

Keep doing my own thing on my blog! Not worry so much about content.

Reread Ace of Shades (The Shadow Game #1) by Amanda Foody, and continue the series with King of Fools (which I have yet to read) in preparation for the third book Queen of Volts.

That’ll do for this month – whew! See you in September for my August wrap-up.

Until then, happy reading!

[throughthewwods]

100 Days of Productivity . Day 47

📚 read several articles on trauma assessment

📚 had a helpful meeting with my professor about the disabled persons paper

She gave me some search engine tips and is going to connect me with the writing center given just how much of a gap in the literature there is about my topic.

📚 had an interesting class lecture on the psychology to experiencing and managing pain

In class we read a study about soldiers in the hospital asking for morphine far less than civilians with less severe injuries. ultimately it came down to a difference in perspective about their pain. for the soldiers, the pain meant they were alive and might get to go home whereas the civilians perceived their pain as a disruption to their regular life.

⭐️ got my recertification interview out-of-the-way

Bad news: I’m still poor. Good news: I’m still poor enough to qualify 😆

⭐️ got a hold of my doctor’s office for the dietary restrictions list their app made invisible

⭐️ Day 1 of low FODMAP diet + gluten free and minimal dairy + 2 yogurts a day:

F ermentable. O ligosaccharides. D isaccharides. M onosaccharides. A nd P olyols.

I was feeling pretty cranky yesterday. However, I slept better last night for the first time in weeks with far less gut discomfort. So.. this morning I awake with incentive to stick with it. It’s not like I don’t have options. Unfortunately, a lot of the things I enjoy, generally considered healthy foods, are a no-no with FODMAP. This means I can’t eat most of the groceries I just bought. 😆 I keep reminding myself that it’s a small price to pay to have my body back to normal.

⭐️ moved some more money into savings

Feeling proud of myself.. It’s still years out, but every time I add to my savings buying a house someday becomes that much more real.

🏡

⭐️ dog has been acting like less of a spaz, so, fingers crossed upping the training is working

⭐️ Kiddo has been steadily more enthused about getting A’s on her quizzes, so, fingers crossed the intrinsic motivation is being positively reinforced

Kiddo is beaming with pride that she’s finished her work early. This has been a challenging phase for sure, but has also been an opportunity for me to help her cultivate invaluable executive functioning skills her old elementary wasn’t bothering to: Time management, the ability to focus, some study skills,  personal accountability, the value of practice and grit, using tools like alarms and lists to stay on track, learning how to take purposeful breaks to recharge.. Who knows? Maybe in a parallel universe Covid never happened, she would’ve kept going to school as per usual, carefree then shuffled off into middle school oblivious to how in over her head she was until she’s floundering in the shark tank. At that point it would’ve been much more difficult to help her.

Maybe this crazy year for us was actually for the best?

I know the world closing and being home while finishing my degree is definitely why I’ve been able to save up money so effectively. I appreciate RB’s help running to the bank. His protectiveness without being overbearing is adorable.

I am fumbling around the kitchen trying to envision a dinner that does not entail any of the things I always cook with. I am grumblingm reminding myself that I am doing this elimination diet for good, healthy gut reasons and that it’s only for a 2 weeks

then I cringed remembering the last time I told myself something would only be for a couple weeks was when the pandemic started.

I try to embrace this as an opportunity to jump-start losing my Covid pounds not unlike when I caught that month long flu years back that made quitting smoking easier.

I accidentally dumped a blizzard of salt over my eggs and RB sympathetically comes to my rescue. Kiddo gets pizza.  I still have not figured out how to follow this plan and feed my child without having to concoct two completely different meals twice a day.

We listen to another chapter of Narnia over dinner. RB is irked by the obscure names that disrupt his loquaciousness. I run my fingers through his thick hair reassuring him that no one minds and very much enjoys his storytelling. His eyes close softly, smiling into the warmth of my shoulder. i’m glad I can be a source of peace for him. it’s a haven I have given to all my lovers, but none appreciated the solace until I was long gone.

[ziqitzahealthcare]

Ziqitza Healthcare : Things you should know about Second Wave

It has been more than a year since the deadly Covid-19 wreaked havoc in India and even after several efforts to contain its spread, the second wave of the virus is currently spreading like wildfire in the nation. Like all other pandemics in the past, a second wave with the Covid-19 was an expected occurrence. But the first wave did give us very important lessons of preventing a second one. Since we did not learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it.

