taking the threshold of adulthood as 18, you are likely to spend at least 52 years as a fully grown adult
at the age of 30 you have lived less than one quarter of your adult life (12/52 years)
'middle age' is typically considered to be between 45-65
it is extremely common to switch careers, start new relationships, emigrate, go to college for the first or second time, or make other life-changing decisions in middle age
it's wild that I even have to spell it out, but older adults (60+) still have social lives and hobbies and interests.
you can still date when you get old. you can still fuck. you can still learn new skills, be fashionable, be competitive. you can still gossip, you can still travel, you can still read. you can still transition. you can still come out.
young doesn't mean peaked. you're inexperienced in your 20s! you're still learning and practicing! you're developing social skills and muscle memory that will last decades!
there are a million things to do in the world, and they don't vanish overnight because an imaginary number gets too big
it is an incredibly joyous thing to look around at your friends as you're heading into your 40s and everyone is so much more themselves than they were when you were all scared and fragile 20-somethings. we're different genders now, we've gotten out of bad relationships and into good ones, we worked shit jobs and got better ones, we all cook a lot better and we eat better too, we casually pull off the kind of art we could only dream of as kids, we've figured out who we are and we do it on purpose now. the self-harm scars have all faded away and we complain about our bad backs and picky digestions instead.
I wanted to make a post I could copy and paste and or link when I see folks asking where to buy fabrics when Joann is gone. I sew a lot, generally between 100-200 items a year and I don't do it on a big budget. Stores are not in a particular order.
Notions:
Wawak.com - start here, mostly stay here. Wawak is a supplier for professional sewing businesses and have the prices that show it. I will not pay for gutermann Mara 100 anywhere else. I buy buttons, tools, thread, and most elastic here.
Stitch Love Studio - this is where I buy lingerie supplies https://www.etsy.com/shop/StitchLoveStudio?ref=yr_purchases
Fabric:
Fabric Mart - this is one where you want to sign up for emails and never buy unless its on sale. They run different sales every day and they rotate. Mostly deadstock fabrics but I buy more from here than anywhere else. Fantastic customer service and if you watch you can get things like $6 wool suiting or $4 cotton jersey. https://fabricmartfabrics.com/
Fabrics-Store - again, buy the sales not the full price. Sign up for the emails but redirect them to a folder because it is TOO MANY. They stock linen or good but not amazing quality. https://www.fabrics-store.com/
Purple Seamstress - This is where I buy my solid cotton lycra jersey. They have other things, but the jersey is what I'm here for. Inexpensive and very good quality. If you ask she will mail you a swatch card for the solids. https://purpleseamstressfabric.com/
LA Finch - deadstock fabrics with a fantastic remnant selection https://lafinchfabrics.myshopify.com/
Califabrics - mix of deadstock and big brands, easy to navigate and always seem to have good denim in stock. https://califabrics.com/
Boho Fabrics - good variety, nice bundles. I have also gotten some really great trims from here. https://www.bohofabrics.com/
Firecracker Fabrics - garment and quilting fabrics, really nice selection and great sale section. I've bought $5 yard quilting cottons here several times. https://www.firecrackerfabrics.com/
Hancock's of Paducah - Quilting fabric and some limited garment fabric. AMAZING sale section. Do not sleep on the sale section. This is my first stop when buying quilting fabrics. Usually the last stop too. Not particularly speedy shipping. https://www.hancocks-paducah.com/
Itokri - This is something a little different. Itokri is an Indian business with incredible traditional fabrics. Shipping to the US is expensive, but the fabric is so inexpensive it evens out. I generally end up paying like $30 for shipping. Beautiful ikat and block prints. https://itokri.com/
Miss Matatabi - this is a little treat. This isn't where you go to save money, but there are so many beautiful things in this shop. Ships from Japan incredibly quickly. https://shop.missmatatabi.com/
Lucky Deluxe - Craft thrift store, always has an incredible selection and fantastic customer service. I need to close the tab fast because I never go to this website without finding something I need. https://www.luckydeluxefabrics.com/
Swanson's - the OG of online craft thrift stores, but I find their website harder to navigate. https://www.swansonsfabrics.com
Honorary Mentions: I haven't shopped at these places yet but I have had them recommended and likely will at some point.
