Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc

@kimberlyratliff

narcolepsy + sleep advocate ~ NFL fanatic ~ Carolina Panthers fan ~ The Sims 4 ~ COVID cautious in CLT ~ pro-mask, pro-vaccine, pro-abortion ~ cat mom ~ DnD, Doctor Who & pro cycling lover ~ skeets are my own ~ she/her ~ @kimberlyratliff on TwitterX

1,350 Following891 Followers1,957 Posts

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Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· 8d

Spouse sent me this one the other day

An image intended to look like it was from the old Oregon Trail video game, green graphics & text on a black screen, that says "you have died of Taylor Farms" instead of the classic line from the game, which was "you have died of dysentery."

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Jul 12

This wee beastie turned 10 today. She got to go outside in her harness this morning and enjoy a churu treat this afternoon. Happy balloon day to Nala. 🎈 #CatsOfBsky #CatsOfBluesky

Photo of Nala, an adult brown tabby cat with blue-green eyes and white chin, chest & toes. She's wearing a yellow & purple harness attached to a yellow leash, laying on neutral carpet.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Jul 5

Our cat normally hides behind the couch or under the bed whenever there's thunder, lightning or rain. Interestingly, she doesn't seem to be bothered by the fireworks tonight. So many pets (and people) are stressed by the sound! Take it easy tonight, love on your pets (and people), and Happy 4th! 🎆

Photo of a gray tabby cat with white chin, chest and toes curled up on a cream colored Ikea Poang ottoman. A blue rug is visible in the background.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Apr 25

Underrated tweet

Michael Jackson dangling his infant son Prince Michael II, nicknamed "Blanket," over a Berlin hotel balcony in 2002.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Feb 20

Scammer to block: #scam #scammer #block

Screen shot of a Bluesky Chat Request from user rybalchenko.bsky.social that says "Hello baby 💕 would you let me deposit $5,000 to you just for.."
There is a notation below the truncated text that says "Not followed by anyone you're following" and two buttons to click either Accept or Reject.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Feb 15

If you see this, post a character that starts with a K. See it once and never forget: Kikkoman Warrior. ( Reference - youtu.be/qII5vwqrGUo?... )

Screenshot from the Fight Kikkoman video linked in the post, it is an animated character with a silver fish shaped soy sauce packet for a head, a masculine muscular body bearing the Kikkoman crest on their chest, white cape and red gloves.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Feb 13

Sweet pupper face. Getting the same stare from this wee one, an hour ahead of her dinner as well.

Nala, a brown & gray tabby cat with white chin & chest, sits on a computer desk above a keyboard & mouse tray. She is wearing a blue collar with a bell and staring expectantly at the taker of the photo. Computer monitor, papers and water bottle are visible in the background.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Jan 7

Here's a picture of my little reminder of peace 🤍

Nala, a brown and grey tabby cat wearing a turquoise & dark blue collar, lies sleeping in a circle on her side. She is nestled into a fluffy grey cat bed. Her chin and belly are white.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Jan 1

Glad to leave 2025 in the rear view. It was a very tough year. One highlight was adopting our cat in January and seeing more & more of her personality come out as the weeks went by. I hope we're all on an upward trend in 2026, and the world will be much better off in 12 months' time. #HappyNewYear

Photo of Nala, a 9 year old brown & grey tabby cat with white chin & chest, laying down on a dark blue bedspread with a light blue & white leaf pattern on it. A bell is visibly hanging from the collar around Nala's neck.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Dec 29

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Dec 28

Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn't Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden or Alice In Chains.

Album cover of Depeche mode - violator.
Red & white graphic of a single rose and leaves on a thorny stem, over a black background. Depeche mode appears in white text on a gray background in the upper right hand corner. violator appears in white script in the lower right hand corner.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Nov 16

Yes. And if it was up to Charlotte, she would have won.

A screenshot from the North Carolina State Board of Elections website, https://er.ncsbe.gov/?election_dt=11/05/2024&county_id=60&office=FED&contest=1393

It shows that for Mecklenburg County, the November 8 2024 US Presidential election results were as follows:

NAME ON BALLOT PARTY BALLOT COUNT PERCENT
Kamala D. Harris DEM 376,454 65.19%
Donald J. Trump REP 187,770 32.51%
Jill Stein GRE 4,058 0.70%
Write-In (Miscellaneous) 3,755 0.65%
Chase Oliver LIB 2,696 0.47%
Cornel West JFA 2,004 0.35%
Randall Terry CST 697 0.12%
Claudia De la Cruz (Write-In) 68 0.01%
Shiva Ayyadurai (Write-In) 3 0.00%

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Oct 22

An excerpt from this Politico piece: www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Platner’s social media posts, including messages from as recently as 2021, have gained widespread media attention in recent days.