During the second Covid wave, the most common symptoms remain dry cough, fever, loss of taste, and smell, however, there has been evidence of the mutated forms of the virus producing different symptoms and reportedly being more transmissible.

 We at Ziqitza have observed in the previous wave, children almost escaped unscathed. Increasing numbers of symptomatic infections in children is another concern in the current wave. This change in the age group of symptomatic infection is also evident because a higher number of younger people are getting infected this time around. This may be attributed to the fact that this is the age group that steps out to work and socialize but at the same time show very poor compliance to Covid-appropriate behavior.

Runny nose, vomiting, loose motions, and coughs that begin early but continue for over 2 weeks are being seen much more commonly with the current variant. In some individuals, there is no fever at all and in others fever sometimes begins only a day or two after the other symptoms. Since patients do not attribute their colds and abdominal discomfort to Covid, they continue interacting with people until the fever strikes. By then, they have transmitted the virus to a few households.

Ziqitza Rajasthan, therefore, urges citizens that they should isolate themselves at the very onset of anything uncomfortable they experience, be it even a headache or even a slight sore throat.

Why are New Mutations a big concern?

Researchers have discovered a new variant with two new mutations which may be better at evading the immune system. In 15-20 percent of samples from the Indian state of Maharashtra (the state accounting for 62 percent of cases in the country), a new, double mutation in key areas of the virus has been detected. These are now known as the E484Q and L452R mutations.

What makes the variant different is that both of these mutations are concerning because they are located in a key portion of the virus the spike protein that it uses to penetrate human cells. Spike proteins attach via a “receptor binding domain”, meaning the virus can attach to receptors in our cells.

These new mutations include changes to the spike protein that make it a “better fit” for human cells. This means the virus can gain entry more easily and multiply faster.

Given what we have seen with other similar mutations, it might also make it harder for our immune system to recognize the virus due to its slightly different shape. This means our immune system may not be able to recognize the virus as something it has to produce antibodies against.

With new variants on the rise, what India needs the most right now is an effective strain surveillance system and data analysis. Currently, we have only limited information on the number of variant infections, reinfections, or infections post-vaccination. This data is absolutely essential to strengthen our Covid combat strategy. To really understand how the virus is evolving and to what extent the new variants have spread, we need to sequence more samples says Dr. Datar, Ziqitza Limited

What must we as individuals do?

A combination of new strains, vaccine hesitancy, and Covid-denial among people at large has led to a potent second surge of cases in India. Seeing the situation ZHL Rajasthan advises people as an individual the best we can do to fight off the pandemic is not to panic but to act. By getting vaccinations at the appropriate intervals, strictly following COVID norms, and strengthening one’s immunity to fight diseases. Adequate immune response takes 2-3 weeks after completion of the entire vaccination schedule. That why it’s important not to miss the second dose.

Dr Santosh Datar, Ziqitza Healthcare Ltd says it’s very common to get post-vaccination symptoms of mild body ace and fever don’t panic ensure you take 2nd dose within the set interval. Remember vaccination is just to develop antibodies that will help you react less to the virus. It’s still important to follow covid norms and try and mitigate the spread of the virus in every way that you can.

The new strain is different, the symptoms are different, so it is important that you learn how to identify the new symptoms, and get tested if you suspect that you may have COVID 19. Isolate yourself immediately to curb the spread of the virus. Don't Panic Dial toll-free number, 104 Health helpline operated by Ziqitza Healthcare in association with State Government and National Health Mission which has trained doctors on call who would help you with next steps. If you have any doubts concerning the new Covid symptoms, vaccination process, post-vaccination symptoms clear them all by calling Dial 104 Health Helpline.

[trainerangieblog]

What is AUTHENTIC SELF?

As we look in the mirror, do we see our “real” selves reflected back or do we see the self we want people to see.  You know… the self that we think is better, more accepted … the better leader.  

It’s been a tough road these past few months.  I have learned a lot about myself.

