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#so far only my grandparents got vaccinated
ipcearn · 8 months
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My kitten has figured out that if he is sitting on my shoulder and/or back I can't reach him with my hands easily
also he is too adorable for me to stay mad at him for him leaving scratches all over my hands and toes (and back because I was giving him prescribed medication and climbing out of my arms and onto my shoulders saved him from the eyedrops)
He has gotten through his first vet visit very well though; his weight is good, he has no fleas, he has some mild cat sniffles (or whatever they are called in english), he charmed everyone by being a sweet, calm kitten for the most part
He only yelled when no one was paying attention to him at the vet, and a bit during the very short car ride, though granted only during me searching for a damn parking space - he was very content chewing on my finger during my stops at traffic lights and was very fascinated whenever he was travelling to and from the car
... and when the vet inserted a microscope into his second ear, the first was no problem tho
he has been amazing about using the litter box, beyond 2 times in the 10 days we have had him, though I will forgive him for both for now, particularly since he only peed on a blanket yesterday after I forced him through washing out his eyes when we got home from the vet
(the other was some runny shit during his first couple of days after he slept most of the night on my lap upstairs while his litter box was downstairs, and he did his business on the dirty bathroom mat upstairs next to my rooms; honestly gave me a really good reason to finally throw it in the wash again)
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viridianriver · 6 months
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Lemme tell you the story of the first time I really talked to an antivaccer. Been on my mind lately even though this happened years ago.
For context, I'm super pro vacc to the point that I felt proud of having basically harangued half my family into getting it. And alll the news I was exposed to was basically painting people who opposed the vaccine as ignorant and stupid.
Then I decided to take a solo trip across the country. First thing I did after getting the jab. And one night, I was camping in rural Colorado. Not the mountanous part, the plains that seem almost like a continuation of Kansas. And I got to talking to this guy who worked construction in the area, who hadn't gotten the vacc and couldn't be convinced to. And I was getting frustrated with him.
But then he called me a "rich city bitch" or something along those lines, and started telling me about why. That when he was young, how the medical industry had brought this "great" new medicine to town, opioids, and really pushed it. A lot of people found relief using them at first, most jobs around were hard manual labor and the doctors pushed them hard for chronic pain, workplace injuries, pretty much everything. People started getting addicted, got demonized by the medical industry for being "drug seeking" and turned elsewhere to get opioids. Lots of people OD'd, he had family members lost to addiction. All because of shit that the doctors said was totally safe and reccomended, and pushed hard.
And now the doctors are coming around pushing something new? Fuck that, do they think we're fuckin stupid?
And I heard the same story again and again when I talked to people who rejected the vaccine. Talked to a Black guy who mentioned how human experimentation on Black people wasn't too far in the past, shit like the Tusgegee Experiments wasn't ancient history, that's people's grandparents, community elders, etc. And they think they're gonna convince him to let them inject some shit?
It was eye opening to me, and honestly the fact that it was so eye opening just showed how sheltered I was to even have that trust in the medical system.
I went on that trip thinking antivaccers were stupid. And left it thinking the medical industry has so systemically failed and actively harmed so many people that it's pretty reasonable people ain't trusting them anymore.
Now, I'm not an antivaccer at all myself. I know the science, I studied bio and chem and all that in college, but I think my anger's shifted. The media demonizing people who won't get the vaccine absolutely fails to mention the systemic issues that'd very reasonably lead people who didn't have the privelege to take years of college classes on this shit to doubt them. And the condescending tone? Ain't helping.
It also reminds me of the book "Manufacturing Consent" by Noam Chomsky, which is all about media slant, and how it serves to protect corporate and government interests. And I truly believe that if you see all antivaccers as stupid, and not people responding pretty smartly to a medical industry that has abused their families and communities for profit for generations? You've been a victim of propaganda, that only serves to divide different marganized groups, and keep us like "crabs in a bucket" fighting each other.
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kaiyonohime · 1 year
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The mandatory nurse home visit was yesterday.  It was... interesting.
Baby is gaining weight and hitting milestones, they were very impressed at how big he was.  He was not impressed that they undressed him to weigh him.  Peeing at people ensued once more.  I warned them, they did not believe me.  I hope they had a change of clothes.
They gave me the standard questionnaire that asked fairly invasive questions, such as where my parents, siblings, and grandparents live (I wrote ‘not in Japan’ for most, and ‘dead’ for the rest).  There was discussion and it was decided those were acceptable answers.  I had to explain multiple times that no, none of my relatives would be coming to help with the baby.  Kinda a far bit of travel.  They kept asking ‘not even for a few days?’.  No, no one is flying halfway around the world for just a few days, especially not with airlines they way they are now, and the prices they are now.
I got lectured for not moisturizing my baby’s face enough.  Said face was still half covered in breast milk.  I thought milk was supposed to be moisturizing?  I’m not intentionally bathing him in milk, he’s just a really messy eater.
I was also given an English booklet describing what to expect about labor, childbirth, and hospitalization in Japan, with a glossary of terms translated.  I thanked them for the booklet with a raised eyebrow.  The baby cooed and smacked at toys on his playmat.  Oh Japan, as efficient and organized as ever.
I was told that I would be getting information about childcare in a few months, and I explained that I was already arranging to enroll him in a private bilingual school.  Apparently they meant childcare as in mommy and baby play groups, not the local kindergartens and nursery schools.  Not my fault, they were trying to use English and apparently translations got borked along the way.
I’ve actually already looked up the local mommy and baby play group and do plan to try to attend, it’s within walking distance of me which is nice, but I need to check from what age it starts, and how to enroll.  There have been issues with me being turned away for being a foreigner and being told things are for ‘Japanese women only’ already, so fingers crossed on this one.
I also received info on vaccines, and told where to go online to check to see which vaccines are covered by the government and which I have to pay for out of pocket.
Here’s something that surprised me: the mumps vaccine is not covered, and is considered voluntary.  I already knew that Japan didn’t do an all in one MMR shot, but I didn’t know they didn’t cover it all too.  So add that on to the expenses list.  I need to check what other vaccines just happen to be voluntary, and how many of them I’m going to have to pay out of pocket for.
If a vaccine is considered voluntary in Japan, insurance won’t pay for it.  This includes flu shots and the like.  
All in all, it was an hour long pretty much waste of my time that threw my schedule out the window and pissed off the baby.  What a great Tuesday.
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starlightswitch · 7 months
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Four Years in the Making
(for Writer's Month day 18 prompts free and restaurant. In memory of the cidery challenge I never got to complete. I will never stop being bitter, but at least when you're a writer you can somewhat rewrite these things.)
On June 22nd, Nino and Robin graduated from their residency program. The graduation banquet had been announced for about a month. When it was over, as they’d planned as soon as the graduation banquet had been announced, Nino and Robin and Nino’s wife Joy and Robin’s fiancé Charlie walked over to the brewpub they’d been to many times over the four years of Nino and Robin’s residency to get their last beers to become Keg Club members.
Well, everyone but Charlie’s last beers. Charlie had less than the others, because Charlie had been picked up along the way– he and Robin had only started dating a few months into her residency, and he hadn’t started joining them at the brewpub until a few months after that. Luckily, he and Robin were staying; Robin had gotten a job with the hospital they’d been working for as residents. But in the beginning she hadn’t known she’d want to stay, and Nino and Joy had always known they wanted to move closer to family.
They’d found out about the Keg Club a month or so into residency, when Nino and Robin went to an event here after work. They’d spotted the names on the wall, and Nino had looked it up and found that they had a special loyalty program: when the beers you’d had from them added up to 36 gallons– the volume of a historical beer barrel– you got your name on the wall and a fancy Keg Club membership card that made your second beer in a day free for life. Robin did the math quickly and found that 36 gallons was 144 pints, and divided by four years that was one pint about every week and a half, which was perfectly reasonable.
