Bi And Large

Have you ever seen how much of a mess there is when a St Bernard harfs up a whole mucusy full stomach load on your living room carpet?

No?

I suggest maybe not finding out in person. It's a lot. And it's pretty nasty.

This is a Public Service Announcement.

To all my coworkers, friends, family, whoever I come in contact with during the day (and all the people I don't, for that matter.)

WASH YOUR DAMN HANDS.

Seriously. And wash them properly. I am no longer going to sit by and pretend like I didn't notice that you just turned the water on and then turned it off again 0.5 seconds later after you used the bathroom. I can hear you, you know. Getting your dirty and germ covered hands slightly wet does not, in fact, clean nor disinfect them. Then I have to go through the rest of the day being totally squicked out by the thought of your hands touching me or my work space or living space or anything else I might touch, which makes me sound like a completely OCD germphobe.... but I mean this in particular instances, when I'm looking right at YOUR specific hands that I know you just now did not wash and wanting to ralph if you come near me or touch my pen or my shirt or God help us my food.

So let's talk about washing hands, shall we?

Basic idea of washing hands: It requires soap. Yes, that's right, soap. Wonderful new invention. It actually lathers up the water and bonds with oils in the dirt and on your skin, lettng the water pull them away and cleaning your skin. Use it. Water alone does not clean your skin. It rinses it. Small amounts of dirt, oil, fecal matter, and plenty of germs, all stay right there and then get smeared around on anything you touch. Nice.

So how is it done properly? The 'official' word on that seems to be the same as it was when I worked in childcare and had health inspectors watching me wash my hands every few weeks. Here, I will provide a helpful series of images for you to follow along with as we go, making it easier for you to remember. This is how you actually clean shit off your hands:

1. wet your hands, preferably with warm water. But wait - you don't stop after step one!! There's MORE!

2. apply soap

3. scrub and lather for at LEAST 20 full seconds, away from the water, making sure to get under fingernails, between fingers, backs of hands and up to wrists.

4. rinse with clean water for 10 seconds, letting water drain down and away into the sink

5. dry with a clean towel and preferably use the towel to turn off the tap.

 

See? And it only takes 30 seconds to have hands that will actually not pass horrible diseases around and can actually be free of human waste!

 

WHY should you go to all those 30 seconds of bother, if you are the type of person who isn't in the least bit distressed by the thought of that stuff hanging around on your hands? There's a good link at the WI dhs that includes this snippet:

"Diseases spread through fecal-oral transmission. Infections which may be transmitted through this route include salmonellosis, shigellosis, hepatitis A, giardiasis, enterovirus, amebiasis, and campylobacteriosis. Because these diseases are spread through the ingestion of even the tiniest particles of fecal material, hand washing after using the toilet cannot be over-emphasized.

Diseases spread through indirect contact with respiratory secretions. Microorganisms which may be transmitted through this route include influenza, Streptococcus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and the common cold. Because these diseases may be spread indirectly by hands contaminated by respiratory discharges of infected people, illness may be avoided by washing hands after coughing or sneezing and after shaking hands with an individual who has been coughing and sneezing.

Diseases may also be spread when hands are contaminated with urine, saliva or other moist body substances. Microorganisms which may be transmitted by one or more of these body substances include cytomegalovirus, typhoid, staphylococcal organisms, and Epstein-barr virus. These germs may be transmitted from person to person or indirectly by contamination of food or inanimate objects such as toys. "

Please, people. I'm hanging out with you, living with you, working with you. When you don't wash your hands, I KNOW. And it's gross. Save us all a sick day and save me from being repulsed by you when I might otherwise think you're a pretty decent human being. Hygeine. It's not just for OCD patients any more.

If you've been following along with our lives lately, you know that money has been really tight. We are getting particularly screwed by the cost of daycare, so much so that I am losing several hundred dollars each month by going to work. Part of that is because Amy is in all day kinder, and we would probably have Iris in some form of preschool anyway for the academic and social aspects, but even so. The full time thing for both girls is sucking us dry. So, we have been in the process of hiring someone to be at the house over summer rather than send the kids to daycare. Which will save us about a gazillion dollars.

I'm at the stage where I have a couple of applicants for the position that I like best, and I have been calling references and looking them up online and things like that. And tonight, I found out via an old blog that the girl I think I am most likely to hire was at one time an anorexic and a bulemic. She seems like a smart chick, and sweet and kind, and I am really sorry she struggled with an ED. It doesn't make any difference as far as hiring goes, obviously.

BUT

It poses a bit of a tricky situation when it comes to our relationship and how to navigate that, especially the first few meetings. In case you haven't noticed, I'm fat. And not just a little BBW kind of plump, I'm super-sized. So it leaves me wondering: Will my size be a trigger for her? Will just being exposed to me set her off and make her uncomfortable? For many recovering ED chicks, I am literally a walking manifestation of their deepest fears. Will that be the case for her, will she find it too difficult to be in our home because of it? Or on the flip side will she be critical, will she lash out instead? The one morning I leave breakfast dishes in the sink will she think, "A-HA! I always KNEW fat people were lazy!" and declare all her negative suppositions about obesity confirmed? Is it something that I can gently address, or is it still too sensitive a spot? Food becomes an issue, feeding the kids becomes emotionally charged.

It's so tricky, navigating stuff like this between women. And really, it shouldn't be. We're adults, we're educated and sane and kind compassionate generous people who want to work together. But eating is so... underground. We don't talk about it, don't talk about how we really feel about it and our bodies, don't talk about the late night binges or the rules we make up or how we really see ourselves, because it's just too scary and we are too vulnerable. I guarantee you, every woman out there has issues when it comes to food and eating and body. Some more severe than others. But we work so hard at pretending we don't, that we're just fine, and we don't ever mention those scary thoughts. Huge social taboo. So, you have to work around them without ever coming close to those issues in conversation, and it makes things like this tricky. It's a balancing act for sure.