A Thrifty Notion - https://athriftynotion.com/
Creative Closeouts - https://creativecloseoutsfabric.com/ being rebranded to sewsnip.com on March 1 - quilting deadstock
Hawthorne Supply Co. - I just got this rec and I think I need to not look too closely or I'm going to slip with my debit card. https://www.hawthornesupplyco.com/
This is not an exhaustive list of everywhere you can buy fabric, or even a full list of where I shop. There are SO many options out there in the world. You also need to think outside the fabric store box. I thrift men's shirt fabrics for quilts and sheets for backing fabric. I don't do a ton of in person thrifting and my local stores don't get a lot of craft materials but every thrift store is its own universe and reflects the community it is in. Go out and find something cool.
Fellow Windows 11 users: how to disable newly-installed Microsoft AI!
Folks, with the new updates that've come down recently, Microsoft has installed its "Copilot" AI app on your machine. It cannot be removed.
But it can be disabled. Here's how (courtesy of the excellent Pihko Misit, aka @smokepaw.bsky.social over at Bluesky). I've just done this to my own desktop machine, and all's well with it now.
Here's what to do:
(1) You need to have Admin rights for the machine and be logged in to the administrator account.
Now, right-click on the Start menu (Windows logo on the Taskbar.) A menu pops up; about half way down it you'll see Terminal and Terminal (Admin). Click on the Terminal (Admin) option.
(2) A DoS-like box will open. (For those of you who've never interacted with a Windows terminal window before, it looks like this:)
On the command line (i.e. the first empty line), copy and paste this:
If successful, you'll see a line pop up saying so. Congratulations! But you're not quite finished.
Now you need to close all programs and fully shut down the machine. A restart isn't enough, it needs to be fully powered down and started back up.
"And now," Pihko says, "ou have a NSA-like AI spy dormant on your machine. Stay vigilant, odds are it'll turn back on with future updates! Big Corporate wants you to be compliant. Don't be!"
I DID IT IN GOOGLE'S EXCEL BC THAT'S WHAT I HAVE ACCESS TO ON MY PERSONAL DEVICE. I IMAGINE EXCEL EXCEL IS PROB SIMILAR.
column A: name of the dishes you want/know how to make
column B: ALL of the ingredients for each dish
put FILTER formula in E2. literally type it the exact way you see it here. the only adjustment you'll need to make is B16 and A$16, because you'll need to adjust those for however many rows you have in columns A and B. for example: if you have 100 rows total, you'll need the formula to read =FILTER(B1:B100,D2=A1:A$100). now enter the value (the name of your dish) in D2 to test it out. if you type the name of one of your dishes and it returns ingredients, congrats! you did it.
to make a dropdown list, select the cell you want your dropdown list you want to be in then:
go to Data, and select "Data validation"
click + Add rule
then it'll let you add dropdown options
enter the names from Column A, and bam! you got a dropdown that'll return ingredients!
to make lunch/dinner/etc, use the same =FILTER(B1:B100,D2=A1:A$100), and all you'll be changing is the D2. instead of D2, just put the name of the cell where you'll be putting your dropdown for the meal.
so for mine
Lunch is =FILTER(B1:B100,F2=A1:A$100)
and
Dinner is =FILTER(B1:B100,H2=A1:A$100)
voila, my friends! you now have a drop down mealplanner that'll autopopulate ingredients
ENJOY NOT HAVING TO MEALPLAN OR WRITE GROCERY LISTS FROM SCRATCH EVER AGAIN OKAY BYE
my friend just told me that there's a secret second dashboard that solely contains posts from people you've turned on post notifications for, and when i click the link in the messages it opens it within the tumblr app, so the tumblr app also has a secret second dashboard for post notification blogs, and the only way to access it is to open the link for it within the app.
