Living in Reality

Finally a Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant. Now living the dream with the my better half. Randomly blog about anything from animals, to tasty foods, to Occupational therapy, rights, inspiration, or whatever tickles my fancy.

[reillymouse]

fun funeral facts

embalming, the process of chemically preserving a corpse, is typically not required by law. unless you need to transport the body long-distance or postpone the burial, it’s 100% a vanity thing.

a body still rots in air-tight conditions. so “protective” or “sealed” caskets are basically a scam, and anything fancy like metal is a waste of money.

want a beautiful casket for a viewing, but think burning or burying an expensive piece of hardwood is a waste of money and trees? rentals exist.

you don’t need a coffin for cremation. the minimum requirement is that the body be in a “cremation container,” which is a simple cardboard box.

home funerals are an option. you don’t need to hand the body over to a funeral home, and you can keep their involvement to a minimum.

natural burial sites exist. you can have your unembalmed body straight up thrown in the dirt to be tree food, if you want.

there are a lot of funeral homes that will prey on your ignorance and vulnerability in order to get as much money out of you as possible. they may imply optional certain services are legally mandatory, steer you away from cheaper options, charge additional costs for what’s supposed to be all-inclusive services, etc.

one person’s death is another person’s profit. know your rights, do your research, and apply the same scrutiny you would to any other business.

[m-eowdy]

There’s this youtuber called Caitlin Doughty who is a funeral director and she makes videos about her work and I really like them so I thought I’d spread the word

[blackscreaming]

Well look at that..

[thaunderground]

a cop doing what she was trained to do

[msgallus]

https://uta-ir.tdl.org/uta-ir/bitstream/handle/10106/18/umi-uta-1610.pdf?sequence=1

This is a really interesting study.

Basically, female police officers are better than male ones in every single way, including defusing situations like the above

[doyouwanttobesaved]

Her name is Senior Corporal Cassie Dotsy. 

[inkskinned]

the thing is, somebody cares. i know your best friend seems really busy all the time and is shit at texting but she still loves you and she talks to you more than she talks to anyone else and you’re the only breath of calm she has on this planet. the boy in your science class loves seeing what music you’re listening to on your headphones - he has the same taste and wishes he had the nerve to ask you about it. your english teacher loves the insight you have on your papers. somebody cares. the person who lives down the street from you notices when you are sick because they don’t see you stomping your way to the schoolbus - it’s how they know it’s time to get their breakfast ready. somebody is looking for you at the party, even if they don’t know they’re really looking for you - but when you don’t show up, some part of them is disappointed. somebody is looking for you in the library, in the spot where you eat lunch, in front of that one step you always seem to trip on. i know your parents are a complicated mess and there’s drama between your friends and your love life is sort of shaped like a constant question and everybody seems all caught up in their own lives and their own happiness and nobody really notices: but somebody always does. every face in your dreams is someone you have met, and that means that you are in a million’s stranger’s heads. they see you when they go to bed. and somebody cares. somebody still thinks about you even though you were just a person with a nice outfit or good eyeliner or a great smile or because you were having one of those moments that are so charmingly human in nature or because they regret not asking if you needed help when you fell or because they wonder what you were thinking about or drawing or writing or just because you’re alive, and that makes you fascinating. somebody cares. when you were on break from work and saw a dog hanging his head out of the car and suddenly broke into a smile: there was a girl in the back of that car, and I was her, and I still think about you, and i hope you get more chances to smile like that. and there is you, sitting here reading this, and by some small extension, meeting me, and i am telling you, I care. somebody always does. i promise. i promise. you are loved.

[analogueswords]

Eight Jews Dead in an Antisemitic Hate Crime, and Trump is Already Victim Blaming

This morning, a white man named Robert Bowers entered Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, shouted “all jews must die,” and shot 14 people. At least 8 so far are dead.

