For day 7 of the #mayauthorwipchallenge i present you the stages of trying (and failing) to ignore your WIP in selfie form.
Hope everyone is having a crwcking Thursday! . . . This challenge is being coordinated by @a.d_silver @thevanessaluisa and @thecommutingwriter - if you want to join, give one of them a DM! . . . #writingcommunity #lookoftheday #amwritingfantasy #amwritingfantasyfiction #horrorwriter #writersofig #writersofinstagram #bluehairdontcare #metalgirls #altgirl #aspiringauthor #coronapocalypse #lockdownlook #WIP (at Scotland) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_4-M-GjUuu/?igshid=x3eyanimp540
I wonder if missing you has turned into physical pain. I feel a new pain every day.
Yesterday, as I tried to sleep, my back ached. I missed having your arms around me and feeling that feeling of home that I only feel when your skin touches mine.
I woke up with a horrible headache today. But this is not new for me. What I miss though is having you caressing my hair slowly and telling me everything will be ok. I miss the way you always massaged my temples trying to make it better and a minute later told me I should go see a doctor. How stubborn I am and how much longer would I wait to check this? That I couldn’t dare die on you.
I don’t think the headache will kill me. Maybe the heartache will.
I miss your smile, your voice, your smell. I miss the sound of your laugh and the sight of you covered in flour everytime you cook. I miss the happiness in your eyes whenever the pans are on the fire and that cute little dimple that your biggest smile brings out. I could spend hours just looking at the three little moles and touching your nose. Crazy, I know, but you know I love your nose and all those small things that make you, you.
I try and tell myself that I still see your smile, that I still listen to your voice through video everyday. How privileged I am to live in a world that has the kind of technology that allows me to see you and talk to you everyday. Two days ago I swore to myself all I wanted was to hold your hand. If I could just hold your hand for a few minutes things would feel less painful. This is something I try every few days, to convince myself I don’t want much. But missing you is making me greedy. I always get tired of the lies and scream back at myself that NO, I want a lot more than just holding your hand. I want to hold onto you until you get absolutely tired of me. God, I miss you!
I’ve sent him a text in the middle of the night telling him how I felt anxious
How I felt sad
How much I missed him and how I couldn’t take it anymore.
The next day I felt miserable
I called him
He said: “You can’t let the quarantine beat you. You need to own it. Go back to the begginin of it, when you had DIY projects and things to learn. It doesn’t have to be the same way but try to find the energy.
Today you and I are going to bake bread. ”
And just like that he brought me back.
And just like that I felt like somehow he was right by my side.
y’all be posting on your main stories the importance of social distancing and staying inside then blowing up your private with pics of you and your 87 closest friends at a bonfire… do better.
My fellow Murrikans, we need to talk a little about science.
Specifically, about how and why pandemic models change as dramatically as they do. And yes, this will be long, but stick with me.
There have been a lot of sentiments lately that scientists have “overblown” the predicted mortality rate of COVID-19. That they’re “backpedaling” and admitting that the mortality rate won’t be quite as bad as they thought.
I’ve repeatedly seen people criticizing the Imperial College’s scientist who is “admitting” that his dire predictions aren’t so grim after all… despite the articles those people post including or at least linking to his full statement that the lower numbers occurred when social distancing and other protocols were factored into the model.
That doesn’t mean he’s “admitting” to anything or that he was incorrect: it means his model now reflects communities taking action to slow the spread of the virus and flatten the curve. The fact that his numbers are lower now doesn’t mean he was wrong – it means MEASURES ARE WORKING.
Think about it:
Let’s say we Virus X is discovered and has started spreading rapidly. Based on the cases observed so far, scientists conclude its reproduction number (how contagious it is, basically) and its mortality rate, and from there, conclude that if it continues to spread at its current pace, 1,000,000 deaths are likely.
With those factors in mind, actions are taken: quarantines, PPE, shutdowns and social distancing where possible, etc. Testing increases, so more cases are identified, including mild or asymptomatic cases where a person would not have quarantined under normal circumstances, which will prevent them from contributing to the spread of the Virus X.
The model is updated, and now 100,000 deaths are expected from Virus X.
Wait, that seems like a huge change. Clearly the numbers were wrong to begin with and scientists are just guessing.
Except pandemic models include predictions for 12-18 months into the future, and viruses spread at exponential rates. There’s a reason we have a phrase “going viral.” If that spread is significantly slowed in April of year 1, it’s going to have a dramatic ripple effect over the subsequent 12-18 months, which is going to bring the total cases – and deaths – way down.
So now Virus X is expected to kill around 100,000 people.
More data comes in. Some new treatment measures are adopted that save lives. Risk factors are identified, allowing vulnerable people to be quarantined to prevent exposure. The notoriously not-transparent country where the virus originated coughs up some clearer data that would have been helpful weeks ago. When the model is updated once more, Virus X is predicted to kill 25,000 people.
Does that mean the scientists were incorrect when they predicted 1,000,000 deaths? Were they “creating a panic” or otherwise trying to hype up a disease that ended up being no big deal?
No! It means measures taken to reduce the spread ARE WORKING, and that treatments and such are HELPING.
IT’S A GOOD THING WHEN THE PREDICTED DEATHS DROP.
IT’S EVEN BETTER WHEN THEY DROP THAT MUCH.
If the predicted deaths stayed consistent even after the addition of preventative measures, then we would be colossally screwed because it would mean there is nothing we can do to slow or stop the disease from killing people. That initial prediction is what will happen if we just let it do its thing and don’t lift a finger to slow it down. The lower numbers mean we’re doing a thing and we should KEEP DOING IT.
Pandemic prediction is not an exact science. It’s impossible to predict exactly how many people will get infected and how many will die. But it’s not “wrong” or “wild guesses.”
