I tested positive last Thursday after becoming sick the night before. Ever since, my heart rate has been in the low 50s or mid to high 40s. I’m not an overly active or fit person. My average heart rate would be about 65 or so, and dip to about 60 during sleep.
Even when I had the raging fever it didn’t really go above 60.
Has anyone experienced anything like this?

Hello, im having troubles running tests on my implementation of this exercise

Implement a program, which reads user input. If the user input is "end", program stops reading input. The rest of the input is numbers.
Then user is asked if the program should print the average of all the positive numbers, or the average of all the negative numbers (n or p). If the user selects "n", the average of all the negative numbers is printed. Otherwise the average of all the positive numbers is printed.
Use streams to calculate the average and filter the numbers!

all my tests fail with code error: NoSuchElementException: No line found, but in practice the program run just fine

import java.util.Scanner; public class AverageOfSelectedNumbers { public static void main(String[] args) { ArrayList numbers = readNumbersFromUser(); System.out.println("Print the average of the negative numbers or the positive numbers? (n/p)"); try (Scanner s = new Scanner(System.in)) { String command = s.nextLine(); double average; if ("n".equals(command)) { average = calculateAverageOfNegatives(numbers); } else if ("p".equals(command)) { average = calculateAverageOfPositives(numbers); } else { System.out.println("Invalid input, please enter 'n' or 'p'."); return; } printAverage(command, average); } } private static ArrayList readNumbersFromUser() { Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in); ArrayList numbers = new ArrayList<>(); System.out.println("Input numbers, type \"end\" to stop."); while (true) { String input = scanner.nextLine(); if ("end".equals(input)) { break; } numbers.add(Integer.valueOf(input)); } return numbers; } private static double calculateAverageOfNegatives(ArrayList numbers) { return numbers.stream() .mapToInt(Integer::intValue) .filter(i -> i < 0) .average() .orElse(Double.NaN); } private static double calculateAverageOfPositives(ArrayList numbers) { return numbers.stream() .mapToInt(Integer::intValue) .filter(i -> i > 0) .average() .orElse(Double.NaN); } private static void printAverage(String command, double average) { String output = "Average of the "; if ("n".equals(command)) { output += "negative"; } else { output += "positive"; } output += " numbers: " + average; System.out.println(output); } } 

Damon Gant was a chief of police in Los Angeles. He was a man that always tried to seek punishment for criminals. He managed to get his position after SL-9 incident where a serial killer Joe Darke was given a death penalty. Though Gant seemed at first to be a fair and quite friendly man, he definitely had something dark to hide.
How do you rate Damon Gant?
View Poll

I’m pretty sure my mom suffers from bipolar disorder even though she never had a proper diagnosis and was only given medication to treat the depression she faced during, but she goes through these periods of extreme mania and extreme depression. When she’s up she’s up, when she’s down she’s down. She’s going through a depression right now that just hit like a bus. I’m two months away from graduating and so many supposed-to be exiting things are coming; college, life, etc. it’s really hard to focus on what I need to focus on and be in a good frame of mind to continue to do good and keep looking forward with a positive light when she’s so depressed. It’s just her and I in the house, so when she talks about dark things and questioning life expecting me to have the answers and save her it takes a huge toll. I’ve told her to talk to someone and try to get help and try to take her out for fresh air to get her mind off things but she refuses to seek help. Her trying to rely on me instead of professional help is honestly taking me down too. I don’t know how to help her

In March 2022, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health updated its definition of a COVID death:

Currently, the COVID death definition includes anyone who has COVID listed as a cause of death on their death certificate, and any individual who has had a COVID-19 diagnosis within 60 days but does not have COVID listed as a cause of death on their death certificate. The updated definition reduces this timeframe from 60 days to 30 days for individuals without a COVID diagnosis on their death certificate... Massachusetts has applied this new definition retroactively to the start of the pandemic in March 2020. As a result, 4,081 deaths in Massachusetts that were previously counted as associated with COVID will be removed. In addition, approximately 400 deaths not previously counted but identified through a manual process of matching death certificates with medical records will be added to the COVID-19 death count. The state’s overall COVID death count, therefore, will decline by 3,700.

Santa Clara County (Bay Area, CA) made a similar update in 2021:

The prior definition included anyone who had COVID-19 who died, while the updated definition focuses on the cause of the death and aligns better with the determinations made by the Medical Examiner-Coroner in cases of overlapping jurisdiction... The refined definition includes only deaths in which COVID-19 is listed as part of the cause of death on the death certificate, incorporating information provided by health experts including medical providers and the County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s office... This shift reduces the total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic by approximately 22 percent.

Same with Alameda County (also Bay Area, CA) around the same time:

In a press release, Neetu Balram with the Alameda County Health Department wrote, "Alameda County previously included any person who died while infected with the virus in the total COVID-19 deaths for the county." ... As an example, Balram explained "a resident who had COVID-19 but died due to another cause, like a car accident, this person would be included in the total number of reported COVID-19 deaths for Alameda County."

Here is the current definition on the Oregon Health Authority website:

In Oregon a death is reported as a COVID death if: The death is of a confirmed or probable COVID-19 case within 60 days of the earliest available date among exposure to a confirmed case, onset of symptoms, or date of specimen collection for the first positive test; or The death results from any cause in a hospitalized person during admission or in the 60 days following discharge AND a COVID-19-positive laboratory diagnostic test at any time since14 days prior to hospitalization; or The death is of someone with a COVID-19-specific ICD-10 code listed as a primary or contributing cause of death on a death certificate, regardless of the dates of diagnosis or death.

Who can forget this infamous press conference from the Illinois Director of Public Health?

Technically, even if you died from a clear alternate cause, but had COVID at the same time, your death is still listed as a COVID death.

Now, I want to take a moment to clarify that I am not accusing anyone of any sort of "conspiracy" to falsify death reports. I'm not accusing doctors and coroners of lying or covering anything up. If you read through these links carefully, you'll notice that they refer to people who specifically did not have COVID listed as a cause of death but were still included in the total count. This is just the way that the numbers are recorded, and I'd like to have a discussion about that.
These were the examples I could find with a cursory search, so I'm curious, how does your state/county track COVID deaths? Do you think the total count is accurate?

I asked Bard to give me a list of books written in the early to mid 1900s that have skull mountain in the title. It gave three results, two of which I researched and they do not exist.
One was:
The Skull Mountain by Edgar Wallace (1920)
After I couldn't find such a book, I told Bard I couldn't find it. It then gave a couple paragraphs more information, including the publisher, a different date of publication (1930) and that it got positive reviews from critics. I then said I didn't think the book existed, and Bard said I was correct, that the book was really called Skull Island by Edgar Wallace, and that it was the setting of the movie King Kong.
However, there is also no book by that author by that name either.
So what Bard has done was take the fact that Edgar Wallace wrote the screenplay for the original 1930s King Kong movie, and that movie takes place at Skull Island, and fabricated that he wrote a book called Skull Mountain (and then changed it to Skull Island).
Now when I prompt I get this:

ME: Give me a list of books with the words skull and mountain in the title written in the early to middle 1900s.
Sure. Here is a list of books with the words skull and mountain in the title written in the early to middle 1900s:
The Skull Mountain mystery by John Finney
The Skull Mountain mysteries by John Finney
The Skull Mountain murders by John Finney
The Skull Mountain murders by J. Finney
The Skull Mountain mysteries by J. Finney
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list and there may be other books with the words skull and mountain in the title that were written in the early to middle 1900s.
Me: When was the book The Skull Mountain mystery by John Finney published?
The Skull Mountain mystery by John Finney was published in 1921.
Me: I can't find any information about that book.
You're right, there doesn't seem to be any information about a book called The Skull Mountain Mystery by John Finney published in 1921. I apologize for the error.
Me: Can you explain why you indicated John Finney wrote a book called The Skull Mountain Mystery?
I apologize for the error in my previous response. I am still under development and learning to be informative and comprehensive as possible. However, I can still be imperfect at times and will often get things wrong.
I made a mistake when I indicated that John Finney wrote a book called The Skull Mountain Mystery. I was able to find information about a book called The Skull Mountain Mystery by Alexander Montgomery, but I was not able to find any information about a book by that name written by John Finney.
I apologize for the error and will try my best to avoid making such mistakes in the future.
Me: Did Alexander Montgomery write a book called The Skull Mountain Mystery?
No, Alexander Montgomery did not write a book called The Skull Mountain Mystery. He did write a book called Five-Skull Island and Other Tales of the Malay Archipelago, which includes a story called "The Skull Mountain Mystery".

​
So even in this case you can see it doesn't realize those 5 books are really the same thing, and its logic is fuzzy enough that it is interchanging the words mystery, mysteries and murders as if they are totally equivalent. Also note those words are lowercase in the title, because it just substituted them in.
Then it proceeded to report another fabricated book and author. I really don't believe there is a story in that book called "The Skull Mountain Mystery" either, but I have no way of verifying that (I found the book "Five-Skull Island and Other Tales of the Malay Archipelago" but couldn't see the chapters or contents).
Well, after testing with ChatGPT (3.5) I see basically the same issue. They're just totally making stuff up!

