hi. i'm danica.

.

[starlighthome]

[macrolit]

People do not seem to realize that their opinion of the world is also a confession of their character.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (via macrolit)

[thetattedstoner]

Everybody || Backstreet Boys

[raychleadele]

Just occurred to me that some of you may have never seen this music video. They had absolutely no reason to make it the way it is but damn they went hard.

[berlynn-wohl]

I was just a little too old/too cool for the room when pure pop came back in the late 90’s; when they stopped playing alternative on the radio/MTV I stopped tuning in, and was very contemptuous of boy bands and such. So I actually just watched this video for the very first time, and uhhhh it fuckin slaps tbh

[antique-scarecrow]

You know what, you’re right. This SLAPS. It’s joyful, it’s un-self-concious, it’s a bit goofy. It’s just a group of people getting dressed up and spooky and having fun with it. Completely free of malice and pretention, just a decent bop with some random monster movie magic thrown in for absolutely no reason than that it evokes joy. Back Street Boy appreciation is not what I except to see on my dash in 2020, but I’m here for it

[catchymemes]

[onceuponatmi]

Holy SHIT.

THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED TO SIT THERE SHOULD BE THE ARTIST AND THEN IT SHOULD GO BE IN A MUSEUM.

Hand made crafts should be worshipped for the art they are.

[antique-scarecrow]

i respect this SOOOOO much more than any iron sword throne chair

[callmebliss]

This one involves way more stabbing

[lightspeedsound]

SHE BOUGHT A PEACOCK

[branwyn-says]

I go hard with my embroidery but I have never gone “bring roadkill indoors” hard

[assiraphales]

every character brendan fraser played in the 1990s was the himboest himbo to ever himbo

[assiraphales]

the energy this man exuded

[anreill]

[kittykat8311]

Hey quick question what the absolute fuck

[cipheramnesia]

Authoritarian Panopticon 2.0, Networking Version?

[facelessoldgargoyle]

Can u imagine having your EYE MOVEMENTS TRACKED?? Ahhhh I’m so glad I‘m not in school rn

[cipheramnesia]

Don’t worry they’ll bring it out for other jobs soon enough.

[catgirlforeskin]

[rum-and-shattered-dreams]

How about schools take this as a hint that memorizing things is pointless and teaching people how to look it up or figure it out or IDK HELP EACH OTHER is more useful in actual life?

[runrundoyourstuff]

Also my Jewish ass is calling “No Skullcaps” out as the religious discrimination it is.

[novantinuum]

^^ Eughh, yeeep! :E 

Not to mention it’s discrimination against those wearing hijabs. Reeeally shitty in both cases. 

And in the end, I can only see professors and teachers who so harshly proctor online exams as creating their own problems- because if they believe they have a “cheating” problem, the issue is that they’re not writing deep enough questions. If they genuinely don’t want students looking up answers online, then their questions need to STOP being fact regurgitation, and START being questions that require active synthesis of the class material to answer. You can’t “cheat” on those types of questions because it requires full comprehension of the material.

And in ANY CASE, the idea that students can’t have their book or notes to reference while taking exams is really silly, because so many careers and jobs will have ample access to resources whenever and won’t require memorization… at all? (I’m sure there are a few exceptions, of course.) A student can’t just open their book for the first time and ace an exam, jeebus, no one is doing that. Students are flipping back through their resources to remember details and reinforce their understanding. Even if they’re referencing things during an exam, it’s still learning. And when it comes to notes, especially- notes are, in my mind, my proof of engagement with the class material. I believe all students should be allowed to reference their notes on exams, TBH.

[youbestnotmiss]

YESSSSS. stop writing shitty exams.

[thebibliosphere]

I just saw the words “ADHD privilege” and I’d say my whole brain ground to a halt, but let’s be honest, that’s nothing new.

[thebibliosphere]

ADHD privilege is forever being late because time blindness is a thing that exists and time is a meaningless construct.

ADHD is living in a constant state of sleep deprivation as we try to fit our lives around a 9-5 work/school schedule not designed for us as our circadian rhythm kicks in much, much later than neurotypical peoples, making us natural night owls.

ADHD privilege is forever feeling overwhelmed and like you’re never achieving anything, because unlike neurotypicals, you don’t get a hit of dopamine for doing simple tasks like folding laundry or remembering to take care of yourself. You’re not bad, lazy or worthless. You’re literally not getting enough dopamine fo your brain to work.

