if you see me liking contradicting headcanons for the same character just know it's because I do not give a fuck and I have an active imagination #hewouldsaythat
This was the crossword puzzle in the New York Times yesterday.
Tausig’s crossword is a so-called Schrödinger puzzle, named for the physicist’s hypothetical cat that is at once both alive and dead. In a Schrödinger puzzle, select squares have more than one correct letter answer: They exist in two states at once. “Black Halloween animal,” for example, could be both BAT or CAT, yielding two different but perfectly correct puzzles. Only 10 such puzzles have now been published in Times history.
It’s the theme of Tausig’s puzzle, though, that makes it special. Four entries in Thursday’s crossword can include either an “F” or an “M.” Both are correct; neither is wrong. For example, “Part of a house” can be either ROOF or ROOM. The long “revealer” answer, tying those select entries together and spanning 11 squares smack-dab in the middle of the puzzle, is GENDER FLUID.
This puzzle, with “M”s and “F”s that aren’t fixed, is a masterful blend of subject and structure. “It potentially really evokes what gender fluidity is, which is not moving back and forth between two poles, but actually not being committed to either pole, and potentially existing in many states at different times,” Tausig said.
i think we should be talking about the semi-recent advancements in cystic fibrosis treatment like all the time every day. there hasn’t been a drug like this since AZT medications for HIV infection it is truly fucking miraculous and very important
basically: cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease which makes the mucous a person generates extra sticky. it used to kill people in infancy, then with advancements in medical tech it killed people in young childhood, and until very recently cystic fibrosis patients could expect to live until about thirty years old with consistent painful lung infections and complications.
in 2019 the FDA approved a drug called trikafta (which is really three drugs in one) for cystic fibrosis treatment. what it essentially does is patch up the malfunctioning proteins that cause the extra sticky mucus. trikafta is effective on about 90% of cystic fibrosis patients.
people who had spent their entire lives in and out of hospitals, on and off of ventilators, suffering from pneumonia and sometimes treated through painful procedures like intubation took this drug, got out of bed, coughed up an entire lifetimes worth of mucus out of their lungs over the course of a few hours, breathed clearly for perhaps the first time in their lives, and now go on to live well into their seventies.
like isn’t that insane. isn’t that amazing. doesn’t that give you hope for the future of medical advancements and treatment. fuck. i think about it all the time……
For the people asking "well how do we know people are living that long if it's so new????" Here's a page from the CF foundation about life expectancy.
Additionally, it should be noted that metrics like life expectancy are in no way a guarantee of... Anything. There are significant outlier CF patients who are at an advanced age now despite the odds due to a variety of different factors, having lived the majority of their lives before the development of modulators.
But the fact remains that the odds are better now than they have ever ever been before, by leaps and bounds. It isn't cured, and many patients still need significant treatment in addition to Trikafta, but it is so much better than anyone could have dreamed of twenty years ago, and that is a triumph.
Yes! My sister has a serious form of cf and finally is living a more comfortable and active life. She was also part of many of the clinical trials leading to these breakthroughs due to the nature of her cf. It's been very exciting to see.
The organizer of a rally in support of mass deportations on Monday said the rally is about enforcing existing laws, not promoting violence.
LONG POST BUT IMPORTANT, SO FORGIVE ME
I've been meaning to make this post for awhile, but I've been so demoralized just thinking about it so I kept putting it off.
This Saturday, August 1st, Greg. Fucking. Bovino. of overseeing Minneapolis immigration murders and shitty nazi cosplay fame, is coming to Fishers, IN- MY CITY. He's going to be a keynote speaker at Save Heritage Indiana's "Mass Deportation Rally" (Along with Micah Beckwith, our Lt Gov and pedophile-befriending pastor.)
"The event begins at 7 p.m. on Aug. 1. Poynter said for security reasons, attendees will not learn the exact location until shortly beforehand," and I have heard (unverified) that they've actually been struggling to find a venue to host them. These sensitive manbaby fucks KNOW what they're doing is unpopular. (*Additional note- apparently seats are invite-only and $50 a head, OR you can pay $500 to have dinner with Bovino. 🙃)
THAT BEING SAID- several local groups, including local Indivisible groups, Food Not Bombs, Indy Resistance, Somos Latinos, and several more are hosting a HOOSIER HOSPITALITY MARCH.
The point is to bring people together in support of our immigrant neighbors and show strength in numbers. It's from 3-6pm on the same day (this Saturday.) The route takes the march by the Al Huda Mosque where people are encouraged to bring non-perishables for their food pantry, and ends in a vigil for those taken and murdered by ICE and DHS.
I REALLY want people to attend.
I plan on showing up with my D&D group and some wagons filled with whistle kits, gatorade, and snacks to make sure people stay hydrated.
If you live within, like, a 2 hour drive of central Indiana, PLEASE consider bringing some friends and attending. I so badly want the march to overwhelm my city.
If you can't attend but want to help or contribute in some way, feel free to donate via my ko-fi. I will be using donations to fund snacks, waterbottles, first aid kits, etc. to bring to the march. Anything in addition will be donated to the mosque!
ICE is opening an office about 15 minutes away from me. Since learning about it, this image has been lurking in my mind and I had to get it
The image above is PWYW, so you can donate through there and get a high res of this image to do with as you please in exchange!
Anyway, thanks for listening. Please consider spreading the word.
making a model for comics-- this way I don't have to remember what the castle looks like and can take pictures in order to come up with interesting shots. It is just faster to do this than it is to learn blender. Cardboard tubes, hot glue, index cards, foam clay, assorted scraps.