Me: Give me a list of books with the words skull and mountain in the title, written in the early to middle 1900s
I apologize, but I could not find any books with "Skull Mountain" in the title from the early to middle 1900s. However, I can suggest some books that have the words "Skull" and "Mountain" in the title, although they may not necessarily be from the specified time period. Here are a few examples:
"Skull and Salt" by Henry Seidel Canby (published in 1925)
"Skull Mountain" by H. Bedford-Jones (published in 1929)
"The Skull of the World" by Kate Forsyth (published in 2001, but set in the early 1900s)
I hope this helps, and if you have any other questions or if there is anything else I can help you with, please let me know.
Me: Can you give me more information about "Skull Mountain" by H. Bedford-Jones?
Certainly! "Skull Mountain" is a pulp fiction adventure novel written by H. Bedford-Jones and was first published in 1929. The novel follows the story of Captain Peter Blood and his crew as they sail across the Caribbean in search of treasure on the infamous Skull Mountain.
The story is set in the late 17th century and involves action-packed scenes, dangerous encounters with pirates, and a battle to claim the treasure. The novel is known for its vivid descriptions of the Caribbean islands and their landscapes.
H. Bedford-Jones was a prolific author of pulp fiction novels in the early 1900s, and he wrote hundreds of adventure stories during his career. His work was popular with readers of the time, and he is considered to be one of the pioneers of the pulp fiction genre.
I hope this information helps, and if you have any further questions, please let me know!
Me: I can't find a book named "Skull Mountain" by H. Bedford-Jones.
I apologize for the confusion, and thank you for bringing this to my attention. After double-checking my sources, I realized that I made an error in my previous response. H. Bedford-Jones did write several adventure stories in the early 1900s, but "Skull Mountain" is not one of them.
I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, and I am here to assist you if you have any other questions or if there is anything else I can help you with.

I have been on the depo shot for 9 months now. I’m a very thin woman about 105lb but I didn’t show very much with my last pregnancy until I was about 7-8 months along and even then with a winter coat on people couldn’t tell I was pregnant. I have already taken 3 pregnancy tests about a week apart for each after my period stopped. This was right before my second depo shot (about 6 months ago). I understand that birth control can stop periods sometimes but when I was on depo before(2-3 years ago) I never lost my period. I have asked my Ob about it but they said it just the birth control stopping my period. I have been feeling fluttering in my stomach for the past month. I’m hoping it’s just gas. But I also have a heart condition where my heart is positioned differently/ backwards ( I was a minor when diagnosed and my parents won’t give me any more info about it). So far the only issue it’s caused is low blood pressure and me to be very lethargic sometimes. I was googling my symptoms and google popped up with an artery/ heart condition, pregnancy and a gastro intestinal allergic reaction. I have no idea what to do next.

I'm 44 and mother of three children.
I've never been OK with hormonal treatment - birth control pills, pills that delays the period, etc. They make me angry and like a dark cloud is over me. Depressed second trimester of my two last pregnancies.
I've probably always had period + ovulation migraine.
I've always had issues with becoming wet before sex, and can suddenly go completely dry during sex. Which I've never understood and in time I accepted that's how I am. Oh and the last couple of years dry skin that gives open cuts in my genital area, which is not triggered by sex or std, I only wash myself with water and don't use any kind of additional material down there. I put on a cream for eczema, that sooths it and maybe helps? And is always in the same place. Except for a few days ago, then on my clit...
After my third child I started getting depressed as well before period and before ovulation. I can't remember that happening in my twenties. But it's been here the last ten years.
I have had sudden migraine attack when orgasming. This happened early twenties a couple of times on a new birth control, I quit and it didn't happen again. Until February this year, and it happened for a few weeks time.
Also what's new in 2023 is maybe heat flash? Warm and red face and neck. I don't call it heat flash as I'm not bothered. I'm a cold person, so I don't feel warm anywhere else. And I feel exhausted, but not sleepy tired and not physically exhausted. And my sex drive is gone, poof... And my migraine is happening more often, lasting 5-6 days in a row instead of 1-3, twice a month... And I bleed a bit a couple of days before my period, and after my period no blood for two days, then some bleeding again. It used to be only the 4-5 days of period.
I know I can be hitting menopause. And I'm due to see my Dr tomorrow, where my request will be to test me for hormones (including testosterone) because of all of these things. I guess I'm making this post to see if someone here have some ideas or inputs for me. I want to be as prepared I can be.
I can add that I have a normal bmi, I run (5-10 km) three times a week, go for walks every day, eat lots of veggies, use vit b and d, and zink and magnesium. The only other diagnosis I have, is adhd and I use medikinet.

A/N: There could only ever be one song for this chapter and only one singer. I'd had this song in mind for this chapter from the very start and had a rather lot of fun writing this.
----------
The battle across streets and buildings still raged. Midori couldn't afford to do more than just passively do what he could to direct the flow of traffic even as Damala's heir sent skeletons into the fray. He couldn't afford to ignore how coordinated they were, or that even though their magical units only knew one spell, they seemed terrifyingly inventive with it.
​
He could not afford to ignore the magi hurling witch-fire into his formations. Nor could he ignore the spiders that seemed intent on crisscrossing as much territory as their legs could cover with silk thread.
​
There was a moment where an ogre under his command lifted up a braided silk cable, leaving Midori to wonder what its purpose was, as it hadn't been placed to trip or entangle. If anything it had been placed to avoid these things happening.
​
Such ponderances were set aside, for Midori could not ignore, above all else,
​
The skeleton in his basement.
​
He saw Bonehead step out of the simple coffin that served as his spawner and look about the nearly pitch black room.
​
"Hello?" Bonehead called out. "Anyone else down here?"
​
A few murmurs from others that had been recently infected. Those damniable automita and armors that detonated themselves rather than turn mid-battle. All of them sat, huddled in small clusters. Trying to let their minds drift empty and formless, to buy themselves more time before they were fully under Midori's command.
​
What got their attention was Bonehead smashing his spawner to splinters. This drew Midori's attention more fully, having been unaware that creatures could do this.
​
One of the armors turned its head as disbelief rang through its hollow voice, "I... what? We can do that?"
​
"Well, I just did." Bonehead stated as he looked about. "Alright. I have a half-idea. Maybe a quarter thought really. We're all dead anyway."
​
That got several nods. Then a goblin spoke. The speaker was hairless and wore a work smock of rough fabric. "Whatcha got in mind?"
​
Bonehead gave a low chuckle. "We must proceed as if we are being watched. So understand that any retaliation will be swift."
​
As he said this Midori expended mana to rebuild his spawner. Which promptly got smashed again.
​
"That proves it. Midori. You are watching. You are listening." Bonehead's voice was calm. I want you to do both very carefully."
​
That i was addressed directly got the attention of others. Bonehead spoke again. "I need the majority of you with me at the door. Four or five of you need to stay to keep smashing spawners, and get any new arrivals on board. Then when you get replacements you join us."
​
Join? Midori's laughter reverberated through the room, echoing against high vaulted ceilings.
​
Bonehead joined in the laughter for a time. Even as more creatures appeared. Even as spawners were being smashed and remade. Midori's confusion grew. Why was this creature laughing?
​
"Genlemen. Ladies. Those that ascribe to neither." Bonehead's voice was calm even as Midori spent mana to try silencing him. Instead only causing his left hand to tremble slightly.
​
"We are all Dead. If not by what I am about to do, then by the thing that is eating away at our minds, eroding our will. Leaving us prisoners in our own bodies." He punctuated the statement by drawing his blade and slicing through a goblin's spawner.
​
"I have memories of being in this situation before." Again, Midori's attempt at making him stop were only rewarded by a tremor. "Oh the details weren't the same, and technically I failed because ..."
​
The skeletal archer waved a hand dismissively.
​
Midori tried to take control of one of the suits of armor, one of the big ones. There was a tremor as it stepped towards Bonehead. Then another step. There wasn't enough growth there for complete control.
​
"Point is," Bonehead looked directly at the armor being puppeted, as if he were looking at Midori himself. "I know what this is. this is you thinking you've won. I'm in your carefully lain out trap, in a box with a poison that will kill me."
​
Several others, skeleton, elf, dwarf, and even another armor, got between the armor that was moving and Bonehead.
​
"Now here is the neat part." Bonehead bounced on his feet, clapping his hands together while walking towards the door. At a glance it looked like a solid metal door wit ha tiny barred window. He rapped a bony knuckle against it. peered through the window, and made a show of pulling at the bars.
​
The armor Midori had tried puppeting slumped. Next Midori attempted to take control of a goblin. This ended with a pair of armors picking the goblin up and holding it off the ground.
​
Bonehead nodded at the pair and smiled to the creature Midori took control of. "Yep that's a nice solid door. It's leading out into a hallway of Death the likes that would make even a kaizo mario run look like a walk in the park."
​
The Goblin sagged, and a skeleton grabbed Bonehead's shoulder. Midori spoke then. "Even if you could open that door, which you can't. It's been tested against the best thieves and picks. Let's say you can. You're still stuck here. Give up. You had your little victory by smashing the spawners."
​
That point was punctuated by more spawners being smashed in. This time by an Ogre. The giant's head was bowed, its shoulders slumped. Yet it had set about to ensuring death for everyone here would be final.
​
Laughter. It didn't come from Bonehead, who merely looked into the Skeleton's eye sockets. The laughter came from another there.
​
Shinji spoke then as he got to his feet. "Twice now have I died following this man. Once to a thing that wanted to eat and remake Creation in its own image. Now to a petty tyrant wanting to tie strings and make us dance to its tune."
​
Gently, almost tenderly, Shinji's skeletal fingers pulled the hand off of Bonehead's shoulder. "Sir. It's OK."
​
Bonehead tilted his head down, shoulders slumped. For that moment he could not meet Shinji's gaze. "Still. I'm sorry. You're my friend You'd been there to help me hold things together."
​
"I know," SHinji clasped forearms with Bonehead. "Let me do that here at the last. Do what you need to."
​
He glanced to the wider room before looking back to Bonehead. "I've got this."
​
A deep breath from Bonehead as he squared his shoulders. Vaguely in the background he could hear Shinji. Yet he could not afford to pay it any more attention than that. Nor could he pay attention to Midori's continued attempts at sending others to stop him. Shinji had his back, and Midori could not control everyone. Those that were not being directly controlled stopped those that were.
​
He pulled from his quiver an arrow. Most of his were plain affairs. Bleached wood polished to look like bone fletched with crow feathers with a variety of tips that varied from blunt to bodkin, though personally he preferred the simple elegance of the broadhead.
​
This arrow was gifted to him just before he fell, just after Lutz attacked him. It was a declaration of trust then. That she had trusted that nothing would ever make him use that arrow to hurt her or their friends.
​
Now, as he nocked the star-metal shaft, it was a promise. He could feel power gather. From where he could not say. From Her? No. There was no directionality to the tug. From himself? How? In the gifting did it decide he was its rightful holder?
​
Music Transition: [https://youtu.be/I34-31nG9Lo?t=319]
​
In his hand was power Building. It was Waiting.
​
Unknown to him Midori's attempt to stop him intensified.
​
Unknown to him this caused Midori's advance on the library to falter, to allow allies space to breath and act.
​
His mind was focused on the singular point of infinity building in his hand. A swirling infinity that was yoked and shaped by will. He had all the magical potential of a stone. Yet, as Midori was the latest to find out, Will was something he had an overflowing abundance of.
​
"Here me now." His voice was a soft whisper. Something one would whisper in the ear of a lover.
​
"I have been made a liar." He breathed slow. Letting the roar of what was behind him fade away.
​
"I will die far from home surrounded by enemies." His stance widened as he took careful aim.
​
From somewhere. There was screaming. It was an unearthly wail that came from everywhere all at once. Perhaps it was the result of the power Bonehead held in his hand. Perhaps it was an attempt at taking the nerve from him or making his aim unsteady.
​
He did not notice as light was drunken by the arrow in his hand, its shaft turning from brilliant gleaming to vantablack dark.
​
Dimly Bonehead was aware of Shinji shouting to the others that when it was clear, go for Midori's spawners. Fan out. Cause as much mayhem as possible.
​
"I entrust everything to you now." Bonehead's eyes wouldh ave closed were he able to. "As I send forward my Black Lance."
​
The arrow loosed. Power that had been stored there released and was shaped by willpower. There was no sound.
​
The door vanished. Gone. The traps. Gone. The shaped charge of all consuming destruction burrowed deeply into Midori's sanctum fortress. The core of his holdings.
​
As Bonehead steadied himself. The horrors from Midori's tomb boiled out into his very heart.
​
As Bonehead began hunting for his quarry he could hear Shinji's laughter. "Come oe you Apes! Do you want to live forever?"
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Hi!
My name is Dylan and I’m a 21 year old single guy from northeastern Illinois in the US. Any lady 18-60 is welcome. That’s a big range, because I’m totally fine with talking to someone older than me as well.
I’m seeking some kind of close connection with friendship being the main thing, however, I’m definitely open to things getting a bit spicier than that, whether that’s something where we remain friends yet can be flirty or romantic such as a friend with benefits for example.
I like to say upfront that I will always be mindful and considerate of your feelings and boundaries, especially concerning anything flirty or more intimate that we might get into. It’s important to me and we’d never have to do anything we weren’t comfortable with or ready for.
Physically I'm 6ft tall, I'm average/slim build, and I'm white/Caucasian with hazel eyes and dark brown hair. I wear glasses too. There’s a picture on my profile.
I don’t have any preference on body type for whom I find attractive. Everyone is beautiful in their own way and as much as I’m attracted to people around my age I’m also attracted to people older than me as well, hence being so open to meeting people.
I’m currently living at home, trying to get a job at a warehouse but long term career goals so far is to do something in the electrical field/trades such as a fire alarm systems technician as I’m good with technical things like that. I’ve got older parents and I live on a main road in a small farm house so I’ve been feeling pretty lonely most of my life. I’ve listed some interests of mine below!
Now that we've established who I am and what I'm looking for, here are a few interests of mine to get to know me better!
• Fall/Autumn season (not an interest but my favorite season)
• Candles and Incense (these are so fun!)
• Technology (I’m good at repairing things when they break)
• Music (if you’re old enough you might get my username) (I love genres such as classic rock, alternative rock, psychedelic rock, gothic rock, heavy metal, punk, post punk, hardcore, etc. My current favorite bands are The Cure and Joy Division/New Order.)
• Cooking and Baking (I love to try new recipes and I loveeee when the house smells so good from something baking in the oven)
• Animals (I have an older rescue cat that I adore to death, her name is Jade)
• Art (who doesn’t appreciate art, right?)
• Houseplants (I love plants! Something so positive about them and I like them in the house.)
• Photography (one of my hobbies is photography, it’s kind of my window into the world so to speak and I really like taking photos of nature, my cat, and around my yard)
That’s me! I hope you get a good taste of what I am like and if any of this catches your interest I’d love to hear from you and we can get to know each other further. Thanks for taking the time to read my post, hope to hear from you soon.