So it became a pretty regular thing, almost every weekend. Sometimes they hung out longer and got more than one beer, so they were ahead of the pace by early 2020.
And then the pandemic hit.
That would have thought that was it, but Joy went down to buy a crowler of a new beer the brewpub had announced online and the girl ringing her up said, “I think that puts you halfway to your keg! If I’m doing my math right,” which was how they discovered crowlers and growlers counted.
They weren’t even visiting each other at home then– if Nino and Robin had been different years, they’d sometimes have been on the same rotation and exposed to each other for eight hours a day at work, in which case they might as well, but they weren’t and they weren’t going to risk the extra exposure– but almost every weekend they’d pick up crowlers or growlers and send each other pictures of their glasses, sometimes with an updated count if they’d asked for one that day.
Toward fall the brewery opened their patio, and they decided they were all good with getting together outside, as long as no one was planning a visit to grandparents. The patio hangouts continued late into the fall thanks to the new heaters the brewpub the place had installed. In the winter there was a fire pit outside and events where purchase of a beer got you a hot dog or smores kit to roast. In the spring they got their vaccines, Nino and Robin through the hospital, then Joy, Charlie last because he wasn’t 30 yet. After that, they were good with eating inside again, with a pause the next winter until they got their boosters.
Robin and Charlie never did get COVID, as far as they knew. Nino and Joy got it in May, getting over it just weeks before graduation.
Nino’s first beer got him to 36 gallons. When the server pointed that out, he waved it off. “Get mine when you get theirs. Three of us hit it tonight.”
They ordered their second round, and when the server brought it out and set the glasses down, he pulled something out of his pocket: three shiny silver cards, neatly stacked. He handed them out one by one, with a “Welcome to the Keg Club” for each of them, then had them write down their names the way they wanted them to appear on the wall. “That second round’s free next time,” he said, tapping a hand on the table before he walked away.
The four at the table gave each other bittersweet smiles. The next time for Nino and Joy was undetermined. They were finishing their packing tomorrow and moving the next day.
They made their beers last a while and their conversation last longer, going from funny stories about attendings to when they’d first met at a welcome picnic– and when Nino and Joy had first met Charlie at an ice skating event– to what the attendings had said about them at the banquet, Nino’s attention to detail and Robin’s matter-of-factness and confidence. It was getting close to closing time when Nino said, “I guess we better go.”
“I guess we better,” Joy echoed, and Robin and Charlie nodded slowly.
Outside they all exchanged hugs and somehow ended up talking five or ten more minutes about Nino and Joy’s moving plans. When a lull fell, Nino and Robin looked at each other.
“Well,” said Robin, with a nod and a hint of humor in her eye, “it’s been an honor, Dr. DeFillipo.”
His voice a little thick, Nino responded, “Likewise, Dr. Cassidy.”
And that seemed like the perfect way to leave it.
-
2020 day 18: A Leap (myth)
2021 day 18: A Treat from Another World (key + role reversal)
2022 Day 18: Grew Up Together (bridge + secret garden)
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opha · 1 year
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traumadumping, disregard
tws: sexual assault, medical abuse, genital-focused language, cancer, all the good stuff.
there’s a very good informational post about pap smears and HPV going around right now that i struggled for roughly an hour with trying to add info to without traumadumping and i evidently could not.
see, i had a very fun pap near the end of last year where my genius pcp decided that she didn’t need to lube the speculum for her patient with fibromyalgia (which means i experience pain on an amplified scale compared to other people) and chronic pelvic pain. i should know better by now than to think when a doctor says something may be uncomfortable, i’m not going to have to grit my teeth to keep from screaming. in her infinite wisdom, my pcp decided getting it done ASAP was more important than listening to me or mitigating my pain in any way, and settled for giving me half-panicked reassurances that “there won’t be any bleeding!”
she left the room looking scared for her job, and good tbh.
from that pap, i got a shiny new high-risk HPV diagnosis. the fun thing? i only could’ve got it from a guy who i’ve never had any sexual contact with, via kissing my HPV-vaccinated girlfriend who had forgotten she’d just given him head. i tried to google around about vaccinated people being able to transmit HPV from other sources, and it’s basically unsearchable. there’s no solid evidence for kissing as a viable transmission route either. so even if i’d known that routine STI testing (which my girlfriend has all her other partners do before fluid bonding) doesn’t look for HPV, i wouldn’t have been able to account for this. double fun.
cancer in my family has been 100% fatal so far, going back to my great-grandparents, btw.
anyway. i still have to get a colposcopy, which is a more intensive vaginal and cervical exam that may or may not involve biopsies. i had to shop around for someone who’s trauma-informed, and basically no one who takes medicaid is trauma-informed, so i’m having to make do with “a very sweet lady” who agreed to consult with me. (that’s how the nurse described her. it’s funny, but excuse me if i don’t laugh.)
i didn’t realize until tonight, but i’m actually taking the diagnosis harder than the assault. go figure. sexual assault is old hat for me. cancer is fresher. i don’t know how to deal with it. trying to dissociate from it like i do with everything else kind of worked, until this made it real again.
i’m thinking more and more about when i tried to get a hysterectomy in my early 20s, because the pelvic pain was unbearable, i’d been trying for years to find a diagnosis, and i wasn’t in pain management yet. got told i’d want to have kids even after i said my gender identity was incongruent with having children and if i wanted to raise a child that badly, i’d adopt.
people are so fucking fixated on biological children that they’ll deny you your own bodily autonomy to preserve your theoretical ability to have them. i’m intersex, so i’m probably infertile anyway. it makes me sick.
i don’t know where i’m going with this. i just needed to put it somewhere so i can fucking sleep. i’m so tired of being nothing but the accumulation of human damage.
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vvatchword · 1 year
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My favorite gifts over the holidays were a noise-canceling headset and my parents adding me to their YouTube TV subscription so I can watch TCM. Y'all should know I'm a huge old film and television junkie. There is so much good art in this world--good art going all the way back to the beginning of humanity--and it makes no goddamn sense to limit yourself to that made solely in your lifetime. My goal is to watch some Akira Kurosawa films eventually. Oh, and I want to get my hands on old music from the early 1900s on. Y'all know how hard it is to get anything other than the goddamn Charleston from the 1920s? I also received a host of old books--mostly on psychotherapy from the 1940s and '50s, for obvious reasons--and a book of short stories about Reykjavik--and a roasting pan--and lots and lots of candy. I cracked open one book on psychiatry in a hospital setting and it recommended that epileptics stop reproducing which was definitely a thing my eyes read, let me tell you. This is yet another reason why we should imbibe in old bullshit: so we can see without the gloss of romanticism how old motherfuckers were full of shit and how much better we have it in a multitude of ways. I'm thinking this because I saw someone opining on "why don't people stay married like our grandparents" and I was like bitch women couldn't open credit cards in their own names until the 1970s you wanna talk shop? Then I got a shitty babby argument from what was either a dumbass or a troll, and I remembered why I had stopped doing that shit, so I turned them notifications right off. Oh. And I got the 'rona. So that does stand out. That said, it was only unbearable for one day, and I've been doing pretty well otherwise. So far, no loss of smell or taste. Fingers crossed. My mom lost her sense of smell, and my father says he's not feeling too great, so I have suspicions about our family, mostly that we are unstoppable juggernauts and/or Trojan horses, seeing as my mother has taken no vaccines at all. I highly suspect now that I was exhibiting symptoms as long ago as a week, just excusing them for other things. WHOOPS Not that I went anywhere in that time period, that said. Small mercies. And I wore my mask everywhere. Good for me. I got all my vaccines and boosters so I'm just gonna give those a big thumbs up, personally. Pretty sure that I never would have realized I had COVID at all had I not gotten super stressed out near the end of my holiday week, to be fair. I have a hell of an immune system. I'm not trapped with illnesses, they're trapped with me. Anyway, I'm back to by bad habits of checking social media a bit too often, so I'm going to have to block myself lol,,,,, bye
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sapinelle · 3 years
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my city has entered lockdown for the 100th time and i’m feeling claustrophobic 
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ranvwoop · 3 years
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I'm incredibly jealous of the US ;;
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juicebox-bside · 3 years
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fuck-customers · 3 years
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I'm Vaccinated, Not Diseased!
