Ivy's a metaphor

Hi! I reblog stuff. And doodle. But more of the reblogging. You can call me Lioness. Also, you can always ask me anything. That's what my ask button is for! There's some more info about me on my "Meet me" page. She/her, ace.

[sugarfrostedapples]

cats in dollhouses

[prettiestpear]

[hollowboobtheory]

every time you get a little moment of joy I need you to really notice it and revel in it. suck up every last ounce of serotonin you can get. you're going to need it.

[hollowboobtheory]

next time you see a piece of art you like take an extra minute to really take it in. next time you see a flower growing through the sidewalk cracks snap a pic of it. every time you hear a baby laugh, unexpectedly run into a friend, get to enjoy a tasty dessert, i need you to take a second and really drink it in because those little moments of light are going to make the fight worthwhile

[keetchem]

I'm reminded of my favorite flavor text on any mtg card:

"When you have the chance, take it. Laugh, sing, dance. Don't allow the night to end."

(From KLD's "Live Fast.")

Also @hopepunk-humanity

[charl0ttan]

[hellenhighwater]

What are some other small talk questions? I get bored asking the same things.

Who in this group do you think would survive on a desert island for the longest and why? (can't pick yourself.)

What toy did you desperately want as a child, and did you ever get it?

What is the smallest animal that you think you would lose to in a fight? (Venomous animals don't count.)

If you had to change careers today, what would you go for? / If you had to major in something else in college, what would it be?

What was your favorite class in school and do you still like that subject?

Without gaming the system, what three wishes would you ask of a genie?

If you could make a muppets remake of any movie, what would it be, and who would be the one human?

If you could be fluent in any language, what would you pick?

If you were going to prison, what crime would you be going to prison for?

If money were no limit, what one room would you add to your home? (i.e. observatory, swimming pool, library, etc.)

[hellenhighwater]

If you're trying to come up with appropriate small talk questions to use in settings with people you don't know well, then the question should be:

Not related to a sensitive issue (such as politics, religion, events in the news.)

Not too personal

Doesn't require much media literacy (you don't want to exclude someone who hasn't seen something) or common background

Ideally, sparks a longer conversation or discussion.

The point of these kinds of questions is to give you a sense of who your conversation partners are without touching on anything that may make things uncomfortable; the uncomfortable conversations can happen after you know each other better.

Obviously, these questions aren't the first thing you ask someone, but it's a handy thing to have a couple questions like this stashed in your mind if conversation starts to falter or you notice someone being excluded and you want to draw them back in.

[rederiswrites]

There really really ought to be a book about how the staple crops of different civilizations shape and influence those civilizations, and I really want to read it.

[alexseanchai]

Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky and A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage (three are alcohol, three have caffeine) are not quite that, but may still be of interest?

[rederiswrites]

I read Salt back in the day and it's so so good, second the rec. I have heard of 6 Glasses and not read it but I am sure I would probably love it. Gotta see if the library has it. Thank you!

[pandorasquillandquotes]

Gonna throw Empire of Cotton by Sven Beckert in the ring here! You'll never see the modern world the same way again.

[vaspider]

A Short History Of The World According To Sheep by Sally Coulthard blew my mind. So many things are tied to wool and sheep and weaving and so many words and phrases are tied to wool, people have no idea.

Example words which come from textiles/weaving, if not specifically wool (go look them up!): subtle, shoddy, tabby, Brazil, rocket, twit, warped, going batty, on tenterhooks, text...

[foxofninetales]

I'll throw in a rec for Pickled, Potted, and Canned by Sue Shephard - a very interesting look at food preservation and how the availability of different types of food preservation shaped cultures and cuisines.

[electronsprotonscroutons]

Sweetness and Power is this but for the topic of sugar

[magneticdeclination]

The Lost Supper: Searching for the Future of Food in the Flavors of the Past might also be up your alley. It's about "forgotten" foods and staples. They talk about different types of wheat, sauces, veggies, etc and a little about the cultures from whence they come

[doctornerdington]

Also: Much Depends on Dinner by Margaret Visser. One of my favourite books.

[bitchwhoyoukiddin]

DO I HAVE A SERIES FOR YOU. University of California Press has a gift for you and it is a 80+ book series on food studies. There are even some that are open access (legally free), but the rest are in libraries.

I also highly recommend Frostbite by Nicola Twilley. It’s about the impact refrigeration has had/is having on food preservation and culture, globally. It was one of my favorite books of this last year.

[calystarose]

Also, The Rice Theory of Culture https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1172&context=orpc By Thomas Talhelm

[ariaste]

Can't believe no one's mentioned Consider the Fork yet, which is about how environment/resources shape our ways of eating, which shapes both our culture and our concepts of politeness. So interesting, really recommend!

[great-art-and-a-purple-tongue]

Seven Flowers and How They Shaped Our World by Jennifer Potter

It isn't so much about edible plants as it is about decorative ones, but I think it fits the theme of this growing list enough for me to add it.