If you watch @JoeGerstant video Authentic Self (https://youtu.be/ztNtma2IEUY) he asks some pretty intense questions… “Do you hold parts of you back?  Authenticity is rooted in awareness… Who are you…explain yourself without a title? Why are you here, what is your purpose on the planet?  What is your gift, what is it about you that makes you unique?  As you start working through the answers to these questions you begin to start to find what it is that you hold yourself accountable to”… people give you responsibilities…accountability comes from within you.  No one can hold you accountable, they can give you the tools, the responsibilities… but only you can put in the hustle to make it happen!

Have you been living accordingly; have I been living accordingly?  I will admit, the COVID-19 pandemic, the subsequent lockdown, the full pivot of my business, the very sick foster dog, the inability to see my parents, my volunteer duties… have all weighed on me.  As I look in the mirror, I see which of those I can control and which ones I can only deal with… they all land on me, they land on each of us.  

I reflect back …

My awareness…

As I answer Joe’s questions I look at them as a whole…  I step out of bed in the morning with the purpose to make the world a better place than it was yesterday… while it seems like a daunting task, I do it in small bite size chunks using my gifts.  

My values… Integrity, Honesty, and Wisdom.  I have the gift of Creativity and the gift of “Gab”.  

Integrity

Do right by others

Walk away when others impugn your integrity for their personal gain

Do right regardless if others are watching

Hold myself accountable to my responsibilities

Accept consequences (good and bad) rather than blame others

Honesty

Be real without being hurtful

Recognize long term vs. short term

Separate Responses from Reactions

Keep your mouth shut if it is only going to hurt someone, not everything      needs to be blurted out

 Wisdom

Teach only when someone is open to learning

Recognize ethical dilemmas and make the right decision

Recognize when I need help

Recognize when others need help

 When I set my head on my pillow at night, I reflect back…was I my “best self”?  Did I do right by others?   Did I live up to my values?  After all, they are that by which I measure myself against.

I can say I do.  I sleep well at night, I do what I love to do, and I only have myself to blame if I don’t.  If I blame others, I lose my value of integrity.  

I have attached my story of my foster dog, Tobin.  I have learned a lot of lessons about myself, about dogs, and lungs.  I have also learned a lot about people.  

Fostering  Tobin the “Teddy Bear”

July 27th… a day not soon forgotten in my world…  I was part of the intake and foster team for Doodle Dandy Rescue…  The rescue got notice of a dog that needed help as he was coughing… a lot.  So the wheels went into motion… little did I know what and continues to come at me as a result of the sentence… we need you to pick up a dog and be its temporary foster.

Tobin is one of those dogs whose picture on the Internet gets millions of views… he’s what’s called a “Teddy Bear” dog.  Poor Tobin was far from Teddy Bear status. His coughing was bad, really, really bad.  He was inundated with fleas…we couldn’t see the pink skin because of the fleas and flea debris.  He had bumps all over… an allergic reaction to the fleas.  

The next six weeks were a whirlwind of emotions, vet and emergency room visits.  We went from thinking he had kennel cough to realizing he was one of a handful of dogs in the United States to be diagnosed and dealing with Lung Worms.  Yes, lung worms.  On top of lung worms, he was suffering with bi-lateral pneumonia and to add insult to injury he only has one descended testicle (that will come into the story in a bit). The diagnosis came as a result of an emergency room visit where they told me I may not be taking him home, ever. (Thank goodness for Doodle Dandy Rescue…they were able to pick up the tab on the foster dog… nearly $2000!)  The E.R. and their specialist did right by Tobin.

For the next 3 months he would spend a lot of his life in a small playpen area to limit his movement and maximize his healing ability.  He would be nebulized 4 times per day.  He would take antibiotics, steroids, and deworming medicines up to 2 times per day. Fast forward to November 19th… he slept the whole night, the coughing seemed less and the gunk seemed thinner… we had turned a corner.  

December 1, we are able to start tapering down his steroids.  His white blood cell count is still elevated… vets think it is the 2nd testicle… it turns out that missing testicle is floating in his abdomen and the body is reacting to it!!  Once his lungs are clear of the pneumonia, he will have surgery to remove the “foreign body” and be neutered.  

Tobin is finally able to let his personality emerge (amazing!!!)  He’s become so cuddly… up until mid-November he choked when he wiggled his body… it is so much fun to watch him experience the “puppy life”.  Sometimes I get sad when I realize that 1 or more people created a situation that let him get so sick and kept him from vet care until he was dropped off at a local shelter.