So, as a cart runner at a grocery store, I've been working throughout this whole pandemic. My grandparents are high risk, so I've been extremely careful during it... Always wearing my mask, being extra sanitary, even going so far as to yelling at them and ordering them to sanitizing themselves if they get within 6 feet of me before I shower and wash my clothes... The second I got an opportunity to get vaccinated, I jumped on it! I got the J&J vaccine, my bf got it a week later and (as of 05/05/21) my grandparents have had both doses of Moderna. My grandparent's doctors and nurses are proud of the effort I've put in to protect us from the virus and have commended me, repeatedly. At my work, a major topic that people talk about is the vaccination rollout. I've heard a lot of stuff ranging from Pro-Vaxx, Anti-Vaxx, Pro-Trump, Pro-Biden, religious stuff.... It's been interesting.... However, the most annoying customer out of all of it is one older woman... The first time I came into contact with this woman, we were talking and I casually mentioned that I had been vaccinated for several weeks... This woman WENT OFF. Telling me to get away from her, don't touch her groceries, and don't even touch the cart. She told me that she had heard that vaccinated people can give things to unvaccinated people. I looked at her, dumbfounded. It had been a couple of weeks since I saw this woman, so I had forgotten what she looked like (I see hundreds of customers a day, I really only remember my regulars)... Well, the other day, I came across her again. I saw her with her cart and no one helping her, so I simply did my job and walked up to her. She instantly remembered me. Of course, she told me to get away from her and don't touch her stuff. I stepped back and told her "For the record, most of us are vaccinated."... I lied, but I really don't know who all at my work is, and I can honestly say that the only other person working in my position at that point in the day had gotten his vaccine a couple of weeks ago.... She sighed and said something along the lines of "Nowhere is safe." as she got in her car. I don't care if you don't wanna get the vaccine, wear a mask, and don't believe in what Dr. Fauci, CDC and WHO say... But, I got the vaccine, wear my mask with pride, and will follow Dr. Fauci's guidelines until he says it's okay to unmask and return to "normal"... Just don't treat me like I have the Black Death because I got injected with science juice!
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nerdzzone · 3 years
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Only For A Moment: December
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Summary: A series of shorter one shots from Chris and Whitney’s life together throughout the pandemic. Some happy times, some harder times, some fluff and some things a little more sexy - they work through it all as they try to get settled in their new and blossoming relationship.
Chris Evans x OFC
18+
Part of the Once Bitten/More Hearts series
Only For A Moment: November [part two]
Note: This is the last part of this section of the series! Thank you to everyone who has read, liked, reblogged and commented so far, I really appreciate your support and love reading all your thoughts! There will be more, focusing on their lives as the world starts opening up again, but I’m not sure when it will be posted.
-----
December 2020
December was a somewhat bittersweet month.
There were quite a few positives as Christmas always brought plenty of joy - and it brought Scott back from L.A. which was a nice treat for everyone - and there was also the big announcement of an approved vaccine. The roll out wouldn't be immediate, of course, but there was hope on the horizon and a clear sense of relief.
However, there were some negatives as well. I still had my concerns about how well we'd adapt our relationship to the realities of real life and, as excited as I was about Christmas, the holiday season was making me miss my family more than ever.
Chris' family was a great substitute - especially as the case numbers were low enough that we were allowed to have small family gatherings which meant they could all to stay over at our house on Christmas Eve as they had the year before - but I hadn't seen any of my own family in over a year and I missed them terribly. It made me so sad to think of how much Grayson had grown since they last saw him and knowing that I had a little nephew that I'd never even met was starting to break my heart.
In an attempt to ease the ache caused by the distance, we had a video call on Christmas Eve since my family were all together too and I was relieved that our friendly, confident three year old had no problem making conversation with the grandparents and uncle that he could barely remember. It was heart-warming and refreshing to have that time with them even through a screen, but it wasn’t the same and it left me wanting more. I wanted to see them, to hug them, to help my mom make Christmas dinner and beat my brother at the card games we always used to play. I wanted to be less than three thousand miles away and it was starting to weigh on me.
I held it together pretty well, not wanting to put a damper on the happy festivities we were having, but later that evening, when I was alone with my thoughts as I finished tidying up the dishes from dinner, it was suddenly overwhelming. I leaned on the counter as my chin dropped to my chest and the tears finally came. I wasn’t going to let myself have more than a few minutes to wallow in my sadness, but almost as soon as the tears started, a voice from behind me interrupted.
"Whitney?" Lisa quietly announced her presence. "Are you okay?"
I sniffled and quickly wiped my eyes before turning around to see her standing in the doorway with Scott, concern on both of their faces.
"I'm fine," I smiled weakly, but Scott wasn't going to let it go that easy.
"What's wrong?" He asked. "Why are you crying?"
"I just miss my family. It's hard not getting to see them at Christmas," I admitted. "I know I didn't get to see them last year either, but it's been so long now since I've seen them at all. I guess that's just made it harder."
"Oh, honey, that's understandable," Lisa assured me. "I can't imagine how I'd feel if we hadn't been able to be together at all for as long as you've been away from your family."
"Usually I'm fine," I insisted. "I think just seeing them all together and not being there got to me a little bit."
"Well their loss is our gain," Scott informed me. "Because we're really happy to have you here. I know it's not the same, but you're part of our family too."
"I know and I'm so grateful that I have all of you," I rushed to assure them, not wanting anyone to think I wasn't happy to be spending the holidays with them. "It's been so amazing how you've all taken me in and let me be a part of your family. I know things were complicated with Chris and I, but you've always been so good to me."
"You've been a part of this family from the moment we found out about Grayson," Lisa said firmly. "Whatever happened between you and Chris never mattered to us. We're glad you've sorted yourselves out now, but we've always thought of you as family."
Scott nodded in agreement and their kind words brought more tears to my eyes.
"That really means a lot," I choked out, blinking frantically to stop myself from crying anymore. It took a moment to compose myself, but eventually I let out a laugh and wiped my eyes again. "Sorry, I'll stop blubbering soon. I don't think I realized how much I missed them until now and once I get all weepy, it's hard for me to stop."
Lisa crossed the kitchen quickly and pulled me into a hug.
"If you need to let it out, then you go right ahead."
I returned her hug and was about to inform her that it wasn't necessary when Chris - who had been upstairs putting Grayson to bed - appeared in the doorway and interrupted our little moment.
"What are we letting out? Why is Whitney crying?" he asked. "What did you two do to her?"
"We were just letting her know that none of us would judge her if she wants to dump your ass," Scott lied, a smirk on his face. "And now she's crying tears of joy."
"Scott!" Lisa scolded despite the laugh that fell from her lips as she let me slip out of her arms. "That's a horrible thing to say."
"It's not true," I assured Chris even though I was sure he'd figured that out. "I just had a little sad moment. I miss my family so your lovely family members were reassuring me that I'm part of yours."
