Charlotte Smith

I'm a person

[thechickendaddy]

It's the end of July and I haven't had a cellphone since June 13th. Here are a few of my observations

Some people just absolutely cannot function without their phone. I find that incredibly sad that someone can feel so lost in this world without being constantly connected to it

Speaking of connection, I don't think phones connect people like they think they do. I feel more connected to everything I'm doing now because there's no longer outside influence or motivation as to how or why I'm doing things

I observe far more than I have in years. That lull in action, the silence in moments, waiting...those were times where cellphones would fill the gap. Now all I have are my ears and my eyes

I have better overall cognitive function, as I am forced to remember things on my own accord. I've had SO much time to think about things and be incredibly introspective. And with all of that thinking my thoughts are all my own, again, without any outside influence

I haven't wore headphones since my phone went into the river. I was getting away from them prior to not having a phone anyway but now it's not even an option. More mental clarity and more observation on my walks and at the gym. I feel much more focused without the noise

One thing that might piss some people off is that I am so blissfully ignorant and unaware now that when people bring up the political landscape or AI or whatever other messed up thing that's happening I am so completely unaware that it comes off in a negative light. I'm ok with that. I live life, I see many people with many backgrounds and all I see is people coexisting. The hate and vitriol is man made internet fodder and we as a society eat it up and call it truth. Social media isn't reality, and as far as I'm concerned, either is the news

I have no desire to buy things via the internet. No flash sale or price drop gets me excited because if I'm not currently in need of an item I simply do not buy it

I desire a lot less physical possessions and have put social connection at the forefront of life. Family dinners, fires, patio drinks with great conversation. That's where life truly is. It's not in that little rectangle that now listens to everything you say, records everything you type, follows you WHEREVER you go. We've given up freedom for convenience. Cellphones are not God, they should not possess as much power and control as they do.

[thechickendaddy]

It's the end of July and I haven't had a cellphone since June 13th. Here are a few of my observations

Some people just absolutely cannot function without their phone. I find that incredibly sad that someone can feel so lost in this world without being constantly connected to it

Speaking of connection, I don't think phones connect people like they think they do. I feel more connected to everything I'm doing now because there's no longer outside influence or motivation as to how or why I'm doing things

I observe far more than I have in years. That lull in action, the silence in moments, waiting...those were times where cellphones would fill the gap. Now all I have are my ears and my eyes

I have better overall cognitive function, as I am forced to remember things on my own accord. I've had SO much time to think about things and be incredibly introspective. And with all of that thinking my thoughts are all my own, again, without any outside influence

I haven't wore headphones since my phone went into the river. I was getting away from them prior to not having a phone anyway but now it's not even an option. More mental clarity and more observation on my walks and at the gym. I feel much more focused without the noise

One thing that might piss some people off is that I am so blissfully ignorant and unaware now that when people bring up the political landscape or AI or whatever other messed up thing that's happening I am so completely unaware that it comes off in a negative light. I'm ok with that. I live life, I see many people with many backgrounds and all I see is people coexisting. The hate and vitriol is man made internet fodder and we as a society eat it up and call it truth. Social media isn't reality, and as far as I'm concerned, either is the news

I have no desire to buy things via the internet. No flash sale or price drop gets me excited because if I'm not currently in need of an item I simply do not buy it

I desire a lot less physical possessions and have put social connection at the forefront of life. Family dinners, fires, patio drinks with great conversation. That's where life truly is. It's not in that little rectangle that now listens to everything you say, records everything you type, follows you WHEREVER you go. We've given up freedom for convenience. Cellphones are not God, they should not possess as much power and control as they do.

[walmart-the-official]

Hey, don’t cry. Free online database of Japanese folk lore

[bleu-guacamole]

Might I add, free database of mostly European folklore and myths

[bogleech]

A Book of Creatures by @a-book-of-creatures doesn't update these days but is another thing along these lines, really huge, fully illustrated all by the author and cites all sources

[forever-let-it-burn]

[elvencantation]

While the giant bill was fake, it represented a very real accomplishment. The group raised more than $17,000, which purchased more than $1.6 million in medical debt owed by Philadelphians, according to their nonprofit partner RIP Medical Debt.

keep reading

[silverolivia-upsidedown]

This is a great way to undermine the system that we are trapped in

[uniquecrash5]

The fact that this can be done at all shows how utterly bullshit the entire system is. There was literally no reason for that medical debt to exist in the first place.

