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plagueprude.bsky.social
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@plagueprude.bsky.social
220 followers 370 following 610 posts
muddling through pandemia in an N99
PhD candidate, grad student worker, exhausted scientifically literate layperson

pvd, ri
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plagueprude.bsky.social
so uh, turns out i wrote a book
screen shot of the bottom left corner of a microsoft word doc that reads ‘page 250 of 250 80057 words’
October 20, 2025 at 8:27 PM
plagueprude.bsky.social
happy four year anniversary to this iconic email exchange between me and my therapist a week-and-a-half into our relationship. little did we know we were both the real ones and would be wearing matching CAN99s four years later
email that reads: Dear Caroline, I hope you are well. In response to what we're learning about the Delta variant, I am letting all my clients know that for the foreseeable future, in-person sessions will be masked with an N95 or KN95. Please make sure your mask does not have a valve. If you need a mask, just text me anytime in advance and I will leave one for you on the steps to the outside door. Please put your mask on outside, and wear a mask the entire time you're inside. Be very careful on the stairs, as masks can interfere with peripheral vision. If you have any health changes, including GI symptoms, unusual fatigue, cold/flu symptoms, new allergy symptoms, or even mildly elevated temperature, or exposure to people with Gl symptoms, unusual fatigue, cold/flu symptoms, new allergy symptoms, or elevated temperature, please let me know before your session via text or voicemail. Please do not come to my office. You can choose to meet remotely or to cancel your appointment. I do not, and have never, charged for sessions canceled with less than 24 hours notice due to symptoms of communicable illness. All that said, I look forward to seeing you! Take good care, email exchange that reads: Hi X Thanks so much for vour email and concern-| have also been feeling increasingly concerned, and unsure of how to respond to the increasing prevalence of this variant. So this all sounds good to me! It also looks like I am going to be put back on Brown's weekly testing program-perhaps as soon as today-which is great. Regarding masking: are you comfortable with me wearing a KF94? | recently have made the switch over from KN95s to KF94s because of their better comfort and fit (from my research thev seem to be the South Korean equivalent of a N95) but am happy to wear a KN95 if that is more comfortable for you! Thanks again, and see you Friday! All my best, Caroline Aug 5, 2021 Hello Caroline, Thank you for turning me onto KF94s. They sound like a good option. I am glad Brown is back to routine testing.
August 3, 2025 at 8:16 PM
plagueprude.bsky.social
sigh.
fair-skinned left hand holds a copy of “health communism” (royal blue cover with bold white font written vertically); a lamp and bookshelf peak out in background.
July 3, 2025 at 7:36 PM
plagueprude.bsky.social
i just had to sign an agreement to this batshit statement in order to attend a conference this fall…the thing is, must people do not have full awareness and appreciation of the risks involved
With full awareness and appreciation of the risks involved, in registering for Annual Meetings 2025, hosted by AAR and SBL, I acknowledge the contagious nature of COVID-19 and voluntarily assume the risk that I may be exposed to or infected by COVID-19 by attending the Annual Meetings 2025, hosted by AAR and SBL, and that such exposure or infection may result in personal injury, illness, permanent disability, and death. I voluntarily agree to assume all of the foregoing risks and accept sole responsibility for any injury (including but not limited to personal injury, disability and death), illness, damage, loss, claim, liability, or expense of any kind, that I may experience or incur in connection with my attendance or participation in the event for which I am registering, including arising out of or related to my being exposed to, or contracting, COVID-19 ("Claims"). On behalf of myself, my family, heirs, and personal representatives(s), I hereby forever release, covenant not to sue, discharge and hold harmless AAR, SBL, its employees, members, officers, independent contractors, agents, affiliates and representatives ("Released Parties") of and from the Claims, including all liabilities, claims, actions, damages, costs or expenses of any kind arising out of or relating thereto. I understand and agree that this release includes any Claims based on the actions, omissions, or negligence of the Released Parties (though excluding intentional wrongdoing or gross negligence), whether a COVID-19 infection occurs before, during, or after participation in this event.
