I spent about $300 on two middle schoolers last week. They each got a new backpack, but they were only $12 or $13 each. It would have been more but we already had some of the supplies (scissors, protractors, etc.). What burns me up is that they don't use half the stuff we buy. And I don't really understand why middle schoolers need scissors, glue and markers.

I don't dress up. My standard for this kind of thing is black capris with a nice shirt and sandals. I seem to blend in okay no matter what everyone else is wearing, unless it is really formal.

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If I had had any understanding of what biostatistics was as an undergrad, I would have done it. It's a great career.

We have 2 three hour shows, but they are all on one day. We also have a separate recital for the competition dancers, the next day.

Anyone know where I can get them? Target doesn't have them. Thanks.

Do you know that you can click on the little check mark next to the thread title and it will take you to the first unread message? I was here for months before I figured that out.

Sure. You can take just about anything to an unhealthy extreme.

Found it. CDC So 80% are younger than 65, compared with 10% in a typical year.

I don't think CDC or WHO is whipping up a frenzy. They are conveying the information they have. If they weren't doing this people would be screaming about a cover-up and a conspiracy. The media might be overdoing it, but people want to know what's going on so naturally they are reporting it. So far, this flu appears mild for most people. In the past, the second and third wave of a pandemic have been more severe, so it's important for people to recognize this *could* be much worse this winter. OTOH, it might remain mild. No one knows. So far, this flu is different in one very important way. In a typical seasonal flu, 90%+ of people who die are over 65, and have underlying medical conditions. This flu is disproportionately killing younger people. (I had the numbers earlier but can't find them now. I'll keep looking and post them when I find them.) Even though the actual numbers are low, the profile of who is dying is disturbing. Schools are well known to be a flu accelerator. All predictions are that once school resumes this fall, and the weather gets cooler, the flu will be rampant. Many more people are likely to get sick than in a typical year, since most of us don't have any immunity. When the numbers of infected go up, the number of deaths will go up, and it will be many more younger people dying than we are used to. It's true that we've had several pandemics already this century. Aside from the 1918 pandemic, the elderly and immunocompromised were much more likely to die of the disease. Young people, in general, did not die from those pandemics. People are concerned more now than in a usual pandemic because of the pattern of deaths in younger people. I don't think we are "doomed". I don't think it's going to be a repeat of 1918. But I do think it has the potential to be ugly.

Vigilant handwashing. It's probably the most important thing you can do. Keep some hand sanitizer in your purse and car for times you can't get to soap and water. Social distancing. The degree to which we'll isolate ourselves will depend on how bad the flu is. If it's routine, we'll avoid germ factories when there is a lot of it around, as we do every year. If it's severe, we'll avoid all non-essential gatherings for the several weeks that it sweeps through the community. If it's really bad, I would expect some school closings and recommendations to avoid crowds. We'll just see how it plays out. Gloves and masks. I have a couple boxes of gloves and N-95 masks, although I have no plans to use them. I always have a good supply of ibuprofen on hand. We don't do any other OTC meds. Vitamin D is probably helpful and we'll be taking that throughout the winter. We will get the vaccine. Good nutrition. Obesity seems to be a risk factor for complications from the novel H1N1, unlike seasonal flu. Obese people may want to consider themselves higher risk. If you are high risk (pregnant, immunocompromised, obese) and develop flu-like symptoms, I would seek treatment with Tamiflu ASAP. It only works if you take it in the first few days.

The way that number is tossed around has always bothered me. It does seem to have taken on a life of its own. But most of the time when I read it, it is identified as an estimate, rather than some actual count. I don't really expect the MSM to go into any detail about how that number was arrived at every time they write an article, especially since it probably is fairly accurate. It would be nice if they explained that we haven't ever actually counted flu deaths, because it isn't possible, that there is a lot of uncertainty about the numbers, and that there are wide variations from year to year. The article raises some good points. I disagree with his conclusions.

I know that my bathrooms will always be painted neutral earth tones, so my towels are cream and beige. They match any color that I would ever paint my walls. I don't like white towels. They show spots too easily.

Effect Measure had a good post about this issue awhile back. Here's a snippet. While it's true that 36,000 is an estimate, I strongly disagree with the conclusion that it's pulled out of thin air.

My house is pretty neat and organized. When it gets cluttered and dirty it makes me feel out of control and tense. The kids do their own laundry, and keep their rooms picked up. They are also responsible for all the bathrooms, except mine. Dh and ds do the yard work. Everyone is responsible for their own belongings, and if they leave their stuff out, it disappears after one reminder. They don't do that too often anymore. It's not as clean as I'd like it, because I can't keep up with the animal hair. I vacuum nearly every day, but there's always more hair.

I am fashion challenged. Is this okay for a wedding or is it too much black?

The worry is what will happen in the second wave. Historically it's worse, maybe *much* worse than the first wave.

Thanks! I think I'll have my dd read that.

They're going back to ps this fall. :sad: Here's the dress code. We've never had "rules", and I had hoped I'd never need to. I don't like to micromanage. But I'm uncomfortable with some of the choices they've made recently, so I guess I have to come up with some limits. Thanks to all for the ideas.

:iagree:

I have a couple boxes of N-95 masks and gloves, and plenty of ibuprofen. We don't use any other OTC meds. We always have enough food to last a couple weeks. That's it.

First, an explanation about how influenza is categorized. There are three main types of influenza: type A, type B and type C. Forget about C. There are many subtypes of influenza A. Subtypes are defined by the surface proteins "H" (16 subtypes, cleverly named 1 through 16) and "N" (9 subtypes, 1 through 9). Influenza B does not have subtypes. Influenza A subtypes and Influenza B are further classified into strains. Strains occur because the genes are constantly mutating. The *human* form of the H1N1 subtype has been circulating in humans since 1977, but the H1N1 of 2008 is much different than the H1N1 of 1977, because of the accumulation of mutations. You can get the same subtype repeatedly, because it changes, but you should not get the same strain if you are re-infected. Below is a picture of a phylogenetic tree showing a bunch of different strains. The closer they are to each other, the more cross-immunity there is. The H1N1 that is of concern now is of swine origin, and is quite different than the human form of H1N1, even though they are both called H1N1. Humans aren't likely to have much immunity to the swine strain. However, previous infection with human H1N1 may provide a small amount of cross protection to swine influenza. No one knows how much yet. You should not get sick again from the same strain of flu that you had in April. However, as the flu changes, it will become a different "strain', and then you can be reinfected, but you will have *some* amount of cross-immunity, so you wouldn't be likely to get as sick. The more time that passes, the less similar the virus, and the less protection you will have. But if you had Type B in April, that won't protect you from swine H1N1 at all.

My girls are pushing it when it comes to clothing. This hasn't been a hill I wanted to die on in the past, but if I don't set some standards we're going to be in trouble. We're going shopping for school clothes today and I need some guidelines. I'm curious how others set limits.

I'm not sure why you think the ER wondered why you brought him. Did they say that? Since they prescribed steroids, it seems to me they took it quite seriously.

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