"You absolutely are," he agreed, coming over and slipping his arm around my waist before pressing a kiss to the side of my head. "I'm sorry that you're sad, but do you remember what I told you last year?"
I'd spent a lot of time trying to block out the memory of last Christmas in the months after it happened and apparently I'd done a good enough job to not know what he was talking about.
"No," I shook my head. "What?"
"There's no time for worryin' at Christmas!" He reminded me. "Let's get you a drink and turn that frown around!"
"Alright, that sounds good," I laughed as I slid out of his grasp. "Lisa, can I get you another glass of wine?"
"Oh, yes, that's actually why we came in here," she smiled. "We were sent to get everyone another round."
"Perfect," Chris grinned as he opened the fridge and started pulling out supplies.
He poured drinks for everyone, but held me back as his brother and mother left the room with as many drinks as they could carry. He pulled me into his arms again before I could pick my drink up off the counter.
"Are you good?" He asked, rubbing his thumb on the exposed skin just above my jeans. "I'm sorry that you miss your family."
"I'm fine," I smiled up at him. "It was just hard seeing them all together tonight and not being there. I do miss them, but I'm okay. I'm happy to be here with you and your family."
"As soon as things get better, we can go and visit," he promised. "I think I'll have to head to L.A. in the near future anyway. Now there's a vaccine and things might start to improve, there's more talk of starting The Grey Man."
While the thought of a trip to L.A. was encouraging in theory, it made my stomach turn. Travelling while the pandemic was still around seemed very stressful - if Scott's journey home for the holidays was anything to go by - and the thought of Chris returning to work was something I wasn’t eager to think about. I knew he was trying to make me feel better though so I stretched up and placed a kiss on his lips.
"That would be nice," I smiled. "I'd like you to get to know my family a bit more."
"I'd like that too," he nodded. "As soon as we can, I promise."
As I slipped out of his grasp, I tried to focus on that hopeful promise and push any sad feelings from my mind.
-
The rest of that evening was pretty lowkey. We knew that the kids would be up at the crack of dawn as they were the year before and went to bed early in preparation for that. It was a decision that I was very grateful for at six thirty the next morning when Grayson woke us up by launching himself onto our bed.
“Merry Christmas!”
His little voice cut through the silence of the room, ruining any possibility that we might have been able to sleep a little longer.
“Merry Christmas, Gray,” I heard Chris answer as I rolled over. Just as I turned to face him, Chris dragged him down from where he was bouncing on the bed and pulled him against his chest. “Let’s go back to sleep. Okay, buddy?”
We all knew that wasn’t going to happen and Grayson proved it as he giggled and wiggled around, squealing loud enough to ensure that no one in the house could possibly still be asleep.
“Gray! Shhh,” I laughed, pulling him out of Chris’ arms and into my own. “Merry Christmas.”
I kissed the top of his head and he pulled back, grinning up at me.
“Santa came, Mama!”
“Did he?” I gasped. “That’s so exciting!”
“There’s so much presents!”
“Wow, I guess we should go see who they’re for!”
“Probably me,” Chris teased Gray. “I bet they’re all for me and maybe one for your mom.”
“And for me?”
The hope in Grayson’s voice had me interjecting before Chris could tease him any more.
“I’m sure there are some for you,” I assured him. “I bet there’s some for everyone.”
“Even Uncle Scott?”
That question earned a howl of laughter from Chris, but I nodded.
“Even Uncle Scott,” I smiled. “He’s been pretty good this year, hasn’t he?”
“No!” Grayson giggled. “He scared Daddy! And me!”
I laughed, thinking back to the incident he was referencing. Ever since Scott returned from L.A., he and Chris had created some kind of ‘scare war’ where they were competing to see who could scare the other in the best way. They posted the videos on Instagram and their fans loved it, but it had gotten a little out of hand. Scott caught Chris off guard when he came home from a walk with Dodger the day before and got an excellent reaction from him, but he didn’t realize that Grayson was with him too. The poor kid was terrified and cried for almost fifteen minutes afterwards. Scott had been incredibly apologetic and tried to make it up to him, but apparently Gray wasn’t feeling particularly forgiving.
“He did scare us and that wasn’t very nice,” Chris agreed. “He’s probably on the naughty list!”
“Yeah!” Grayson grinned at his dad. “Let’s go see!”
He scrambled off the bed almost as quickly as he’d climbed up in the first place. Once the sound of his heavy footsteps faded as he ran down the hall, Chris pulled me into his arms.
“Merry Christmas, Win.”
“Merry Christmas,” I smiled up at him. “Crazy to think that we woke up like this a year ago too.”
“Almost exactly like this,” Chris smirked. “Until you snuck out of bed as if I wouldn’t know we’d been cuddling all night.”
My jaw dropped slightly.
“You knew?”
“Of course, I knew!” Chris chuckled. “I’d been awake for almost half an hour before you woke up, but it felt so nice cuddlin’ you that I didn’t wanna move.”
“That’s so embarrassing,” I laughed, burying my head in his chest as he assured me that it wasn’t. “But it’s so strange to think that if there hadn’t been that snow storm and I hadn’t stayed over that night, maybe we wouldn’t even be here now.”
“Do you really think that?”
“It’s hard to say,” I admitted. “I think we would have ended up quarantining together, but if we hadn’t had that slip up at Christmas, we wouldn’t have had the same incentive to talk about things during lockdown.”
“But that slip up showed that the feelings were there,” Chris pointed out. “So, maybe it would have happened while we were locked in this big ol’ house anyway.”
“I like to think so,” I smiled. “Either way, I’m happy it did.”
“Me too,” Chris placed a kiss on the top of my head as the sounds of excited children floated down the hall towards us. “I guess we should get up before they come looking for us.”
I reluctantly agreed and we dragged ourselves out of bed to join the festivities.
-
Christmas morning was much the same as the year before. The kids were overwhelmed with excitement at all the gifts, but very grateful and appreciative of everything they received. Chris bought me some new cameras that I’d mentioned wanting to buy before my work picked up again, but it was my gift to him that I was really excited about.
I watched as he opened the box that I’d carefully wrapped and pulled out the photo album that I’d put inside.
“Wow,” Chris murmured as he flipped through the pages with a soft smile on his face. “Are these all of me and Gray?”
“There’s some of Dodger too, but yeah, mostly it’s you and Gray,” I informed him. “I just thought, it’s been such a crazy year and there’s been a lot of stress, but there were some good moments too and I wanted you to have some memories of those.”
“This is amazing…”
He flipped through the pages that I’d filled - in order by month - of all the pictures that I’d taken since the start of the pandemic. There were some of him helping Grayson ride his bike, some of them reading together and doing puzzles, some of them playing in the pool, some of them raking leaves in the fall, carving pumpkins at Halloween, cooking dinner together, curled up on the couch watching movies and pretty much every other day to day activity that they did together through the lockdown. I was amazed by how many pictures I’d taken when I started compiling them, but I knew it was a gift that he would appreciate.
“That’s one of my favourites,” I giggled, pointing to a picture of bath time one night when Chris had fashioned them both beards made out of bubbles.
“I love them all,” he smiled, looking up at me with glassy eyes. “Thank you, Winnie. Thank you so much.”
I leaned in to place a soft kiss on his lips as Lisa moved to stand behind her son and sneak a peek at the album.
“That’s such a wonderful gift, Whitney,” she gushed. “Those pictures are beautiful.”
“Thank you. If you look through it later and pick out your favourites, I can make you some copies.”
“That would be great!” She grinned. “I would love that, if you don’t mind.”