[derinthescarletpescatarian]

Let's say you owe a private hospital ten thousand dollars, but you have very few assets, so they're pretty sure they're never getting any of that back. There's ninety nine other people who also each owe the hospital ten thousand dollars. (It doesn't have to be a hospital; any debt can be sold this way.) The hospital has shit to do and the low chances of you paying them mean it's an unnecessary drain on their time and resources to hound you all for it. But they can get *some* money, by selling your debt to a third party.

Let's say the sell each ten thousand dollar debt for ten dollars (I'm making all these numbers up for simplicity). So a third party gives the hospital one thousand dollars, and now all hundred of you owe that third party ten thousand instead! You're in the clear with the hospital, you owe it to these guys now! And their job is to hound and harrass you for the money you owe. If one of you pays up more than a thousand dollars, you've covered their initial investment. These guys are gambling on the likelihood that enough of you can pay your debts that you make it worth the time they spend tracking you and harrassing you.

Or, instead of trying to get the money out of you, they can just... decide you don't owe them. Why not? They own the debt. They can fork out a thousand bucks, buy a million in debt, and forgive it. That's what these guys did. (This is also a favourite move of John Oliver; if you ever see headlines about John Oliver forgiving debt, this is what he's doing). A small payment can take a massive weight off the shoulders of a lot of struggling people.

Again, I made up the numbers to simplify the math. But this is how the process works.

[turbozarky]

seventeen thousand dollars to buy SIXTEEN MILLION DOLLARS OF DEBT. Absolutely FUCKED at how cheap our misery and servitude is.

[enkiduofvideogames]

thing is, the debt companies *hate* this, because it means that it gives hope to people saddled with unimaginable debt that someone will come along and buy that debt and cancel it. So more people don't pay their debts, and they lose money. Debt buying companies do their *damnedest* to keep people like these philadelphhians and john oliver from doing exactly this.

[complete]

you can do this too! Follow OP's link to https://ripmedicaldebt.org/ and donate whatever you can. For every $1 you donate, they buy $100 of debt and cancel it. I donate $10 each month just to get that amazing email that says I've been personally responsible for cancelling $1000 of medical debt - it's genuinely the best $10 I spend each month 😊

[macleod]

Homepage - RIP Medical Debt

RIP Medical Debt makes it easy for donors to make an impactful difference in the lives of those struggling with medical debt.

[idkitsartman]

This is very stupid but it’s genuinely what I think about every time I consider skipping dinner after work

[drax-the-vampire-king]

How i feel whenever someone i know says they dont eat 3 meals a day

[theinturnetexplorer]

Great Understatements in History

[eyecantread]

Larry, the Chief Mouser, Caught a Mouse

Turns out the trick to politics isn't to merely do the job, but also make sure you take credit for it.

[frankiesbugs]

It's 7 am, I have to go to Milano to present the demo of my game, and this is my breakfast (fette biscottate + water with Tachipirina)

[frankiesbugs]

It's an improvement from dinner (water with a lemon squeezed in it to have at least a tiny bit of vitamins) and my tummy doesn't hurt too much, but I feel like I've been hit by a truck.

[frankiesbugs]

All went well and I had a sandwich for lunch 💫

[ashloraptor]

Seeing this, I got a little nostalgic for the Baudelaire children from A Series of Unfortunate Events. That was their dinner, too, from the book where they were in prison...

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

always some new bullshit in the ocean

[local-demon-in-your-area]

Why is it always orcas or dolphins

Why can't a salmon do some bullshit for once

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

worry not ☝️ they're doing coke

[whydidisavethistomyphone]

[imaginarylands4000]

[cherriielle]

**haunting ethereal noises start playing** 🌲🌳🌿

[ashloraptor]

I'm taking a leaf from @frankiesbugs and trying to romanticize life. I can't compose aesthetic-style photos yet, so have some macrophotography.

[ashloraptor]

This is a test

[mactiir]

obsessed with mass market paperbacks. their pleasing rectangular proportions. how they fit badly in a hoodie pocket so you can drag them around everywhere with you like a temporary little buddy. the way they fit in your hand because they're MADE for human hands and not as bookshelf decoration. the way the pages feel when you riffle them gently with your thumb. How pristine and crisp they look when you get them and how creased and folded they look when you're done, even if you try to be nice to them. how that wear is okay, how that's correct actually, because they're made with the philosophy that books aren't meant to be PRETTY, they're meant to be read. that little ripple new ones get on the left side from where you hold them when you're reading, the way the ripple only goes as far as you've read, because u change stories by reading as they are changing you. how you can find thousands of these creased and folded and loved little dudes in every thrift store and used book shop and neighborhood library and you can instantly see the ones that someone carried around in a backpack for weeks or read to pieces or gave up on halfway through because they wear being read like fresh snow wears footprints. I love these poorly made, subpar little rectangles so much. truly the people's books.

