At any rate, "too much, too soon" is a feeling no based in any sort of evidence. I mean, what does that even mean? Too much not going to get measles?

I washed the door, taped up the trim and epoxied the holes in it. Going to attempt a swim in a bit and come back and prime, then hopefully, paint, the inside of the door. Can't do anything about the exterior until tomorrow. It's bright cerulean, but when I google it, the color is all wrong on my monitor. It matches the blue in a couple of pieces of art I have in the kitchen.

I really think I'm trying to do too much this weekend.

I love the idea of a bright door, sarameg, especially if it picks up a color from your art. Now I want to paint my back door a brighter red (it's sort of a brick red, now, and peeling and chipping and grungy looking), but I probably won't get to that for quite a while

If an alternate schedule mitigates that where is the harm?

The alternate schedule involves more shots and more doctor's visits than the CDC-approved schedule. It's not less stressful for the kid. Nor are the side effects from individual shots lessened.

The harm is that undervaccinated children are at risk for preventable diseases while their parents are pretending to be experts in immunology. The harm is children dying of measles.

[eta: In practice, parents who would like to choose the Dr Sears schedule frequently wind up foregoing certain vaccines altogether because, for example, the MMR is now only available bundled - you can't split them up because the manufacturers no longer make them that way. So parents just skip those entirely, and you wind up with situations like San Diego in 2008.]

I didn't know that about the MMR, Jessica. Thanks!

Kids who aren't vaccinated depend on other kids to be vaccinated for herd immunity. And the unvaccinated kids then spread disease to people who aren't vaccinated. It's like the Ayn Rand school of medicine.

The harm is that undervaccinated children are at risk for preventable diseases while their parents are pretending to be experts in immunology. The harm is children dying of measles.

The other harm is that kids who are vaccinated do not automatically skip the disease. So if Bethany doesn't have her vaccines and gets mumps, Noah can still get them from her, even though he has had his vaccines. (Though the likelihood is dramatically decreased and in instances where a vaccinated child does get the disease, it's often less virulent).

Spreading them out also leaves windows, and rather large gaps, for when your kid has no vaccination for a particular disease. Sears has shown no proof that his vaccine schedule is better. It's all feel-good nonsense.

In our district, starting the fall, all kids from 4th grade on need to prove that they have an updated Tdap. It's one of the only times after a kid is already enrolled that I've ever seen our district deal with whether or not a kid's vax's are up-to-date. Good on them, I say.

The alternate schedule involves more shots and more doctor's visits than the CDC-approved schedule. It's not less stressful for the kid

This is the part I've never been able to understand -- if you think there's a medical reason, I just think you're wrong, but if you think there's a trauma reason, I can't see how spreading them isn't out MORE traumatic?

I just had a successful shopping trip -- picking over the carcass of an about-to-close Border's, and getting a new office sweater at Lord & Taylor that was marked down to $30 on the tag, but I ended up getting for $12. And then I resisted buying expensive makeup just to get the gift-with-purchase, but I'm still considering it.

Does LA Unified require vaccines, Kat?

Yes. Or a waiver stating no vaccines due to religious stuff. A school in Mar Vista (which is between Culver City-ish and Venice) has a waiver rate that's over 60% in K-1.

Fucking people.

ION, I love the internet -- I just learned that the bronzer in the gift with purchase I saw is actually "leg bronzer," which I don't so much want. So I am saved from expensive habits.