I’m a fat, queer, mentally ill, Indigenous anarchist with a PhD in public health who grew up in Indi-fucking-ana. If you don’t think I’ve heard nearly every ding dong, nonsensical insult to ever pass through your pea brain, you’re sorely mistaken. I’m impervious to trolls. BLOCK.
If you live near the fires in CA, know wild animals are fleeing fires & may show up in your yard. Bring your domestic animals in at night & let the wild ones pass through. Put out buckets of water for them - they are scared, exhausted, and have also lost their homes!
#CampFire
A friend asked me today: “So are you going to live like this…forever?”
Uh, has there been ANY advancements in COVID prevention & treatment? No? Then yeah. We’re gonna live like this forever because my wife’s health risks haven’t changed & the world has decided she’s expendable.
I’ve received FOUR emails over the last 24 hours from ill students. 2 who’ve been to the ER & 2 who’ve had positive COVID tests. What the fuck are we doing? I’m so sad for my students who’ve been failed by so many “leaders.” And I’m so glad I’m teaching online.
#PublicHealthFail
So many animal lovers retweeting! I figured I would add that my family volunteers with North Valley Animal Disaster Group and we have been hard at work during this fire. We can always use donations as our services are 100% free! Donate via our website:
Ok, students have been notified and things have been squared away so I want to share that I am not going to be teaching in-person this semester.
I am going to be avoiding campus as much as possible as I do not feel safe there on multiple levels (physically or mentally).
1/ A lesson in advocating for yourself, especially
#COVID
& masking:
I made it VERY clear to my gynecologist that my biggest concern about surgery was hospital-acquired COVID. She put it all in my notes.
The number of people celebrating the end of the mask mandate IN healthcare settings is grossing me out on a moral level. People seeking medical care are the definition of vulnerable population & y’all can’t be bothered to continue protecting people who need it most.
#COVIDCautious
Friends — I recommend the Moldex 4800 N95 for medical visits where you’re worried about having a metal free mask. Fits great. Good seal. Haven’t had any issues.
@sullivan_ballou
A student jumped off a building at
@ChicoState
at 8:30 am and they said “Avoid the area & we’ll clean up [the body and blood spatter] & the building will reopen at noon.” Everyone had a fit so they closed the building for the day. Campus stayed open. Then we got hot chocolate.
Why are you flying during a pandemic? Why didn’t you cancel plans when the weather forecast was dire? Why are you expecting gold ⭐️ service from the budget airline you intentionally chose because it was cheap? Why do you think you’re so gd special you’re exempt from consequences?
To be honest, when we first got our
@flo_mask
, I felt a little self-conscious wearing mine. Like, fuck whatever people think…but also, I had some internalized ableism to battle around looking “over dramatic” about COVID. I knew, of course, I wasn’t being over dramatic. 🧵
“wHat DiD yOU dO bEfOre cOvID?”
Uh, got sick a lot more often? I didn’t realize people had such an affection & fondness for being ill…
Before COVID a “simple” respiratory infection could land my wife in the hospital. I’m amazed we never masked before COVID. Seems so duh! now.
I change my
@flo_mask
filter every Monday. I wear my mask about 20-30 hours/week, depending on the week. I spend ~12 hours in the classroom, 4-12 hours on campus where I wear my mask everywhere except in my office alone with the door closed & my HEPA filter on high.
@sharloola
This is Luna. She was assigned male at birth. She’s a bossy lady. One time we had to bring her to the vet and they asked if she was spayed…yeah, about that. Luna was actually neutered…luckily our vets didn’t skip a beat. “Ok, Luna is transgender.” I love living in CA. 🌈
7/ When I came to in the recovery room my FloMask was firmly in place. I was amazed. Although I have no idea what happened between removing the oxygen mask in the OR & arriving in recovery, the notes on my patient chart clearly showed my desire to have my mask on immediately.
10/ So my lesson to everyone today is to being strong & adamant about your health care wishes. Do your best not to feel “annoying” or “paranoid” in attempting to avoid COVID (or other things). 1 — People might surprise you. 2 — It’s not as hard as it feels to live this way!
8/ I can only hope it was mere minutes that I was unmasked. I used
#Enovid
nasal spray before heading to the hospital & immediately after returning home. I feel confident I did the best I could & made it extremely clear my wishes. I’m really glad that Enloe staff followed them.
We’d love to live differently! But that would require massive change. We’ve maintained the same precautions and protocols for 3 and a half years. When the world gets their shit together we’ll consider changing our protocols. But that’s yet to happen 🙄😒
Pfizer makes:
Advil
Emergen-C
Epipen
Lyrica
Robitussen
Viagra
Xanax
Zoloft
If you trust Pfizer with your headaches, coughs, colds, allergies, arthritis, depression, anxiety, or penis, then you can probably trust the scientists who work for them on the COVID vaccination.