The thing is, even if you were lucky and your parents taught you how to clean, they probably didn't teach you how to clean the stuff you clean stuff with, like brushes, mops, sponges, rags, and so on. Or how to clean your cleaning appliances, like a dish washer, clothes washing machine, and clothes dryer and its ducts (if you have a ducted dryer), or a carpet cleaner, vacuum, Or how to clean up clean messes, like spilled bleach or detergent.
My parents threw away all of these things (even the vacuum cleaners and the dryer) when they got too dirty to function, because no one even told them THAT they could be cleaned. Cost them thousands of dollars over the years.
All I'm saying is that cleaning is not intuitive, and not knowing how to clean is not a moral failing, but it is something you can learn.
I'm going to reblog this post with resources for learning how to clean things and how to clean cleaning things (I'm not at my desk at the moment). If you have any favorites, please feel free to add them in too!
I like this video because it does a great job of introducing the basic foundations of house cleaning (and because he doesn't use bleach, which is a common allergy in addition to being awful to inhale). He also talks a little about how to clean a vacuum. And why you shouldn't put grease from your pots and pans down the sink drain. I also love that he mentions that different houses and different people have different needs and different versions of what clean and cleaning looks like.
He doesn't mention though that the toilet seat comes off. I take my toilet seat off to clean under the hinges and clean the seat more thoroughly once a quarter.
This is another video from the same guy about cleaning and depression. This advice, especially at the beginning, can feel really really difficult and oppressive to hear. However, I find that it's generally pretty solid. But I'm autistic and so is he, so that gets a massive Your Mileage May Vary stamp on it.
I have a favorite part of this video. It's from 10:52 to 12:36. I think we could all use to hear that. There's a HEFTY pause after that one. I promise the narration does come back.
I'm also going to recommend KC Davis' book "How To Keep House While Drowning"
This is a pair of videos about how to correctly load and use a dish washer.
The first one is a quick 1 minute 30 second overview on loading. I can't find the exact video I'm looking for, so consider this a substitute for that. If I can find the one I'm looking for, I'll swap it in.
The second is a half hour deep dive on dishwashers and detergents. The short form of that is you shouldn't need to pre-rinse anything, detergent pods are overpriced and can cause problems, some dishwashers have a filter in the bottom that needs to be cleaned (but most don't), run your sink until the water is HOT before starting your dish washer, and put a little detergent in the pre-rinse dispenser when you're washing extra dirty dishes (or on the inside of the door if your dishwasher doesn't have a pre-rinse dispenser).
How to clean a front load washer (with bleach). This should be done monthly or every time you wash really soiled clothes.
With expert tips and tricks for all types of washers.
How to clean a top loader (without the removable agitator thing). This should be done every 1-3 months depending on you unit, or every time you wash really soiled clothes.
Regular cleaning of a top-load washing machine will prolong the life of the appliance and leave your laundry cleaner and brighter.
How to clean a top loader (with the removable agitator thing). This should be done every month, or every time you wash really soiled clothes.
These carpet brushes are a LIFE SAVER if you have dogs. This thing allows me to go from vacuuming about 4 square feet before my vacuum is full to vacuuming half the living room (I don't vacuum often enough. You should vacuum weekly, and I just can't.). I have to unclog the vacuum less often. It fluffs up some of the flat spots in the carpet. And I also use the brush to shampoo my rugs in the spring.
A spot cleaner (or a carpet cleaner with a spot cleaner attachment) is another life saver, ESPECIALLY if you can afford to splurge on a heated one. I see them at Goodwill or at yard sales occasionally, and they're worth picking up. The shark one in the video is great too.
This channel is gold. There's tutorials for cleaning EVERYTHING on there. Just go subscribe!
Gonna throw another potential resource at the end of this very long list, which may be potentially helpful for others like me who loathe videos. It's... the weirdest thing that has genuinely been helpful to me in housekeeping. Absolutely full of useful advice, and bizarrely still relevant in large part. (Though, caveat, research ANYTHING to do with chemicals or cleaning products more complicated than vinegar + lemon + water for modern information.)
It's America's Housekeeping Book (1941). Available for free download on the Internet Archive. (Large PDF file at the link here).
The LISTS y'all. The step by step lists. The emphasis on efficiency and arranging spaces for the least resistance possible. The basic concept of "take a tray or basket into a room when you are tidying up so you can put things that belong elsewhere on it and take them out LATER in ONE GO".
Saw a bilingual Canadian sign that read NO LOITERING/FLÂNAGE INTERDIT and I'm losing it over "flânage." Flânage? Like flâneur?? They made it illegal to be a cool 19th century guy???
colugos are amazing!! there are only two species of them and they’re found in southeast Asia. they may resemble bats, but they’re in their own order (Dermoptera) and their closest relatives are primates!
they’re also sometimes referred to as flying lemurs which is funny because they neither fly nor are lemurs :) they ARE able to glide though, and they eat fruit, leaves, and flowers. their incisors are super cool and have grooves that help them feed and also groom themselves!!! they are so interesting and amazing and more people need to know about them!!!!!!!!
he was there during siege of the North. he infiltrated the spirit oasis. he has an uncle who studies spirits and the spirit world. he watched the sky go dark then the moon suddenly reappear like everyone else in the entire world did. and most importantly he watched zhao get eaten by a giant godzilla fish spirit.
Also, Iroh was there? He literally watched Sokka make out with the moon spirit. And you want to tell me that a romantic sap like him would not have immediately told Zuko about this romantic tragedy? Please, Zuko has known about this for ages, he just knows that this is not an acceptable situation in which to say “yeah, I know.”
you have to dress in this style for the rest of your life!
(you do not have to follow the beliefs associated with the style if that style has associated beliefs. The wheel curse does not affect anything like that.)
prguitarman
tangentwithtanner
yousharknotpass
theartofmadeline
ellievsbear
vaporwave
stormborns
