Holiday Prep and celebrations

[Diana Delafield]

It is odd but true that teachers get small viral loads and develop immunity due to all the exposure. Same with flight attendants.

Flight attendants I can believe because of the stuffy air, but my mother started out as a teacher and many of my high school friends went into teaching, and they were frequently sick. Before the days of annual flu shots, though, so that was probably a factor. When I was in library school, I did a two-week practicum in a children's library with another student. Bend over a little kid to help them choose a book and they thank you by sneezing in your face (or all over the books on the shelf). The other student and I both lost the next few weeks of classes by catching the worst cases of flu either of us had ever had.

 

[CellarDweller]

For those who celebrate.

 

[CoyoteChris]

Flight attendants I can believe because of the stuffy air, but my mother started out as a teacher and many of my high school friends went into teaching, and they were frequently sick. Before the days of annual flu shots, though, so that was probably a factor. When I was in library school, I did a two-week practicum in a children's library with another student. Bend over a little kid to help them choose a book and they thank you by sneezing in your face (or all over the books on the shelf). The other student and I both lost the next few weeks of classes by catching the worst cases of flu either of us had ever had.

Here is the old school thought. (Pardon the pun....sad to say, I am a certified teacher in Illinois)
teachers, especially new ones in younger grades, often build up immunity to common germs through frequent exposure, experiencing many colds initially as their bodies adapt, though this comes with getting sick more often at first, notes Education Week, this Facebook post, and this K8 News article. This is a biological process where repeated encounters with viruses and bacteria strengthen the immune system, leading to fewer illnesses and a more robust defense against "little kid germs" over time, a concept sometimes metaphorically linked to developing psychological "teacher immunity" to stress.

How it Works (Biological Immunity)

• Frequent Exposure:
  Teachers are in close contact with many children, who are often carriers of germs, leading to constant exposure to various pathogens.
  
  
• • Initial Sickness:
    The first year or two can involve frequent illnesses (colds, flu) as the immune system learns to fight these new microbes, says Education Week and this Facebook post.
    
  • Long-Term Fortification:
    Over time, this repeated exposure "trains" the immune system, helping teachers become more resilient and less susceptible to common bugs than they were initially, notes this Facebook post.
  • 
    I have to wonder if the dynamic has changed. With more women refusing to stay at home and be Suzy Homemakers, taking care of the kids, cleaning, etc, there has been this huge drive for "Presenteeism" Working moms go to work sick and save their sick days for when their own kids get sick, thus not only infecting their co workers and their kids, but perhaps even pressuring their own kids to go to school to save those precious sick days. Another component of the change is that fewer women are having fewrer kids. When I was in school in the 50s, you hardly ever saw a sick kid...they stayed home. That was the culture. There are lots of colds but over life, you do develop some immunity. I am 76 and have had many colds but very few now. We in the 50s were never drilled into washing our hands...And here is another mystery...Norovirus stays in the lower tract for up to 2 weeks. Three viruses can infect a person...yet when I was a kid, I never got it nor knew anyone who did. Now in my old age, I have had it 4 times. But I also now carry one of the few hand sanitizers that kill it.
    
    
    • Rhinoviruses: These are the most common cause, responsible for 10% to 40% of all colds, and include over 100 different strains. They are most active in the spring and fall.
    • Coronaviruses (common human types): These typically account for about 15% of seasonal colds and are most likely to cause colds in the winter and early spring. These are different from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
    • Adenoviruses: These can cause cold symptoms that sometimes last longer than those caused by rhinoviruses, and can also lead to other issues like pink eye or bronchitis.
    • Human Parainfluenza Viruses (HPIVs): These viruses can cause both upper and lower respiratory tract infections and are a common cause of croup in children.
    • Enteroviruses: This is a large group of viruses (over 300 types) that can cause a wide range of illnesses, including respiratory symptoms.
    • Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV): While often mild in healthy adults, RSV can cause severe symptoms or complications like bronchiolitis or pneumonia in young children, infants, and people with compromised immune systems.

 

[CoyoteChris]

For those who celebrate.

Since i am not quite sure if I am a Hindu or Buddhist, I kind of celebrate Festivas, for the rest of us. This is the pic I put on my state room door on cruise ships so I can find my room. Sarasvati, is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of knowledge, education, learning, arts, speech, poetry, music, creativity, purification, language and culture.

 

[TallyT]

Flight attendants I can believe because of the stuffy air, but my mother started out as a teacher and many of my high school friends went into teaching, and they were frequently sick. Before the days of annual flu shots, though, so that was probably a factor. When I was in library school, I did a two-week practicum in a children's library with another student. Bend over a little kid to help them choose a book and they thank you by sneezing in your face (or all over the books on the shelf). The other student and I both lost the next few weeks of classes by catching the worst cases of flu either of us had ever had.