I assured her that it would be no trouble and made notes of a few that I thought she might want as Chris and I spent the next half an hour flipping through the album and reminiscing on the happy moments we shared as a family during a very dark year. It was a rather odd feeling that such a bleak time had also been such a happy one for us. I was beyond grateful that our families had been relatively untouched by the virus plaguing the world and was more than happy to join Scott in his toast to all our continued good health when he brought out the mimosas as soon as all the presents were unwrapped.
-
The rest of the day was filled with plenty of love and appreciation of our little family and the opportunity to be together. As we had the year before, we called all the relatives who lived too far away to join us before spending most of the day playing games, drinking fancy Christmas cocktails and eating delicious food. We had learned something from the previous years celebrations though and didn’t let ourselves get quite as intoxicated as we had back then.
All in all it was a lovely day and my heart was feeling very full by the time we said our goodnights and headed to our room that evening. I was refreshed by the opportunity for such prolonged socialization and had a little extra pep in my step as I pranced off to the ensuite bathroom to brush my teeth.
However, when I came back out, I was surprised to find Chris sitting on the edge of our bed. He glanced up when I walked in, a soft smile on his face, but there was an air of nervousness around him that immediately put me on edge.
"You okay?"
My question was simply met with a nod as he beckoned me over. He grabbed my hand as soon as I was close enough and kept me standing in front of him.
"I have one more present for you," he informed me after a moment of quiet. "But I want to preface it with an explanation so you don't freak out."
I laughed nervously at that statement, wondering what kind of gift could possibly make me freak out. A car? A new house? A puppy? My mind was instantly running wild.
"Okay..."
"I know you're still nervous about things going back to normal and how we'll handle it - I can see it on your face every time it gets mentioned," he started, his words so far offering no explanation. "I've been trying to think of something that I can do to reassure you, something to prove just how committed I am to you because I am all in here, Winnie. From the moment I met you, I knew you were something special and it sounds a little cheesy and over the top, but you really are the love of my life. It took a little soul-searching and some brainstorming, but I eventually came up with something I think might help us both..."
He paused then and reached behind his back, pulling out a little box that made my heart start pounding in my chest.
"Oh my god," I gasped out as he slid from the bed to kneel on one knee in front of me.
He opened the box and looked up at me with hope written all over his face.
"Will you marry me, Winnie?" He asked, the question bringing tears to my eyes. I was biting my lip to hold myself together and didn't realize that I hadn't answered until he launched into some further reassurances. "We don't have to get married right away - we can wait as long as you want - but taking this step, making this extra promise and commitment, I thought it might give us both some comfort."
I was still stunned, completely blindsided by his proposal, but I took in his words and appreciated his reasoning as a grin slid onto my face.
"Yes, Chris! Yes, I will marry you."
Chris visibly relaxed at my acceptance and, with noticeably shaky hands, he took the ring from the box and slid it on my finger. As soon as it was safely in place, he sprung to his feet and pulled me into a breathtaking kiss.
"Holy shit," he let out a deep breath, moments later when we finally parted. "That was terrifying. I thought for sure you were going to turn me down and tell me that I'm insane."
"You kinda are," I smiled. "And everyone else is definitely going to think we've lost our minds."
"Well, we've never done things the traditional way and it just makes sense, doesn't it?" It was a question, but he didn't wait for an answer. "It hit me when we were talking in New York and you made a joke about me proposing, that it wasn't a bad idea, that it was something I wanted to do. I know we've technically been together for less than a year, but I haven't wanted anyone else since the day I met you so what's the point in waiting? I'm not gonna make decisions based on what everyone else thinks we should do - that would be crazy."
I smiled at his anxious rambling and stretched up to place another kiss on his lips.
"That would be crazy," I agreed. "And I don't care what they think. I don't want to be with anyone else either."
He matched my smile as he squeezed me even closer.
"And I mean it, we don't have to rush into anything or start planning a wedding right away," he assured me. "But I thought this extra step might make you feel better about things changing. I'm in this one hundred percent and I'll do whatever it takes to make this work for us."
I didn't need a ring to know that Chris loved me and wanted to make this work and being engaged wouldn't make any of the challenges that were ahead of us any less difficult to face. But there was something about how fearless he was in making such a commitment to me and something about the way he was so determined to reassure me of just how invested he was in our relationship that did put me at ease and fill me with confidence.
The fact that despite all the things we'd been through and all the things we still needed to work on - including my own insecurities - Chris was willing to marry me and make that lifelong commitment had my heart about ready to burst in my chest.
"I'm willing to do whatever it takes too," I assured him. "I love you so much, Chris."
"I love you too," he grinned. "And god, I'm so relieved you said yes."
"Of course I'd say yes," I insisted. "You know I love you."
"I do, but I also know you're worried," he reminded me. "And I didn't want you to think I was using a proposal as a band-aid or something. I know that it won't always be easy and we'll have to work hard."
"We will," I agreed. "But now, at least when you're away, I'll have this pretty ring to remember you by."
I pulled my arm back from around his waist to look down at my finger. I was grateful that it wasn't a massive, showy ring, but it was beautiful and seemed fairly unique.
"It's alexandrite," he informed me. "It's one of the birthstones for June which I thought was fitting for both of us. I was gonna use Gray's birthstone, but apparently April is diamond and I wanted something different. There's diamonds on either side of the big stone though so he's in there too."
"It's beautiful," I smiled as he grinned proudly.
"I didn't think you'd want something too over the top, but I wanted it to be something nice."
"Well, you nailed it," I assured him. "I couldn't have picked a nicer ring myself."
He captured my lips in another kiss and I leaned into it, trying to wrap my head around what had just happened.
"Have you told anyone?" I asked once he pulled away. "Does my family know?"
"I told them last night," he nodded. "I called them back after I tucked Grayson in to let them know. And my whole family knows because I was stressed about the whole thing and couldn't keep it to myself. Oh, and Hannah because she scares me and I thought she'd be mad if she didn't know."
I laughed, letting my head rest against his chest.
"She would have been mad," I agreed. "But I can't believe she scares you, she's like a little chihuahua. She's all bark, no bite."
"She cried on the phone when I told her," he admitted, earning another bubble of laughter from me. "She assured me they were tears of joy, but swore me to secrecy about it so let's keep that between us."
"Oh, no way!" I giggled. "That is too good not to tease her about."
"Well, it'll be your loss if she kills me."
"Again, all bark and no bite," I reminded him. "Did your family know you were going to ask me tonight?"
"Yeah," he nodded, looking a bit sheepish. "I think they're all waiting in the living room to see what you said.”
“Then let’s go share the good news,” I smiled, moving to link my arm with his. “Then we can come back in here and celebrate properly.”
I shot him a wink to emphasize what I meant and he let out a low growl of approval before dragging me out of our bedroom.
-
Of course, his family were thrilled that I’d said yes, even though it didn’t seem like any of them were particularly surprised. I called my family and Hannah as well before sharing a celebratory drink with my soon to be in-laws.
But it wasn’t until we laid, curled up in bed after our more private celebrations that it really started to hit me.
Sure, some people would think we were moving a bit too fast and they might have been right, if we had any intention of actually getting married right away. But for us, it was just another layer of reassurance. The ring on my finger was like a little security blanket, a memento of support for when things got hard and our schedules grew busier. It was a reminder that we were determined to make this work no matter what happened and it had me feeling much more hopeful about the new year ahead of us.
Things would change, there was no doubt about that, but we could get through it and come out stronger in the end. I knew it wouldn’t always be easy and there would be times when we felt like giving up, but with a little love and perseverance, I knew our relationship - and eventually our marriage - would only benefit and grow from our efforts.
