26 June - Babies & Germs
Blimey, how about this. Colleague D. is on maternity leave. She was on the phone to another one R.. So I asked how goes it etc. Am told D. is shopping all the time for things to do with impending baby and that she was at home ‘ironing baby clothes’. So I said what do you mean ironing new clothes? R says since clothes were in shop, my colleague D would have washed them to make them really clean/sanitised.
Am asking, is this normal? Is this recommended in the books? Can an item I purchase today carry, don’t know, pig flu virus for next 3 months till this new born may wear it? Or is this mad? I’m not talking about sterilising a bottle, but washing new clothes.
I proceed to tell colleague that I buy second hand clothes and most times wear them w/o washing them. She thinks this is extremely yucky. I say that this way my immune system has possibly grown stronger. What with the past sell by date food I eat too, you know, ‘sell by’ is different from ‘consume by’ and different from ‘it’s gone off’. And that in all my travels I’ve never gone down with anything and that’s a fact. Not for me a week of Delhi belly taking a precious week out of 3 of a trip and so on.
Talking of which, a friend was on holiday in Positano with her boyfriend and on second night there he was taking a picture of her at night in the courtyard of their villa, but he stepped over a small wall to get wider angle and the soil beneath his feet gave way and he fell 40ft. He was lucky to land on sandy soil and not on rocks but with leg broken in 3 places and various other bones in his back, he’s been in intensive care first in Salerno and now still awaiting surgery in Naples nearly 3 weeks after the accident (fluid in lungs meant no surgery possible). Then will take at least another week before getting back. Sorry tales of insurers wasting time on checks etc and sorry tales of Neapolitan cab drivers scamming her everyday. But her family is from India so she says she understand the culture of scams on non speaking the lingo tourists. That’s the least of her problems. Puts a few of my strife in perspective….
Am asking, is this normal? Is this recommended in the books? Can an item I purchase today carry, don’t know, pig flu virus for next 3 months till this new born may wear it? Or is this mad? I’m not talking about sterilising a bottle, but washing new clothes.
I proceed to tell colleague that I buy second hand clothes and most times wear them w/o washing them. She thinks this is extremely yucky. I say that this way my immune system has possibly grown stronger. What with the past sell by date food I eat too, you know, ‘sell by’ is different from ‘consume by’ and different from ‘it’s gone off’. And that in all my travels I’ve never gone down with anything and that’s a fact. Not for me a week of Delhi belly taking a precious week out of 3 of a trip and so on.
Talking of which, a friend was on holiday in Positano with her boyfriend and on second night there he was taking a picture of her at night in the courtyard of their villa, but he stepped over a small wall to get wider angle and the soil beneath his feet gave way and he fell 40ft. He was lucky to land on sandy soil and not on rocks but with leg broken in 3 places and various other bones in his back, he’s been in intensive care first in Salerno and now still awaiting surgery in Naples nearly 3 weeks after the accident (fluid in lungs meant no surgery possible). Then will take at least another week before getting back. Sorry tales of insurers wasting time on checks etc and sorry tales of Neapolitan cab drivers scamming her everyday. But her family is from India so she says she understand the culture of scams on non speaking the lingo tourists. That’s the least of her problems. Puts a few of my strife in perspective….
posted by Lisa Taylor @ 6:31 AM
2 Comments:
At 9:28 PM,
Anonymous said…
Hey regarding baby clothes, it isn't because of "germs' that you wash them it is because of sizing sprays and other starch and god- knows-what that they apply on new clothes all of which can give a baby a bad rash. You also use special washing soap when they are little (I used it until 5 or 6 years) so they don't break out from all the chemicals. Just wanted to let you know that it wasn't because of swine flu!
I tripped over your blog when my Google search kicked up some vacation of yours and I bookmarked you - we have no connection except you are interesting and sometimes I am interested.. Take care, you are cool!
a Mom (among other things) in Seattle
At 8:30 AM,
Lisa Taylor said…
thank you for letting me know! I learn lots of things by 'voicing' some query here. It's good to find out what things mean from the perspective of others who have some knowledge. Too often I think 'Am I just being mean? Are these people mad?' but there's always an explanation. Like the other day a friend who's about to go work for a global de-mining charity, explained that mines are not meant to kill but maim. I thought that was becuase of the psychological damage you do the the 'other side' by having people surviving but w/o limbs, but she she said no, it's becuase a dead soldier will be left in the field but a wounded one has to be rescued somehow and so you're taking out of action 3 soldier, the wounded one and the 2 needed to drag him behind the lines again. Plus yes of course the 'we were here' type territory marking. Er.. i went off subject. sorry.
Post a Comment
<< Home