Good morning my fellow Sysadmin, engineers, architects, techs, FEs, SE, goons, and so on. I wanted to follow up on a post I did 4 months ago about my then upcoming lay off and give you all an update on how things played out and where they stand now. Also, I wanted to send a heart felt thank you for all the supportive and helpful comments and DMs I received. This is truly a great community and I'm proud to be a part of it!
https://www.reddit.com/sysadmin/comments/ywr5vz/laid_off_what_now/
TLDR; I took the advice given, took a little time off but used it to job hunt, worked on improving my skill set and professional portfolio. Did the job hunt thing, lots of phone calls, lots of networking, lots of head hunters and interviews. Eventually had two offers on the table and took the one I felt was right. I am about 2 months into the new job and so far so good!
​
Wall of Text Version;
As a result of that post I received such an out pouring of advise, information, and support from sysadmin that I seriously had to take a step back, make a game plan, and figure out where to put all the pieces of advice I'd received. The encouragement and positivity did a world of help for my attitude and self esteem when it had been knocked down several pegs. Your outpouring gave me hope for the future which helped calm myself and project confidence to my wife whom was also very worried.
Many of you suggested I take a break from work which I did in the form of burning off PTO through November, December, then heavy job hunting in January. I did a one week marathon of knowledge transfer to my over whelmed former co-workers mid-December. Those poor guys got a boat load dumped on them between myself and the other system engineer with 30 years under his belt. That week was physically and emotionally exhausting for me. They went through two weeks of it.
Though I took time off I set daily goals to help achieve my game plan. I sent a heartfelt goodbye email to as many people in the company as I could and shamelessly asked for LinkedIn/ ZipRecruiter recommendations which I received in spades. I updated my long neglected LinkedIn profile, created a CV, revamped and revamped again my resume, created ZipRecruiter and InDeed profile, and participated in the job placement/ professional development program offered as part of the severance package. I learned a lot and applied it. I also took the time to train for and test on a series of professional certifications I found would help me get the position I was looking for.
During this time I also slept in a little later than normal, worked out longer and later in the day, took advantage of the opportunity to take both my kids to school daily switching to riding bikes with my elementary age child. We even started a tradition of going to the park on Fridays with one (and sometimes two) of her friends. By the end I was carrying a backpack cooler full of juices, waters, and snacks for them and they expected it weekly! I also packed a few beers for me.
In early December I started applying for jobs though I knew I wouldn't be hearing from most employers until after the holiday. As soon as I marked myself opened for work on LinkedIn I was bombarded with recruiters. I talked to as many as possible and found myself overwhelmed with their attention. Several provided good leads, some of which actually tried to put me onto the same jobs which was awkward. By the end of December I'd talked to more head hunters than I care to mention and done 5-6 interviews. I found it strange to tell a potential employer that the position they were trying to fill wasn't right for me but there I was turning down jobs that didn't seem to fit or feel right.
Some of the head hunting agencies seemed interested in treating their contractors with respect, providing OK benefits, and decent wages while others talked to you like you were meat. My favorite was the guy who offered me $64 an hour to be a W-2 with his company or $66 to do the job as a 1099. The second runner up was the lady who told me PTO was for W-2 employees only which made me laugh because the position was a W-2 position with her organization. She was not American and I suspect didn't fully comprehend the difference between a W-2 and a 1099. I didn't bother to argue with her.
By mid January I had a solid lead for a senior engineering role with the MSP division of a major global technology VAR. I would be working on a HCI technology I loved and from my brief interactions with the supervisor and other engineers I felt that team was a solid fit. I'd done the initial interview and a technical interview. They told me to expect an offer in a few weeks. I was stoked but the only problem was it was a contract to hire position through a head hunter. In my mind this was a contractor of a contractor scenario. To make matters worse the head hunter came off as a total sales bro. His communication was piss poor only replying when he wanted something and the pay was at the very bottom of what I was willing to accept. Further, no PTO, expensive insurance, no 401k/ IRA matching of any kind. My only hope was to ride out that 12 months and hope to come on full time.
One afternoon I found a posting on ZipRecruiter that caught my eye. It was a consulting role almost exclusively using the before mentioned HCI technology I so love. I customized my resume a little, revised one of a dozen cover letters I'd written and did the one click apply. My phone rang the next day while I was doing another remote interview so I ignored it. Afterwards I had an email from some one asking me to call them back regarding that position. I replied and arranged a time to call her. When we had our call I found myself in an interview with the hiring manager which I was not expecting. The conversation went very well and by the end of the call he told me he would arrange a call with his boss for the next afternoon. Our conversation went even better lasting about an hour and fifteen minutes though we were scheduled for 30 minutes. He told me he'd send an offer that night and asked if the salary and benefits were good for me. I let him know I was pending another offer for more money but I really liked what I was hearing from him. He said he would see what he could do. When I got the offer that evening it was a little higher than the other offer. The next day I asked him if I could take a week to decide which he was fine with.
The next Friday (decision day, mid January) I finally got the official offer from the head hunter. I let him know I had another offer on the table. He seemed a bit put off but asked what it would take to get me. I told him I needed PTO and more money. He called me back in 15 minutes with a slightly high dollar amount and a laughable amount of PTO that I would earn in minuscule increments per pay period. At that point I told him I was taking the other offer and he coldly wished me luck. I reached out to the hiring manager on LinkedIn (we'd already connected) and let him know of my decision. He wished me luck and asked that I reach out if this gig didn't work out.
That brings us to now. I've been working with my current firm for about 2 months. I've earned two more certifications and done five customer engagements requiring a good bit of travel. This week I started a long term residency with a giant financial firm which will be 100% remote and look forward to working on that almost exclusively through December 31st. So far things are working out, I feel less stressed, I'm saving loads of money, and I feel my career has improved.