June 9, 2025 at 6:51 PM
plagueprude.bsky.social
today in diss land 🙃
shot from above of copies of Laura Bates’ “Men Who Hate Women” and Andrea Dworkin’s “Woman Hating” side-by-side against a cream colored blanket
April 9, 2025 at 11:14 AM
plagueprude.bsky.social
the violence of compulsively framing every single fucking thing as ‘post-pandemic’ *rips hair out*
Reimagining Academic Motivation: Teaching and Learning in a Post-Pandemic World Tuesday, March 4, 12:00 - 1:30pm SciLi 720 and Zoom The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly disrupted education, reshaping how students engage with learning and how educators approach teaching. As we navigate this evolving landscape, what insights can theories of motivation offer? How can they help us understand and respond to shifts in student engagement, persistence, and well-being? This interactive session will introduce several theoretical perspectives on academic motivation and invite participants to critically consider their relevance in the post-pandemic college classroom. Through a facilitated discussion, we'll explore whether and how these conceptions of motivation help explain changes in student learning and instructional dynamics following the disruption of COVID-19. A panel facilitated by Problem-Solving Fellows will engage attendees in identifying the biggest motivational challenges facing students and educators today. Following this, an open Q&A session with the speaker will provide an opportunity for deeper conversation and reflection.
February 26, 2025 at 3:12 PM
plagueprude.bsky.social
buns
fourteen cardamom buns sit on a cooling rack atop a speckled laminate countertop
February 16, 2025 at 8:00 PM
plagueprude.bsky.social
omg i saw this and was freaked out by the presence of ‘labrador’ considering how much time i spend thinking about how much i want a labrador (please see attached image of my newest rescuable obsession, vixen 🥺) #ALAB
a black lab puppy with ginormous paws and a red collar sits in a ‘down’ position looking up past the camera with curiosity and obedience
February 10, 2025 at 4:14 PM
plagueprude.bsky.social
“our zionist students’ right to comfort in the classroom is more important than anyone else’s right to life” -columbia university
Therefore, be it resolved: 1. Prohibition on Face Coverings in Classrooms, Academic and Special Events The Columbia University Senate calls upon the Administration to institute and enforce a University-wide policy prohibiting the wearing of masks or any other face coverings that prevent the identification of the wearer in classrooms, academic and special events, in order to maintain open academic inquiry, uphold accountability, and safeguard against violations of the Rules of University Conduct. 2. Medical Mask Exception a. This prohibition shall not apply to individuals wearing standard medical masks for health-related purposes; however, no additional covering of the face or head that obscures identity shall be permitted. b. Individuals wearing a standard medical mask for health reasons must, upon request from an authorized University official, temporarily remove or lower the mask for identification purposes in a manner that maintains reasonable privacy and dignity. 3. Consequences of Violation a. Violations of this prohibition on face coverings in classrooms and at University events shall be punishable by an automatic suspension under the President's inherent disciplinary authority pursuant to Article 2(d) of the University Statutes. b. Such violations shall not be subject to the usual procedures and adjudication processes specified in the Rules of University Conduct or the University Judicial Board for demonstrations or protests. Instead, they will be resolved expeditiously under the President's disciplinary authority as promulgated by rules consistent with the Statutes. 4. Implementation and Notification The Administration is urged to develop and widely disseminate clear guidelines, notices, and procedures for implementing this prohibition, including: a. Posting visible signage in relevant spaces (classrooms, event venues) informing the community of the new requirements and penalties; b. Training security staff and relevant personnel on how to enforce these guid…
January 27, 2025 at 10:23 PM
plagueprude.bsky.social
me: how was your IUD insertion
friend:
iMessage that reads: “Ugh painful and stupid should’ve just gotten my tubes tied tbh”
January 16, 2025 at 3:38 PM
plagueprude.bsky.social
my first homemade galette des rois, somehow 👑
a golden galette des rois (kings cake) sits atop a reddish brown ceramic plate on the edge of a wood table. the cake is made of pastry dough and has a flower design carved into the top.
January 7, 2025 at 1:08 AM
plagueprude.bsky.social
my grandmother trying to convince my vegetarian sister of 20 years to partake in the pennsylvania dutch new years tradition of consuming pork and sauerkraut for good luck
imessage that reads: Lauren: Love you all! Gotta go find some tofu pork tenderloin Mommeye: Take a bite of a pork chop. One bite suffices
January 1, 2025 at 3:46 PM
plagueprude.bsky.social
i started making babka seven years ago, and it’s one of my favorite holiday traditions i’ve made for myself as an adult
a braided golden chocolate babka sprinkled with sea salt sits in a tin foil loaf pan on a counter. my gray wool sweater peaks out from the bottom of the frame as i take the photo from above.
