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DIY fit testing pointers
Sep. 30th, 2023 07:38 pmI'm a little frazzled and need a pointer or two.
I don't want to spend $150 on a fit testing kit. I'd like to spend less.
The $40 one I've seen mentioned is sold out.
Resources I've read about how to do-it-yourself say that I need a nebulizer/atomizer. I saw a mention at some point of a USD$10-$15 nebulizer the author had bought on Amazon, and evidently I misplaced that link because I can't find it now. I find disposable nebulizers for sale at Betty Mills in about the $3 range. Are those the types that I would want?
Or, if you have a lead on a complete DIY fit testing kit that costs under about $50, I'd love to know. Thanks.
I don't want to spend $150 on a fit testing kit. I'd like to spend less.
The $40 one I've seen mentioned is sold out.
Resources I've read about how to do-it-yourself say that I need a nebulizer/atomizer. I saw a mention at some point of a USD$10-$15 nebulizer the author had bought on Amazon, and evidently I misplaced that link because I can't find it now. I find disposable nebulizers for sale at Betty Mills in about the $3 range. Are those the types that I would want?
Or, if you have a lead on a complete DIY fit testing kit that costs under about $50, I'd love to know. Thanks.
Significant sale on Aranet 4 CO2 monitors
Sep. 7th, 2023 08:27 pmCOVID-cautious folks:
Carrying a carbon dioxide monitor helps me check how safe the air quality in a space is, and lower or raise my cautions accordingly. (Details and photos.) Super useful.
I use and like the Aranet 4 CO2 monitor. The Aranet 4 is usually USD$249. It's on sale, direct from the manufacturer, till September 17, for $184.35, with free shipping in the US.
Or from Amazon for $197. (Might be today only - Sept 7th.)
I've been working on this for weeks? months? I finally published a giant blog post on how I reduce my risk of catching COVID. Includes:
- Air quality and ventilation: Specifics on the Aranet 4 carbon dioxide monitor, including a coupon.
- Masking: Some N95, N99, and P100 respirators you may not have heard of, with links to purchase.
- Self-testing (antigen and NAAT/molecular) and PCR: Links for some amazing sale prices on rapid tests, including more-accurate molecular tests.
- Nasal spray: Enovid, the wackiest thing in my post. I assure you that I have not turned into, like, an ivermectin user.
- Staying apprised: A new wastewaster data site.
I am planning to attend PyCon North America, in person, in mid-April in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. I'm also planning to attend WisCon in person -- that's in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, in late May (DW comm is ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
wiscon).
I blogged about why and how I'm going to PyCon this year, and the COVID mitigation steps I'll take. I have not (yet) made a similar post about WisCon but it would have a pretty similar logic to it.
Both conferences are hybrid this year, with a lot of support for remote attendees and with strong COVID risk mitigation measures in place. So I hope to interact with you, in person or virtually, if you attend/participate!
(Note that there will be no WisCon in 2024.)
wiscon).I blogged about why and how I'm going to PyCon this year, and the COVID mitigation steps I'll take. I have not (yet) made a similar post about WisCon but it would have a pretty similar logic to it.
Both conferences are hybrid this year, with a lot of support for remote attendees and with strong COVID risk mitigation measures in place. So I hope to interact with you, in person or virtually, if you attend/participate!
(Note that there will be no WisCon in 2024.)
Virtual WisCon, and risk mitigation
May. 24th, 2022 12:15 pmI've decided I'm attending WisCon virtually instead of in person this year. If you're going in person, please read that entry for information on how you can mitigate your COVID risk, including where in Madison you can get Paxlovid in case you test positive during the convention.
US residents: free antigen tests
Jan. 18th, 2022 01:36 pmEvery US household is now eligible to get mailed 4 free COVID-19 rapid at-home tests. Go to https://www.covidtests.gov/ and fill out the quick form -- all they need is your name, your mailing address, and -- if you want shipping updates -- your email address. "Orders will ship free starting in late January."
COVID testing - try it if you haven't?
Dec. 14th, 2021 02:13 pmThis only applies to you if you are someplace where it's feasible and not too expensive to get a COVID-19 test. And in particular it applies to you if you sometimes get overwhelmed by logistics, especially unfamiliar logistics -- for instance, if you have executive function problems.
If you have never been tested for COVID, or if the last time you got tested was more than a year ago, then it might be worthwhile for you to get tested, just so you know how it works. Even if you have no symptoms.
If you get tested sometime when you're not too worried about it, then you get the process of getting tested into the "known things I know how to do" category in your brain.
And that way, if/when you actually do start feeling relevant symptoms, or find out you've been exposed, then you already know the drill of how to go get a high-quality molecular (PCR) test, how to make the appointment or whether you need one, where the facility is, how it will feel physically, what documents to grab for insurance or whatever, etc. Or, for self-tests with antigen tests/lateral flow tests, you'll know how to administer it and read the results. And so you will be able to deal with the current scary thing without also having to learn and deal with a bunch of new-to-you logistics.
Example: during the pandemic I've gotten tested several times through New York City's free testing facilities. So back in September, when I learned that I'd been exposed at an event, I knew exactly what to do and was able to quickly get a same-day appointment at an express location that does high-quality PCR tests and got me a result within three hours. If I had been dealing with the oh-no adrenaline AND trying to figure out how to go get tested, I might not have gotten that appointment and I might have had to wait days and days to get some peace of mind.