Hi everyone! I hate to do this, but Iām opening up some emergency commissions. Iāve been out of work on a disability leave for the past 2 months after a mental breakdown, and am in dire need to catch up on rent and groceries
Hello everyone! Iām very excited to announce that I now have commissions open :) If youāre interested, feel free to reach out to me via tumblr dms! In the instance that you donāt want to commission me but would still like to support me monetarily, you can also buy stickers and prints from my redbubble here.
this is going to sound like such a little sibling ass take but i genuinely believe that being a little bit annoying is actually a greater sign of maturity and self awareness than being universally likeable and on good terms with everyone
if some people find me annoying and can't stand me because of how i think and act then that means i'm a fully realized human being with my own personality and opinions and free will and not just a reflective surface for other people's desires, which is in fact a good thing despite what people who want you to just be a reflection of their own opinions and desires will tell you, and why being considered "cringe" or whatever doesn't bother me at all
also it's really funny when you're confident enough in yourself to know that people not liking you isn't always a sign that you're the problem. like there's something undeniably hilarious about being aware your mere existence has the power to piss someone off and ruin their day and i recommend embracing it.
There are two error messages that may occur. Save Data Not Recognized (hereafter "NR") and Corrupted Data Was Found (hereafter "CD"). Of the two, NR is the more serious. There are apparently fixes for CD, but none yet for NR. The NR message is generated in the game itself, while the CD message is from the Switch.
If you experience the NR error, do not erase or overwrite your save data. It may still be recoverable. Contact Nintendo Support.
The CD error may be related to attempting the Walking Wake/Iron Leaves raids without updating to v1.2.0, or it might just be a thing that happens sometimes. But it is less serious and can be fixed.
If you experience the CD error, it can apparently be resolved by starting a new game on a second profile, saving, and then switching to your original profile. It may also be worthwhile to contact Nintendo Support in this instance as well. (I'd say do it even if this fix works for you. Let them know how broken this game is. Bemoan the fact that the "Official Nintendo Seal" used to actually mean something. But please be nice to the customer support agent; it's not their fault.)
You should also back up your entire SD card. Turn off your Switch, remove the microSD card, plug it into your computer, and copy all the files to your hard drive.
(Also, there is a megathread on r/PokemonScarletViolet. You should check there for more information because this is all I know about the issue, and I got most of my information from there.)
Two quick things: backing up your SD card won't help, as Pokemon data isn't stored on the SD unless you've hacked your Switch. Also, we've confirmed it doesn't seem to be connected to either PoGO or the DLC.
Hey, @wavewright62 , Iām your @mlsecretsanta ! I enjoyed writing this for you so I hope you enjoy reading some family bonding with the Dupain-Chengs!
Also on AO3
In the wee hours of the night, little eight-year-old Marinette found herself unable to sleep in her bed. Her mind was filled with all kinds of thoughts that circled endlessly. Tossing and turning in her bed only seemed to fuel them further. With a huff, Marinette sat up in her bed and scrunched her eyebrows in the dim light of the room.
āMaman always says the best way to relieve stress is through baking,ā Marinette muttered to herself, nodding along as she spoke.
Without a second thought, Marinette threw her blankets off, scrambled out of her bed, and made her way down the steps from the bed to the lower part of her bedroom. She slipped on a pair of fuzzy pink slippers to muffle her steps.
Moving as quietly as a mouse, Marinette made her way out of her room and towards the kitchen. When she reached the kitchen, Marinette started to search through the cabinets for the cookware required.
āHm, if I were a cookie sheet, where would I be?ā Marinette whispered to herself.
She opened each cabinet one after another, standing on precarious tippy toes to reach the high ones. Without paying attention, Marinette knocked into one of the lower cabinets while reaching for a higher one.