12/ Maybe you’ve been putting off a procedure you really need because of worry & maybe this will help. Maybe you’ve felt that masking is “too hard” & given up. You can go back to masking! It’s possible for many of us to still live our lives AND
#mask
. The
#pandemic
is NOT over!
11/ I’m living a full life even masked and maximum precautionary. We can do this!
This might not be everyone’s story (or everyone’s choices). Many might be in harder spots to accomplish this. But I wanted to give some hope in these hard times. Everything’s really hard right now!
I am so lucky to have supportive colleagues and I am sad I won’t be seeing them as much this semester, but I know it’s the right thing for me to do for myself and my family. And as always, my wife and my Ranch family keep me going and love me while I figure all this out.
I’ve always been open about my mental health, but I’ve really been hanging on by a thread for the past couple months. I had an epic meltdown this morning as a result of several things & realized I cannot be physically present on campus for both my mental health & physical health.
2/ I wore my
@FloMask
proudly to the hospital & sat in the waiting room, as far away as I could from all the unmasked patients. Not a single staff member I saw was wearing a mask. After I arrived 2 different people arrived wearing masks. A serious N95 & a baggy blue (surgical).
My Chair was able to work with me to pull off the teaching switch to Zoom so I can remain fully engaged with my students and focus on the things that matter to me without continuing to drown.
5/ When I arrived in the OR I reiterated AGAIN to all of the OR staff that my masking was NOT optional and that I NEEDED to protect my wife. The anesthesiologist and I chatted about her immunocompromised condition.
3/ When I got moved to the triage area I again reiterated my concern about COVID and let her know I wanted to wear my FloMask as long as “medically safe” and that I had brought 2 sealed KN95s with ear loops that I wanted place on my face as soon as “medically safe” post op.
9/ I’ll take a precautionary rapid test (triple site swab!) in 5 days for good measure, but my wife and I are making the informed decision (and low — but not no — risk) to not mask at home.
4/ I brought the KN95s because I was concerned that getting my FloMask back on post op might be “tricky” and they might not honor my request so I wanted to make it as easy as possible.
I see COVIDIOTS have found this post. Make sure you give it your all because you only get one comment before I block you! Make it scathing! Don’t waste your shot!
It has zero to do with my direct colleagues in my Department, my amazing students, my work in the Union, or my queer community both on and off campus, but the rest of the campus…not so much.
6/ As they were getting ready to put me under they said they could just slip the elastic loops off my FloMask (rather than removing the halo strap off my head) and they immediately placed the sterile oxygen on my face.
This week I’ve realized I actually LOVE the announcement my
@flo_mask
makes. People know I’m definitely not fucking around & often feel guilty that they are. Good. You should. COVID continues because people are not masking & only relying on the vaccine.
@UjuAnya
SERIOUSLY. They have NEVER had a backbone. If they did we wouldn’t be in this mess. They’ll be all high and mighty “We’re the moral party” as we all die in fascist flames.
Ok, Chico State students, let’s remember that today’s event and all their actions are meant to provoke. They have the world watching us now so let’s show them we can protest calmly. Cameras are out, show them woke messages without mirroring their violence.
I owed $136,418.82 when I started teaching at Chico State. I’m a professor. The most esteemed role at the university.
I’ve been on the income based repayment plan for 10 years and have paid $23,272.87.
Now I owed $191,113.38.
#CancelStudentDebt
Quarantine Game for Chico State Students: what’s the worst messaging you’ve received from Chico State while you’ve been here?
I’ll go first:
Dead body found on campus: No worries! No one is in danger even though we don’t know what happened. Walk around the body & go to class!
COVID is literally life and death for our family. But still, the mask screams “I’M NOT JOKING.” I got used to it rather quickly and stopped feeling self conscious at all. Think whatever you want, I am NOT bringing COVID home to my family.
You’re making it unsafe for immunocompromised people. Your inclusion practices suck ass. I’m not tip-toeing around it. When people come into the bathroom & I’m in there, they often apologize & put their mask on. My students see it & are reminded of my request of a masked class.
Meanwhile, every week 2-3 people I personally know test positive for COVID. Humanity is failing and I don’t think I’ve ever felt worse about the state of the world. But hey, at least we can see your stupid smiles. 😑😒😭
Cool. Chico State Republican Club are out being antagonistic assholes today. I urge you to IGNORE THE BAIT. They’re similar to toddlers wanting daddy’s attention. Don’t give it to them. Let them be sad and lonely in timeout by themselves.