-
Tags:  @maggotzombie @moonlacebeam @mizzzpink @zaylaugh @flowery-mess @flowerjewels @njrronaldo7 @hockeychick10 @partypoison00 @theladybiers @sidepieces @firoozehmoon @patzammit @sparkledfirecracker @mytbel0st @chvntelle-99 @mjey12
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rogue-driv3r · 2 years
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I've been silent about this for a while, but i think it's time to voice the rage i feel every time i open some social network and scroll a bit.
No-vax, anti-vax, call them whatever you want, i grew tired of 'em. I mean, really tired. I'm tired of their "freedom of choice", which is egoistic af. Their "liberty" affects negatively other people, by extending this covid shit, by letting someone die killed by the virus, or die because there were no beds available in hospital for other diseases. And yes, this time i put all the blame on no-vax.
In the hospital of my city, 90% of those in intensive care unit are no-vax. In the hospital of a nearby city, 100%. No-vax are roughly 17% of the total population of my country. This means that because of a bunch of assholes, the emergengy state goes on.
Vaccines are the only known method, at the moment, that can actively lower the intensity of the pandemic until we learn to live with the virus as we do with flu and colds. If everybody got the vax, that stage would probably be already started. But no, because no-vax exist, and back their theories with bullshit.
No-vax cry about "dictatorship", which is curious, because most no-vax movements are sustained by right and far-right politicians. It's also curious that until a while ago, there were NO formal obligations for the vaccine, there were just thousands of doctors, nurses, biologists, virologists who first REASSURED about the vaccine, then BEGGED us to get the vaccine, but that bunch of no-vax didn't listen, and never changed their mind no matter what, no matter the facts they're put face to face with.
And no, no capitalist government wants you dead, they want you alive, working, producing, consuming, paying taxes, they don't wanna kill you with the bad vaccine. No, evil corporations don't wanna track you with microchips, they already do that whenever you log in some social network, buy shit online, use your gps or mobile in general. Yes, vaccines are safe, pretty much like any other med you take without knowing what's inside and that can have side effects. Talking about side effects, the controlled ones of vaccines are probably the same that the virus can naturally cause - likely killing you.
Since no-vax seem to enjoy being egoist fucks, and don't give a damn about collective health, or collectivity in general, i'll tell you what covid did to me personally: it worsened a state of depression and anxiety, separated me from a life i was starting to enjoy and living intensely, separated me from a new love, made me lose job, killed both grandparents of one of my best friends, deprived me of so many opportunities, made me experience what it means to have a case of covid at home, more specifically my brother, and the hell of those days (the list goes on). And i'm a privileged one who didn't have close relatives dying from it, or died myself.
The fact that this shit goes on only because no-vax exist makes me mad. Every single new day we live in this state now it's all because no-vax. If complot theories didn't exist, if all the bullshit feeding the no-vax movement didn't exist, there's a chance in this precise moment the whole emergency could be already over. But it isn't.
Sadly i'm aware that discussing online is pointless, and only reinforces people's opinions and ideas, so this post isn't made with the intent of changing people's mind. It's made with the intent to say i hate every single one of you no-vax, and to say GO. FUCK. YOURSELF. This story is gonna end sometime, then we'll deal.
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andavs · 2 years
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Can you elaborate in why you think chimney is gone this season? I miss him and I want him back😭😭😭
Definitely just guessing, but Covid.
You can’t really have Chimney without Jee-Yun, and because Covid is a thing, you can’t have Jee without putting a baby at risk. Even with everyone on the set vaccinated and the bare minimum of crew.
As far as I know, all of the Maddie and Jee scenes from the blackout arc were shot back in the spring when cases were falling. Since then, we’ve had the delta variant and cases rising again, and they haven’t actually shown Chimney holding Jee since. I think the closest he’s gotten was carrying her car seat in an open air parking garage, but otherwise she’s on her own in a playpen, in her car seat (outside, and not in the same frame as Chim), in a stroller (outside) where she could be replaced with a doll after of a quick closeup, and very briefly in the backseat while he was driving. 
So if you can’t really show him interacting with his daughter, how can you have Chimney?
He’s taking time off work to stay home with Jee-Yun...but she’s always conveniently offscreen or six feet away. Okay, then what do you even show Chimney doing? Sitting at home folding baby laundry when his friends stop by, always while Jee-Yun is napping? It wouldn’t be very satisfying to hear him talk about adjusting to functionally being a single father and not see it beyond like, a few scenes of him and Jee walking through the park, or putting groceries in the trunk of his car. Getting lunch with Hen at an outdoor table with a stroller next to them.
Or he’s back at work and leaving her with the Lees while on shift. They have Chris stay with Carla, but that's Carla's job and Chris isn’t a baby being left with aging grandparents. (And the main plot of “Stuck” was Eddie trying to stop leaving him with an aging grandparent.) There’s a big difference between offering to babysit when Chim and Maddie need a break and taking on a baby for twenty-four hours at a time, multiple times a week. And that still leaves him talking about fatherhood, not really showing it. 
So even though it sucks and it’s really dramatic (drama? In my drama?) that Maddie took off, it’s accomplished:
Giving Chimney a storyline that doesn’t have to be visible every week. We know he’s looking for Maddie even if he isn’t shown, we know he’s got Jee, they don’t have to keep putting a baby at risk to show us.
Setting up plenty of mystery to be explored once Maddie’s back without rehashing anything. No one knows where she’s been, and even if she’s been perfectly safe and getting treatment this entire time, it’ll be new to the audience in 5b. And we don’t know exactly where she is in her recovery; she could be just finding solid ground, or she could be doing pretty good and ready to jump back into things.
5.11 is called “Outside Looking In”! Chimney readjusting to the 118 that's bonded while he's been away! Hen and Eddie working together seamlessly now! Maddie feeling like she’s missed a lot with her daughter while Chim has been with her constantly!
I wouldn’t be surprised if the only time we see Chim in the Christmas episode is him finding Maddie wherever she is, or maybe just calling Buck to tell him he found her and she’s getting help. 
Three months pass, he’s been home with Jee while Maddie was gone but now she’s back, and 5.11 is Chim’s first day back at work. Things are a little off, he and Hen both keep taking charge, then when he defers to Hen, he and Eddie keep bumping into each other. He misses Jee after spending every day with her for six months, he’s not used to Ravi being there all the time, they’re making references and jokes he wasn’t there for, it’s weird. (I demand a talk with Bobby since they cut the first one.)
At home, Maddie’s struggling a bit to fit the rhythm that Chim’s established with Jee. She’s been home for a while and following his lead, but now that he’s gone, she’s just a little bit off and Jee can tell and Jee is not thrilled with it. Maddie thought she had a handle on things, but this sets her back a little bit, so even though she did the hardest part of her recovery off screen, we still see her struggling and she doesn’t just come back happy.
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kuramirocket · 3 years
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Growing up in California in my grandmother's house, surrounded by tías, tíos, and all my cousins, I always felt a deep connection to my Mexican-American roots. Every generation of my father's family has had incredibly different experiences that reflect much about American history. 
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My great-grandfather on my abuela's side, Daniel Martinez, grew up in Mexico and immigrated to Los Angeles. Eventually, he saved enough money to open a neighborhood market, which is where he met my great-grandmother, Guadalupe Miranda Martinez. She had come from Mexico to Los Angeles with her mother and brother as a young teenager. They soon married and began having children. When he lost his business in the 1920s, the family turned to migrant farm work. They were forced to use segregated water fountains and bathrooms and my darker-skinned tíos and tías were sent to Mexican schools, while those with light skin and blonde or red hair were allowed to attend schools with white students.
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Unhappy with the segregated schools, my great-grandfather joined up with other families to open the East Barrio School for Latinos in Claremont, CA — fighting the status quo is part of my heritage! They taught reading and writing in Spanish and learned Mexican history at a time when it was hard to show pride about being Mexican.