When asked if this reflected on gun control, the president of the united states said, “If they had protection inside, the results would have been far better…if they had some kind of a protection inside the temple, maybe it could have been a very much different situation. They didn’t — he was able to do things that unfortunately he shouldn’t have been able to do.”

This is victim blaming. He is saying that because these congregants had chosen not to defile a house of g-d with instruments of death, they were shot.

When building the Temple in Jerusalem, it’s said, g-d required the stones not be cut with metal tools, as such things could be used to kill people. We believe that instruments of death have no place in the praising of g-d. We should not be required to sacrifice this value in order to stay alive.

May their memories be a blessing.

[analogueswords]

I appreciate that people are liking this, but please reblog as well

[thetrevorproject]

The Trump administration’s desire to erase trans identities has been revealed. In response, trans people, like the author, feel under attack but also stronger together.

🚨 “Tired,” however, is so often a euphemistic stand-in for what we really mean—for the proven effects of minority stress: depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, substance-use disorders. We are not just “tired.” We are in pain.“ 🚨

Remember, if you or someone you know is in crisis, reach out at: 866.488.7386 or text/chat: thetrevorproject.org/help 📲

[fidnru]

middle aged white man with trump maga van sends pipe bombs and anthrax to 13 prominent democratic politicians, donors, and media outlets.

middle aged white man who claims he ‘doesn’t shoot whites’ attempts to enter a black church for a massacre, fails, and murders two random black strangers in a grocery store.

white man yells ‘all jews must die!’ before entering a synagogue during shabbat and opening fire. the news is still breaking, but at least eight people are confirmed dead.

it’s been 48 hours.

[protego-et-servio]

The point of voting blue in 2018 isn’t to make the US perfect. We cannot accomplish that in one fell swoop. There’s gerrymandering, voter apathy, voter suppression, and generations of older party-line fucks we have to deal with.

Voting blue in 2018 is to make it less immediately threatening for PoC, LGBT+ people, the disabled, and any other marginalized demographic. It’s a stopgap against Republicans who are aligned with Nazis, white supremacists, and sexual abusers.

Correcting politics in the United States is going to take decades of new voters staying on top of politics and not falling prey to apathy, like our predecessors. 

People telling you not to waste a vote on 3rd Party this midterm aren’t saying “never vote 3rd party.” Republicans have united behind one utterly heinous front. We need to unite behind Democrats, for the time being.

[sprmint-bkgsoda]

From the mouth of a One Percenter -

Abigail Disney

[mantaphase]

!!!!!!!!!!!

[marthawells-deactivated20181223]

“Yes, there is a superyachtinvestor.com. Go look at it and it will make you so angry, you could chew glass.”

[anarcho-smarmyism]

we stan class traitors on this blog

[cenobitic-anchorite]

Abigail Disney has no control or input on the operations of the corporation, she is a Disney heiress and, in that respect, nothing else. She puts her money towards philanthropy, especially women’s movements around the globe and peace organizations like Peace is Loud and the Global Fund for Women. She is a documentary filmmaker who explores these themes as well.

There are problematic family investments she earns money from that, legally, she cannot divest from. Instead, she donates these profits to charities that counter to those investments.

[wolverinedoctorwho]

Reblogging this version because I needed to read this after watching the video

[lesbianchemicalplant]

School Closed After Parents Declare 'Hunting Season' on 12-Year-Old Transgender Student: 'A Good Sharp Knife Will Do the Job' - Towleroad Gay News

A middle school is closed following violent threats by parents on social media against Maddie, a 12-year-old transgender student.