December 26, 2024 at 1:11 AM
plagueprude.bsky.social
text from Nina MacLaughlin’s “Winter Solstice”: “Maybe it's why I like winter, more than anything the stretch leading up to it. To feel in better, realer touch with strength and fragility, my own and yours. The temporary heat of our aliveness burning at its hottest. As kids, lighting those candles in the window-sills, we sensed the sanctity of it, the thrilling solem-nity, that this was a hallowed act. So much so that we shouldered each other out of the way, jostling to be the one to light a light. Lighting those candles in the prewinter dim was a sacrament untethered to any church or scripture. It did not involve language or any organized notion of god. It was sacred the way sharing a plate of scrambled eggs can be sacred or raising a glass in toast or walking beside someone you love on a path in the woods. I went to bed those nights leading into winter and the candle brought its tender glow into my bedroom, and I sensed a magic I wasn't sure if I should believe”
December 24, 2024 at 6:42 PM
plagueprude.bsky.social
this tiny book is gorgeous, happy solstice ✨
hand holds small black book whose cover reads “WINTER SOLSTICE AN ESSAY” in small serif font in white near the top. beneath the text are three large blue ovals with a honeycomb-like print, almost resembling fingerprints. author is nina maclaughlin. my left hand holds the book against the backdrop of a white bathtub filled with water that appears pale gray; you can see a sheer pink shower curtain on the left hand side, and the glow of a candle on the edge of the tub whose light shines onto the book’s cover.
December 22, 2024 at 2:00 AM
plagueprude.bsky.social
if anyone is wondering how blue book grading is going
incomprehensible print/cursive hybrid in red gel ink on lined blue book paper. there are no spaces between words and multiple things are scribbled out.
December 20, 2024 at 1:27 PM
plagueprude.bsky.social
“all i can tell you is that’s not a crime” (re: luigi wearing a mask) i ❤️ tom dickey
December 13, 2024 at 12:24 AM
plagueprude.bsky.social
oh god and it’s only page 4
photo of text from “ducks, newburyport” that reads “the fact that Ben says everybody on earth will soon be starving or suffocating or dying of SARS or Ebola or H5N1, the fact that H5N1 only has to mutate a few more times and we’re all goners, so maybe it was all for nothing, human achievement, but before”
December 8, 2024 at 7:46 PM
plagueprude.bsky.social
how i’m ending my final discussion section today for the class i’m TA-ing on history of health & disease @reallandsend.bsky.social @deathpanel.bsky.social
screenshot of a powerpoint slide in bluesky blue with centered white text in bold garamond font that reads: “medicare for all now, solidarity forever, stay alive another week (and thank you for a wonderful semester!)”
December 6, 2024 at 1:48 PM
plagueprude.bsky.social
photo taken in mirror of white woman in her late 20s wearing a black t-shirt with “COVID IS AIRBORNE” in white block font under a white turtleneck with button-up taupe-colored pants. image is cropped from mouths to mid-thigh.
December 2, 2024 at 3:50 PM
plagueprude.bsky.social
only @juliannemcshane.bsky.social

(i recommended a book to her)
screen shot of imessage that reads “ooh ive heard of that” followed by “sell it to me….as in why should I read it” sent by the same person
December 1, 2024 at 2:00 AM
plagueprude.bsky.social
@tonytula.com is a fucking genius
photo of fair-complexioned hand holding tony tulathimutte’s “rejection” with a fireplace blurred in the background. cover resembles a night sky swirling with greenish and purple hues. title and author’s name appear in bold serif yellow font in all caps at the top and bottom of cover, and “Fiction” is written in the center.
November 30, 2024 at 1:32 AM
plagueprude.bsky.social
happy deep-fried korean thanksgiving day

(this is my macy’s parade)
shot from gilmore girls “a deep-fried korean thanksgiving episode.” sookie, rory, and lorelei sit around an outdoor table adorned with autumn produce as a gaggle of jackson’s friends look towards the house awaiting him and the turkey. close captioning reads “hey, jackson, get your hurt out here with that gobbler!”
November 28, 2024 at 1:26 PM
plagueprude.bsky.social
game: what is my dissertation about based on the books on my coffee table
photo of academic and coffee table books spread out on a large mahogany-colored wooden coffee table that sits upon a pink & red rug. olive-colored clogs tossed to the side on the left and a green arm chair peaks out from the right
November 17, 2024 at 5:58 PM
plagueprude.bsky.social
morning dispatches from best friend @ conference
imessage screenshot reading: me: what’s up in balti? friend: i’m hoing bzck to sleep but i just dreamt [sic] That i read your diss at the conf and said i had no notes there wasnt a note to be had Then the conference said theyd publish it on the spot me: i’m screaming thank you for the morning laugh
November 14, 2024 at 1:00 PM