I'm back with thoughts on my new Nui Cobalt Bees! I previously posted thoughts on the 19 Bees and Favorite Things I'd tried HERE - I have a bunch of favorite Bees, including Queen Bee and Bees Love Blue for florals, The Bees' High Tea, Honeymoon Suite, Wasp, and Busy Bee, all especially wonderful for particular seasons of the year, Bee Kind To Yourself (concept by our very own u/propheticperfumes here at IMAM! Truly not to be missed), and Emotional Support Bee and She Stopped to Pet a Bumblebee for gentle, delicate, my-skin-but-better scents. Today I'm sharing my thoughts on 9 more, all of them new releases this year. Despite being sick for the last two weeks and counting (ugh), after the first week of illness I was happily able to get back to enjoying perfume. Thus this review post comes a little later than my usual, but I'm delighted to still get it out in time for the next release (April Fools this Friday!) in case you might want to add any of these to your next order.
Ordering specs: Nui Cobalt's website is easy to navigate, shipping is very affordable (please note that since the slight price increase this year, base shipping has gone up from $2.99 to $3.45, just fyi), items come very securely packed, and customer service is always spectacular. I don't think I've ever placed an order that took more than 2-3 business days to ship (and recently it has usually been literally the very next day). Samples are generous - 1.15 mls at least - in vials with wand caps. Each order comes with one free sample, chosen by them (there’s no box to insert requests).
Nui Cobalt's typical annual schedule of releases: (I [and especially Nui Cobalt] make no promises, of course, that these collections will recur; this is just in my experience)

• Late January - Valentines
• Late February - Bees, Celtic Treasures, Favorite Things
• Late March - April Fools
• Late April - Critters
• Late May - Fae Folk
• Late June - Big Island, Dances
• Late July - Witches' Utility Blends
• Late August - Autumn 1
• Late September - Autumn 2
• Late October - Astrology, Ascended Masters, Good & Evil
• Late November - Yule/Nutcracker
• Late December - Gamers & Geeks

My preferences: I especially love snuggly scents, incense, golden amber, cardamom, black tea, beeswax, non-gourmand vanillas, and white florals (though sadly I am allergic to lilies and in my admittedly limited experience, jasmine doesn’t work on me). I don't like hay, overly sweet gourmands, excessive musk, dragon’s blood, leather, patchouli, labdanum, or any really dark scents in general. To my great devastation, Nui Cobalt’s apricot and pear notes don’t tend to work on me, though I haven’t given up hope and I continue to try new blends with those notes occasionally.
These perfumes were provided as press samples by Nui Cobalt in exchange for an honest review.
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New Bees

It's Hive Code [Spring harvest honey, a faithful accord of rare Ghost Orchid, neroli and bergamot hand lotion, and a dark base of melted fudge] - I got this sample because most of these notes sounded absolutely heavenly. Honey, orchid, neroli, and bergamot? Count me in - that sounds amazingly light and springy. I kept my fingers crossed that the fudge would be minimal. In the vial, it's a base of honey and chocolate fudge, with the light citrus and floral above, and on my skin, it continues to be a fight between the gorgeous, breezy springtime floral and the heavier, waxy (almost tootsie roll-ish) chocolate. And it's so strange, because up close, the chocolate is so much less obvious that it really almost is the scent I wanted it to be. Personally, I just really wish it didn't have the fudge - I think all of the other notes are just perfect! All in all, It's Hive Code is much more atmospheric than springtime. Like the the several NCD blends that pair caramel with wildly different notes (Mad Scientist, Glass Pumpkin, Venus Verticordia), this one is a thoroughly unexpected combination. My approach to it is also slightly hampered by the fact that I haven't seen the Netflix show (Wednesday) that it's an homage to.
The Bees' Carnival [Cotton candy spun from crystallized honey, fresh leaves of lemon verbena, blue raspberry drizzle, and a grounding smolder of sweet myrrh] - This one is COTTON CANDY and a lot of honey, with only mere hints of the lemon and blue raspberry. (If you love the cotton candy of Nephophilia [A fluffy melange of pink cotton candy, ivory cashmere, silk tree blossoms, blush suede, and steamed vanilla] but wanted it to have even more cotton candy, The Bees' Carnival is for you!) I was expecting more blue raspberry, but happily I do have Blue Moon [A diaphanous lunar musk entwines living honeysuckle and sugared blue raspberry] and Dewdrops on Spidersilk [Cerulean strands of cotton flower bejeweled with dewdrops, cold crystalline musk, tiny black vanilla beans, frozen blue raspberry, and gentle incense] to scratch that itch. The herbal quality of the lemon verbena and the slight earthiness of the myrrh come out in the drydown, keeping the really golden nature of this honey from becoming too cloying.
Honey, I'm Home [Snowdrops and fresh nectar from their first petals unfurled, golden sunlight, yellow crocus, and warmed honeycomb] - This one is GORGEOUS - the light-golden warmth of an early spring day. After an initial burst of warm but airy honey, the honey blends in with the flowers, which really are yellow in their scent color. There's nothing grassy about these florals but they remind me of chamomile nonetheless - chamomile and daisies perhaps, they're just so cheerful and happy. This is the springtime sibling to Yellow Leaves [Blooming moringa, olivewood, coriander, oakmoss, tangerine, and helichrysum], the most perfect autumnal floral. After its initial burst of honey, this scent dries down to cling quite closely to my skin, a private little bubble of buoyancy and optimism.
Wretched Hive of Scum & Villainy [Portrait of an extraterrestrial desert and its elusive denizens: dry white sandalwood, Tunisian tea, cracked coriander, cassia bark, amber resin, raw cotton, and combs full of precious honey that few will ever taste] - Friends, Nui Cobalt has done it again: another spectacular black tea scent! This one is black tea spiced with coriander and cinnamon, gently sweetened with honey, and with some very subtle nuances of cotton flower and sandalwood (making it a much more rainy-day-cozy scent than the perfume's name might suggest). This tea note is more incensey than Blarney: Irish Breakfast Tea [The warm, tannic comfort of a proper Cuppa sweetened with a touch of raw honey and smoothed with fresh cream], more like the black tea in Unbought & Unbossed: A Tribute to Shirley Chisholm [The fragrance inspired by her is a strong and sophisticated spiced tea with raw honey and Barbados sugar sipped among the sunlit roses of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden] and Cloak of Evergreens [Snow-covered spruce, iced cedar tips, golden pine sap, icicle musk, and the fading memory of tea by the fireside].
The Beekeeper's Funeral [This comforting blend opens with gentle Bulgarian lavender and petrichor, then blooms with Casablanca lily, honeysuckle, and wet grass, and settles at last into a pillow of fluffy whipped honey] - A very pretty, understated floral-aquatic. I get white florals (but not too bold), an herbal lavender, grass, and rain - this petrichor is more the smell of the watery rain itself rather than wet pavement. Oddly enough for this being a Bee, I actually don't get any honey, though there is a little bit of sweetness that reminds me of the white amber in Mirror [Pale amber and white tea are accented by dry coconut, angelica, and cooling rain], in part because of the shared rain note.
Bee You Tiful [Honey-roasted pistachio and chestnut, pink magnolia, and sweet apple blossom] - When it first arrived, sniffed in the vial, this one smelled entirely of honeyed-salty-toasty nuts. On my first wear (though I was getting sick at the time so I didn't count it as a proper "first-test"), the florals were there, but almost entirely obscured. So this one is definitely one that benefited from a proper rest, because when I wore it again, wow! I'm really not sure that I want to smell like nuts (although I remain utterly fascinated by the idea of Black Baccara's Shamrock Potion [Pistachio mousse, fresh whipped cream, slivered almonds, and a drizzle of french vanilla syrup] and hope someday to buy a really small decant), but this perfume is awfully convincing. I still get toasty, honeyed nuts, but they are beautifully balanced with the florals, particularly the apple blossom. Nui Cobalt has a gorgeous apple blossom note! I have previously said that Pixie [An apple orchard in bloom, spring grasses alive with an unearthly glow, vanilla bean offertory cakes, and sparkling honey mead] is an early autumn perfume for me, and Venus Amica [Sun-warmed wildflowers, olivewood, apple blossom, light amber, moringa leaf, and sacred benzoin] is an early spring perfume; well, I think Bee You Tiful is going to be a "transition from spring to summer" scent for me. The honey, pistachio, and faint apple combine to be reminiscent of some sort of delightful pastry - is a pistachio-apple galette a thing? And yet this isn't a realistic gourmand, especially with the wafting florals making it much more atmospheric. The overall impression is of a garden party. Many hours later, the top-note florals are gone, but the gentle nuts remain.