I am reminded of frailty…. Just how fragile living, breathing creatures are… we can’t navigate this world alone… we all need to ask for help from time to time… we all need to offer help from time to time.  We can’t become consumed.  We can’t smother others…we can’t tell others that things are easy or hard…we need to let them determine it for themselves.  We need to recognize that what is right for some isn’t for others…

There is no question when it comes to Tobin…the world was an awful place for him.  On July 27, 2020 Tobin was in the right place at the right time… the wheels were put in motion and we are all now believing he will survive and grow old as a healthy dog.  

It doesn’t matter if it’s a dog or a human… I will do right by them.  My only agenda is to make the world better in the places that I have influence… to quote Elton John … “how wonderful life is because you’re in the world”.   Enjoy the beauty in today and every day.

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[yes-justice-seeking]

What Can We Do To Protect People From #COVID19 When Schools/Businesses Re-Open?

Facing the unprecedented NOVEL corona virus #pandemic, information matters. Yet, beside the political reasons, many governments and authorities made as much mistakes as the CCP did in handling the COVID19 crisis for ego, language barrier or x reason.

The Truth Behind the COVID19 Crisis Hurts…

Don’t forget that there are governments like South Korea, New Zealand and Germany etc. who did awesome job and acted swiftly and smartly to the COVID19 crisis.

 What can we do to better protect people from the very possible 2nd wave of the COVID19 when schools and businesses reopen?

What I suggested here is based on the pre-condition that we can only go back to a “New Normal”.

The fact that many nursing homes in Quebec, Canada became the places where the COVID19 crisis unfolded and that a grocery supermarket in Quebec reported 19 infected employees points again that the air conditioning system plays a key role in the virus spreading in a closed and public space. 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/levis-iga-19-employees-catch-covid-1.5545107

Can we sterilize air in the air conditioning system?

I think it is possible. 

According to a report given by the American Council on Science and Health, a South Korean company, Seoul Semiconductor, has developed a UV LED that can kill 99.9% of COVID19 in 30 seconds!

https://www.acsh.org/news/2020/04/15/covid-19-uv-led-can-kill-999-coronavirus-30-seconds-14719

As such, if we can insert UV LED pipelines into the places circled in red in a centralized air conditioning system (Figure below) and assure the pipelines are long enough to make sure air passes for no less than 30 seconds, we may reduce the air-borne transmission effectively. (copyright: @律政悟空，IForYou)

Photo source: https://www.renesas.com/us/en/solutions/building-automation/hvac.html

 Such UV LED may also be integrated with robot arms to flip books in a pipeline to sterilize books returned to libraries before they are back in circulation (copyright: @律政悟空，IForYou) . The reason I suggest robot arms is because the UV LED may cause skin cancer.

 Most importantly, a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) needs to be established for the COVID19, particularly for nursing homes, day care centers and schools, etc. For example, some people believe that microwaves can somehow kill corona virus, but they use the same hands without washing to take food out of the microwave. People need to build new common sense for the COVID19. 

You may find this is naïve and fantasy but the goal is to inspire people to come up with better idea.

Read more about COVID19:

Open Letter to Matt/#博明，the Deputy National Security Advisor of the USA

COVID19: Neither the CCP nor the WhiteHouse dare to say “Hold All Bloody Hands Accountable”…

The Source of the COVID19…

English Video:

Video in Mandarin:

[womenofcolor15]

Money Is On The Way! Trump Considers Sending 2 Checks Directly To Citizens As Part Of Stimulus Package + Firsthand Coronavirus Stories

American taxpayers could receive some cash for the government in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. As the virus continues to spread several states and major cities are on serious lockdown and people with the virus are giving firsthand accounts. Everything inside….

As the U.S. Coronavirus death toll topples over 100, Trump promises to send taxpayers money to help.

Trump assured taxpayers that “money will soon be coming to you” in an effort to offset the effects of the pandemic. People - especially hourly wage workers nd small business owners who perform services - are losing their jobs left and right. Not only that, a lot of Americans live paycheck to paycheck and are hourly workers, so NOT working means no money coming in and bills not getting paid.

