The historian tells me she’s worried about the plague, for all of her students are sick and she keeps remembering how in the last century writers would say “plague” when discussing fascism, so I asked her which type of plague she is worried about, and the historian replied: yes.

“solving autism” the day before the rapture is so desperate

If you refuse to test you will be able to tell yourself that what you have isn’t Covid, but unfortunately the Covid you have doesn’t care what you tell yourself.

When you hear them talk about this or that issue they will hide their defeatism behind the line: “you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube,” but when you hear this remind them that it is precisely after the toothpaste is out that it becomes necessary to clean up the mess.

I confess there are days when I look at the world and I wonder how it is that this pandemic can still be happening, but for the most part when I look at the world I understand how it is, alas, I understand exactly how it is, that this pandemic can still be happening.

I asked the professor how her semester is going so far and she replied that so far she has two kinds of students: those who have tested positive for Covid, and those who swear they just have a weird cold.

I confess that I have little patience for those who crow about how we must protect and value every single life but who can’t be bothered to wear a mask.

I keep hearing people say that after this everything is just going to get even worse, but it’s worth recognizing that before this everything was also just getting even worse.

I will not deny it: it is a lonely thing (it is a very lonely thing) to continue taking precautions after your coworkers and family and friends have abandoned taking them, but in such moments I remind myself that it is better to feel lonely than to have this virus for company.

As I crossed campus a student waved and as they drew closer I waved back apologizing, as I did, for not recognizing them sooner, and with a laugh they said that I am easy to recognize as I’m “always wearing a mask” and I suppose that there are worse things to be recognized for.

My colleague insists this semester she won’t get sick, so at her desk she has tea and hand sanitizer, she has tissues and vitamins, she has cold medicine and even a thermometer, so I asked if she wanted some masks and she said no she doesn’t want people to think she’s weird.

The historian told me that at the end of the meeting about progress on her book her department head asked her if she was planning on wearing a mask all semester, and she told me she replied: “yes, I need to stay alive if you expect me to finish writing this book.”

I know at this point you are so tired of that friend of that relative of that coworker who every few months sends you an article titled: “COVID-19 is surging again,” but for what it’s worth (just know) that they are so tired of having to remind you that this pandemic isn’t over.

Many people seem to believe that the start of September marks summer’s end, but regardless of what many people seem to believe everyone being sick at autumn’s beginning is not normal.

As a new month begins remember: you have made it through another month, but have not yet made it through this pandemic.

I keep hearing it said that at this point we are “post-Covid” but whenever I scroll through social media I keep seeing people post about how they have Covid.

I asked my aunt, the doctor, about what is happening at the CDC and she replied: that clearly many things are happening at the CDC, though unfortunately controlling diseases doesn’t seem to be one of them.

I’ve been told that someday I’ll look back and laugh at how long I took precautions for, but that sounds fine really, that sounds just fine, I will be happy if someday I can look back and laugh for that will mean I managed to survive long enough to reach that someday.

As one source after another of tracking data vanished we used to joke that at least we would always have the Walgreens Covid tracker and angry reviews of scented candles, alas we were wrong about the “always” part, though at least we still have angry reviews of scented candles.

For the fall the FDA has approved Covid vaccines restrictively only recommending them for those over 65 and those with medical conditions, but at this point after Covid infection after Covid infection after Covid infection I fear those with medical conditions describes most of us

I asked the historian how much longer until the end of this society and she told me: it’s later than we think. I asked the epidemiologist how much longer until the end of this pandemic and she told me: it’s earlier than we think. I asked, but I had hoped for different answers.

If the lack of data makes it difficult for you to know exactly how bad the current Covid wave is, just look at the newspaper of record’s recent headline: “Covid is spreading again this summer,” and remember if they have to admit the virus isn’t gone this wave must be pretty bad.

A word of advice to teachers and students who are still masking: when you are asked (and you will be asked) why you are still masking, calmly and politely explain that you are masking because you have at risk people in your life, because you do because all of us do.

I see discussion that if you abandon trans rights, you’re capitulating to the fascist idea that some folks are acceptable sacrifices. Yup. It’s also true re: disability rights. If you stopped masking when told (falsely!) that COVID “is only a danger to the disabled”… you capitulated a while ago.

Covid no longer kills you in two weeks, unfortunately it does damage your brain, arteries, and immune system. Puts you at risk for stroke, heart attack , an aggressive cancers. It literally is the perfect predator because most of humanity thinks it is just a cold now.

You’re Not More Sick Than You Used To Be. You’re Healthy And Well And Your Memory Is Great.