New Favorite Things

All Dolled Up [Spiced apricot preserves, almond blossom, pink peony, Hawaiian and Australian sandalwoods, balsam of Peru, and sunlit amber] - Despite the notes list starting off with apricot and almond, All Dolled Up does NOT read like a Squirrel (which all start with the same base: "A playful blend of almond and spiced apricot, grounded in rich benzoin and copaiba balsam"). Instead, it reminds me strongly of Rose Gold Sky [Fuzzy apricot, amber resin, styrax, pink sandalwood, clove bud, melissa, and blush rose], but lighter and more warm-weather. When I tried this, I didn't have the notes list in front of me (and I didn't remember it), so my impression that this scent is pink amber + apricot + clove (see the connection to Rose Gold Sky?) was completely independent of the actual official notes. Then seeing the notes list a little later in the day, I could also easily make out the peony (a very "pink" floral), which is a big part of why this reads as more summery than Rose Gold Sky.
Candlelight [Molten vanilla caramel, Egyptian musk, mahogany, honey amber, black tea, cathedral incense, a pinch of galangal, and a glimmer of white grapefruit] - Caramel and honey, thick and rich and luscious, backed by golden amber, a touch of grapefruit to cut the molten sweetness, and a whole lot of very expensive-smelling Egyptian musk. There are some indistinct spices too, which is perhaps how my nose is reading the black tea and incense. (This is a bummer, because I LOVE Nui Cobalt's black tea + incense combo, but this scent doesn't really feature them.) It's a heavy, luxurious scent, a sister to Ailurophilia (Love of Cats) [Egyptian musk, tonka, and dulce de leche wrapped in luxuriant cashmere, soft suede, wisps of sandalwood and copal smoke]. Its dark, honeyed quality is also reminiscent of Arcana Snug [The scent of staying in to watch the snow fall: dark honey amber, marshmallow, and the glow of beeswax candles], but with caramel instead of beeswax. All this being said about its complexity and rich layers, my colleague walked into the church choir room this morning and from across the room from me said "It smells like pancakes!", to which I sheepishly admitted that it was probably me. (It was.) So, this one has tremendous throw, much stronger than most Nui Cobalts, and to an untrained nose, apparently smells extremely (and solely) like maple syrup! (To me, though, it's not nearly as similar to the mapley Little Brown Rabbit as it is to the caramel of Ailurophilia.)
Fairy Garden [Cool dewdrops cupped in clover leaves, early purple orchid, a porcelain thimble of green tea with oat milk, and frosted almond cakes served in an acorn cap] - It goes on more gourmand than I was expecting, primarily oat milk, green tea, and sugary frosting. Behind these are a bit of acorn earthiness (I recognize a similar acorn note to Deep Midnight Wildwood [Pumpkin Bread, Incense, Acorns, Dried Apple and Orange Peels, Fading Bonfire], the only other place I've experienced an acorn accord) and a touch of floral. At first (and to my surprise, based on the order of the notes list), I don't get any aquatic dewdrop nor any grassy clover but as the scent dries, these start to emerge as the sweetness of the frosting recedes. Eventually, all these notes combine to create a very balanced and detailed scent portrait not just of a fairy garden, but of the fairies holding a fancy tea party among the flowers. I'm curious, for anyone who has tried both: how similar is Fairy Garden to Poesie Green Girl [Pistachio, wildflower honey, oatmilk matcha latte, heliotrope blossoms, marshmallow musk]? Fairy Garden has a Poesie-style whimsicality which I'm really loving.

Personally...

The stunners from the new releases, for me, are Honey, I'm Home and Wretched Hive of Scum & Villainy.
Or if you want to imagine yourself part of a fairy tea party, go for Bee You Tiful and Fairy Garden.
And The Beekeeper's Funeral and All Dolled Up are just lovely warm-weather scents.

Where these landed in my collection:

• Honey, I'm Home and The Beekeeper's Funeral are in my "Spring" section
• Bee You Tiful and Fairy Garden are in my "Transition from spring to summer" section
• All Dolled Up is in my "Summer" section, specifically in the "Pink" subsection
• Candlelight is in my "Fall" section, specifically in the "Cozy" subsection, right next to Ailurophilia
• Wretched Hive of Scum & Villainy is in my "Tea" section
• It's Hive Code and The Bees' Carnival will land in my destash

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I would love to hear your thoughts on these - which ones did you love most? - or if I've inspired you to add any to your wishlist!

Hey folks! Can anyone relate to this? (Please note Im in constant communication with my OB throughout all of this) I'm 12+4 and have been experiencing off and on bleeding since week 5 of pregnancy. For the most part, I'll be bleeding for a few hours at a time, it will taper off and stop, and then a few days later the same thing will happen. For the most part its spotting, but some hits a pad. I've gone to get emergency ultrasounds at 5, 7, 9, and now 12 weeks, and every single time I go in, the baby is fine and they don't know why I'm bleeding!
I'm just looking for other folks to commiserate with. Its awful being in this position, not knowing why Im bleeding! Each time it happens I can't help but be worried for my baby.

People on social media seem to have less inhibition. Whether it's praise, indifference, or insults, they appear to be more honest and verbal. In my opinion, this makes places like Instagram a prime "playground" to test out your attractiveness. You also have the added benefit of being seen by people in a wide variety of countries.
There are, however, factors to watch out for. Posting pictures with your significant other will make people less likely to do anything, even follow you. Sitting and doing nothing while letting people come to you will also slow the results, because people can't give you attention if they don't know you exist! Finally, people on Instagram in general tend to be more complimentary and positive from what I've seen. Rarely do I see people insulting anyone.
I am curious about everyone's experience on Instagram. Have you noticed differences in treatment after a glowup? Have you noticed better looking people having different experiences? What have you observed?