ADHD privilege is having our meds be extremely hard to get because neurotypical people who don’t need the same chemical brain support as we do abuse them the shit out of them then claim they’re bad. And no, reliance on a medication that helps you is not addiction, you are not weak or failing because you need meds. Also side note: addiction is a mental illness and it’d be super swell if people could stop demonizing it and using it as justication to deny people help!!!

True ADHD privilege is being the one person in the friend group who is able to afford a therapist who actually knows ADHD isn’t the “can’t sit still, lazy bad” disorder and relaying all the new things you learn each week in the hopes it might help someone else.

[thebibliosphere]

For context, this was on my FB timeline, and yes it was some neurotypical bullshit about how “Gifted” we are, and how we only need to realize it because “success is one part talent and two parts grift”.

They took it down the moment me and several other friends lost our neurodivergent minds in the comments. But yeah. “ADHD privilege”. Wild.

[h0wlcastle]

Sorry if I’m derailing and this isn’t as relevant as I think it is lol, but that very much reminds me of the post here on Tumblr that was like (paraphrasing cuz I don’t remember it super well) “I know Gifted Kid Syndrome is a thing but you guys seriously have to get over it” and something to the effect of needing to acknowledge our privilege to be Gifted in the first place when other kids were not. And it didn’t sit right with me because so many of those “gifted kids” have ADHD or are neurodivergent in other ways, and struggle way more than neurotypicals in other areas of life.

What you described is just familiar, I guess, neurotypicals pretending ADHD isn’t a serious disability that interferes with your whole life, even if we excel at some things in comparison.

[thebibliosphere]

“Gifted kid syndrome exploits the favorable parts of neurodiversity and results in real mental trauma” and “treating children as stupid or subpar because they struggle is harmful and also traumatizing” are two statements that can and should co-exist as valid criticism of the current education system, and should not be pitted against each other.

[vrumblr]

Wait…neurotypical people get dopamine from stuff like laundry and dishes?

[thebibliosphere]

Yes. It’s a task completion reward. It’s not like, a super happy high or whatever to them, but their brain does give them satisfaction chemicals for completing things on a regular basis. I mentioned it briefly in my post about ADHD reward systems, and why people with things like executive dysfunction need additional reward stimulus to help get stuff done: https://tmblr.co/ZomfxxYoJtzJea00

We don’t fail at things because we’re not trying hard enough. We are actively trying harder than neurotypical people at just about everything we do. We just literally don’t get the same reward feedback from our brains, so things that are “easy” seem so much harder. 

[chubby-elf-hux]

Does this have anything to do with why ADHD people “lose habits” easily? (We do, right? Or is it just me?)

Like, I’ll be really good and make it a point to put my keys on the key hook by the door every day in a row until it becomes automatic, then one day I get interrupted so I forget to do it, and then it’s just…gone. I don’t automatically remember anymore, and I have to relearn it all over again.

Does anyone else experience this? Can anyone offer any insight?

[thebibliosphere]

Yep! Also just to mention your tags, the advice “it takes 2 months to become a habit” is based on the average amount of time it takes for neurotypical habits to become ingrained. According to my therapist, who has ADHD and specializes in it, it can take more than twice that amount of time for some people with neurodivergencies, and why the idea of doing something constitently for 2+ months is laughable for many of us for this reason.

Part of how we can learn to overcome this is to examine why we might be struggling with the system we’ve tried to implement. So for example, you hang your keys up for 27 days in a row and on the 28th day you forget and come day 29 you can’t find your keys again. If you can’t seem to restart that habit, then perhaps the habit needs either modifying or changed.

Are there ways you can make it easier for yourself? Would you be better off having a basket by the front door where you dump all your stuff? It might be messier than hanging things up, but if it means you never lose your keys again, who cares? Would labeling things help? For instance, the place where my husband (also ADHD) hangs his keys, literally says KEYS in big bold letters. It not pretty, but function over form is a priority with ADHD. That’s also why I ripped all my cabinet doors off in my kitchen. It’s ugly as fuck, and I’m sure lots of people would struggle to find it appealing or even neat. But for me having things on display is the only way my “out of sight, no longer exists” brain can find anything. One day I’ll maybe get round to installing nice open shelves or glass doors, but in the meantime this works, and that’s more important.