#ChicoState
Today has literally been a rollercoaster.
In the middle of it all…quite unexpectedly…my world got rocked in the most amazing way.
I was notified that my Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) paperwork was accepted and all of my student loans disappeared.
I did it.
Y’all don’t understand. I’m not here to debate shit with you. I’ll let some minor comments slide. But if you’re perpetually antagonizing me with shit you know I give zero fucks about, I’m just blocking you. My peace costs too much to debate with random assholes on the web.
Tonight at Trader Joe’s a checker asked if I wanted to switch lines. I was in line with the checker who had a mask on. He wasn’t. I said no thanks, I’m sticking with the masked checker. He nodded as if to say, of course, and that was that.
Just visualize all the particles in your pretty pink lungs. Just my two cents. Take it or leave it. Ridiculous comments deleted/blocked. Refer to the pinned post. Not my first tango.
#COVIDisAirborne
#LungHealth
#MaskUp
This is our mask box. It stays by the door & has a bunch of different kinds of masks in it so we can use different ones as needed for various activities.
@flo_mask
filters for work & regular doctor appointments, Auras, RediMasks, Moldex, KN95s (tri & bi fold), etc. as needed.
I know it’s “unpopular” in these “omg, I hate my spouse, gotta build me a man cave, har har” times…but I really love my wife! Life without her would be miserable. So yeah, if wearing a mask keeps her alive that seems like a pretty easy task.
With just a week’s worth of wear you can see the visible difference between my old filter (top) and brand new filter (bottom). Even if you didn’t care about COVID (or other respiratory conditions), doesn’t it sort of gross you out how much other gunk ends up in your lungs?
On
#InternationalWomansDay
I’d like to remind fellow faculty that our students are NOT part of our dating pool & there’s no such thing as a “consensual relationship” when one person has power & authority over the other. I can’t believe I have to say this. Stop being predators.
Updates to the incident on Saturday that landed 2 gay black Chico State students in the hospital.
Thanks to community pressure, Firestorm Wildland Fire Suppression & Chico PD have made statements about the incident. We will continue to follow up to make sure justice is served.
I’m one of the least risky people I know & spend very little time indoors & this is what my filter looks like. Environmental hazards will only increase with climate change. If you aren’t still masking for the vulnerable amongst us, you really should really start.
This is a horrifying shit show and we’re only 10 minutes in. Please don’t play any drinking games. You’ll die. And I want us to all die together in the impending apocalypse.
OMFG. PG&E starts yet another fire?!?! Tell me again why we don’t have public utilities? Oh yeah, “socialism.” Y’all really love capitalism enough to let one company destroy our state over and over.
“I can’t wear a mask. My PTSD!”
“JK, I NEED a tattoo. Guess I can wear one just fine.”
2 weeks apart.
Chico is full of selfish assholes. This is why we have to live with COVID forever.
#AntiMaskerProblems
#WearADamnMask
#Selfish
This is exactly why people don’t report sexual violence. A man threatened to SHOOT HIS COLLEAGUES
@ChicoState
& he still goes on to win an award & keep his job. If they don’t believe or protect fellow professors, why would anyone feel they would be believed & protected?
#MeToo
A prominent
@ChicoState
biology professor allegedly spoke of killing two female colleagues who cooperated in a 2020 investigation that found he had a prohibited sexual affair with a graduate student, state court and newly released university records show.
When you don’t mask, you make it harder for the most vulnerable. You are not a leftist or a progressive if you continue to keep COVID circulating unabated.
OMG. 61.8% of Californian farmworkers have or had Long Covid, according to this study. These are our essential workers, who are often undocumented and have no health insurance or disability or any social safety net at all.
Ooh. White collar crime at Chico State. 4 people in Dept of Accounting in the College of Business have been fleecing the state to the tune of 1 million dollars. Guess it’s not enough that COB pays their people more, they’re greedy on top of it. But yeah, I’m the bad influence 🙄
@cclareMDMPH
@saharbjones
@AmericanAir
@Delta
@NationalMedAssn
Happened to my best friend on Delta, too. She’s Nigerian American and has a fairly thick accent. She & a white guy both stood up. They kept asking him questions, but to his credit he was like “I’m an oncologist, she’s a family medicine doctor, I’ll defer to her.” But it was icky.
I had a surprisingly lovely interaction at Costco. An older woman asked me genuinely curious questions about my
@flo_mask
& why I was masking. As our interaction ended she said to keep up the good work caring for myself & family. Pleasant surprise in this COVID denying time.