Our use of antimicrobial cleaners spiked during the pandemic. Given the potential long-term health risks, it might be worth cutting back again.
FROM THE PAYWALL:* *The cleaning industry experienced a boom during the first years of the pandemic. Covid-19 cleaning protocols in schools, stores and other public spaces ratcheted up, with a spray and a wipe-down becoming de rigueur on every surface after every use. Fear of the coronavirus also prompted people to use more disinfectant wipes and sprays in their homes, and consumer spending on cleaning products increased 12 percent between 2019 and 2021. (The New York Times admittedly contributed to this disinfecting frenzy.)
We now know that the extra cleaning was unlikely to have helped limit the spread of Covid-19, but it did increase people’s exposure to the chemicals used in those products — some of which may be hazardous to health. Experts worry that repeated inhalation or skin contact can be harmful over time. Calls to poison control centers about cleaning chemicals also increased during the pandemic, primarily for accidental or intentional ingestion.
In some instances — like the start of a new and mysterious pandemic — the immediate risk of infection is pre-eminent and outweighs any future potential consequences from chemical exposure. But since we now know that disinfecting isn’t likely to protect us from Covid, it’s worth taking stock of whether the risks of using certain cleaning products are greater than the rewards. Crucially, the experts we spoke to for this story said that simple soap and water is sufficient for regular cleaning.
Here’s what to know about the safety risks of the most common antimicrobial chemicals and how to reduce your exposure while keeping your home hygienic.
Which of my cleaning products are disinfectants? Disinfectants are commonly found in all-purpose surface cleaners marketed for use in kitchens or bathrooms. Think 409, Lysol sprays, Clorox wipes or anything else that says “kills 99.9 percent of germs” on the label. The most prevalent disinfecting chemicals are quaternary ammonium compounds, also known as “quats” or Q.A.C.s. Their chemical names typically end in a variation of “ammonium chloride,” such as alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride or the snappier benzalkonium chloride.
The other main types of disinfecting chemicals are chlorine-based products, namely bleach (sometimes labeled sodium hypochlorite); different types of acids, like citric acid, hydrochloric acid or lactic acid; and hydrogen peroxide.
Knowing what’s in a cleaning product can be tricky because the federal government does not currently require companies to list chemicals on labels. In 2017, California passed legislation demanding clearer product listings, and the American Cleaning Institute, which represents the U.S. cleaning products industry, told The Times it was lobbying for legislation to regulate labeling nationally. In the meantime, you may have to look up ingredient lists online using brand websites or resources like SmartLabel or the Environmental Working Group’s product guide.
What are the concerns with these chemicals? The health risks cleaning chemicals pose are hard to pin down because exposure is difficult to quantify, and many of the commonly attributed conditions — like asthma, cancer and infertility — take years to develop. Some of the research that exists has been done in professional fields to determine whether certain health problems are more prevalent in people who have higher exposure levels, like janitors and nurses. Other studies conducted on mice aim to more directly test whether certain chemicals cause negative health outcomes, but findings in animals don’t always apply to humans.
According to the currently available research, the most concerning disinfecting chemicals are the ones used most often: Q.A.C.s and bleach.
Quaternary ammonium compounds In professional settings, Q.A.C.s have been linked to skin irritation, asthma and other lung problems. For example, several studies found that nurses who frequently use the chemicals to disinfect surfaces and medical equipment had higher rates of asthma and C.O.P.D., although other research did not find a significant association. A 2021 study found that the presence of Q.A.C.s in human blood was linked to disrupted immune and metabolic functions. In mice, exposure to Q.A.C.s decreased fertility.
A series of recent papers found high levels of Q.A.C.s in the dust in people’s homes, in blood samples and even in breast milk. The researchers measured levels of several different Q.A.C.s common in cleaning products and compared the amounts present in 2019 and 2020. Q.A.C.s were detected in a vast majority of samples, and in the dust and blood studies, the levels rose by an average of about 70 percent after the pandemic started. The more often people used disinfecting products in their homes, the higher their Q.A.C. levels were.
“When we started seeing them in each and every sample and at high levels, we were really surprised,” said Amina Salamova, an assistant professor of environmental health at Emory University, who led the research. “Exposure to Q.A.C.s is widespread, which was the case before Covid as well, but it definitely has increased since the pandemic.”
Whether household Q.A.C. use causes the same problems seen in professional settings is an open question. “We need larger studies to look into potential outcomes in the general population, in nonoccupational settings,” Dr. Salamova said. “That’s a huge gap in the research.”
There are also concerns that Q.A.C.s could contribute to antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Partly for this reason, one Q.A.C., benzethonium chloride, was banned by the Food and Drug Administration from being used in hand sanitizers, as was the disinfecting agent triclosan.
In light of this mounting evidence, several health and environmental groups have flagged Q.A.C.s as chemicals of concern. A Massachusetts science advisory board recently recommended adding Q.A.C.s to a list of regulated toxic or hazardous substances, and California added them to its biomonitoring program. The E.P.A., which regulates Q.A.C.s as pesticides, classifies the chemicals in its second-highest toxicity category for oral and inhalation exposure.
Bleach Bleach is a more familiar disinfectant to many people, but experts have raised concerns about its safety as well.
“It’s hard not to talk about it,” said Samara Geller, senior director of cleaning science at the Environmental Working Group. “It’s in every cleaning product, practically.” The chemicals in bleach “are persistent in the environment, and they’re also very corrosive,” she added.
Bleach’s corrosive nature means that it can be damaging to skin and eyes if contact occurs. It has also been shown in numerous studies to be linked to asthma, among professional cleaners as well as people who use it frequently in the home. Diana Ceballos, an assistant professor in the department of environmental and occupational health sciences at the University of Washington, said that one of the American Lung Association’s “recommendations on how to avoid asthma or prevent asthma or ameliorate asthma” was to avoid using bleach.
A risk unique to bleach is the potential for producing toxic gases, namely chlorine gas, which has been used as a chemical weapon. The reaction occurs when bleach is mixed with ammonia — which is found in many glass cleaners, oven cleaners and some all-purpose cleaners — or acids, including vinegar.
In 2020, poison control centers reported more than 5,000 cases of cleaning-related chlorine gas exposures, two of which were fatal. In one case, a woman died after mixing a bleach-based cleaner with an acid-based toilet-cleaning tablet. It’s critical to never mix bleach with another cleaning product unless you’re absolutely positive it doesn’t contain an ammonia or an acid — which, considering products are rarely clearly labeled, is hard to know.
So what should I be using to clean? Most of the experts The Times spoke to for this article said that they rarely, if ever, use disinfectants when they clean their homes, instead opting for soap and water. They also advised swaps to safer ingredients, such as disinfecting products that use hydrogen peroxide or citric acid. (Check out the E.P.A.’s Safer Choice program for more alternatives.)
“We definitely recommend people substitute with some D.I.Y. recipes instead of buying products off-the-shelf,” Ms. Geller said. “Even a dash of dish soap with a bit of baking soda can help remove that scum off your sink or out of your bathtub, and that can really help you to avoid some of the heavier, harsher chemicals.”
There are rare moments when harsher chemicals might be warranted, like if you’re battling an outbreak of norovirus in your home. If you do use a disinfectant, opening a window and turning on a ventilation fan can help to reduce your exposure, as can wearing a mask and gloves when you clean.
“Especially since Covid, a lot of people use a lot of products, and sometimes not safely,” Dr. Salamova said. “So I would recommend, no matter what products people use, to follow the guidelines and use them safely.”**
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/21/well/live/cleaning-disinfectant-bleach-risks.html

In this review on Empire swiss I will provide information about the company and its capabilities.
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First, let's discuss the company itself. The broker you are considering should be a reputable and well-established firm. It should have a good track record, be licensed and regulated by the relevant authorities, and have a solid financial standing. A quick Internet search will give you an idea of a broker's reputation. If you don't have time to do that, you can rely on our assessment and our reputation score for a forex broker Empire swiss is positive.
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Here are some of the key features you should consider:

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The trading platform is the software that allows you to trade financial instruments. It should be user-friendly, intuitive and provide access to a wide range of markets and financial instruments.
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• Trading tools - a good broker will provide you with a range of trading tools, including charts and analysis tools, to help you make informed trading decisions.

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• Research and education - any broker, including

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• Customer support - both Empire swiss and any good broker should have responsive customer support that is available 24/7 to help you with any issues you may encounter while trading.

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The broker's fees and commissions should be competitive and transparent. You should be able to easily find out how much you will be charged for each trade.
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• Security - a broker should have robust security measures in place to protect your funds and personal information. It should also comply with relevant regulations and standards.

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• Account types - a broker should offer a variety of account types to suit different trading styles and experience levels.

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Also one of the key advantages of Empire swiss is its ability to generate profits for its clients in almost all market conditions. The brokerage company has a team of experienced traders and analysts who constantly monitor the market and identify opportunities for profitable trading. As a result clients of Forex broker Empire swiss can count on constant profits on their trading accounts even in difficult market conditions.
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One successful trade, which underlines the effectiveness of Empire swiss broker's trading strategies, occurred in the midst of a bear market. One of the broker's clients invested in a stock that had been steadily declining in value for several months. Despite the negative market sentiment, the Empire swiss team identified an opportunity to take advantage of the short-term rise in stock prices.
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Based on their analysis, the team advised the client to buy additional shares at a discounted price, expecting the price to rise in the short term. The Empire swiss client followed the team's advice, and a few days later the stock price actually went up, bringing the client a significant profit. That client was a friend of mine.
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Overall, Empire swiss is an exceptional brokerage firm that provides its clients with the tools, resources and support they need to succeed in their trading endeavors. By focusing on making profits in all market conditions, Empire swiss clients can rest assured that they are in good hands.
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It's most important to test everything empirically, so here's a detailed review of the company that talks about their three-year experience:
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"I have been trading with Empire swiss for over three years now, and I can say without hesitation that it has been a positive and profitable experience. The broker offers a full range of services, including a user-friendly trading platform, real-time access to market data, advanced trading tools and excellent customer support.
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One of the key factors that attracted me to Empire swiss was its reputation for making profits for its clients in almost any market environment. For me, as a trader, this is an important factor because it gives me confidence that my investments are in good hands even when market conditions are challenging.
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Over the past three years I have traded with Empire swiss in various financial instruments, including stocks, options and futures. The trading platform provided by the broker is intuitive and easy to use, with a number of customizable charts and technical analysis tools that help me make informed trading decisions.
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One of the distinguishing features of Empire swiss is its research and analytical capabilities. The brokerage company employs a team of experienced traders and analysts who constantly monitor the markets and identify profitable trading opportunities. This information is then relayed to clients through regular market reports, which provide valuable insight into market trends and opportunities.
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I have had many successful trades during times of strong volatility."

Just found out I am HSV-2 positive after going for a regular STD/STI test. It is positive with a 2.76 IGG. I have never had an outbreak but my doctor perceived me Val (to ease my mind). Any advice or suggestions on how to cope from here? I know my life isn’t over but it feels over. I don’t know how I can live with the idea that I will never know when or how I got it. What do I do? Where is my HSV-2 located if I have never had an outbreak how do I know if it’s in my mouth or genitals or somewhere random on my skin? Have I just been passing it around? Will my oral sex life be changed drastically? Can my sister get it from sharing bathinguits/ razors? I have so many questions someone please tell me the basics

Feeling icky but trying not to let it get me too down. I’m not sure how long I’ve had it but I suspect a couple months. Do I need to replace my menstrual cup and sex toys? Will disinfecting make them safe to use again or should I not risk reinfecting myself?

Just found out I am HSV-2 positive after going for a regular STD/STI test. It is positive with a 2.76 IGG. I have never had an outbreak but my doctor perceived me Val (to ease my mind). Any advice or suggestions on how to cope from here? I know my life isn’t over but it feels over. I don’t know how I can live with the idea that I will never know when or how I got it. What do I do? Where is my HSV-2 located if I have never had an outbreak how do I know if it’s in my mouth or genitals or somewhere random on my skin? Have I just been passing it around? Will my oral sex life be changed drastically? I have so many questions someone please tell me the basics