āUwah!ā Marinette cried as she tumbled.
With a thud, Marinette landed on her back. She quickly covered her mouth once the shock wore off and scrambled back onto her feet. Marinette looked in the direction of her parentās bedroom and waited, holding her breath.
āPhewā, Marinette muttered under her breath. āMaybe I should take this downstairs.ā
Moving with extra care, Marinette made her way past her parent's room and down into the back of the bakery.
āThis time Iāll start with a recipe,ā Marinette said out loud, eyeing the counters.
Fortunately for Marinette, one of the recipe books had been left out on the counter just within view. She grabbed a small stool on her way to the counter and quickly slid it under her feet. From there, Marinette began leafing through the pages looking for a good recipe.
āMaybe snickerdoodles? Those are pretty simple to make.ā Marinette muttered, talking to herself. āOoooh or macarons.ā
Marinette continued to flip through the various recipes, sticking a finger for every recipe that piqued her interest.
āI could just make more than one?ā Marinette scrunched her face, not completely convinced but too tired to give it any more thought.
Determined and unsure, Marinette pulled the stool near the bag of flour. She did her best to be careful as she stood on tiptoes to pull the bag closer to the edge. Once it was closer, Marinette hefted the bag into her arms and stepped off the stool. She grinned at her accomplishment and carried it back to the recipe book.
Soon sheād have a tasty snack and then sheād be able to fall asleep. Marinette's excitement and optimism grew as she eyed the recipe book.
~~~
In the wee hours of the night, Tom found himself dreaming of sweets. He could smell the spicy scent of cinnamon from snickerdoodles, the subtle smell of almond from macarons, and a handful of other smells that could not be made out. While dreaming of sweets was not an uncommon occurrence for a baker, even Tomās sleepy mind was surprised by the strength of each smell. It was almost as if he could smell them.
His sweet dream continued until a clatter from the back of the bakery rang so loudly, it echoed throughout the rest of the home. Tom rose with a start, eyes still bleary before he turned to Sabine.
āYou donāt think we have mice in the bakery, do you?ā Tom asked, sleepy eyes growing wide as he spoke.
Sabine answered him with a soft chuckle as she rose from her side of the bed.
āI can think of only one little mouse capable of making this much noise.ā Sabine mused, āA little mouse that should be asleep in her bed.ā
After a short pause in thought, Tom nodded along and rose with Sabine. Now that he was more awake, Tom could tell that the scents he had been dreaming about were coming from the back of the bakery.
Flicking on the lights as they made their way to the back of the bakery, Sabine and Tom stopped when they reached the kitchen first.
āLooks like the mouse started here,ā Tom remarked, an amused smile on his lips.
āI just hope this is the worst of the mess.ā Sabine mused with a yawn.
The pair paused long enough to close each of the opened cupboards before descending into the bakery.
Peeking their heads around the doorway, they watched as an exasperated Marinette flailed her arms in the middle of the room.
Various pots and pans lay scattered around her feet each coated in various amounts of flour. Together the pots and flour created a long trail leading back to a nearly empty bag of flour on the floor. Among the flour, little footprints were left all leading in different directions. Nearby, dirty mixing bowls and rolling pins filled one counter with a stack of cookie sheets and bread pans next to it.
From the smell, Tom recognized the cookies from his dream including one cookie sheet holding an unrecognizable, but clearly burnt, batch of cookies.
āThis is a disaster,ā Marinette mumbled, attempting to wipe flour from her cheek with a hand equally coated in flour.
āOh honey, is everything okay?ā Tom asked, stepping as carefully as he could around the mess on the floor.
Forgetting the flour on her face and hands, Marinette wiped her hands down her face as she turned in the direction of the doorway.
āEverything is a mess.ā Marinette sighed tiredly.
Tom moved next to Marinette and knelt on his knee. He reached out with his hand and ruffled Marinetteās hair, knocking off some of the flour on her head.
āWhat were you trying to do?ā Sabine asked, moving next to Tom.