  For the people that are now out of work because of the important and necessary containment policies, for instance the shutting down of hotels, bars and restaurants, money will soon be coming to you. The onslaught of the Chinese Virus is not your fault! Will be stronger than ever!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2020

  Treasury Sec. Steven Mnuchin shared details about the White House stimulus bill which would inject $1 trillion into the economy as the virus has disrupted just about every industry imaginable, including the travel industry. It has caused businesses (small and large) to close down or suspend operations and many states and cities to urge citizens to self quarantine.

The stimulus plan includes payments to small businesses, loan guarantees to industries such as airlines and hotels, and stimulus package to workers. The government wants to send checks to taxpayers in about two weeks.

“We’re looking at sending checks to Americans immediately,” Mnuchin said during the briefing. “And I mean now, in the next two weeks.”

Peep a clip below:

  Treasury Sec. Mnuchin outlines stimulus plan, including payments to small businesses, loans guarantees to industries such as airlines and hotels, and stimulus package to workers.

"You can think of this as something like business interruption payments for the American workers." pic.twitter.com/kKKhlzzuUi

— ABC News (@ABC) March 17, 2020

  In the stimulus plan, the White House wants to send Americans two rounds of $1,000 checks, spend $300 billion for small business loans and a $50 billion loan for the airline industry.

  BREAKING: Read the 2-page White House "stimulus 3" proposal here

1) 2 rounds of $1,000 checks (April, May) 2) $300bn for small business loans 3) $50bn loan for airline industry 4) $150bn loan for other distressed industries 5) Guarantees for money markethttps://t.co/VpDleRcHL5 pic.twitter.com/CbmhXNLcsZ

— Heather Long (@byHeatherLong) March 18, 2020

  You can read the full Department of Treasury proposal for coronavirus response here.

  People have been sounding off on social media after Trump made claims that he knew nothing about the disbandment of the White House pandemic team, that was heralded by President Obama during his terms.

  Reminder: Trump fired the government’s pandemic response team in 2018 and his government hasn’t been able to test enough people for coronavirus https://t.co/QHE5hwHRoE

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 18, 2020

      Trump says he 'didn’t know about' the firing of the entire U.S. pandemic response team in 2018

Here's video of him talking about it.

#Corona #covid #covid19 pic.twitter.com/WT0lLSoFWB

— Planetary Security (@Planetary_Sec) March 18, 2020

    When asked why he chose to cut CDC and gut the Pandemic Response team, Trump says:

“...they haven’t been used for many many years...I’m a business man... I don’t like having thousands of people around when we don’t need them...”

Remember this.

He did it for money. https://t.co/ybkEfkxMBz

— Miss Adorable Speaks (@ThisAbigail) March 17, 2020

As with everything else Obama put on a pedestal, Trump wiped it away.

  Providing an update on the #Coronavirus pandemic. WATCH LIVE: https://t.co/eq4DDnvc9V

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 18, 2020

    New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced a statewide mandate that NO business can have more than 50 percent of their workforce report to work outside of their home, except for essential services like food services and food delivery services, pharmacies, healthcare organizations, and shipping companies. A full list of essential services will be released soon. Peep his briefing above. 

  #BREAKING: NY, PA, CT, and NJ will temporarily close all indoor portions of retail shopping malls, amusement parks and bowling alleys effective tomorrow 8PM.

Together we will reduce density and slow the spread of #Coronavirus.

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 18, 2020

As for a complete lock down of NYC - that aint happening.  Mainly because it can't happen without Cuomo's directive, and he has no interest in doing so.  He says there's no way to lock down only Manhattan and surrounding 'burbs anyway - it would have to be a statewide mandated lockdown. Let's take heed to all these urgent requests so we don't get to the point of mandated 24-hour lockdowns, shall we?

Governors and city leaders across the nation are putting guidelines and restrictions in place on top of the guidelines the federal government released on Monday urging American's to avoid being in a crowd of more than 10 people for the next two weeks to help slow down the spread of the virus.

There’s never been a more important time for New Yorkers to receive accurate, real time information & the role of the media has never been more essential. For that reason media organizations will be exempted from the 50% work reduction order.

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 18, 2020

New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have ordered a ban on gatherings of more than 50 people and agreed to close casinos, gyms and movie theaters. Restaurants and bars will only do take-out or delivery. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced residents are no longer able to travel between the hours of 8pm and 5am. Ohio's governor closed polls hours before Tuesday's presidential primary. Michigan and Indiana will only be working via takeout.