American Millennials Are Dying At An Alarming Rate, But It’s Only Alarming If You Know About It, And Anyway It’s Totally Not Caused By Covid Infections

The meeting began with an icebreaker: “which horror movie do you think you could survive?” and as I looked around at all the maskless faces I was tempted to say that I was focused on surviving a virus movie, but instead I just said: “Jaws, I’d stay out of the water.”

"people who are still concerned about covid are so unreasonable, they just want us all to go into lockdown again!" literally nobody is asking for that. what people are asking for is stuff like universal masking in healthcare settings and investment in indoor air filtration/clean air infrastructure

As we stood by the copier I asked what he did this summer and with a sigh he said that he got sick, then his wife got sick, then his kids got sick, then he got sick again, and as he kept talking I thought to myself that I am glad what I did this summer was wear a mask.

As I sat in the meeting I reminded myself that Covid positivity in the state where I live is currently higher than 32%, yes, that is what I reminded myself everytime I heard a cough as I sat in that meeting in which far less than 32% of attendees were wearing masks.

It is not so much that I am in my mask era, as that I understand that all of us are still in the Covid era.

As we passed each other the man in the grocery store looked at my mask shook his head and asked “what are you afraid of?” and though I was tempted to ask him why he was so afraid of seeing someone in a mask, instead, I just kept walking.

1. I've said exactly this for quite some time. Expanding on Adrian's @sillyputty78.bsky.social point on X / Twitter here, Covid-19 has three distinct characteristics as a disease that enables it to be denied at a societal level.

Commenting on a study about Covid’s impact on children a professor noted: “this is an illness that children, families, pediatricians and the health care and educational system will be dealing with for a generation,” which sadly means that all of us will be dealing with it.

If you look at the latest data you will see that Covid cases are rising in 27 states and likely growing in 12 more states, but if you look at people’s behavior you will see that most people are not living in any of those 39 states no, most people are living in a state of denial.

I will admit there are times when I worry that with these warnings about this virus I am just repeating myself. But I must admit most of the time I’m much more worried about the way waves of this virus keep repeating themselves.

If I have to explain to you why it's a bad idea to use a machine that makes shit up 15-80% of the time AND destroys the environment AND contributes to rising fascism and genocide AND puts brilliant skillful creatives out of work by stealing their work, then we're already speaking different languages

Many people try to put the virus out of sight and out of mind, but a study found “COVID can cause alzheimer’s like plaques in Eyes and Brain,” which unfortunately means many people can try to put the virus out of sight and out of mind but sight and mind are where it stays.

If they ask you if you are planning on wearing your mask forever, tell them you know that you will not last forever, but you’re willing to do what you can to take care of others for as long as you are still here. * The 281st week of plague poems… librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com/2025/08/01/p...

The best way to wash a Tesla Cybertruck is with lemon juice and salt. Large grained salt works best. Gotta get the good big crystals. If you're out of lemons, you can also use sulfuric acid to get an extra nice polish.

Apparently a new international study has found “a significant post-pandemic rise in disorders of gut-brain interaction, including irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia,” a finding which suggests that in our guts we know we are not really post-pandemic.

I know that many of us look back fondly at the summers of our youth, and though I’ve always missed those carefree school-less days of late I find that what I miss most is how back then “catching a summer bug” meant holding a firefly, not contracting Covid in July.

When they respond (and they will respond) to the precautions you take by telling you that the virus is here to stay, calmly and politely reply that you know that the virus is here to stay which is why you’re doing what you can to ensure that your stay here doesn’t get cut short.

My friend sent me a clip of a doctor saying; “This is not a respiratory virus. This virus is like cancer. This virus gets into every part of your body,” and along with the clip my friend darkly joked “so it’s not just in our heads?” and I replied “it’s not, but it’s there too.”

My employer sent an email encouraging us to conserve energy amidst this heat wave, and as I read and reread how “by working together and taking actions” we could help prevent power outages I was reminded that it is in fact possible to encourage people to help each other out.

I’m very tired, yet I persist. For the virus is not tired, and it too persists.

Is it a problem that Covid is back? Yes, of course, it’s a problem that Covid is back. Though unfortunately the far bigger problem, is that Covid never really left.

It is not so much the case that I consider myself to be Covid conscious or Covid educated or a Covid realist or Covid aware or Covid informed so much as that I hope one day to be able to consider myself a survivor of the Covid pandemic and I know that day has not yet come.

I asked my aunt, the doctor, if she could explain to me a study that found: “SARS-CoV-2 induces Alzheimer’s disease–related amyloid-β pathology in ex vivo human retinal explants and retinal organoids,” and by way of explanation my aunt, the doctor, said: oh fuck.