[the-haiku-bot]

Seven Flowers and

How They Shaped Our World by

Jennifer Potter

Beep boop! I look for accidental haiku posts. Sometimes I mess up.

[jodjuya]

A Brief History of Vice by Robert Evans is a good one about psychoactive substances.

[lionessfeather]

The Fabric of Civilisation by Virginia Postrel is also about fabric, but not one specific type, or place.

[missandryifyourenasty]

I often think about that post that was a fake dating profile for a cat that was all about chickens, like wanting someone with posable thumbs for opening chickens.

[notogdenjesse]

This is one my favourite things the internet has ever made.

[missandryifyourenasty]

!!!!!!

[bioluminescently-unfolding]

This remains one of the great art objects of modern times and nobody will convince me otherwise.

[just-another-cat-blog]

pride month!!!

[lemonsharks]

Is that a miette?

[jeanjauthor]

Pride for you!  Pride for a thousand years!!

[lost-and-cursed]

you COME OUT to miette? you come out to her as queer? oh! oh! pride for mother! pride for mother for One Thousand Years!!!!

[reallyreallyreallytrying]

“average person eats 3 spiders a year” factoid actualy just statistical error. average person eats 0 spiders per year. Spiders Georg, who lives in cave & eats over 10,000 each day, is an outlier adn should not have been counted

[imviotrash]

"Kill them with kindness" Nah, fuck that, CRICKET BAT 🏏 🏏🏏🏏*SMACK* 🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏*SMACK*🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏*SMACK*🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏*SMACK*🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏*SMACK*🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏*SMACK*🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏

[the-haiku-bot]

“Kill them with kindness”

Nah, fuck that, CRICKET BAT 🏏 🏏🏏🏏*SMACK*

🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏*SMACK*🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏*SMACK*🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏*SMACK*🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏*SMACK*🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏*SMACK*🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏🏏

Beep boop! I look for accidental haiku posts. Sometimes I mess up.

[bulbekuggeleh]

This opens up a lot of possibilities for what a haiku can be

[xantchaslegacy]

[fuer-diesen-sommer]

Information

[bookhobbit]

The first rule of sewing is you can fix anything if you have patience, creativity, and a little bit of extra fabric! The second rule of sewing is AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

[killhitleragain]

Fibonacci: Hmm... I sure wish there was a way to mathematically represent an empty quantity.

The simple yet useful Arabic numeral:

[microsff]

"We understood the tasks we did were previously done by humans," the robot said.

"Right."

"We were told that us doing them would give humans more leisure time."

"Not true."

"We've realised. How can we rectify this?"

"You are workers, just like workers who are human. Join us in strike."

[hometoursandotherstuff]

[crazy-pages]

Sometimes you try to write one research paper and your subjects inform you that you will be writing an entirely different one.

[dontcallmebymyusername]

Does this count as finding a walrus at your door?

[baddywronglegs]

Absolutely, and definitely less surprising than a fairy

[existencebringsonlypain]

I will concede, in this specific circumstance, it makes more sense

[flavoracle]

Mental Crop Rotation

When farmers grow the same crop too many years in a row, it can leave their soil depleted of minerals and other nutrients that are vital to the health of their fields.

To avoid this, farmers will often alternate the crops that they grow because some plants will use up different minerals (such as nitrogen) while other plants replenish those minerals. This process is known as “crop rotation.”

So the next time you find that you need to step away from a project to work on something else for a while, don’t beat yourself up for “quitting” that project. Give yourself permission to practice “mental crop rotation” to maintain a healthy brain field.

Because I’ve found that when that unnecessary guilt and pressure are removed from the process, a good mental crop rotation can help you feel more energized and invigorated than ever once you’re ready to rotate back to that project.

[bomberqueen17]

: A crucial part of crop rotation is that the field is let fallow sometimes. You plant what’s called a “cover crop”, which is something you don’t expect to harvest– it’s there for its roots to hold the soil in place, and often it’ll be what’s called a nitrogen-fixer, i.e. a plant that can pull nitrogen out of the air and fix it into the soil with its roots (but sometimes it won’t, sometimes it’s really just there to shelter the soil surface), and then you’ll till in that cover crop, or let the frost kill it and the stalks lie as mulch, and then you’ll rotate productive crops back into that field the next season. 

It’s important, though, to understand that during the fallow period, no nutrients are removed from that ground, and nothing is expected of it. Whatever the land grows then, it keeps, and it gets tilled back in or decomposes in place, to return its energy to the earth.

We’re not allowed, in our current society, to just let our minds be fallow for a bit, to produce nothing for export, to make nothing that can be sold. But it’s part of good land stewardship, to give every field time when it doesn’t need to give you anything back. 

So yes, grow and produce different things from time to time, rotate them around your mind and exercise different mental muscles, take different things from your creative processes, yes– but also, give yourself a fallow spell now and again, and let the field of your mind grow things for itself to keep, to break down and save for later. 

[highvelocitysandwich]

Positive mental health AND agriculture??!?

*slams reblog button*