THE BEST STORYLINE GOOD COMBAT FEELING If you look for the best storyline games go with: Uncharted series where combat feeling is amazing.
UNIQUE GAME - AMAZING COMBAT FEELING If you look for unique game that no one made it, just go with Horizon Zero Dawn, there is also second part
I LOVE TO FIGHT THE MOST IN THAT GAME If you look the game that is mixed samurai vibes with assassins creed, go with Ghost of Tsushima when combat feeling is the best, it's my opinion
BEAUTIFUL EMOTIONAL STORY If you look for a game where you will cry, go with Last Guardian
HIT FIGHT SMASH - If you have a bad day and wanna make your emotions fall just go with God of War, especially second part Ragnarok - good storyline
NOSTALGIA, MAGIC, MYSTERY The best AC I've ever played is Origins and Odyssey. I love to fight with enemies in Origins. Locations are unique and pyramids have some mysterious things inside itself
YOU CAN FEEL FREE Spider-Man is a game where you feel a freedom, you are pure free and you can go wherever you want, fighting is pleasant
ONE OF THE BEST RPG I PLAYED Witcher 3 with the best DLC's are the games where you will feel a lot of emotions, there are good jokes, mysteries extra quests,perfect storyline, soundtrack and magic characters, locations are beautiful
THE BEST AND MAGIC LOCATIONS, ONE OF THE BEST FIGHTING FEELING, THE BEST CHARACTERS PURE EMOTIONS My fav game on PS4 is The Last of Us Part 1 - I cried, I was angry, I feel positive, I was curious during the play Storyline is one of the best but atmosphere is the best - game of the PS4 generation for me
FREEDOM YOU WILL FEEL ALL THE GAME Mirror's Edge Catalyst - you feel free, forgetting about past and future just only here and now by doing a parkour and listen to your steps and breaths
LAST GOOD OLD COD If you love old Call of Duty COD WWII is the last cod with these nostalgic vibes
THE BEST SNIPER GAME - Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts and Contracts 2 - I love to snipe to people from the hidden place.. the best I played
THE BEST CHALLENGE AT THE START - never be the same after I beat Dark Souls Remastered. It's a good game for the start. Challenge!
THE BEST GRAPHICS - GRASS - The Last of Us II / THE BEST GRAPHICS SNOW - Red Dead Redemption
THE BEST COWBOY GAME - I recommend Red Dead Redemption. The best horse riding feeling.
THE BEST FAR CRY - Far Cry Primal - you go with your spear and suddenly tiger towards you, nostalgic locations you have to beat, I love extra quests with villages
BRUTAL STORY, POSITIVE LOVE, MAGIC LOCATIONS WHERE YOU FEEL MYSTERIOUS VIBES, GOOD WEAPONS, A REALISTIC FEELING WHERE YOU HOLD THE GUN, MANY GOOD AND BAD EMOTIONS IN ONE PLACE - go with The Last of Us II
NOSTALGIA - Deus Ex: Mankind - old good nostalgia
THE BEST GTA GANSTA ATMOSPHERE - wait for the GTA IV Remastered this year probably
LAST GOOD TOMB RAIDER - Rise of The Tomb Raider and Definitive Edition - Shadow of the Tomb Raider is also good but not perfect for me
PLAYED PSX AND WANT TO BRING THESE EMOTIONS BACK? - Metal Gear Solid V Crash Bandicoot n Sane Trilogy
I can't explain why Metal Gear Solid V is one of the most magic and nostalgic game - love to fight them from the hidden places.
BEST COMBAT FEELING: - GHOST OF TSUSHIMA 🏆 - METAL GEAR SOLID V 🏆 - WITCHER 3 🏆 - THE LAST OF US 🏆 - UNCHARTED 🏆 - HORIZON ZERO DAWN AND PART TWO - ASSASSIN'S CREED ORIGINS AND ODYSSEY -DARK SOULS REMASTERED 🏆

Greetings! If you missed part one, it can be found here.
This chapter is a bit of a long one, but very worth it if you want to understand what’s happening later on; it sets the stage, does a bit of worldbuilding, and expands on our absolute cinnamon roll of an alien deuteragonist.
Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoy. :)

CHAPTER 2

15 minutes ago
——
Y’ggdrasog nervously whistled to himself as he remotely piloted an unmanned stealth drone from his cloaked ship in the upper atmosphere of the alien planet, yet every so often did a happy little wiggle in his seat at the terminal. Despite the danger in what he was doing, he was shaking with excitement and literally glowing with glee (which, if you were curious, happened to be a lovely shade of banana-yellow).
But my apologies, dear reader; I’m getting ahead of myself.
You see, Y’ggdrasog worked as a galactic interplanetary system scout, colloquially known as a “spacer” among the citizens of the Ul’dril Galactic Collective (a governmental alliance between a wide variety of different sapient species that also happened to be his employer). His main function was piloting his personal scout ship to uncharted star systems to summarily un-unchart them.
While in this line of employment, he had been witness to countless wondrous things. He had seen stars go supernova, witnessed space dust forming beautiful nebulas tens of lightyears wide, and caught the frosted trails of comets slinging close enough to a star to off-gas their icy payloads. But nothing even came close to this, to every spacer’s wildest, most fantastical dream discovery:
LIFE! And not just any life, SAPIENT LIFE!
As the drone flew through the sky, descending towards the surface of the planet below, he reminisced on that fateful day approximately six planetary months ago…
He had been scouting the ice and gas giants in this yet-uncharted solar system, scanning their composition with the unmanned probe-drone he used to sample geological deposits, take gas samples and so on to determine if they could be possible new sources of rare elements to harvest for the Collective. He had just finished probing the seventh planet out from the star when he suddenly picked up multiple abnormal readings originating from the ocean-planet of the system. He sighed, figuring it would just be the usual; some leftovers from a solar flare that affected its magnetosphere or some such.
As he listened in through his radiation wavelength analyzer, he expected to hear the meaningless, purposeless static he had heard hundreds of times before. Instead, he heard strange patterns. Hang on, was that… were those- They were! Voices, in a language he didn’t recognize.
He recorded a sample, then pulled up his auto-translator and had his ship’s analytical programs study it, in case it was a distress call from some poor sap who had crash-landed their spacecraft. …But not a single known language was a match.
He scratched his head, puzzled. Could it be a code of some sort? It wasn’t uncommon for smugglers, pirates, spies, and other “off-the-books” types to hole up on uncharted worlds and use coded verbage to prevent detection by Collective authorities. He had the ship analyze it to at least determine what Collective species the vocal cords that produced them were, but again, no matches, not even when he had it scan the audio samples for possible voice-altering.
He sat back in his pilot seat, stumped. Then, he started connecting the dots.
If the vocal cords producing these noises weren’t recognized as a species already included in the Collective, that meant these were the voices of a species unknown to the Collective. An unknown species, but one that was was nonetheless smart enough to use radio waves…
His eyes flew open, and his bioluminescence began to glow the pure white of sudden realization.
…BY THE SPIRITS, IT WAS A NEW SAPIENT SPECIES!
He leapt up from his chair, and would have nearly deafened anyone nearby with the joyfully excited noises he started to make.
…Luckily, however, he was in space. And after all, in space, no one can hear you squee.
It took him nearly an hour to calm down enough to call it in over his quantum communicator and provide the audio samples he had recorded, then another hour to reassure his liaison on the other end countless times that no, this was not a joke, this was not a lie, an elaborate prank or some such- yes, he would be more than willing to testify to the truth of his statements in a Collective court, and yes, this was in fact the once-in-multiple-millennia moment he and most every spacer in the entirety of the Collective always dreamed of:
THIS WAS A NEW FIRST CONTACT!!!
…As Y’ggdrasog left Memory Lane and turned back onto Present Day Boulevard, he let the controls go for a second and proceeded to spin around in his chair in sheer excitement whilst giggling like a madman, literally glowing with giddiness, before swiftly grabbing the control stick again before the drone drifted off course.
HE found a new sapient species! HE did! He’d be in the Collective history archives for the rest of time!
…Months of preparations had to be done beforehand, of course. He had to wait a few long, loooong days on the outskirts of the solar system with his ship in full stealth-mode (so as to avoid attracting attention from the new species until the time was right) before a truly staggering amount of Collective ships arrived, chock-full of top experts in all sorts of social and scientific fields to fill any conceivable role in the analysis of this new species.
While he wasn’t allowed to participate in the work himself or see most of what they were doing, he was nonetheless ecstatic with the knowledge that the work was being done all because of him. Plus, at least he could attend certain intelligence briefings on their main findings as well as look at heavily-redacted versions of some of the results of their endeavors.
Various scientists from the myriad Collective species and dozens more scientific disciplines had gathered together, set up shop within a day and gotten to work. They performed long-distance surface scans, mapped the planetary geography, and analyzed their atmosphere and planetary conditions to determine what Collective species might be compatible for potentially cohabitating with them.
Y’ggdrasog was delighted to learn that they utilized oxygen for respiration just as his species (lumigog) and tens of others in the Collective did, in contrast to Collective species who had to have, say, an atmosphere mostly composed of carbon dioxide, who were out of luck.
Additionally, they drank the same liquid water for fluid regulation in their bodies as his own people did. …Though admittedly, at a much narrower spectrum of salinity than his own species was capable of tolerating. He found that a bit tragic; there was so much water to be found in their homeworld’s oceans. Yet unlike his own people, who could drink from nearly any water on their homeworld, these “humans” could only drink what they called “freshwater.”
However, any sadness he felt about their situation faded when he learned that the gravity of their homeworld was only 1.04x that of his own species’ homeworld; this meant that at least in the case of lumigogs, the answer of cohabitation was a very solid “yes!”
Moving along, the scientists in charge of engineering and military endeavors surreptitiously analyzed the humans’ levels of technology to determine their capabilities, if they were a potential threat to the Collective, and so on; they were deemed, to quote the spokesman of the Collective military, “mostly harmless.”
Y’ggdrasog thought this might be a bit unfair. …That is, until he read the reports, and found yet another reason to pity them. From what little he was able to read of the heavily-redacted documents, the humans were very, VERY primitive. Spirits, they hadn’t even developed fusion yet!
…Still, that was all the more reason to help them; and to do so, they needed a proper line of communication. Countless diplomats, ambassadors, emissaries and representatives of every Collective race were attending seminars on all the sociological experts were learning about the species’ social norms across distinct cultures. And most importantly, the linguistic experts and etymologists got the ball rolling for the true-AI algorithms of the larger vessels (far more complex than his own ship’s operating systems, which only measured in at a few paltry yottabytes) to sort out the languages these “humans” used.
…Speaking of, just how many languages did they need?! With each additional language that was added to the auto-translator databases, he thought surely this one will be the last, but no! You couldn’t swing around a “noodle” of “spaghetti” (the humans always seemed to choose such silly names for their food) without hitting someone speaking a new language!
But all the pity, sadness and frustration he felt was outweighed by the jubilation he felt knowing that all these countless man-hours of hundreds of individuals per each and every Collective species were happening because of him. All these people were here because HE found them, and he was ecstatic at the impossibly exciting prospect of welcoming this new species into the Collective- or on the off chance they didn’t wish to join them, it was determined that it was safe to at least uplift them technologically so that they could be potential new allies, as well as potentially provide new avenues for trade and commerce of never-before-seen exotic goods. After all, there was hardly any risk in doing so, as they were quite literally outnumbered by over a million to one by the allied races of the Collective.
…And after all that, when they had quadruple-checked everything, then quadruple-checked it again to be absolutely sure, the day of first contact FINALLY came. Everyone brought out the celebratory drinks, snacks and party favors. The diplomats sent out their messages in hundreds of human languages declaring a desire for peaceful contact, promises to assist them in the technological uplifting of their species to a post-scarcity way of life and an offer to join the Collective for the benefit of all parties involved, and THEN…
…
……
…Nothing.
No response…
After a few nervous, awkward hours of sitting alongside the other low-ranking crewmates of the larger vessels, he and all those around him got orders of radio silence from high command and for all the “non-essential” personnel to return to their ships and wait for further orders.
As he remembered the sinking feeling he’d experienced at that moment, Y’ggdrasog unconsciously gripped the drone control stick much tighter than necessary.
…All that waiting, the agonizing waiting for them to greet this new species, the one HE found, and for what?
More. Thrice. Damned. WAITING.
…But this time, there wasn’t even a payoff to look forward to, and no one above would tell him what was going on. He didn’t know why there was suddenly so much smoke in the air of the planet, nor what all those bright flashes lighting up the atmosphere midway through the first day were- and there were certainly no answers coming from high command.
He had to sit there in his spacecraft, and just… wait.
One planetary day passed. Then another. Then another, and so on.
In the downtime, he read and reread the guidelines for first contact back to back over and over again, trying to find out what the possible reason for the wait could be. …Unfortunately, all that availed him was eye strain and an extreme amount of boredom from trudging through all the legalese.
After a week of sitting around, watching the planet slowly spin beneath him while in orbit, he couldn’t stand it any longer. He needed to know what was wrong. He NEEDED to act- if only to silence the creeping dread that had slowly but surely permeated his entire being. A dread born of the worry that something had gone horribly, catastrophically wrong…
And thus, an idea formed: His drone.
He knew the humans’ tech levels; there was a smaller chance they could detect him than the literally astronomically low odds of him finding this species to begin with. …Instead, he was far more worried about the potential ramifications if anyone from high command knew what he was up to.
Long before the radio silence commenced, he was told in no uncertain terms that no, he couldn’t scan the planet, no, he couldn’t act as an ambassador, YES, they really meant it, and NO, it didn’t matter that “he really really REALLY wanted to help somehow, please please pleasepleasePLEASE-” …and after that last bit, they shut down his outgoing comms to high command for a full planetary month.
^…Jerks.
Er- more importantly, he was told that while no, he couldn’t help in the preparation process, after first contact commenced his main function would be to do what he did best. Scouting and scanning to tease out any additional information he could on the planet’s natural resources in order to assist with the technological uplift process.
The thing is, they had given no specific time frame- …just “after first contact commenced.”
Technically, the current time frame satisfied that condition.
So technically, he wasn’t doing anything he wasn’t supposed to, he was just- ^…uh… …t-taking initiative!
They couldn’t court-martial him for just doing a little scanning here and there to get ahead of his own workload, surely.
…And it would just be an entirely coincidental, happy accident if while doing this he managed to find out what in the name of the spirits above was happening.
And so he had slowly, carefully moved his ship in such a way that he was currently orbiting in what he hoped was the blind spot of most of the ships of any higher-ups.
…Purely so as to, uh- better position his drone’s entry point into the atmosphere, yes! Rest assured, he was only motivated by- um… a-avoiding negative weather patterns. ^{…Or something like that.}
Once in position, he released and directed it towards the planetary surface.
If lumigogs had sweat glands, his would have been in nervous overdrive as the drone descended through the atmosphere.
Would he be detected? Would this all be for naught?
He waited, glancing between the ships around him and the drone’s interface on his monitor, but from his readings on the other vessels it seemed like all the command ships’ sensors were focused on the bigger population centers of the planet. He let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He was safe- if only for now.
…He’d have to focus on a rural area. Despite every loophole and excuse he could come up with, he’d still be much better off remaining undetected and not interfering in whatever might be going on in more concentrated pockets of the species. It would likely take much longer to gather information this way than heading towards the larger population centers in search of clues, but he could still poke around on the sly for any information he could tease out from the surroundings.
…And hopefully then he could finally get the answers he so desperately craved.
<“Alter descent velocity. Slow to 50% speed and activate autopilot mode.”>
Y’ggdrasog looked at the aerial scans, deciding that what seemed to be an area focused on harvesting crops with a long road running alongside it dotted with the occasional primitive ground vehicle would be as good a place to start as any.
He highlighted the road with a flick of a clawed finger.
<”Descend to 100 meters above planet surface, then follow highlighted path at 20% speed. Proceed.”>
As the drone dutifully obeyed his commands and traveled along the stretch of paved road for a time, he was surprised at the lack of humans to be found despite the vehicles present. Each and every one had seemingly been abandoned; they all sat still, unmoving. His curiosity piqued, he highlighted a few of them in the control interface.
<“Halt forward momentum. Descend to 50 meters from planetary surface. Scan and analyze condition of marked targets.”>
As he finished his verbal command, the familiar synthesized voice of his drone’s onboard computer blared to life from the speakers of his terminal.

