snoozan

(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻

This week has been full of ლ(ಠ益ಠლ). Wish it would stop already. I’m constantly catching myself with this (ಠ_ಠ) look my face.

PSA: A Word on Hygiene

Nothing aggravates me more than people who have a high disregard towards hygiene in a shared environment.  It seems as though it is often the simplest and most basic prevention steps that people become so resistant due to sheer laziness.

We’ve had one of the worst cases of flu this season with new strains of these critters called noroviruses causing explosiveness from both ends, I’m sure you know what I mean. Personally, I have already fallen ill 3 times since the beginning of 2013. Two of them were back to back with completely different symptoms/viruses.

I’m not sure why people believe or where this notion from exposure to cold temperatures alone can suddenly cause people to be bed-stricken with the flu or a bad case of the cold.  Here’s some basic biology: The two most common things that can cause people to be sick are bacteria and viruses. Bacteria are living microorganisms  that are able to thrive on their own without a host.  Some bacteria are beneficial to the human body.  Viruses are spaceship/alien-like shaped particles that are not living and cannot thrive without a host.  Viruses are not thought of to be beneficial to the human body.  In general, their whole purpose is to replicate themselves infinitely until their host runs out of resources (healthy cells).

Illnesses such as colds and the flu are caused by VIRUSES.  They are not like bacteria which are able thrive without a host, yet some viruses are able to thrive on an object for quite a long time.  Viruses can be spread from contact with a contaminated object and subsequently touching your mouth or by inhaling the droplets from a person with the virus that has either coughed, sneezed, talked, breathed, shouted or even hovered and spat all over you.  And guess what? Many viruses cannot be cured according to modern medicine. Why is that?  Because these suckers are forever mutating ever so slightly during each replication.  That is why there’s a new strain of flu shot recommended every season.

I am probably coming off as a germaphobe, but you know what — after being spat in the face by a homeless person whose saliva must have been sulfuric acid and falling ill 3 times since 2013 has started, 2 of which had caused me to lose a generous amount of weight in an unhealthy way, I care about my damn health.  Just because you may not care about being hygienic because you “don’t get sick”, does NOT give you the right to jeopardize myself AND OTHERS who ARE susceptible to becoming sick, especially if we all share the same environment.  It’s just downright selfish and completely absurd.  

You may not get that nasty cold today, but if people continue to be ignorant about hygiene and prevention, you are just carving your own path towards a lifetime of multiple doctor visits and popping expensive ass pills that promise to relieve your worst and sickening symptoms without a long term goal of being cured.  People need to understand that this is a SHARED environment. You share the same rooms, same buildings, same trains, same cars, the SAME AIR!

I become infuriated at what seems to be the smallest hygiene matters such as sharing utensils with sick people, talking closely to the elderly when you are completely aware that you have a cold, and when people do not thoroughly wash their hands.  It is the most basic thing a person can do to prevent that $15 co-pay to see a doctor who tells you that you have a virus and he/she cannot help you because there are no medicines out there to help get rid of it.  It baffles me that some people have not made this connection. Don’t share utensils when you know you’ve been coughing and it’s not just dust tickling your throat.  Don’t share utensils when you have a bleeding blister on your lip.  Stay away from elderly people when you are sick.  They take twice as long to recuperate than you do.  And finally, wash your goddamn hands.  

To end my rant, and this very lengthy PSA, here is a very appropriate line my friend often says about laziness, “You’ve got hands, use ‘em.”

Remember to remember

I always think about the future, wondering about my appearances and which parts of my body would begin to fail as I age. I worry about getting presbyopia and needing to have reading glasses when I already have such terrible vision as it is.

While catching up on the news, I found out that Warren Buffet has been diagnosed with stage 1 prostate cancer at 81 years old. The positive note is that at least he is 81 years old and lived more than half his life without this cancer. And the “good” news is that his cancer should not be debilitating in any way.

Maybe it’s the recent blossoming of babies that has occurred left and right, but it has only reminded me of my current place in time - that grey area where young adults transition into adults who have grown and are able to identify with themselves. I’m going to have to remind myself constantly to just take those risks in life sometimes. Yes, it’s scary to grow old, but by the time I reach that stage in life, I want to be able to look back and say that I’ve lived a happy and accomplished life.