Colorado health officials have ordered bars, restaurants, gyms, theaters and casinos to close down for the next 30 days. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz closed amusement parks, bowling alleys, skating rinks and country clubs. In Louisiana, bars, clubs and casinos have been closed until April 13th. Also, visitors aren't allowed at nursing homes or prisons unless it's an "end of life" or emergency basis.

After San Francisco ordered citizens to stay home, California's Bay Area residents have been ordered to shelter in place.

As of now, 37 states have made the decision to shut down schools. Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced the closure of all schools across the state for the rest of the school year.

UPDATE: The federal government is sending a hospital ship to New York, the USNS Comfort. The Comfort, which has about 1,000 rooms on it, will be moored in New York Harbor. Hospital beds are what we need. pic.twitter.com/CwTVJhJvDi

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 18, 2020

Several people who have tested positive for COVID-19 have been sharing firsthand accounts of the symptoms they've experienced. See a few accounts below:

  . @RitchieTorres tests positive for #COVID19 with very mild symptoms. Explains how important #socialdistancing is especially for young people: pic.twitter.com/aa7ASKPEwA

— Jessica Cunnington (@JessicaNews12) March 17, 2020

    I have it. Don’t sleep on this thing people. I’m a very healthy type I diabetic. My body is fighting it very well but it’s kicking my ass. Don’t be a moron. Stay home! pic.twitter.com/X0Lb2FYE6z

— Justin (@jwdaddy80) March 17, 2020

    Ohio coronavirus patient describes her fight: 'Nothing I had ever quite experienced’ https://t.co/5HUdhTg3n4 via @usatoday

— Luana Hess (@HessLuana) March 18, 2020

  A Golden Nugget employee wrote in to Power 105's Angela Yee about how they weren't getting paid. A new report reveals Golden Nugget Lake Charles Hotel and Casino will now give full-time and part-time hourly employees two weeks’ pay.

  Also, a newborn baby in London has become the youngest Coronavirus victim in the world.  It is unclear if he caught the virus in utero or after birth.  His mother is being treated in a separate hospital.  Sad.

Photo: Getty

  [Read More ...] source http://theybf.com/2020/03/18/money-is-on-the-way-trump-proposes-2-rounds-of-stimulus-package-payments-these-states-cit

[dawnlikeswater]

Project better future: 2020 Edition

Day 1 Long story short, 2020′s been thoroughly kicking my ass.

Depression & Anxiety on main? CHECK Broke AF? CHECK 2 weeks til deadlines? CHECK Graduation hanging in the balance of work being submitted or not? CHECK No income? CHECK Forced in to living at the family house again, because you can’t afford to live alone anymore, due to a global pandemic? CHECK

Sooo.... yeah, i’ve pretty much fallen off the wagon this year, I used to work so much harder, and be so much more motivated to make my future better for myself, but this year, it’s just fallen apart, and i’ve really just let it happen, and to be completely honest, i’ve had enough of myself beign like this.

This blog, and writing out my plans, and feelings isn’t somethign i had ever intended to stop doing, it just kinda happened on it’s own, but it did always help me a lot, and so i’m back again, and im ready ot get working, and moving and trying again to make myself a better future.

Current situation: I’m in my final year at university, in my final 9 days, I have to write a whoel dissertation, and then make a presentation for it, which i’ll need to film myself presenting as well, I also have 2 pieces of make-up work because i failed some things earlier in the year, and just yeah, it is all due on the 14th.

I’ve been procrastinating it all like a mad, because school stuff makes my anxiety flare real bad, but I truly cannot afford to do this anymore. If i don’t get these pieces of work in, I will fail my whole degree, I have have have to get them in, even if it’s low quality work and I only get D’s, those D’s would literally be enough to get me a degree.

D’s will literally get me a degree right now.

My rough plan at present is to just get as much of my introduction section written tonight as I can, and email it to my advisors at the university for feedback, and whilst I wait for them to get back to me, I will begin trying to do the data section of the dissertation the day after, and then send that on to them as well, in hopes they get some feedback to me fast enough that I can make use of it.

I will then Look at the make-up work, and do what I can of that over the weekend.

The only way here that I can succeed, is is i actually do a good chunk every day, there’s no excuses, i need to do some every day if i’m going to have D worthy work in by 5pm on the 14th of August.