When I worked in an office (at a university) any bug that someone caught immediately went round the entire 2 floor building... sometimes twice! We blamed the aircon...

ps - and to make this post on topic, apparently over there today is National Fruitcake Day!

 

[4everchan]

I respectfully disagree. I know the two people who gave me covid. Covid symptoms can be easily covered up with over the counter meds. People who know they are sick and refuse to wear masks and go out in public are truely guilty. They dont want to even test or see a doc in fear of their own lives being interupted.

I was trying to be kind... If the person with the sick children who came to work unprotected and unconscious that they may be asymptomatic yet but still contagious is really the one who gave it to me, then of course, GRRRRR....

but when I said everyone is guilty is that truly, so many people are sick right now in my area that maybe it wasn't even the obvious culprit's lack of care and consideration that gave it to me... it could have been one of my kids or their parents... it could have been at a store... etc...

When I am sick, I keep my distances too. The first thing I did when symptoms started : I went to the pharmacy (masked of course) and bought covid test kits. I wanted to at least rule out that possibility because with covid, the isolation is often longer. The good news : it was negative. So, at least, I knew that this, whatever it was (very likely H3N2 as this is the principal bug floating around right now in Montreal and also, because of the symptoms) would normally heal after 4-5 days, without the need for much attention other than water, sleep, more water and sleep. I have been much better for a couple days already. Eating almost normally (I lost weight), no fever for a few days already. I still cough and my body is tired but I will be able to see my family for NYE without the fear of contaminating them. (I have also not seen a single soul since December 19th... yes, because I isolate when I am sick.)

In any case : this holiday season has been very cheap for me LOL. So that's refreshing and new. Saved so much money in alcohol, eating out, partying out with friends, gifts or small tokens (for hosts) food, anything really. When you cannot go out, you realize how much you already have in the house and just use what you have. I always see the bright things

 

[labgoat]

Merry Xmas. I am finally feeling a bit better. Last night I had my first real meal since the 19th. I wish you all a new year of health. Stay away from H3N2

That's the one that took me out. Glad to hear you are feeling better. Sleep is key to finishing this one off for good and then life returns to normal.

 

[4everchan]

That's the one that took me out. Glad to hear you are feeling better. Sleep is key to finishing this one off for good and then life returns to normal.

yup... after every nap or night of sleep, I have felt so much better... just lingering cough left... I would get through this

 

[CoyoteChris]

yup... after every nap or night of sleep, I have felt so much better... just lingering cough left... I would get through this

Glad to hear you are better....for 10 years before Covid I had this mystery illness. About every 9 months, I would get something like a cold but it came on very slowly. I always knew it wasnt a cold because for 15 years I tried my darndest to prove Zinc lozenges were a bunch of hooey but what I did prove was they really did shorten colds by 3 days. And if they didnt work on a respritory illness, I knew I was having an attack of the mystery illness. It never got very bad but the cough kept up for over a month. My long time doc scratched her head and thought maybe Mycoplasma pneumoniae. So she gave me antibiotics and bang! Well in three days. This went on for years. Once we had to use Levaquin which is not good as it eats connective tissue but it worked. After covid, it went away....go figure. Now, If I even feel like a cold is coming on, I hit it with Zinc lozenges and nose rinsing....Cant say I ever had a cold in years over 3 days doing this. I carry covid test kits and a "in the hand" script of Paxlovid when I travel. I have used Paxlovid twice and its like hitting an illness with a hammer....

Flu cases in the U.S. are rising significantly in late 2025, with New York reporting record weekly cases and national hospitalizations increasing, driven by prevalent Influenza A (H3N2) strains, while CDC estimates show millions affected overall this season, with recommendations for vaccination and antivirals.

Key Activity & Trends (Late 2025)

• Record Spikes:
  New York State saw its highest weekly flu cases ever reported in December 2025, showing a significant jump in activity.
  
  
• National Increase:
  The CDC noted a big rise in U.S. flu activity, with hospitalizations climbing, exceeding levels from prior weeks.
  
  
• • Predominant Strain:
    Influenza A, particularly the H3N2 subtype (now known as subclade K), is the main driver, though H1N1 is also circulating.
    
  • Vaccine Effectiveness:
    Early data from the UK suggests the current vaccine still offers protection against hospitalization, with U.S. networks gathering data

 

[CoyoteChris]

When I worked in an office (at a university) any bug that someone caught immediately went round the entire 2 floor building... sometimes twice! We blamed the aircon...

ps - and to make this post on topic, apparently over there today is National Fruitcake Day!