Also, some folks can find medication helps give their brain the extra boost it needs to help with things like task completion and regulation. I can’t speak from experience on this because I’m unable to take meds for my ADHD due to heath complications, but for some people it can help. Provided they remember to take them, of course :p

Basically we need to do things longer, and find ways to make it easier for ourselves to become a habit. ADHD brains are great at finding invisible barriers. Sometimes it’s easier to go around them than trying to break through.

[marimacha-tonto]

 @thebibliosphere​

Yeah so stimulant ADHD meds (not SNRI’s) work by releasing d-amphetamine or dextroamphetamine from the presynaptic neuron. It acts as a prodrug, increasing the release rate of norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA). In addition it also diffuses across the membrane, and works to competitively inhibit the re-uptake of NE and DA.

so what that means is when your brain releases dopamine from small tasks, it releases a greater amount of dopamine and that dopamine stays in the synaptic cleft for a longer period of time, and thus can bind with postsynaptic receptors longer. Thus the magnitude of the transmission (measure in the frequency of action potentials) resembles that of something closer to what a NT would need to initiate a task and claim a reward to reinforce it.

The exact, detailed action mechanism of most stimulant medications is unknown, but this is how it works from a general overview. Because of that we can’t know exactly what dopaminergic pathways each different stimulant happens to activate. But we do know what dopaminergic pathways the medicine could activate and the related symptoms that would treat.

Here’s the pathways, what symptoms it could explain, and co-morbidities for the nerds out there:

Keep reading

[thebibliosphere]

Thank you so much for this explanation! This is really useful as a break down and understanding of how the meds can help!

[sosuperawesome]

Elfin Tiaras and Crowns

Lola White on Etsy

[ineffectualdemon]

“Babies only cry if they are hungry, need changing, or need to be picked up”

Lies

Babies (and small children) also cry for reasons such as:

1. “I am tired and that makes me angry”

2. “I scared myself with a fart”

3. “You are the wrong parent”

4. “I ran into something with my face”

5. “I’m facing the opposite direction then the one I want to”

6. “I fell asleep in one place and woke up somewhere completely different”

7. “I am a very small person in a very big world”

8. “I got scared because YOU farted”

Babies have more then 3 states of being and sometimes you just have to hold them and bounce them gently while saying solemnly “yes it is very hard to be a baby” because frankly it is

[aconfusedbird]

you have to remember that when you’re that tiny… pretty much any bad thing that happens to you is LITERALLY the WORST thing that has ever happened in your life. they have no perspective. everything is awful. help them

[let-tyrants-fear]

#everything is happening for the first time and they cant even google it  

[deadmomjokes]

Also, a few I’ve seen:

I forgot that bottles/boobs give food and now something is in my face and I’m STILL hungry

That thing/person/animal I wanted to examine up close is now Too Close and that’s scary

The approaching unconsciousness of sleep is existentially terrifying

Nobody mentioned that me pulling my sock off would mean I no longer also have a sock on my foot and I’m very upset about it

You changed clothes suddenly and I’m concerned

[notanightlight]

So I just now learned that museums on Twitter were having a battle over the best bum around! I am delighted!!!

I mean, just look!

[wtfzeus]

WHY DID NOBODY FUCKING INFORM ME

[aconfusedwriter]

@henrylevesconte

[babyanimalgifs]

This cute platypus 

(via)

[big-ass-magnet]

I fully understand why westerners thought the platypus was a hoax at first. I’m looking at a real live one moving around and it STILL looks fake.

[bogleech]

The one thing that could have made them sound any more made up would have been if you said the boys have secret viper fangs that can absolutely fuck you up with venom, and they do, on their goddamn feet.

[special-lucky-chosen-one]

cursed platypus facts: * five (5) X chromosomes * only the left ovary works * produces milk but has no nipples. the mother just kind of sweats milk out their chest. nature is beautiful * was nearly called the “duckmole” * swims with its weird fish eyes and ears closed, hunting entirely by electroreception * born with teeth, but then they fall out

[mariaalenkoshepard]

That beak looks fucking glued on

[allthingseurope]

Transfagarasan, Romania

[jasonincalifornia]

Rainy Yosemite Roads 

Prints////Instagram

[unexplained-events]

Researchers have used Easter Island Moai replicas to show how they might have been “walked” to where they are displayed.