If I can get the work in, and I did enough to get D’s, i’ll be able to graduate.

But what about getting work, or life after the 14th?

2020 being what it is, there’s next to no jobs available, especially within the field of marine vertebrate zoology, which is what my degree is on, I did one day (whilst procrastinating) begin thinking about how to earn money, or begin working, and my options are pretty limited, especially by the fact that I haven’t already finished my degree, i was supposed to be done in may, but I got extensions because of how sick I was (not corona, just depression/anxiety).

And so the solutions I came to were that, even if i did pass my degree somehow, that I need extra training to show in place of experience, and so I began looking in to the things I could get extra training in affordably, at home, online, where it’s safe, and that would also lead to a well paying job. One of the biggest contenders was Statistics and data analysis, I have experience with these things thanks to my degree,a nd they are highly sought after still eve with the pandemic, also they pay reallyyyyyy well, £21-22k GBP at entry level.

It was during that time that I realised how much i’ve come to just hate academia, and scholarly things, and that it is because university has absolutely destroyed every last bit of happiness I had about sciences in the last year, and that I need some time away from it all.but also something that would perhaps be a little more in my own control, as the statistics stuff would still be highly dependant on me actually getting hired, even after getting additional training, and then I somehow found me way to TEFL (Teaching English as a foreign language)

I spent like 3 days going really far down an internet rabbit hole, learning everything I could about TEFL courses, what it’s like to actually work teaching English as a foreign language, finding out what opportunities exist out there, teachign in a classroom environment, teachign abroad, in a business, teachign online, and which TEFL courses would actually have come form reputable sources, and would be fully accredited, and was lucky enough that the course I wanted to take was on sale 60% off, and yes, it was a fully UK gov accredited lvl3 course, it’s regulated by Ofqual.

So I paid for the course, started it, and finished the first module within the week I had begun it (I was procrastinating my uni stuff, big surprise).

So following the 14th of August 220, when my university work is all done, submitted in whatever state it is yeeted into turn it in, in, what im planning on doing next is a day or 2 of rest, and then I’ll be pushing to finish the tefl course ASAP, so that I can get myself registered with online teaching companies asap, and hopefully begin earning some money, because I am so far into the overdraft of my bank account it’s not even funny, and I can survive maybe til the end of September at best if i’m exceptionally frugal.

Chances are that over the next year I will probably take the training for statistics and data analysis as well, but i do need time away from sciences, and i need some time to just be a bit more free, be able to travel if i want to travel, save some money up finally, and stop living the life of a broke ass student, and be able to take work with me where ever I am, i guess i just want to live a slightly more stable life, where i’m able to do the things I actually want to do.

I’m not sure when i’ll next post, but I think it’ll be tomorrow, saying where im up to with my dissertation work, we’ll see.

Congratulations if you read all that.

[number06fan]

Montana Red Onions Salmonella Outbreak

Over the past few weeks the CDC has been keeping a close eye on a Salmonella outbreak that has hit Montana and multiple other states, and has infected over 200 individuals. While this is not the first time an outbreak of this size has caused this kind of turmoil, it is the first time we have had to battle an outbreak during a pandemic. Talk about a double-whammy. Here’s what we know about this Montana Red Onions Salmonella Outbreak.

While we have a few minutes today, I want us to discuss what is happening, look at the details, and focus on one of the states with the largest amount of cases.

In mid-July, the CDC released an announcement that they were watching a local Salmonella outbreak. As the days flew by, more and more states revealed cases. As of the writing of this post, here are the numbers:

Reported Cases: 396

States: 34

Hospitalizations: 59

Deaths: 0

Recall: Yes

The affected states include: AK (6), AZ (14), CA (49), CO (10), FL (3), ID (5), IL (10), IN (2), IA (15), KS (1), KY (1), ME (4), MD (1), MI (23), MN (10), MO (6), MT (33), NE (5), NV (5), NY (4), NC (3), ND (5), OH (7), OR (71), PA (2), SC (1), SD (11), TN (5), TX (1), UT (61), VA (4), WA (2), WI (5), WY (11)

While the earliest outbreak goes back almost three weeks, it is important to remember that symptoms can take 2 to 4 weeks to present themselves. This is also important wan we discuss numbers as they could be much higher.