āYou always talk about how you guys like to bake to clear your minds so I thought itād help me fall asleep.ā Marinette yawned, ābut I couldnāt decide what to bake and then things got out of hand. I promise I was careful with the flour, but when I tried to put it back on the counter I sneezed and kind of tripped.ā
Marinette gestured vaguely around with her hands.
āWell, hun, you know what we do when we make a mess, donāt you?ā Sabine asked, brushing the flour off of Marinetteās shoulder with her hand.
āWe clean it up!ā Marinette chirped.
āExactly.ā Tom smiled.
With only the energy an eight-year-old could muster, Marinette zipped over to a nearby closet and began digging for cleaning supplies. Sabine and Tom couldnāt help but laugh as they went over to join her.
~~~
āWe have a few hours left before we need to start getting the bakery up and running for the day. Why donāt we take a little time to play some Ultimate Mecha Strike II?ā Tom asked, eyeing Sabine.
At the mention of the game, Marinetteās eyes lit up and she turned to her mother for approval. Sabine couldnāt help but chuckle at the look.
āYouāve got time for a few games, but then itās time for bed.ā Sabine responded, āJust try not to be too loud. We donāt want to wake the neighbors.ā
Before Sabine had even finished, Marinette was already heading back up the stairs.
āOf course, we wonāt be too loudā Tom promised, kissing Sabine on the head.
āIāve got dibs on 2TO!ā Tom shouted as he ran to catch up to Marinette.
~~~
āTriple combo Tom style, booyah!ā Tom cheered as his character knocked out Marinetteās character.
āCareful Tom,ā Sabine spoke quietly, holding a finger against her lips.
Tom looked to Sabine and then followed her eyes to find Marinette asleep on the armrest of the couch, the controller still in hand.
āOh, sorry,ā Tom whispered back, carefully putting his controller down on the coffee table. āLooks like someone finally fell asleep.ā
Sabine moved to get it but stopped when Tom raised his hand.
āIāve got this. Iāll carry her back up to bed.ā Tom explained quietly, taking Marinette carefully into his arms.
Marinette shifted in his arms a little as he walked, but stayed asleep.
While he left with Marinette, Sabine sat down on the couch, intending to only rest for a moment. Before she knew it, she felt a nudge on her shoulder. Sabine opened her bleary eyes and realized she had fallen asleep when she saw Tom standing over her.
āDonāt worry about getting up.ā Tom smiled, āI just wanted you to scoot over. Weāve got another hour or so before itās time to get to work. I already set an alarm.ā
Sabine gave him a nod and scooted a little further to the side of the couch. Tom slid in next to her and Sabine shifted herself closer, snuggling into the crook of his neck. With one arm secured around Sabine, Tom pulled a blanket over them with the other.
It wasnāt long once they were both comfortable that they fell asleep cuddled on the couch.
i learned that in August 2014 Womenās Voices for the Earth commissioned testing of four types of Always menstrual pads, manufactured by Procter & Gamble. The certified laboratory STAT Analysis Corporation analyzed the products for volatile organic compound.
āThe results of the testing indicate that both scented and unscented Always pads emit toxic chemicals, including chemicals identified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Toxicology Program, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and the State of California Environmental Protection Agency as carcinogens, and reproductive and developmental toxins. None of these chemicals are disclosed on the product by the manufacturer.ā (x)
I switched to dye free fancy cotton pads, after years of having periods so fucking bad I would sometimes faint, and now i just get like. regular cramps occasionally, theyāre not even that bad anymore.
i switched back to these after using fancy organic cotton pads during my most recent period & they caused PROBLEMS out of the blue - 100% confirmed, these are not good to use
been using theseĀ reusable menstrual pads since november 2019 and im never going back to these commercial pads. commercial pads like these always gives me skin rashes which is so annoying. switch to reusable i swear youāll not only be period-ready but also rashes-free!
psa they also have a starter pack in case you want to switch and you dont know what to get and an xl size for plus sized women!