I love how ding dongs are making my post viral & spreading knowledge to so many more people than I could’ve achieved alone. So many boring insults, but hey, I’ve added hundreds of followers. Thanks for the algorithm boost, loves! If anyone benefits from my post, it’s worth it. 😘
Checked in at the pharmacy & the pharmacist says “hmm, let me see if we have any Novavax left…” I promise you my soul almost left my body. Luckily, they had “a couple left.” Apparently lots of walk ins today. Whew.
#MaskUp
#COVIDBooster
#Novavax
#FloMask
#PublicHealth
I think students forget how important human touch & kindness are for mental health. Being away from family is hard & lonely! If you ever need a hug, stop by my office & ask! Being a student is stressful. Sometimes a hug can turn your day around. I’ll be your surrogate auntie 🤗
Because I am transparent, I’ll share this here. Obviously this student didn’t like me. That’s ok. But let’s share both sides of the story. I’m willing to stand by my teaching methods. If this is the student I think it is, she got good grades, so I’m not sure what’s her major beef
I also wear my FloMask on miscellaneous errands so that’s where I guesstimate 20-30 hours/week of wear time. The ProFilter is rated for approximately 40 hours in “good” air conditions so changing it every Monday seems like a good solid practice.
BREAKING:
@sacstate
President
@DrLukeWood
extends approval for pro-Palestine encampment on campus.
“Our job is not to squash free speech," Wood said in an interview with The State Hornet. "Our job is to protect safety.”
Story to come.
Update: Everyone in my class wore masks. Not even a question. They all walked in with them on. We had a nice discussion about it. Students are split on whether it’s necessary, but they also were like it’s not a big deal and we respect you. I love my students ❤️
Potential TB exposure at Chico State.
You know who isn’t worried? 😷 The person who teaches in a
@flo_mask
respirator, wears a KN95 at all times indoors, and has a HEPA air filter running in her office. TB is an airborne disease; masks protect against airborne diseases. /1
Y’all. Let me be clear. This election may have had voter suppression and all sorts of Republican fuckery, but the fact that it is this close is straight up White Supremacy and Toxic Masculinity. This IS who we are. We, the United States, is built on racism and patriarchy.
#CampFire
#MissingAnimals
If you are searching for missing animals, check with Valley Oak or their VCA partners!
@NVADG
also has two shelters — one at Chico Airport and one in Oroville at 2279 Del Oro Rd!
Professionalism is just another way to control and oppress. I will resist that with every fiber of my being so that others may be free. Respectability politics has no place in my activism.
@wheelie_Blue
I developed an “elevator speech” that I got down pat. “My BIGGEST concern is COVID. My wife is severely immunocompromised & could die if she got COVID. Masking is non-negotiable for me. I need assurance this will be taken seriously.” I repeated it ad nauseum at every chance.
Now that I’ve slept on it, I’m ready to share my thoughts about the tentative agreement. I am disappointed beyond belief. I am sad, mad, frustrated, disillusioned, & deflated. I'm sure l'll have more to say later, but for now, these are my initial thoughts that I want to share.
I wish conservative parents could hear their kids talk shit about them in my classes. I teach Human Sexuality and at least half of my students come from conservative homes. Y’ALL. The stories they tell about what y’all say behind closed doors, shoo 😳
Looks like Chico State didn’t like President Hutchinson being parodied. They actually filed a complaint against the Gayle sticker. Glad they don’t have bigger worries than students making fun of our fearless leader 🙄
And the moment we were all waiting for:
Sorry folks but unless there's legally a way to counter this, then the sticker is done for💀
I appreciate those of you who bought it tho💘
Y‘ALL. That was fucking SCORCHING. I don’t know how Gayle, Deb, or Hassenzahl still have skin left on their faces. Completely melted off.
The Bio Dept showed UP! I am so glad so many faculty, staff, & students bravely spoke to what’s been happening in their Dept
@ChicoState
Every time a student randomly stops by my office or tells me in passing on campus they love my tweets I remember why I cause all the trouble I do. Admin may hate me, but I’m not speaking up for them. I speak up for the marginalized & those without power. Thanks for the 💕 y’all
When you’re a public health professor in a college town of ~100K it feels like you have a 50%+ chance of having former students at any medical appointment. Today in the OR lying on the table to have my VAGINA operated on & the tech leans over & says “Hey! You were my professor!”
Here’s me at 12:30 pm today ready to teach my class after the strike was called off at 9:30 pm. No one showed up. Which is wholly unsurprising. But let it be known I was ready. Because I always fucking am despite everyone else’s shenanigans.
Oh look. Another Chico maskhole. We have more than our fair share of Karens and Chads in this town. Spotted at Costco & Trader Joe’s. What a dingus.
#COVIDIOT
#MaskHole