POLITICO reported Platner suggested political violence is necessary to affect social change in a 2018 post. The Washington Post reported Platner downplayed concerns about sexual assault in posts from 2013. CNN reported he labeled all White Americans in rural areas as racist and stupid in one 2020 post and said all cops are “bastards” in a 2021 post. The Bangor Daily News reported Platner asked why Black people “don’t tip” in a 2013 post.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Oct 18

Thank you @flagsforgood.com -- we may not be able to participate in the No Kings protests due to energy-limiting illnesses, but we can still show support for the cause! #NoKings #NoKingsDay #NoKingsCLT #CLT #Charlotte #CharlotteNC

Photo of a garden flag hanging from a suburban mailbox post. The flag says No Kings since 1776 with an upside-down crown, printed over a blue banner at the top with vertical red stripes at the bottom. A small Flags for Good tag is visible in the upper corner.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Oct 18

This is the Charlotte Observer, not the N & O, although I realize you share a newsroom. Readers like me are less interested in the 9 Triangle area protests and more interested in the 10+ Charlotte area protests.

Map of No Kings protests around Charlotte, NC with 10+ location pins represented.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Oct 2

My coworker is being extra sweet to me today #CatsOfBluesky #NotCaturday

A brown & grey tabby cat with a white chin & chest rests in a fluffy gray cat bed on top of a desk.

A brown & grey tabby cat with a white chin & chest and eyes closed receives pets in a fluffy gray cat bed on top of a desk.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Sep 18

From the FCC's own site on The Public & Broadcasting, in the section Broadcast Programming: Basic Law & Policy - "It [the 1st Amendment] also protects broadcasts that criticize or ridicule established customs and institutions, including the government and its officials." www.fcc.gov/media/radio/...

Criticism, Ridicule, and Humor Concerning Individuals, Groups, and Institutions.

The First Amendment's guarantee of freedom of speech similarly protects programming that stereotypes or may otherwise offend people with regard to their religion, race, national background, gender, or other characteristics. It also protects broadcasts that criticize or ridicule established customs and institutions, including the government and its officials. The Commission recognizes that, under our Constitution, people must be free to say things that the majority may abhor, not only what most people may find tolerable or congenial. However, if you are offended by a station’s programming, we urge you to make your concerns known in writing to the station licensee.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Sep 11

Gentle reminder that you can mute words & tags on Bluesky. So if there are subjects today making you mad or sad, and you need a break from them for a day, a week, or a month, hit Settings > Moderation > Muted Words & Tags, and then fill out this form:

Screenshot of the "Add muted words and tags" function in the Bluesky mobile app on Android.

Text: "Add muted words and tags.

Posts can be muted based on their text, their tags, or both. We recommend avoiding common words that appear in many posts, since it can result in no posts being shown.

Enter a word or tag"

There are radio button selections for the duration of the mute, ranging from one day to 7 days to 30 days to forever.

There is also a radio button to choose between muting from both text and tags or just tags.

There is a checkbox to avoid muting users you follow.

At the bottom is a button labeled Add+.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Sep 11

COVID Competent over here.

Exam Complete!
100%
You got 20 out of 20 questions correct (Weighted score: 26.6/26.6)
😷 Epidemiologist's Nightmare
Perfect score! You're so well-informed, conspiracy theorists actively avoid you at parties.
Share your results and challenge others!

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Sep 9

It's primary election day, and I ran out at lunchtime to vote in the primary for Charlotte Mayor & City Council. I prefer to vote early, but none of the early voting locations were close enough to home. Get out and vote today, CLT! Polls are open until 7:30 pm. #ncpol #cltcc #vote #IVoted

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Sep 4

Keep trying! Every time my cat jumps up on my work desk I put her in a fluffy bed that I bought and put off to the side (as opposed to her sitting directly in front of me, where I need the workspace) she FINALLY got in there on her own sporadically in late July and more consistently into August.