VIDEO

[smileforthehigh-deactivated2017]

Finally. People need to realize aliens aren’t the answer for everything (when they use it to erase poc civilizations and how smart they were)

[desiremyblack]

(via TumbleOn)

[pearlsnapbutton]

What’s really wild is that the native people literally told the Europeans “they walked” when asked how the statues were moved. The Europeans were like “lol these backwards heathens and their fairy tales guess it’s gonna always be a mystery!”

[kiwianaroha]

Maori told Europeans that kiore were native rats and no one believed them until DNA tests proved it

And the Iroquois told Europeans that squirels showed them how to tap maple syrup and no one believed them until they caught it on video

[theopensea]

Oral history from various First Nations tribes in the Pacific Northwest contained stories about a massive earthquake/tsunami hitting the coast, but no one listened to them until scientists discovered physical evidence of quakes from the Cascadia fault line.

[thegirlthewolfate]

Roopkund Lake AKA “Skeleton Lake” in the Himalayas in India is eerie because it was discovered with hundreds of skeletal remains and for the life of them researchers couldn’t figure out what it was that killed them. For decades the “mystery” went unsolved.

Until they finally payed closer attention to local songs and legend that all essentially said “Yah the Goddess Nanda Devi got mad and sent huge heave stones down to kill them”. That was consistent with huge contusions found all on their neck and shoulders and the weather patterns of the area, which are prone to huge & inevitably deadly goddamn hailstones. https://www.facebook.com/atlasobscura/videos/10154065247212728/

Literally these legends were past down for over a thousand years and it still took researched 50 to “figure out” the “mystery”. 🙄

[archaeologistforhire]

Adding to this, the Inuit communities in Nunavut KNEW where both the wrecks of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror were literally the entire time but Europeans/white people didn’t even bother consulting them about either ship until like…last year. 

“Inuit traditional knowledge was critical to the discovery of both ships, she pointed out, offering the Canadian government a powerful demonstration of what can be achieved when Inuit voices are included in the process.

In contrast, the tragic fate of the 129 men on the Franklin expedition hints at the high cost of marginalising those who best know the area and its history.

“If Inuit had been consulted 200 years ago and asked for their traditional knowledge – this is our backyard – those two wrecks would have been found, lives would have been saved. I’m confident of that,” she said. “But they believed their civilization was superior and that was their undoing.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/16/inuit-canada-britain-shipwreck-hms-terror-nunavut

“Oh yeah, I heard a lot of stories about Terror, the ships, but I guess Parks Canada don’t listen to people,” Kogvik said. “They just ignore Inuit stories about the Terror ship.”

Schimnowski said the crew had also heard stories about people on the land seeing the silhouette of a masted ship at sunset.

“The community knew about this for many, many years. It’s hard for people to stop and actually listen … especially people from the South.”

 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/sammy-kogvik-hms-terror-franklin-1.3763653

[crazythingsfromhistory]

Indigenous Australians have had stories about giant kangaroos and wombats for thousands of years, and European settlers just kinda assumed they were myths. Cut to more recently when evidence of megafauna was discovered, giant versions of Australian animals that died out 41 000 years ago.

Similarly, scientists have been stumped about how native Palm trees got to a valley in the middle of Australia, and it wasn’t until a few years ago that someone did DNA testing and concluded that seeds had been carried there from the north around 30 000 years ago… aaand someone pointed out that Indigenous people have had stories about gods from the north carrying the seeds to a valley in the central desert.

[fluffmugger]

oh man let me tell you about Indigenous Australian myths - the framework they use (with multi-generational checking that’s unique on the planet, meaning there’s no drifting or mutation of the story, seriously they are hardcore about maintaining integrity) means that we literally have multiple first-hand accounts of life and the ecosystem before the end of the last ice age

it’s literally the oldest accurate oral history of the world.  

Now consider this: most people consider the start of recorded history to be with  the Sumerians and the Early Dynastic period of the Egyptians.  So around 3500 BCE, or five and a half thousand years ago These highly accurate Aboriginal oral histories originate from twenty thousand years ago at least

[ironbite4]

Ain’t it amazing what white people consider history and what they don’t?

[gluklixhe]

I always said disservice is done to oral traditions and myth when you take them literally. Ancient people were not stupid.

[arandomthot]

An interesting perspective to consider

[spoonmeb]

this 100% true. toxic people are everywhere annoying everyone. learning to cut them off has been such a blessing.

[babyanimalgifs]

A massive grouper (toilet on the left for scale) 

(via)

[j-liz]

[newblogisjacindaelena]

{ Scotland }