Again: I'm only suggesting this if it makes sense for your situation. Hope it helps.
If you have never been tested for COVID, or if the last time you got tested was more than a year ago, then it might be worthwhile for you to get tested, just so you know how it works. Even if you have no symptoms.
If you get tested sometime when you're not too worried about it, then you get the process of getting tested into the "known things I know how to do" category in your brain.
And that way, if/when you actually do start feeling relevant symptoms, or find out you've been exposed, then you already know the drill of how to go get a high-quality molecular (PCR) test, how to make the appointment or whether you need one, where the facility is, how it will feel physically, what documents to grab for insurance or whatever, etc. Or, for self-tests with antigen tests/lateral flow tests, you'll know how to administer it and read the results. And so you will be able to deal with the current scary thing without also having to learn and deal with a bunch of new-to-you logistics.
Example: during the pandemic I've gotten tested several times through New York City's free testing facilities. So back in September, when I learned that I'd been exposed at an event, I knew exactly what to do and was able to quickly get a same-day appointment at an express location that does high-quality PCR tests and got me a result within three hours. If I had been dealing with the oh-no adrenaline AND trying to figure out how to go get tested, I might not have gotten that appointment and I might have had to wait days and days to get some peace of mind.
Again: I'm only suggesting this if it makes sense for your situation. Hope it helps.
quick status
Sep. 21st, 2021 08:48 amHaven't had a haircut in long enough that I actually comb my hair daily and hold my bangs back with a hairpin. (Old icon is currently appropriate.)
Am reading the harrowing memoir Year of the Nurse by Cassie Alexander.
Just finished Ben Rosenbaum's The Unraveling which was a little disappointing; I think it might feel brain-breaking to readers who haven't read any of the Terra Ignota or the 2nd and 3rd Imperial Radch books, but I wanted the constant idea-flourishing that I get from Rosenbaum's nonfiction speaking and writing, and instead, for about the second half or last third of the book, I knew where things were going and it felt like a kind of familiar story. But it's an interesting read and feels like it's going to be a 2021 must-read for people who want book-length speculative fiction that plays with gender.
I'm re-acclimating to my daily life after a couple of months unavailable/taking care of a responsibility that took me away from my daily life. My regular co-working and co-exercising videocalls help. So do walking around outside and seeing friends outside. I saw a couple of friends recently who didn't know that in NYC they can get free high-quality COVID testing from the city government. Glad I could tell them!
Today Leonard and I played a game where I read aloud nearly all of a New York Times headline and he tried to guess the last word. This feels like a game you could play with kids to help them learn a component of media literacy.
Am trying to co-exercise more -- this entry explains what I'm doing. My schedule has a lot more flexibility as I rebuild it so if you're interested in joining me, speak up in the comments?
Am reading the harrowing memoir Year of the Nurse by Cassie Alexander.
Just finished Ben Rosenbaum's The Unraveling which was a little disappointing; I think it might feel brain-breaking to readers who haven't read any of the Terra Ignota or the 2nd and 3rd Imperial Radch books, but I wanted the constant idea-flourishing that I get from Rosenbaum's nonfiction speaking and writing, and instead, for about the second half or last third of the book, I knew where things were going and it felt like a kind of familiar story. But it's an interesting read and feels like it's going to be a 2021 must-read for people who want book-length speculative fiction that plays with gender.
I'm re-acclimating to my daily life after a couple of months unavailable/taking care of a responsibility that took me away from my daily life. My regular co-working and co-exercising videocalls help. So do walking around outside and seeing friends outside. I saw a couple of friends recently who didn't know that in NYC they can get free high-quality COVID testing from the city government. Glad I could tell them!
Today Leonard and I played a game where I read aloud nearly all of a New York Times headline and he tried to guess the last word. This feels like a game you could play with kids to help them learn a component of media literacy.
Am trying to co-exercise more -- this entry explains what I'm doing. My schedule has a lot more flexibility as I rebuild it so if you're interested in joining me, speak up in the comments?
you can buy N95s and P100s
Jul. 24th, 2021 11:13 pmIn case you didn't know: here's a blog post about where you can buy reliable-quality masks, including proper N95s and P100s. It used to be really hard to buy N95s but -- at least as of a few weeks ago -- they are available for sale online at not-onerous prices.
Got my first COVID-19 vaccination
Mar. 2nd, 2021 08:50 pmPosted to my other blog about getting my first COVID-19 vaccination, eligibility in New York, booking the appointment, and how the process went. Please feel free to link to that publicly.
parentheticals
Apr. 17th, 2020 11:50 amI read aloud some of Andrew & Chris Cuomo's most recent conversation (about New York's response to the pandemic) to Leonard, and I got to the bit about them (I think) quoting a poem their dad (Mario Cuomo) wrote and turning it into a joke, and Leonard said, "I feel like I'm listening to you and Nandini" (my sister). The inside jokes, the asides, the laughter.
I have a new blog post "Videocall, Group Chat, and Information Tools" on my other blog; check it out if you would like some additional useful & recommended tools as we mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