Plus, thereās a study that showed that vagina are highly vascular so, basically, every chemical you put down there is absorbed by your body real fast and really well. In short, ditch tampon too.
Yeah, reusable pads were one of my first major eco-friendly changes but my body has been way happier that way. They are infinitely more comfortable and effective, and I just throw them in my washing machine on the hand wash + extra rinse and hang dry. I canāt say being on your period is ever pleasant, but itās way better than before - ESPECIALLY in situations where you canāt change as often - and I donāt feel like the harbinger of the end of the world when I look at my restroom trash can anymore :)
I always buy generic brands but wasnt āalwaysā the ones who were sending fucked up pads to women in africa just a few years ago too???? Fuck always brand.
they now have a budget-friendly trial pack so you no longer have to worry which pad fits best for you. you can just buy the pack to get one pad of each size!!
Cariona pads (link above) are AWESOME. Donāt knock it til you try it - Iāll never go back to always pads. My period is, like, manageable, for the first time in my life. It is no longer a struggle with excruciating cramps, heavy bleeding, leakage, and looooong periods, but like, mild to medium cramps, and I HAVE A CYCLE AGAIN for the first time in years. Try it. The upfront cost is daunting, I understand, because I was worried I wouldnāt like them, but Iām SO GLAD I got them. Just toss them in bottom of your shower when you take them off, shower as usual, and then squeeze them out. That basically rinses them for you, and then theyāre all set for the washer and dryer. Youāll thank yourself later; give it a try.
Cariona pads are amazing and they are SO cute. Like @maybeitsfinallytime was saying, theyāre really easy to rinse out, and I usually hang them over my shower rod to dry so I can reuse them during the cycle, then give them a proper wash in hot water with a little sanitizing detergent afterwards.
Hereās to trying some. I even bought the animal crossing variety! Maybe Iāll never worry about running out of pads again? Who knows? Iāll update when Iāve tried them.
UPDATE: I just ordered the trial pack. I personally have a lot of problems with excruciating cramps my cycle being consistent, especially in recent months after losing weight and medications and such. Hopefully these work well/help because I always feel guilty about the amount of waste normal pads create
Due to when the reusable pads I ordered arrived I ended up switching literally in the middle of my last period and the difference was instant, Iāve gotten really bad cramps for as long as I can remember and still did the first half this time around but I didnāt cramp at all wearing the reusable pads. I highly recommend the switch.
I bought the cariona pads too and oh my gosh. The difference. I went from painful cramps and headaches to just mild cramps for like a day. They are so easy to use and so comfortable.
Been saying this for years and people thought I was crazy, it definitely affects us women and we should have a say in how these things are manufactured.
hi these are the reusable pads i use and while they do slide around a little bit, i havenāt once gotten throbbing sensitive skin around my vulva or shooting pains down my legs since using them. i used to think that was a part of having my period but now iām convinced it was from the pads and tampons i was using. not to mention i save tons of money on disposables.
Iām definately going to try and save up for some of the reusable pads. My cramps have been terrible all my life and all Iāve ever used is always pads so that could very well be the reason for my bad cramps :/
Iāve been on reusable pads since I had my child four years ago and they have been a game-changer! No more rashes or irritation, no more sweaty grossness, way fewer UTIs, no āitās stuck to my pubic hair againā momentsā¦ My girl down there can just breathe and do her thing. 1000% recommended.
Iāve had cramps so painful Iāve been unable to go to work or school all because people canāt make pads without adding chemicals. Ā Iām buying reusable ones once my paycheck is in.
Been using these Cariona reusable pads for about two years now and even if itās an expensive start-up cost, itās worth it. No more spending money on pads and tampons at the store, no more cramping, smell or rash/irritation, theyāre easy to take care of and the designs are awesome! So much more comfortable and healthier. I genuinely cannot rec these enough, PLEASE at least give these a chance.
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