I LIKE the old fruit cake without the candy on top! During a very well studied case of covid transmission in a restaurant...maybe in Korea? Researchers used time stamped cameras which were everywhere and cell phone data. And hospital/test data. There was sit down and also carry out. Come to find it was the HVAC system coupled with ceiling fans that determined who got sick....if you go to google images and put in "covid transmission on airplanes" you will get an idea of how airborne desease spreads on aircraft.

 

[elbkup]

Merry Christmas everyone!

Escaped flu so far; must be the country air and sparse population
I like fruitcake but it’s an individual thing .. know people that hate it with a passion. My favorite is the lighter Scottish Dundee cake, without the glacé fruit, topped with almonds (I have a great recipe. Others eat the nuts as I am allergic)

 

[4everchan]

haha.. .for the one year I had decided not to be a grinch, NYE was canceled too... too many variables, especially bad weather made it too risky for me to travel. I will probably end up going a few days later... maybe I should make King's Cake at this point.... though I just baked blondies and layered them with marzipan ... so I think I got my almond paste fix for at least 3-4 years

 

[CoyoteChris]

Merry Christmas everyone!
View attachment 10506

Escaped flu so far; must be the country air and sparse population
I like fruitcake but it’s an individual thing .. know people that hate it with a passion. My favorite is the lighter Scottish Dundee cake without the glacé fruit topped with almonds (I have a great recipe. Others eat the nuts as I am allergic)
View attachment 10505

Looks great! I live on 15 acres and wear a mask while in town.

 

[CellarDweller]

 

[elbkup]

Last night’s waxing gibbous Wolf super moon with attendant moisture ring taken at 8 pm on my phone so not the best. Saw the Pleiades (at left behind the tree branches; had to walk past the tree with lantern to see them) and the Dippers, Polaris at right (tho out of view in these photos)
If time is nonlinear are we going going forward, moving back, or standing still? Anyway,
Happy New Year 2026
Hoping for good things

 

[4everchan]

^^ nice! it was snowing here again. I am so sick of snow. LOL

 

[4everchan]

oh... well one tradition was kept this year... despite all the little setbacks : on the first day of the year, I make a smoked salmon omelette.

Delicious I am happy... until it's time to clean up

 

[CellarDweller]

 

[elbkup]

Happy New Year to all!!
Make a Wish..

12K views · 1.7K reactions | Make a wish! - From “The Pink Coven” series. What’s Up Witches. ✨ This is AI Created in Midjourney, @florafaunaai and @klingai_official Upscaled with @topazlabs #pinkcoven #whatsupwitches #iceskating #gothicstyle #ma

Make a wish! - From “The Pink Coven” series. What’s Up Witches. ✨ This is AI Created in Midjourney, @florafaunaai and @klingai_official Upscaled with @topazlabs #pinkcoven #whatsupwitches...

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[DizzyFrenchie]

Today in many Christian denominations (not with most Orthodox: for them January 6th is Christmas because they keep the Julian calendar, and Epiphany is January 19th) was Epiphany. I think it's in Spain that it's most celebrated? As in Spain, this is the day when gifts come to children (as the Kings gave presents to Baby Jesus).
In France, we "draft the King" or so? We have a "broadbean" (often, a porcelain figure) in the cake, the cake is cut and each guest gets a share, and the guest who has the slice with the "broadbean" is named the king or queen and wears a paper crown, optionally choosing a consort. The cake itself is usually a fluffy pastry filled with almond cream in Northern France, and a crown-shaped brioche with candied fruits over it to make the gems in Southern France; it's nearly a war between the "kingdoms".

The best known carol for Epiphany is the March of Kings, it's an old carol from Provence (South-Eastern France). In the late XVIIth Century, Lully gave it French words and harmonization. It came to further fame when Bizet used it in his Opera, L'Arlésienne.
I didn't find the best interpretations, this one isn't bad (beware : the singers have a South-Western, not South-Eastern accent; except the soloist) and has English subtitles:

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Historically, little is known of the Magi/Kings/Wise Men, even their number; although one of them is rather likely Gondophares I (Caspar), not yet a King personally but a prince of the House of Suren, probably the main House in the Parthian Empire, who were often kings of semi-autonomous kingdoms in the Eastern parts of the empire. He made his own (Indo-Parthian) independent Kingdom from 19 to his death in 45; after the Death and Resurrection of Christ, he called for an Apostle to preach there. Traditionally, they're shown as coming from Asia, Europe and Africa with three different ages, in a sign of universality.