meet me in the desert at 3 am for existential crises @billennial - Tumblr Blog

Since once in a blue moon I actually discover a decent rule for adulting, and since I know I have followers a few years younger than me who are just entering the workforce, I want to tell you about a very important phrase.

“I won’t be available.”

Imagine you’re at work and your boss asks you to come in on Saturday. Saturday is usually your day off–coming in Saturdays is not an obligation to keep your job. Maybe you were going to watch a movie with a friend, or maybe you were just going to lie in bed and eat ice cream for eight hours, but either way you really, really don’t want to give up your day off.

If you consider yourself a millennial you’ve probably been raised to believe you need to justify not being constantly at work. And if you’re a gen-Z kid you’re likely getting the same toxic messages that we did. So in a situation like that, you might be inclined to do one of three things:

Tell your boss you’d rather not give up your day off. Cave when they pressure you to come in anyway, since you’re not doing anything important.

Tell your boss you’d rather not give up your day off. Over-apologize and worry that you looked bad/unprofessional.

Lie and say you’ve got a doctor’s appointment or some other activity that feels like an adequate justification for not working.

The fact is, it doesn’t matter to your boss whether you’re having open heart surgery or watching anime in your underwear on Saturday. The only thing that affects them is the fact that you won’t be at work. So telling them why you won’t be at work only gives them reason to try and pressure you to come in anyway.

If you say “I won’t be available,” giving no further information, you’d be surprised how often that’s enough. Be polite and sympathetic in your tone, maybe even say “sorry, but I won’t be available.” But don’t make an excuse. If your boss is a professional individual, they’ll accept that as a ‘no’ and try to find someone else.

But bosses aren’t always professional. Sometimes they’re whiny little tyrants. So, what if they pressure you further? The answer is–politely and sympathetically give them no further information.

“Are you sure you’re not available?” “Sorry, but yes.”

“Why won’t you be available?” “I have a prior commitment.” (Which you do, even if it’s only to yourself.)

“What’s your prior commitment?” “Sorry, but that’s kind of personal.”

“Can you reschedule it?” “I’m afraid not. Maybe someone else can come in?”

If you don’t give them anything to work with, they can’t pressure you into going beyond your obligations as an employee. And when they realize that, they’ll also realize they have to find someone else to come in and move on.

spookyscarysylvia

@growup-gloup

mariacallous

The move follows an executive order issued last week by the White House urging the agency to secure consumers' rights to fix their own gadgets.

DURING AN OPEN commission meeting Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission voted unanimously to enforce laws around the Right to Repair, thereby ensuring that US consumers will be able to repair their own electronic and automotive devices.

The FTC’s endorsement of the rules is not a surprise outcome; the issue of Right to Repair has been a remarkably bipartisan one, and the FTC itself issued a lengthy report in May that blasted manufacturers for restricting repairs. But the 5 to 0 vote signals the commission’s commitment to enforce both federal antitrust laws and a key law around consumer warranties—the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act—when it comes to personal device repairs.

The vote, which was led by new FTC chair and known tech critic Lina Khan, also comes 12 days after President Joe Biden signed a broad executive order aimed at promoting competition in the US economy. The order addressed a wide range of industries, from banks to airlines to tech companies. But a portion of it encouraged the FTC, which operates as an independent agency, to create new rules that would prevent companies from restricting repair options for consumers.

meme-loving-stuck

HOLY

SHIT

actualaster

?!?!?!?!?!

Literally every single warranty I have ever read says “lol void if u tamper w/ this shit”

And you’re telling me that’s a rule violation the manufacturer can be reported for?!?!

[Image ID: a screenshot of a portion of text from the article linked in the first post that reads “the FTC is so encouraging the public to report warrant abuse–as defined by the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act of 1975, which prohibits manufacturers from telling consumers that a warranty is voided if the product has been altered or tampered with in someone other than the original manufacturer.” The text from “which prohibits” through to the end is underlined with red. End ID]

salternator

Yep! Those “warranty void if removed” stickers are not legally enforceable in the US. Companies still put them on because unfortunately most people don’t know about this. Best advice I ever heard for if you need to return a product that you’ve removed the stickers from:

Persistently insist that the stickers never were there. Act confused if you’re asked. You got the product like this, sticker-free. The eye of the law doesn’t see the stickers, so you didn’t either.

apostatefrog

Gather ‘round kids: I had a coworker mention to me this morning that it’s impossible to get grease stains out of fabric. As a former chemistry minor who worked two years under the table doing housekeeping and who generally tends to be a fucking disaster, I am here to tell everyone that it absolutely is not impossible, in case this is a widespread belief. Here are a few of my favorite cleaning stain removers that I always have at home.

Here are some options:

A Tide™ pen.

I’m a generic kinda lady. I hate promoting brands 99% of the time. BUT if you catch absolutely any kind of stain before it gets ground in, you can get most of it out with one of these babies. I’ve tested it on blood, chocolate, coffee, guacamole, pizza sauce, red wine on, on that one time i accidentally slopped some oil I was supposed to be using on antiques onto a fancy rug (also an antique but not the one I was gunning for). If you’re washing something delicate, pump it onto your finger a couple of times and gently rub it in. I’m not sure what they put in these things but I’m pretty sure it’s an arcane secret.

Dish soap

Granted, this is a little trickier for upholstery/carpet, but it can still be done using a rag, some water, and some patience. But for clothing, just pour some soap on the stain and rub it in under cold running water.

Absolutely any clear alcohol is your new best friend

You know the old “white wine to clean red” trick? Well, this is its updated sister I like to call “you, too, can use coconut rum to get red jello shot out of your nice white dress”. It’s a nice party trick. Straight vodka works even better. For every day situations involving any kind of alcohol-related spills (including markers)–and especially work situations–rubbing alcohol is ideal. To quote another adage, this one from every chemistry teacher you will ever meet, “like dissolves like.”

Hydrogen Peroxide

It can get blood out of absolutely anything, including your mattress. It reacts with the iron in hemoglobin, which breaks down the molecule, causing it to lose its red color. So make sure you’re not using a cast iron skillet to wash your period underwear in.

Vinegar

This will dissolve lime buildup overnight. Fill a bag, tie it around your showerhead, and presto. You can also use it to scrub the area around your sink and to break up any buildup in pipes. (Limeaway™ is for rich people.)

Baking soda

This is great if you have a pet or child who peed on the carpet. Just cover the area, wait until it dries, and vacuum it up. The longer you leave it, the better it will do at removing the smell. It’s also good removing mild odors from a small space, like a fridge or a laundry hamper.

Charcoal

This is your heavy duty odor killer. A little goes a long way. In chemistry, activated charcoal is used as a purifier in reactions, and in medicine, it can be used to treat mild poisoning/overdoses. In your car that smells like someone died because you forgot you had potatoes in the trunk for six months? All you need are regular old charcoal briquettes. Stick a couple handfuls in a flat box and the smell will be gone overnight. Guaranteed. For larger areas, just use more charcoal.

captainlordauditor

Baking soda is also good for stuff stuck on pots pans and your stove top. Add a little bit of water and elbow grease and it’s like magic

@howtogrowthefuckup

madamehardy

Baby shampoo will get oil stains out of clothing even if it’s been washed and dried several times. Shampoo is formulated to remove oil from organic stuff.

inmysewingbox

Fabric cleaning tips. good to know for sewers.

badass-art-tutorials

Helpful!!!

lovelyladylavie

Thank you guys so much! I have so many shirts i can’t wear anymore bc im a messy one

brattylikestoeat

angelsonthesideline-deactivated

This looks more like a how-to by @5triderofthenorth or @instructor144

5triderofthenorth

One of the easiest and most gratifying restorations a person can do! About half my cast iron is salvaged, the rest was new.

bethrogers

A great YouTube channel for cast iron cookware, restoring, collecting, cleaning & cooking, is Cast Iron Cookware. The guy is incredible.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO7aRkmQGejiKrXhAniOVnw

carnivalseb

is that the reason that these oldschool pans never have a wooden handle? So you can treat them in the oven like this without destroying part of them?

sassysousa

Yes, thats why. Also so you can cook food in them in the oven or on an open fire without damage.

Always wipe clean with a wet rag or sponge after cooking, minimize scrubbing, simmer water in the pan to soften really stuck bits. Then dry fully and put just a smidge of your oil/fat of choice on it before putting the pan away. And liberally re-season (the coating with oil/fat and baking at 400 part) as needed if you notice things sticking more!

These pans will last multiple lifetimes, as evidenced by the video above.

exeggcute

lol I am in such a stressed-out blind rage today from insurance bullshit that I wrote up a glossary of health insurance terms (things like deductibles, premiums, and copays) because all the free guides online are unnecessarily complicated and the only way you can squeeze a dime out of these bullshit companies is to understand their overly-complicated policies. give em hell

nerdlingwrites

This is a GREAT guide folks - it’s simple, straightforward, and deals well with the overly complicated alphabet soup of medical insurance. Knowing this stuff can prove REALLY helpful, and the examples used are a great resource.

screambirdscreaming

My mom says that in Las Vegas, you garden with a pickaxe.

The desert resists this way of living.

Every house has a two-car garage and no basement. Everyone saved the money for the excavation for their in-ground pool. In Las Vegas in the summer, it is 110 degrees in the shade. No one goes outside, except to use the in-ground pool. Air-conditioned cars drive into air-conditioned garages and people slip inside without ever seeing the sun.

The desert resists this way of living.

In the desert there are canyons where the deep shade holds the chill of night. In the desert are rivers flowing through the heat of summer, cool water from the aquifer, carried here through the earth from distant rains.

The dam floods the canyon and the river water, trapped, evaporates by the gallon in the hot sun.

Under the water in the reservoir are old footpaths, ancient trees, carvings in the cliff.

The dam draws water away to the thirsty city and its desperate lawns and fountains, the dam churns out the power that keeps the city alight.

Las Vegas rises from the desert like a mirage, like a heat-stroke hallucination, like a fever dream. Las Vegas swallows the river and the power and the wealth of far-off places and all these things evaporate under the desert sun.

In the desert, there are towering cacti which bloom only at night. Their sweet nectar draws the bats. In the desert, the purple evening is just cool enough to walk in, and the bats follow you and dance around you, drawn to the bugs which are drawn to your skin. The red rock radiates sun-heat back into the deep sky. In night time, the desert breathes, and the stars are more brilliant than anything you’ve ever seen.

beaft

“How to explain that “trans” may work well enough as shorthand, but the quickly developing mainstream narrative it evokes (“born in the wrong body,” necessitating an orthopedic pilgrimage between two fixed destinations) is useless for some - but partially, or even profoundly, useful for others? That for some, “transitioning” may mean leaving one gender entirely behind, while for others it doesn’t? …How to explain, in a culture frantic for resolution, that sometimes the shit stays messy? I do not want the female gender that has been assigned to me at birth. Neither do I want the male gender that transsexual medicine can furnish and that the state will award me if I behave in the right way. I don’t want any of it. How to explain that for some, or for some at some times, this irresolution is OK - desirable, even - whereas for others, or for others at some times, it stays a source of conflict or grief? How does one get across the fact that the best way to find out how people feel about their gender or their sexuality is to listen to what they tell you, and to try to treat them accordingly, without shellacking over their version of reality with yours?”

— Maggie Nelson, The Argonauts

engulfes

English is so fucked up for not having a bon appetit/guten appetit/eet smakelijk esque saying

sandersstudies

Once my uncle’s mom, who is an old Mexican lady, asked my sister “how do you say in English....’good eating’?” And my sister was like “you just said it in English. Good eating?” And that was the first time this woman realized English had no equivalent for buen provecho.

tesria

Isn't it "[I hope you] enjoy your meal" or something to that effect?

We don't use it a lot. I think wait staff might say "Enjoy your meal," sometimes, and I've seen people who cooked for a dinner party or something just say "Enjoy!" to let people know it's ok to start or whatever. It's not an exact analogue, but we don't have nothing at all.