CW: article contains screenshots of the plans to maim and kill a 12 year-old girl made on facebook, including threats of genital mutilation

[lesbianchemicalplant]

https://hatetrackers.online/hate-crime-conspiracy (Same CW as above)

Jamie Crenshaw began colluding the hate crime by posting a warning in the Achille ISD Parent Group on Facebook. She dehumanized the child by saying, “Heads up parents of 5th thru 7th grade girls. The transgender is already using the girls bathroom. We have been told how the school has gone above and beyond to make sure he has his own restroom yet he is still using the girls. REALLY….looks like it’s gonna be a long year. We have made school board meetings over this situation last year but nothing seems to be changing. This is the same kid that got an trouble as soon as he transferred two years ago for looking over the stalls in the girls bathroom. Enough is enough. – with Burney Crenshaw.” [All spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors are Jaime Crenshaw’s.]

Jamie Ann Standifer Crenshaw, age 37, of Colbert, OK – a nearby town in which the transgender child is attending school, is married to Burney Crenshaw, the subject of the protective order.

Burney Clyde Crenshaw, age 43, also of Colbert, is a former president of the Texoma Junior Rodeo Association. In 2006 he was convicted of domestic abuse in Bryan County after pleading no contest. After he served a deferred sentence the charge was dismissed. The Crenshaws own Crenshaw Chemical & Fertilizer located at 1969 Eastman Rd - Hwy 91,  Colbert, Oklahoma 74733. It’s  1 ½ miles west of Achille. Their phone number is [phone]. There are no records found where Burney Crenshaw has assaulted or threatened a man, so it would appear he only has enough “courage” in him to beat women and threaten children.

Note: Records also show the Crenshaws as being residents of Achille, Oklahoma. However, USDA farm subsidy information for Burney Clyde Crenshaw shows him receiving $198,524.00 from 2014 – 2016 at the Colbert address. The towns are less than eight miles apart. __________

Eddie Belcher, age 79 of Broken Arrow, said, “If he wants to be a female make him a female. A good sharp knife will do the job really quick.“

Edward W. Belcher is a white supremacist supporter of the Confederacy.

__________

Kevin Lee Bickerstaff, age 58 of Ada, suggested, “Just tell the kids to kick ass in the bathroom and it won’t want to come back!”  

Bickerstaff is a bus driver for Frontier Airlines. He is married to Lajuan “Lou” Gayle Koehn Pachner Bickerstaff, age 46. Both Bickerstaffs have been sued in civil court for non-payment of debts and are involved in the Mid-South Youth Rodeo Cowboys Association of Oklahoma. The Frontier Airlines corporate office can be reached at [phone].

Bickerstaff is also a member of the Texoma Junior Rodeo Association, whose former president is Burney Crenshaw.

__________

Seth Cooper said, “Let Parker [son of Burney and Jaime Crenshaw] whip his ass until he quits coming to school.”

Waylon Lott responded, “I let the queer teacher get me worked up! This is even worse! Lol”

Cooper then replied, “Lmao, both cases are BS, neither one of them should be allowed near th[sic] school.”

Cooper is married to Shelby Cooper, age 63. The couple own Cooper Ranch and Trucking LLC at 1522 Hwy 199E in Madill, OK. Their business number is [phone] with an email address of [email protected]

__________

Waylon Noel Lott, age 34, resides with his wife Amanda Ruth Cornelison Lott, age 35, at  5228 Lott Lane in Madill, OK. Unable to support his family, Lott has had to draw  $33,581.00 in federal livestock welfare since 2014.  

__________

Jay Standifer added to the thread, “Seth Shelbie Cooper sounds like we are going to have to get a case of beer and a big ass fan to get him and his dad smoked off Bernie Crenshaw.”  [The Bernie Crenshaw was referencing another member of the group - Burney Crenshaw, so the sentence should correctly end with “smoked off”.]

Jay W. Standifer, age 45, is the ranch manager at Buckhorn Creek Ranch located at 6300 Highway 177 S, Sulphur, and resides at 2932 Standifer Rd Sulphur with his wife Karen Duck Franks Standifer, age 40.

He has a 1998 felony conviction in Murray County for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and was charged with unlawful hunting by the Oklahoma Wildlife Department. He’s also had a protective order filed on him by a woman and had to be forced by the courts to pay child support.