It’s like hurricane tracking: we have A LOT of data that tells us what will influence a hurricane’s track and strength. Based on that, meteorologists can predict with remarkable accuracy when, where, and how severely a hurricane will hit.
But sometimes they’re wrong. Sometimes a hurricane peters out. Sometimes it strengthens. Sometimes it veers out to sea, and then people are mad because they boarded up their windows and stocked up on bottled water “for nothing.” They feel duped and lied to, as if they were encouraged to panic over nothing.
No, you jackwagons, you were given information that could have saved your life. Think about what would have happened if the meteorologists had figured “eh, this one will probably blow out to sea,” but then the Category 5 hurricane slammed into your city without warning.
Much like meteorologists, epidemiologists have to take worst case scenarios seriously, which can mean some scary-looking models early on. That doesn’t mean they’re being Chicken Little: it means they’re telling you that the metaphorical hurricane has a significant likelihood of hitting you at a high speed, and hey maybe you should be ready for it. As the hurricane gets closer, they’ll have a better idea of its strength and track, but if they wait until they’re absolutely sure it’s going to hit you, you won’t have time to take measures to prevent loss of life and property.
With a pandemic, they start out with the worst case scenario so that governments and citizens can prepare and protect themselves accordingly, and as the “storm” gets closer, the models will change based on both its “strength and track” (data collected as the disease does its thing) and based on how much people have done to weaken it and slow it down (something we haven’t yet figured out how to do with hurricanes, but are reasonably good at with microbes).
Scientists are not lying to you. They’re not trying to make you panic. They’re using the information and resources that they have to try to minimize preventable deaths.
In the end, when the final count is lower than initially predicted, don’t be bitter that it “wasn’t as bad.” Don’t think you were duped or lied to or provoked into panicking. Be thankful that we have advanced epidemiological science that can give us the information we need to keep a pandemic from being as devastating as it could be when left to its own devices.
Because unlike hurricanes, we can actually change this storm’s strength and minimize its devastation.
So when all this is over, instead of complaining while you pull the boards off your windows after the storm that never materialized, be grateful that your house is still standing.
The Bible doesn’t tell us much about the time between Jesus’ death and resurrection. But, we do know it took place during the Passover celebration: a week-long holiday that commemorated when God freed the Israelites from slavery.
During the celebration, Jews would share a meal with each other and sacrifice perfect lambs at the temple before preparing to rest on the Sabbath. It was the day before the Sabbath that Jesus’ body was sealed inside the tomb.
Imagine being a disciple of Jesus while this happened. Not only has one of your closest friends just been wrongly killed, but you aren’t allowed to properly grieve his death until the day of rest is over.
What the disciples didn’t realize at the time was that the pain they were experiencing was part of a bigger story—a plan to redeem us all. God could see the resurrection coming, even though the disciples couldn’t.
Rest reminds us that God is Lord over every situation. And rest helps us refocus on what matters most: the One who promises to provide all we need. When we choose to be still in the middle of hardship, we choose to worship God.
So no matter what’s going on around you today, choose to rest in God—even if the world around you is choosing to worry. Nothing is impossible for Him.
Pray: Jesus, today, help me to rest in You. I know that You are greater than whatever’s going on around me. My hope is in You alone because You are my salvation. I believe that You have already answered the cries of my heart, even though I’m still waiting to see the answers. So today, I choose to fix my eyes on You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Model @jocelynbinder All dressed up with nowhere to go ♀️ @xposed.design @honeybirdette #stayhome #staysafe #stayhealthy #staystrong #socialdistancing #quarantine #quarantinelife #lingeriemodel #model #corona #coronapocalypse #losangeles #california https://www.instagram.com/p/CLi_88JlRqW/?igshid=uwtdh2wr5o4i
The creaking silence of age and cries, echoes through the streets and brittle winds of winter. The harbinger of death creeps and infiltrates during the hour, minutes and split seconds of the untamed crow. Candles lit in silent prayer, the vulnerable tears and blood flower from the minds of many and the hunting prey morphed into untamed hybrids devouring on the vulnerable and the weak.
They say the storm is about to come, fear is fueled and instilled in our vulnerable souls. Like a shadow realm with the whispers of the dead that still cry for their loved ones the living we scrumble while unknowingly heading for a new wasteland that will soon be our new utopia. Our consolidated consciousness that travels in the darkness foreboded by the hybrids whom have feasted upon us like a feast for crows for the past twenty six years. Where was this utopia going?
The burial of the dead looms, wastelands arise and tears are drank and consumed on a daily basis.
Lockdown,
Lockdown,
Many want to resign to death in this period. The pain of being trapped in a maze while waiting for the sheep or the leopard to direct you in the right way of life as they embrace their own fangs with the most sadistic expression. Where is this utopia going?
Summer winds used to keep us serene –
The sun blazing its tenderness on our skin giving us meaning and purpose in life.
The smell of flowers and the first breath of fresh air in the hours of the morning – a sincere sense of clarity and sanity.
The smell of coffee while walking past a shop was a normality – the sanity of it all, to know that you are still breathing. The roots of our society and clutch of our minds were soon to be foreboded into a dysphoria where the flicker of hope and light was a mere metaphor. We’re merely trapped in a maze and passed on a spilling wheel knowing there is Shinigami waiting, sometimes yearning while drenching in heavy saliva dripping from its mouth in sheer crave to write our names in the book of Death as many have travelled to Death’s other Kingdom.
A million graves dug for a million vessels waiting to be buried. No temporary hospitals can be built. Just a million graves. Bodies – reduced to lifeless vessels ready for termites in the graves dug by the living ordered by the harbingers of death. The moon rises, the airborne of death has begun. Our minds are beginning to shift to the post-apocalyptic. Our great depression is here.