[anxiouslittlecarrot]

I’m a book designer and to me paperbacks and soft covers are much more functional for their intended purpose—reading—than hardcovers, so may I add:

They’re lightweight;

You can hold them up one-handed and it doesn’t hurt or fall (that part of your hand was made to hold a book, nothing else can be held there the same way, we have evolved as a species to hold books open between our thumb and index finger);

You can actually hold them up to read, instead of having to rest them somewhere and read either priest- or Gollum-style

Which means you can take them with you wherever you go and it’s not awkward to read on the go, in a queue, on a bench, wherever;

They’re cheaper;

And less daunting for beginner and casual readers;

Both of those mean they make literature more accessible (which was their origin story in the first place, but it’s still true!)

The groundwood paper ones leave ink-stains and paper smell on your fingers! It’s like a kiss mark from a book! It’s leaving a mark on you the way you do on them!!! It’s one of my favourite things in the world!!!!!

Anyway, paperbacks are the best

[raccoonmilf]

Chat, is it considered “abusive roommate behavior” to release a raccoon into the living space after you have asked your roommate for months to please clean up their messes (they do not pay any of the mortgage)

[raccoonmilf]

For context, when I used to live alone I would do something called “Princess Time” where I would do an initial sweep (to remove any significant hazards) and then I would release a raccoon into the living area and clean. This helped because I would 1) feel like a princess and 2) the raccoon would bring attention to things my ADHD brain had decided to ignore and I’d quickly clean that stuff up.

So like, if I’m expected to clean the house now, I will be doing it in the way that is most effective for me. And anything that has not been cleaned up after months of having sit-down talks and sending reminders and being promised things will change, might be deemed “trash” by the trash panda and thrown away.

[raccoonmilf]

We haven’t done since we moved into the house, because I didn’t want to cause my roommate or their cats destress or have their things destroyed by a raccoon

[raccoonmilf]

I am a raccoon biologist and one of the few people in the state allowed to take in captive bred raccoons that had been possessed illegally. The raccoon in the photos is Moonshine, but she is currently at the animal sanctuary where I work as I had been quarantining multiple new intakes from an abuse case. I still have two males (Rum Tum Tugger and Electra) left in my home enclosure as we are getting them neutered and then hopefully sending them to an AZA accredited zoo.

I wanna make things very clear that underneath all the whimsy, I am a trained professional.

[raccoonmilf]

Those vibes are likely because I’m the original creator of Dashcon and my personality has not changed since 2012 lmao

[fipindustries]

[raccoonmilf]

Chat, is it considered “abusive roommate behavior” to release a raccoon into the living space after you have asked your roommate for months to please clean up their messes (they do not pay any of the mortgage)

[raccoonmilf]

For context, when I used to live alone I would do something called “Princess Time” where I would do an initial sweep (to remove any significant hazards) and then I would release a raccoon into the living area and clean. This helped because I would 1) feel like a princess and 2) the raccoon would bring attention to things my ADHD brain had decided to ignore and I’d quickly clean that stuff up.

So like, if I’m expected to clean the house now, I will be doing it in the way that is most effective for me. And anything that has not been cleaned up after months of having sit-down talks and sending reminders and being promised things will change, might be deemed “trash” by the trash panda and thrown away.

[raccoonmilf]

We haven’t done since we moved into the house, because I didn’t want to cause my roommate or their cats destress or have their things destroyed by a raccoon

[raccoonmilf]

I am a raccoon biologist and one of the few people in the state allowed to take in captive bred raccoons that had been possessed illegally. The raccoon in the photos is Moonshine, but she is currently at the animal sanctuary where I work as I had been quarantining multiple new intakes from an abuse case. I still have two males (Rum Tum Tugger and Electra) left in my home enclosure as we are getting them neutered and then hopefully sending them to an AZA accredited zoo.

I wanna make things very clear that underneath all the whimsy, I am a trained professional.

[raccoonmilf]

Those vibes are likely because I’m the original creator of Dashcon and my personality has not changed since 2012 lmao

[fipindustries]