Karen Standifer is a girl’s junior high coach at the Oklahoma School for the Deaf in Sulphur.  

__________

Gina Segraves refers to the child as  "thing” in one post [….] Gina Marie Davey Segraves, age  52,  who lives 6 ¾ miles east of Catfish King on Hwy 3 near Idabel, is quite the deadbeat having racked up nearly a dozen civil suits against her in recent years.

__________

The Bible-thumping Eddie Alford McCroskey II, age 43, of  35136 Pleasant Valley Rd in Wister, OK has a felony record that includes child abuse by injury, transporting a loaded firearm, and possession of a firearm while under supervision. The divorced man is currently engaged to Melissa Lycklama of Broken Bow. It will be the Bible quoter’s third marriage in eight years.   McCroskey also uses P.O. Box 785, Poteau, OK 74593 and Melissa’s cabin address at Blue 3 Trail #1244 in Broken Bow.

__________

Ty Andrew Hays, who refers to the child as a maggot, has a criminal record for assault and battery in the presence of a minor in Custer County.  Hays, age 42, resides in McLean, Texas and is married to Lacey Hays. Hays, who is native to Weatherford, OK,  has had protective orders filed against him by a former wife. He currently has an outstanding warrant in Blaine County for failure to have insurance.

__________

Jamie Dayle Blanchett, age 44 of 902 NE Rushwood Drive in Stigler, OK, owns Blanchett Welding and Metal Art. The phone number there is [phone].   __________

Susan Rogers Leonard, age 54, of Broken Bow has shared a cruel meme with Burney Crenshaw promoting violence towards transgender people. She and her former spouse Tommy Leonard enjoy exchanging protective orders against each other. Leonard subsists off the largesse of family members and taxpayers, while giving a go at becoming an Independent Scentsy Consultant.

__________

Jacky Billy Upton, age 35 of Stigler, shared with Jamie Blanchett a meme implying that, if you went into the wrong bathroom, you’d need to use the handicapped stall.  

Lovely bunch of fascists. Notable that they’re

Petty bourgeois across the board, and

Many of them have abused children (and adult women) before, and had restraining orders filed against them. They have histories of misogyny and violence toward children – this isn’t their first rodeo

The two statements “Let Parker whip his ass until he quits coming to school.” and “Just tell the kids to kick ass in the bathroom and it won’t want to come back!” would be considered a criminal conspiracy to harm the 12-year-old girl and participants could face felony hate crime charges.

Almost all the involved parties have connections to the youth rodeo circuit. 

The Achille ISD Parents Group is a closed group. A member leaked the postings cited to the public. Sandra Simmons and Kara Bird run the group, but it’s not been shown that they’ve any involvement in the conspiracy to commit a hate crime. A description of the group provides the disclaimer, “This group page only exists as a sounding board for the community. The views expressed on this page are not necessarily the views of the administrators. We do not condone or endorse any forms of violence, degradation or bullying of anyone.” [lmfao you fucking cowards] Concerned  parties can contact the Achille Elementary School by calling principal Lora Stanglin at [phone] or emailing her at  [email protected]   The Achille ISD superintendent Rick Beene can be reached at [phone] or by emailing [email protected]

Please help spread this useful information as events develop. Thanks

[pewresearch]

As of April, 59% of U.S. adults who are eligible to vote are Gen Xers, Millennials or “post-Millennials.” Yet if past midterm election turnout patterns hold true, these younger Americans are unlikely to cast the majority of votes this November.

[zeshuetoral]

Time to break the mold! This year, everyone votes!

[truth-has-a-liberal-bias]

The only (peaceful) way to keep Trump and the Republicans in check, is to vote.

Register to Vote and Confirm or Change Registration

[killerchickadee]

If you’re not voting against these people then you’re voting for them. You can’t bitch about what Trump is doing to this country if you’re not even attempting to do something about it.