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My great-grandfather on my abuelo's side, Catalino Alba, came from Mexico during the Revolution. He met my great-grandmother when he immigrated to Gallup, NM, where he helped build the Santa Fe Railroad. He was a musician and inspired my abuelo José Alba to sing, practice traditional Mexican dance, and become an accomplished classical guitarist. As a child, there was never a family party where my abuelo didn't play guitar while my abuela, tíos and tías, and cousins sang along. Perhaps this is where I got my love for the performing arts!
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My great-grandfather moved to San Bernardino, CA, to work on the railroad and my abuelo José Alba grew up in the barrio where he and his siblings slept head to foot. With little food at home, he often asked the neighbors for fruit from their fruit trees. He was compelled to eat dirt, which he later learned was a natural response to the lack of iron that he needed in his diet. As a kid, he wasn't allowed to swim in a public pool without a certification of vaccination. He would often get glass stuck in his shoes because the soles were so thin and worn out — he couldn't afford anything else. At one point, glass punctured his foot, and as a result he developed lockjaw, which was nearly fatal.
When he could work, he made money selling oranges and picking potatoes. He says the first thing he did when he had money was to go down to Main Street to have his shoes shined by a young boy. He told that boy that he would come every week because he knew he was trying to make his own way too.
There were 12 kids in the family and my abuelo is proud that his mom figured out a way to send them to school as soon as it was possible. She understood the value of education. Even though it was hard for them, she made it a priority.
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This is my abuelo and abuela's wedding above — so classic. I always thought our ancestors were Spanish, but I learned through genetic testing that they were Native American, with roots that may go back as far as the Mayan civilization. We've been here from the beginning!
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My parents, Mark and Catherine Louisa Alba, were so different . . . but they had the same hairstyle! I know that when my dad was growing up it was difficult for him and his parents to be Mexican-American. The hyphen wasn't an option back then.
My abuelo had only learned English when he transferred to grammar school at around 6 years old, and he was way behind as a result. Like many others of their generation, my grandparents didn't teach their children, including my dad, to speak Spanish. My abuelo says that he didn't even think about it, but I wonder if he associated it with a difficult transition in his life.
I want my girls to embrace their Latino roots, know how much we have contributed to this country, and understand that the road ahead is richer when we acknowledge and embrace our heritage. I want them to learn Spanish like their great-grandparents. I'm incredibly proud of my diverse heritage and I want my daughters to feel the same way.
Jessica Alba is something of a triple threat: She's managed to achieve major success as an actress, fashion designer, and business mogul. It's hard to imagine anyone not wanting to work with Alba, but early in her career she had a hard time getting roles because of her race.
"They couldn't figure out my ethnicity," Alba said. "I would always go out for 'exotic.' They were like, 'You're not Latin enough to play a Latina, and you're not Caucasian enough to play the leading lady, so you're going to be the "exotic" one.' Whatever that was."
Of course, Alba eventually ended up starring in hits like Fantastic Four, Into the Blue, and Good Luck Chuck. So, yeah, it's safe to say she proved those people wrong.
And not only is this actress leading by example; she's also taking steps to change the game herself. The creation of Alba's cosmetics line, Honest Beauty, which she founded as part of her brand, The Honest Company, in 2015, stemmed from her own struggles as a young girl trying to find a foundation that matched her unique complexion. "I didn't feel like, when I was younger, that there were a lot of things offered to women of color," she said.
So Alba went out and made her own. "The philosophy around starting this beauty line is about enhancing who you are instead of cover up and turn you into somebody else," she said.
Jessica Alba’s startup The Honest Company is a veritable success — approaching over $350 million in sales during a year in which many companies struggled — but venture capitalists turned up their noses to the idea at first.
In 2009, Alba had a real issue: She couldn’t find baby products for her newborn that were guaranteed to be safe and eco-friendly. After having an allergic reaction to one of the allegedly baby-safe detergents she bought, she developed her idea the same way many successful entrepreneurs get started: She pitched building the solution she herself wished was on the market.
Alba pitched serial entrepreneur Brian Lee on her idea, who reportedly passed after saying it wasn't “very promising.” The feeling that others don’t see potential in you or your business idea is a familiar frustration for budding entrepreneurs. At the time, Alba remarked that she felt nobody took her seriously as an entrepreneur, or even believed in her idea, even though she knew there would be demand. 
But just five years later, The Honest Company reached unicorn status, valued at over one billion dollars. What changed in those five years that let her take her failed pitch to becoming a success story?
To perfect your pitch, experiment
Fast forward to 2012. Alba is now in Washington, lobbying for an update to reform the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act. Buoyed by her growing knowledge on the subject, she went back to Lee and pitched him again.
This time, her deck was much more concise, down to less than 30 minutes from start to finish. In a world where most entrepreneurs give up after a rejection or two, Alba instead had spent the years between their two meetings pitching her idea to friends, getting holes poked in her positioning,and answering each and every supply chain question that arose. 
Another change had happened over the last three years: Venture capitalists like Lee, whom she was pitching, had all started young families. Alba’s pitch was rock solid, and as an added bonus her prospective investors wanted the product themselves. 
Lee said yes to the second pitch. The first year The Honest Company was in business, it reported an astonishing $12 million in revenue, a number that has only increased each year. After facing initial rejection on her pitch, Alba’s decision to persevere has led The Honest Company to dramatic success.
At first, everyone told Alba she should start with one product, then expand once that was successful. But this didn’t gel with Alba’s vision of a complete line of baby-safe products; the founder knew parents who wanted clean products wanted a brand that could provide multiple solutions.
Ultimately, Alba ignored the conventional advice and launched with 17 products, which many people believed was too many. But because she didn’t compromise on that, either to venture capitalists or herself, the launch was a total success.
Sources: (×) (x) (x) (×)
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Hi.
I have Covid. Uhm...because my extended family...is a pile of dicks.
So you might see me on here a bit bc I have the urge to write and I can’t do much of anything else...
I’m gonna rant down below
I am pissed,first and foremost. So first of all,I have asthma. My airways are 40% blocked and I have repeated this fact so many times I’m tired of hearing it bc apparently people don’t believe me. Anyways,my siblings and I didn’t wanna go to Christmas. For the most part bc we know our aunts,uncles and cousins are irresponsible and most of them are unvaccinated and refuse to be vaccinated. We ended up going to Christmas bc of the unfortunate crippling expectation to do family events. We tried to avoid being in rooms with to many people (mainly trying to stick to ourselves). The only time we were near our cousins was to sit and eat. We did not socialize with them otherwise. 
Days after Christmas,this past Wednesday the 29th,my little sisters were going to fly home. They found out from my grandmother that two of our cousins were sick. One of which tested positive for Covid. We were all pissed. My older sister and younger sisters all tested negative. My brother hasn’t been tested but hasn’t shown symptoms. I began feeling crud in my throat on the 29th actually. The 30th it developed into a cough bc of the ick in my throat and by the evening I had chills,sweats,body aches,some congestion and a low grade fever (100.7 actually). I had done an at home test that day which showed a sliiiight possible positive reading (they come with two tests in one box bc in the case that the first looks like it could be negative,you do the second test a day or two after. Which I did). I woke up with a 99.5 temp feelin not great. I took my second covid test and it was positive. False positives are hardly a thing so if it’s positive then well...it’s positive. (I am considering going for a PCR anyway but testing in my area is a fucking shit show)
Overall,I am pissed. Everything bad that could happen to me this year has. I had my move pushed back literally all year. The apartments I wanted I missed out on. My depression,anxiety and EDs have been...a struggle. And now I have Covid. Kick me while I’m down why don’t ya? The thing that pisses me off the most is that I expected to possibly get covid but mostly bc of where I work. Not from family. They don’t care about the virus despite having people around them who could be in danger health wise from Covid. My grandparents who both have now been thru Chemo. My mother is immune compromised and if they had infected my little sisters they woulda put my mom at risk. Then there is my brother and I who both have asthma. The carelessness of other people got me sick. And I wished I had stood up and told my father we weren’t going to go. Then maybe I wouldn’t be here....