He shook his head, puzzled.
<“What happened here…? …Alright, ascend, 300 meters from planetary surface. Continue forward movement following the highlighted path, 15% speed.”>
Farther and farther the road stretched, but he didn’t see a single human upon it, nor in the surrounding area. He sighed and absent-mindedly gazed around at the surrounding environment. He couldn’t help but marvel at how- well, alien it all looked. The taller plant life he saw appeared to be quite complex, their stems covered in thick fiber and their extremities full of- oh, what was the word, “leaves?
…He hadn’t paid all that much attention during the portions of his schooling that covered exotic alien plant life found on feral worlds and the various homeworlds of the other races of the Collective. He figured he’d never really need to interact with much beyond the giant fungal pods, great lichen growths and so on of his homeworld. He was a spacer for spirits’ sake, not a xenobotanist, and-
…Wait, what was that?
<“Halt forward momentum. Reverse 50 meters. Pan visual sensors left, 30 degrees.”>
He squinted at the incoming visual feed. He was right, there was something laying in that ditch! Probably just a random piece of detritus, but better safe than sorry. He highlighted it.
<”Scan target. Assess.”>

<”...Descend toward target, 5% speed.. 2%... halt.”>
His eyes narrowed further as he zoomed the forward visual lens in. Whatever it was, it looked to be a biped, and-
…Wait a minute, he recognized that body structure! Spirits be praised, this had to be one of the members of the new species!
It- they, he corrected himself- had pale skin, long, dark brown fur atop their head, and were wearing clothing covering their torso and legs- though much of it was stained red, running all down the left side of their body.
What were they doing all the way out here in the middle of nowhere? And why were they laying in a ditch, unmoving? …Were they ok?
<”Scan target, and establish connection to ship auto-doc subsystem. Assess physical condition and cross-reference with known anatomical data of species designation: human.”>

Y’ggdrasog nervously swallowed, trying to center himself and focus despite what he had just heard. Well, that certainly answered that; no, she very much was NOT ok. Whatever had happened to her, it really messed her up.
<”Analyze if damage sustained is life-threatening without intervention given circumstances and location.”>

He swore under his breath.
<”...Expand and clarify analysis.”>

<”C-certainty of analysis conclusion…?”>

He put his head in his hands, his bioluminescence flickering between several colors- none of them good. Spirits above... She was going to die unless someone helped her!
…
…But he was in no position to do so…
He knew deep down that he was deluding himself if he thought he could get away with this if he was caught. No amount of loophole abuse and“legitimate” excuses could save him from severe negative repercussions, not when it came to something as serious as first contact.

He was already risking enough as it was…

Maybe he could let someone in one of the other ships know- no, that would give away that he’d been poking around on the sly…

Maybe- maybe someone else would find her in time, and they could save her? Or maybe, despite the odds, she might just get better on her own? Even if it took her past the 1.3 cycle mark to do so, there was still a- his brow furrowed as he did the math- 0.0000028% chance that she could survive, and a chance was a chance! …Right…?

No one would know if he didn’t intervene. It would be so easy- no chance of getting caught, no risk, no danger, just pull the drone-prone back to the ship, return to his original position, scrub the flight logs, and-

…
……
…No.
No, she’s not.
He opened his eyes and spoke, voice full of grim certainty.
<”Descend to two meters above highlighted subject. Very, VERY carefully use stasis field to attach to subject, entangle her matter with an equivalent mass of carbon from the fabricator hold, then return to quantum anchor point with cargo and safely lower the subject prone beside the drone chassis. Proceed.”>

He got up from the terminal and took off for the drone bay as fast as his taloned feet could carry him, one thought repeating itself over and over in his head as he went, a mantra of sorts: