things was dark and singular.

28, literary gangster, a little myopic.

[bunjywunjy]

What is your favorite animal tidbit about the denizens of Lake Baikal?

actually my favorite thing about Baikal is the lake itself!

viewed from above, it looks like nothing particularly special. sure, it’s a big lake, but it doesn’t have the surface area of the Great Lakes or the Caspian Sea, right?

WRONG!

BOOM.

see, Lake Baikal really isn’t a lake at all, it’s a deep rent in the earth’s crust called a Rift Valley that just happened to get water in it. and the Baikal rift is one of the deepest and narrowest on earth, making this deceptively placid lake slightly over a MILE deep! that’s bonkers nutso.

like, you think the OCEAN is bad, just imagine being in a little fishing boat on this thing without realizing just how far away the bottom is....

[bigwordsandsharpedges]

Holy fucking shit

[hematite2]

That bitch has a quarter of the fresh water in the entire world?!

[whitmerule]

I notice you never answered the crucial first question, OP. What lives in it? What lives down in that lake?

[bunjywunjy]

congrats, you lucked out this time! because it’s

THEY

that dwell in the depths

[anexperimentallife]

[suriel]

this reply in the comments tho

[thatdisasterauthor]

This did not go where I expected from the first tweet and now I am laughing so hard I am crying.

[russiawave]

kot - a regular cat

koshka - a regular female cat

kote (internet slang) - a cute chubby little guy, every single cute cat on the internet

kisa -  a pretty, flirtatious, graceful, cranky and haughty lady

kisunya - an extra pretty, flirtatious, graceful, cranky and haughty lady

kis’ - just a dork, controlled by aliens

kotik - a bit more disney version of a regulat cat

koten’ka - cuddly little fella, will purr and knead you to death 

kotofei - usually a big, old, extra fluffy cat, who knows a lot of bed time stories

kotyandra - fast, thin and slinky, we’re not sure if it’s even a cat 

koshak - a tough street guy, dogs fear him

kotyara - extra round, exrta big, kind ass fella. 

the list is endless.

artist https://twitter.com/Filkit1 Here is their twitter

and here is their Vk: https://vk.com/filkit

[dancinginodessa]

better late than never

I do a survey every year on New Year’s. It’s currently February 5. We’re going to make it “in the new year” this time so I don’t break my fifteen-year streak, okay?

1. What did you do in 2019 that you’d never done before?

Many things, some of them not suitable for a general audience. (I’ll tell you about Psych Bike when you’re older.) I went camping for the first time, which also means I set up a tent and slept outdoors for the first time. I had a surprise party for the first time, which is less something I did than something that was done for me. I was brave in new ways and drew new boundaries. I finished my first cross-stitching project. I broke my elbow. That last one actually sucked and I am not inclined to do it again.

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

My sole resolution is always to read a certain number of books in the coming year. After an intervention from my therapist back in 2018, I’ve kept that number at 52, and this year I again succeeded with 63 total. I would like to think I enjoyed them more and chose them with greater discretion because I wasn’t racing towards an impossible goalpost. 

I’m keeping my resolution. I’m also keeping the implicit sub-resolution, which is to continue finding ways to be kind to myself. We’ll see.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

I don’t think so, which probably means I’ve forgotten an ENTIRE BABY. Sorry, baby!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

My grandmother, in October. It was long and slow and agonizing and I miss her terribly.

5. What countries did you visit?

Does...does New Jersey count as a country? 

6. What would you like to have in 2020 that you lacked in 2019?

A better singing voice, which means I am going to have to keep singing. But it wasn’t until 2019 that I was brave enough to do karaoke at all, so maybe this is possible!

Also, a short story published somewhere. Hell, scratch that - a short story, finished.

7. What date from 2019 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

October 6: my father’s stroke.

October 7: my grandmother’s death.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Surviving. 

9. What was your biggest failure?

Not telling people what I needed; relatedly, pretending to myself that I didn’t have needs at all. No one benefits from that. It’s just a good way to cultivate resentment.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I broke my damn elbow while carrying La Croix and no one will ever let me live it down. Also got the sniffles a few times.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Opera tickets to The Queen of Spades, maybe. The jigsaw puzzle I gave Griffin for the holidays, not least because he got me a jigsaw puzzle too and the moment we realized what we’d done was so, so delightful. Honorable mentions: bus tickets, medication, this one really great sweater.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My mother. Me. Anyone on Twitter who made me laugh, especially Ashley Feinberg. The folks at One Story for being so kind when I left. My therapist.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

My mother. Me. The entire administration. The rest of Twitter. 

14. Where did most of your money go?

Rent, food, and alcohol, perhaps not in that order. If my parents ask: in that order.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

The Fourth of July at the pirate ship; Psych Bike; karaoke night; any of a million things in this neighborhood, because this neighborhood now feels like home, and that’s the most exciting thing of all.

Also, Animal Crossing, though it got bumped until 2020 and I am only just hanging on.

16. What song will always remind you of 2019?

Among others, “The Bad Touch,” because it turns out I absolutely crush that one at karaoke night. Ditto “Truth Hurts.” 

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. happier or sadder? Sadder, but how could I not be?

ii. thinner or fatter? Unclear (love 2 have dysmorphia), but I think I gained a few pounds.

iii. richer or poorer? Roughly the same, which is frankly an achievement.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Sleeping. Writing. Asking for what I needed. Crocheting and cross-stitching and watching dumb TV. Kissing. Setting firm boundaries with someone in my industry who was harassing me, though that situation is (mostly?) resolved. Being brave - but I was already pretty brave.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Waiting for bad things to happen. They happen whether or not you expect them.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

My grandma is dead - did I mention? So Christmas was spent with my parents at our house, just the three of us. It was strange and sad but kind of wonderful, too. We are all figuring out how this family fits together now that there are fewer of us.

January 7: went to church, went to the Strand, went home and ate soup with Griffin because he was sick and I wanted to be with my buddy.

21. Did you fall in love in 2019?

Kept falling.

22. How many one-night stands?

Funny story! Funny story that I’m not going to put in writing.

23. What was your favourite TV program?

I didn’t watch much TV, but rewatching Parks and Rec has been great, even if some of it didn’t age super well. I’m also literally the last person on the internet to watch The Great British Baking Show and am 10000% on board.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

No. I’m too tired.

25. What was the best book you read?

I have a whole list, and I could not possibly tell you my favorite favorite. However, a few contenders would be Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips, Maybe You Should Talk To Someone by Lori Gottlieb, Flights by Olga Tokarczuk, Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino, In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado, etc. etc. etc...

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?

I’m not sure I actually listened to much that would qualify as a discover and not an extension of my existing interests, but I did discover that music is beginning to bring me joy the way it did in college and which I had been sorely missing.

27. What did you want and get?

A diagnosis. It’s good to have the words for yourself.

28. What was your favourite film of this year?

Lord. What even came out in 2019? I only just saw Parasite last weekend, here in 2020, but it counts, and I’m choosing that. Midsommar ruled too.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 28 and went to a nice dinner with my boyfriend that turned out to be a surprise party with my friends. It was great and I cried. 

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

My grandmother.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2019?

Bisexuality™

32. What kept you sane?

Last year I said “In no particular order: therapy, my mom, crocheting, cross-stitching, the New York Times crossword, gummy worms, venting to Karen, coffee.”

And...that’s about right.

Shoutout to Xanax, though.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Ruby Tandoh, William Jackson Harper, Michael B. Jordan, Janelle Monae, the bear from MIdsommar (that last one is a joke)

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

Everything, but especially family separation.

35. Who did you miss?

My parents, especially after the stroke. My grandmother, always. 

36. Who was the best new person you met?

The entire neighborhood crew. I am so lucky to have them.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2019:

You can make it through more than you imagined.

[babyanimalgifs]

i’ve just come across one of my favourite videos on the internet

[balladofabrokebitch]

The little clap, omg

[mayanangel]

THE GREATEST SAGA OF OUR TIME

[dancinginodessa]

Yesterday the doctor who did my psychiatric evaluation told me that it’s entirely possible that my depression symptoms are a result of being so anxious literally all the time, i.e. I am exhausted from being on edge and not the other way around, and anyway, it’s been kind of a weird week. 

[yesterdaysprint]

Good Morning by the Daily Mirror, England, May 5, 1944

[dancinginodessa]

me, earnest: I’m very good at pretending to be comfortable

friend, equally earnest: no you’re not

[dancinginodessa]

Here is the fourteenth iteration of a survey I used to do on LiveJournal and will continue doing until I die because data is neat.

1. What did you do in 2018 that you’d never done before?

This year has been infinity years long; I’m pretty sure that I was a literal infant in January and it’s all been new ever since. Let’s think. Oh! I used a rice cooker! And I went to a book party solo and had a good time regardless. There’s probably more, but if I think about 2018 too long I will get tired and have to lie down and there are 36 more questions.

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I only ever make the one New Year’s resolution, which is to read [x] books in 20xx. Last year I chose 100 and wound up reading 103. It was not actually fun at all, and my therapist very gently suggested I choose a different number this year.

So in 2018, I decided to read 52 books and am ending December with a total of 72. And it was fun. The stuff I read, I read because I liked (though there was a hate-read or three in there too), and it left me time for my writing group, for cooking, for teaching myself trivia and tricks, and so on. I don’t feel less educated or less fancy. I do feel more sane.

Next year: more of the same, please.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Three lovely women I know had babies in the latter half of 2018, any of which could take over the world someday.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No. Was I convinced everyone I loved was about to die all the time regardless? Yes. 

5. What countries did you visit?

Fifth year running not leaving the country. I’m working on it.

6. What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2018?

A diagnosis. A supplementary bookcase. A way to organize my embroidery floss more professionally, because dang. 

7. What date from 2018 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

The entire last week of September: Brett Kavanaugh’s testimony, and writing an essay about sexual assault that my mother read, and going to Massachusetts to look at the leaves turn and take forty-eight deep breaths. I still feel like a giant bruise.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I declined to apologize for things I was not actually sorry for or that were not actually my fault. Kills the mood, but boy does it boost your self-esteem.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Being cruel to myself, whether passively or actively. Making people worry. Throwing up on the sleeve of my winter coat, because that had to be dry-cleaned and was a bad time for everyone, not least the dry-cleaners.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Lots of surprisingly nasty colds, and lots of bad brain, and several hangovers, and one (1) bruised rib from somehow falling into the corner of the bed while doing hospital corners. It’s hard to be an embodied consciousness.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

LEGO Harry Potter, facetiously. Bus tickets home, non-facetiously. 

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My friends, my parents, G, and myself (sometimes). Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The waiter who gave us free pineapple vodka shots on election night. Annie of Annie’s Mac and Cheese - the real MVP.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

My friends, my parents, G, and myself (sometimes). The White House. A few folks who hurt me a great deal but who don’t deserve the airtime. 

14. Where did most of your money go?

That is the question, huh. Rent, probably! New York is expensive. Honorable mention goes to food. Honorable honorable mention goes to that time I had to pay $1,400 in taxes because our payroll company screwed up royally; I had successfully forgotten that until literally just now.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Fourth of July with Karen et al on a rooftop. Animal Crossing 2019. (WHEN IS IT COMING OUT, NINTENDO. THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO LIVE FOR.) Midterms (fear is a kind of excitement). Did I mention my rice cooker??

16. What song will always remind you of 2018?

"Peg” by Steely Dan, or perhaps “This Is America” by Childish Gambino. 

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. happier or sadder? Sadder, but I think in a useful way. Sadness can be recalibrating.

ii. thinner or fatter? The same, because I am a cartoon character.

iii. richer or poorer? Poorer (see question 14).

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Communicating honestly, even when it was really scary. Sleeping. Writing. Calling my mom, not to mention my grandmother. Letting myself enjoy things simply because they were there to be enjoyed; what else is life for? 

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Worrying, and then worrying about worrying, and then worrying that my worry-based worrying is making me secretly unbearable, and then crying.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

I spent December 25 with my grandma, and I’ll spend January 7 (Orthodox Christmas) doing...something. Church and books will figure in somehow. They always do.

21. Did you fall in love in 2018?

Started here, stayed here.

22. How many one-night stands?

I don’t have a nightstand, but sometimes I use G’s.

23. What was your favourite TV program?

The Good Place for sure, not least because it’s one of the only programs I actually watched more than a few episodes of. I am very bad at television. 

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Hate is a pretty strong word. Resent, maybe; am saddened by, maybe. Get tired thinking about, maybe. 

That said, I’m comfortable hating the smoldering crater that is, and is created by, the GOP.

25. What was the best book you read?

Reservoir 13, or They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, or I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, or...I should just show you the list, maybe.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?

It took 27 years, but I have discovered that I, just like your dad, can get down with Steely Dan. 

27. What did you want and get?

I bought myself a trench coat (that was this year, right? This year has been so long.)

28. What was your favourite film of this year?

Eighth Grade and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse both made me feel many things.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 27 and went out to dinner with a whole table’s worth of friends. I got cake and flowers and hugs and it was really just kind of perfect.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

A trip somewhere.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2017?

Finally Got A Bra That Fits™

32. What kept you sane?

In no particular order: therapy, my mom, crocheting, cross-stitching, the New York Times crossword, gummy worms, venting to Karen, coffee.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Janelle Monae and Tessa Thompson. Both of them. You can’t make me choose. And Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, because it’s refreshing not to have already been disappointed by a politician. That’s super sad, now that I’ve written it out like that!! 

34. What political issue stirred you the most?

ICE/refugee detention/child separation/everything and everyone involved.

35. Who did you miss?

I always miss someone, usually my parents. 

36. Who was the best new person you met?

Maya and Michelle, two true blue office pals.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2018:

If you’re afraid, do it anyway.

[multilingualpotato]

Cozy Vocab in French

Some cozy vocabulary in French… so you can have a cozy evening!

une couverture - a blanket

une bougie - a candle

une tasse de café -  a cup of coffee

un thé - a tea

un chocolat chaud - a hot cocoa

les biscuits - cookies

une guimauve - a marshmallow

une pâtisserie - a pastry une cheminée - a chimney

les chaussettes - socks

un oreiller - a pillow

un livre - a book

un pull-over - a sweater

un nounours - a teddy bear

prendre une douche chaude - to take a hot shower

[newyorker]

An early look at next week’s cover, “Welcome to Congress,” by Barry Blitt. 

[dancinginodessa]

I’ve been avoiding the news and any related comments all weekend, but sometimes I catch the tail end of someone’s bad take anyway. And I wish so desperately that I could make the men at the hearing on Thursday understand the way it feels to read an email from your mother that says, “I understand why you didn’t tell me.” 

[yesterdaysprint]

The St. Louis Star and Times, Missouri, June 6, 1942

[showerthoughtsofficial]

Anxiety is like if the 20 seconds spent waiting to hear if it’s Under Pressure or Ice Ice Baby lasted forever

[thepookah]

This is the best one.

[random--index-deactivated201905]

yoko ono performing “cut piece” (1965)

[thephloxbayou]