Photo of a fluffy round dark grey cat bed with a cat lying inside. The cat is a brown tabby with white chin and chest. In the background, an open cabinet door is visible overhead, and a wire snakes from behind the door.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Aug 23

Sooo precious! My big girl was keeping me company while I played DnD last night

Image taken from above of an open laptop on a lap desk with a Dungeons & Dragons map on the screen, a forested campsite with the 20 ft sphere of the effects of the Spike Growth spell circled in bright green. A brown tabby cat rests to the right of the laptop keyboard on a gray armrest, turquoise collar barely visible, facing away from the camera.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Aug 20

Just left a testimonial for you. 500 characters is not nearly enough to sing your praises!

Screenshot that says "Sephora Squad" at the top.
"I just left a testimonial for @THESKINCAREBULLY"
"I first followed The Skincare Bully on Twitter years ago (well before it was X). She made these great videos & posts in the evenings giving out "tough love" reminders to perform your nighttime skincare routine before going to bed. I've followed her to Bluesky and love her sunscreen tests. I'm lazy with skin care & steps and her advice helps so much!"

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Aug 14

My favorite resource for figuring out how long foods are good past their "best buy" date is StillTasty.com Diet soda may be good 3-6 months past the "best buy" date. Regular (non-diet) goes for 6-9 months after, depending upon storage conditions.

Screenshot from StillTasty.com

How Long Do Unopened Diet Soft Drinks Last?

DIET SODA / SOFT DRINKS / POP (INCLUDING DIET COLA, GINGER ALE, ROOT BEER), COMMERCIALLY CANNED OR BOTTLED — UNOPENED

Pantry: 3-6 months after date on package

Refrigerator: 3-6 months after date on package

Screenshot from StillTasty.com

How Long Do Unopened Soft Drinks Last?

REGULAR SODA / SOFT DRINKS / POP (INCLUDING COLA, GINGER ALE, ROOT BEER), COMMERCIALLY CANNED OR BOTTLED — UNOPENED

Pantry: 6-9 months after date on package

Refrigerator: 6-9 months after date on package

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Aug 11

Happy you, happy Felix! About 6 months since we adopted Nala here, sharing because the photo has a similar POV

Photo from above of a brown tabby cat stretched out and lounging on her back, resting atop a pair of human legs clad in blue & black yoga pants. The gray footrest of a recliner is extended in support of lap and cat.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Jul 21

The pandemic *state of emergency* has ended, but the pandemic *itself* is not over, according to the World Health Organization. Source: www.who.int/europe/emerg...

On 5 May 2023, more than three years into the pandemic, the WHO Emergency Committee on COVID-19 recommended to the Director-General, who accepted the recommendation, that given the disease was by now well established and ongoing, it no longer fit the definition of a PHEIC. This does not mean the pandemic itself is over, but the global emergency it caused is – for now.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Jun 22

Sharing a pic of my sweet Nala in her window bed. We can both pay attention to what's going on in the world AND enjoy the love & peacefulness of our pets. We can put both in our timelines.

Photo of Nala, an adult cat with brown tabby coloring on most of her head & body and a white chin & chest. She is curled up like a loaf in a gray fleece bed that is suction cupped to the window, looking at the photographer. Behind her out the window, green grass is visible along with a hint of the landscaping from a neighboring house.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Apr 20

The Holocaust Museum defines the difference between a concentration camp and prison, is the concentration camp operates outside of a judicial system.

Screenshot titled "Holocaust Encyclopedia" at the top, with the number 2 and a definition below:
What distinguishes a concentration camp from a prison (in the modern sense) is that it functions outside of a judicial system. The prisoners are not indicted or convicted of any crime by judicial process.

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Apr 10

What perfect albums came out when you were 16? #musicsky

Album cover of Jane's Addiction - Ritual de lo Habitual

Album cover of Pet Shop Boys - Behaviour

Album cover of LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out

Kimberly #MaskUp Ratliff, MSc@kimberlyratliff· Mar 31

Happy Transgender Day of Visibility to my trans & non-binary friends, neighbors, teammates, loved ones & mutuals. I'm glad you're here. You are seen, heard, appreciated & loved. I'm going to keep standing up for your rights because Trans rights are human rights. #TransRights #Ally #TransgenderDay