The other thing that sucks is my dad was so nonchalant about me being positive. He’s going out rn...for a New Years Eve event. My brother simply told me to stay away from him. Only my best friend who is a registered nurse actually bothered to ask me if I was okay and told me some items to get. He himself has had Covid once before already. I don’t...have anyone to take care of me. Not really. I so far have still cooked my own food,cleaned and been walking the dog (wearing a mask and avoiding people). The people who would take care of me all live in the state I’m trying to move to. So...My ass is stuck taking care of myself until my covid is gone so.
This is ass. I uh...wanna just pack my shit and leave the second I can sign a lease. And I never wanna see my extended family again! Nope. This was the last straw for me.
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blackccelebration · 3 years
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The situation in eastern europe is worst than in the south of europe as you said.But now I'm curious about how things are in the south? Or at least how are things in your country?
I don't know how the situation is in the south of Europe, I can only speak about Portugal, specially about Lisbon... And I wrote a long post about it once but unfortunately I can't find it now 😭 it had the tag "my text" and Tumblr decided to "ups there's nothing here".
So I guess I can make a little resume... Again. This time by topics.
Debt and loans: south of Europe countries are usually poor, I'd say specially Portugal and Greece, so we live thanks to a lot of Europe loans. Thanks to that we're in constant debt to the Europe, while begging for more loans. For more than once, we reached the point where Europe refused to help us, because of our growing debt to them.
Pandemic: the number of people unemployed and homeless is growing nonstop. Our government said they would help people who had businesses so that they wouldn't lose them... So far everyone says they saw 0 help from the state. So the number of failed businesses is growing nonstop also. Our government decided to take just stupid measures to fight the pandemic, unlike what europe is saying. So yeah, don't believe what the news say regarding to the "great job the portuguese government is doing!". They even bought the cheapest and worst vaccine on the market, and unlike other countries that as soon as they saw people dying due to the vaccine stopped the vaccination process... We didn't stop nothing. Just for a few days after the recommendations of Europe regarding that matter. What are a few deaths for them? Also buying the cheapest and worst thing in the market... It's a portuguese tradition, sadly. This applies to everything around here, tbh.
Homelessness: we always had a big problem with the always increasing number of homeless people. Even before the pandemic you'd always see homeless people asking for help in the streets and in public transportation like the train or the metro. With the pandemic things got much worse, there are entire families with little children living in the streets or, luckily, in their cars. This Monday I saw a rather shocking thing that was a poor man living in his car, who had this poster pinned there, saying: Homeless. This car is everything I have left. 64 years old. I have cancer. Please respect me and be quite so that I can rest.
Drug Traffic: there are many suburbs in Lisbon known for drug problems, specially in the so called "Linha de Sintra", where drug and levels of criminality are high. My grandparents lived there and I remember to be a little child playing with other kids and we'd always see needles of drug addicts (because of the heroin) in the playground for instance. There was a coffee at the time where drug dealers would join at night, and we'd hear the noise of their shooting guns (it happened for more than once). Drug traffic around here is a never ending issue I guess. Not to mention that police is corrupt and they're part of it... Everyone knows that.
Human Traffic: once and then there are news about this. And this is the main problem with Portuguese racism towards Romanian people. There are sexual/human trafficking networks in Portugal, related to networks and people coming from Eastern Europe, specially from Romania. I guess this happens once and then, and I think it's quite unfair to blame Romanian people for this, because there are always Portuguese people in those sort of networks as well. Also it's stupid to say because of a minority of Romanian people being like this, all Romanian people at like this. I met really cool Romanian people at school, so racists portuguese people... Should be ashamed even. Because many Romanian women end up in this networks.
Racism: like every european knows, there are a lot of racism towards eastern europeans, so around here is not a question of colour only. In Portugal there's a huge racism against Ucranians and Romanians. There's also racism against black people, but they don't end up murdered or anything like for instance it happens with eastern europeans. So you can't really compare.
The gypsies “problem”: no one likes them, wether it's a white or a black portuguese. Main reason of this is because many of them (and younger generations of gypsies who decide to be different say the same thing) live at the expense of the state, and their job is being a beggar and a thief. You can't imagine the amount of gypsies that saw me in the street, grabbed my arm and told me to go with them to the bank to give them money! It's surreal. On the other hand, we have white and black portugueses entire families being homeless, and our government (in the name of hypocrisy and pretending to don't be racist) gives money and HOUSES to gypsies. Do you know what most of them did to houses they were given? They destroyed them. It was a scandal. Thanks god now some members of the new generations of gypsies decided to study and to have a proper job, and they are the first ones to say their people should change.
New “fascist” party: this is happening all over Europe countries, and Portugal is no exception. We have a new political party that is growing and growing, called "Chega" (it literally can be translated into "Enough"). Their slogan is "kill the gypsies" or something alike. Anything goes wrong in this country? Blame the gypsies! It's bloody ridiculous. Everyone calls them fascists, but it will be truer to call them a wanna be dictatorship. They're totally misogynistics, racists, and their big ideas are: kill the poor and let the rich be richer. They want to make education and health in Portugal... Private! Among other ideas alike...
Rapes and catcalling: there are laws against rapes (of course) and even against the catcalling in the streets. Do they work? Sometimes yes, other times no. Specially regarding the catcalling thing. Sometimes it looks like I'm not in a street with humans, but in a jungle with monkeys. And the police? Some of them are the ones catcalling women! It's ridiculous. Other than that, I don't think Portuguese women can complain much to be very honest. The laws regarding all of this, as well as abortion are on their side at least. Tho we have political parties like Chega against them, of course. So it's always something that exists, but it can disappear quite easily and fast. But so far, things are okay around here. There are always problems, but c'mon Portuguese women don't even try to compare your LUCKY situation, with the situation of women from many eastern Europe countries! You all should be ashamed to even complain when you say this is the worst country... Be ashamed really!
LGTB: again, there are problems of course. But the situation isn't bad compared to many other countries. I have a gay friend, and besides that my uni had more people not straight, than straight people... So accordingly to them, they're mocked by a few people and so on, but they're not stalked or murdered because of their sexuality. Still, there's a long way to make until their full acceptation and respect. And there are always cases of things that went bad for the sole reason someone was trans for instance. But that's something portuguese society doesn't accept well.
Life around here: justice is slow and kinda useless in many cases. There's a LOT of corruption, specially in Municipal Chambers. Our minimum wage is 635€ (some years ago it was 400€ something) and do you know what's the LEAST, the CHEAPEST you pay to rent a house? 700€ something. Me and many other portuguese people live in houses without any conditions during winter (this winter it even started raining in two rooms here) and we're trapped. It's totally impossible to move to other house. Only rich people can afford a house nowadays. Food price is increasing nonstop also, and the government does nothing to stop it. So, soon only rich people will be able to eat and to have a house. Youth unemployment? We're all unemployed or luckily we'll find a job in retail. With the pandemic this situation is starting to be unbearable even.
And I could speak about many other wrong things in this country. I just decided to speak about the main topics. In conclusion, I can say this country could be a great country, if it wasn't for Portuguese being so corrupt, stupid and useless!
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