Signs and symptoms of Salmonella illness, on the surface, may appear to look like the flu. However, they can lead to worse problems if left alone. Here are the most common signs you could have Salmonella poisoning:

Diarrhea

Vomiting

Fever

Nausea

Headache

Stomach Cramps

While it is recommended to seek medical help if you think you have Salmonella, there are a few finer points to watch out for. If any of these apply to you, contact a doctor immediately:

Diarrhea and a fever of more than 102 degrees.

Diarrhea for more than three days.

Bloody stool.

Prolonged vomiting preventing you from keeping liquids down.

Signs of dehydration: dry mouth and throat, dizziness, and little urination.

If you have symptoms of a Salmonella infection, report your illness to your local health department and talk to a healthcare provider. If you receive a call from your health department, please answer their questions about your illness and the foods you ate before you got sick. This information is vital for public health officials to identify the source of this outbreak and to take steps to prevent additional illnesses.”

The Ongoing Investigation

While this investigation continues, the CDC along with Canadian Officials spoke to what they believe is the culprit: red onions. Traceback information has led to the possibility of United States grown red onions. Information is still coming together so food recalls are always a possibility in the future.

When it comes to prevention, one practice rises to the top: washing your hands. I find myself missing this step at times when I cook but I cannot stress how important this is. Here are the 5 Simple Steps:

Wet your hands with clean, running water.

Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap.

Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds.

Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.

Dry your hands using a clean towel.

According to a Canadian Public Health Notice: Individuals are asked to check their homes for red onions, including whole, sliced, or chopped, as well as prepared foods that contain red onions as an ingredient, such as premade salads, sandwiches, wraps, or dips.

If you have red onions at home:

Look for a label showing where the red onion was grown. It may be printed on the package or on a sticker.

If the packaging or sticker shows that it is from the U.S., don’t eat it. Throw it away and wash your hands.

If it isn’t labeled, don’t eat it. Throw it away and wash your hands.

If you don’t know whether the red onion found in a premade salad, sandwich, wrap or dip contains red onion from the U.S., don’t eat it. Throw it away and wash your hands.

Wash and sanitize drawers or shelves in areas (such as fridges and cupboards) where red onions were stored.

If you buy red onions at a store:

Look for a label showing where the red onion was grown. It may be printed on the package or on a sticker.

If the packaging shows that it is from the U.S., don’t buy it.

If it is an unpackaged product, or is not labeled, ask the retailer whether the red onion comes from the U.S.

If you can’t confirm that the red onion in stores is not from the U.S., don’t buy it.

How Do You Get Salmonella?

One question about Salmonella I have been asked about a lot from family is what it is and how do you get it. I am happy to talk about food safety as it has become a passion of mine. I start by referring them to a few simple ideas and then tell them to do more research on their own. From the CDC, here are those simple ideas:

You can get Salmonella from a variety of foods. Poultry is the one that comes to mind, but beef, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and certain processed foods can carry Salmonella.

Salmonella is more common in the summer. Refrigerating foods right after everyone is done eating can stop Salmonella from growing.

Certain people are more at-risk for Salmonella and can have complications if not treated. These include the elderly and infants.

There are many individuals that have Salmonella at any given time. It is said that for every one case that is known, there are 30 that are not.

If I could give one piece of advice to you, it would be to take the time to see if you have any red onions in your home. Then, if you do, get rid of them and wash every surface you can.

How The Lange Law Firm Can Help

Our mission is to help families who have been harmed by contaminated food or water.  When corporations cause Salmonella food poisoning outbreaks, we use the law to hold them accountable.  The Lange Law Firm is the only law firm in the nation solely focused on helping families in food poisoning lawsuits and contaminated water lawsuits.

As a US law firm, The Lange Law Firm is well positioned to pursue those responsible in the United States for growing, producing, and selling Salmonella contaminated red onions.

If you got Salmonella food poisoning in the Montana Red Onions Salmonella Outbreak and are interested in making a legal claim for compensation, we can help.  Our Salmonella lawyer can help you pursue compensation for your Salmonella food poisoning.  Call us for a free no obligation legal consultation at (833) 330-3663 or send us an e-mail here.

By: Dwight Spencer

The post Montana Red Onions Salmonella Outbreak appeared first on The Lange Law Firm.