[the-bi-writer-blog]

listen i say this every time i see a voting post, but if there’s a barrier that keeps you from physically voting (like, you go to college in a different place than your permanent address, you have work/school, you’re home with kids, you’re disabled, etc) YOU CAN GET A MAIL IN BALLOT. 

It’s called “absentee voting”, and over half of states don’t even require any sort of documentation for you to get one. You can literally just. Request one. And then you can vote by mail ahead of time, saving yourself So. Much. Stress.

[info on how to get an absentee ballot in each state] 

Oregon has mail in ballots for everyone, and we consistently have high voter turn out, which is why I spread this info, every chance I can. 

Note: Also, technically your employer has to give you a couple hours off on election day if you’re working more than a certain number of hours, but losing paid hours isn’t an option for a lot of people. So get on that absentee request!

[polararts]

I’m going to get political for half a second and say absentee voting is really easy!

If you’re a little lost on who to vote for: This app assesses your political views and shows your % matches.

+A list of everyone who voted against net neutrality (Avoid voting for, so the internet stays free) +Environmentally Supportive senators 

[rjzimmerman]

Some images that haunt me

We’ve all seen this photo of the two-year old baby from the Honduras who, along with her mom, was detained on June 12 by the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol after they crossed the border. What you haven’t seen (probably) is the second photo, showing mom removing the shoelaces from the baby’s shoes, as required the Border Patrol agents. Treating the baby like an adult prisoner.

Then this four-year old boy from the Honduras, who was detained along with his dad after they crossed the border. If you look carefully, you’ll see a badge has been placed on his chest and his left shoulder, with his assigned number, #47. Remind you of something? I want to believe the number is to allow the US to reunite the boy and his dad, but I don’t think so.

Some more. I have the story behind each of them, but each photo is strong enough.

Then this. Can’t we afford real blankets for these kids? I’m sure the military bases in the area have acres and acres of spare blankets we can use to keep the kids warm, instead of wrapping them in mylar.

And these are cages, not chain-link fence partitions as claimed by the trump people. Cages. The photo is real. It’s a screen grab from a video produced and released by the US Customs and Border Control.

[valiumom]

How the fuck do we STOP this. I mean it we have to march or impeach or overthrow everybody or something literally anything I cannot stomach this

[antiporn-activist]

[sixpenceee]

To commemorate the violence against LGBTQ members, Pride Shield created a bulletproof rainbow flag. The thematic installation is made up 193 pride flags, one for every country in the world. When positioned together, they defy bullets, which aims to encourage the importance of togetherness. (Source)

More posts here: sixpenceee.com/tagged/posts

[feltcustoms]

This. A thousand times this.

[aconfusedpotathoe-blog]

I literally started crying watching this

[themostbasicbish]

This. Is. Beautiful.. I’m actually like crying

[talia23williams-deactivated2018]

I’m shaking… The minute I saw the bullet and the flags, I started shaking.

[thewallsofconcrete]

RARE HISTORIC PHOTOS WE MIGHT HAVEN’T YET SEEN

An Exotic Dancer Demonstrates That Her Underwear Was Too Large To Have Exposed Herself, After Undercover Police Officers Arrested Her In Florida

Dorothy Counts – The First Black Girl To Attend An All-White School In The United States – Being Teased And Taunted By Her White Male Peers At Charlotte’s Harry Harding High School, 1957

Austrian Boy Receives New Shoes During WWII

Jewish Prisoners After Being Liberated From A Death Train, 1945

The Graves Of A Catholic Woman And Her Protestant Husband, Holland, 1888

A Lone Man Refusing To Do The Nazi Salute, 1936

Job Hunting In 1930’s

German Soldiers React To Footage Of Concentration Camps, 1945

Residents Of West Berlin Show Children To Their Grandparents Who Reside On The Eastern Side, 1961

Acrobats Balance On Top Of The Empire State Building, 1934

Mafia Boss Joe Masseria Lays Dead On A Brooklyn Restaurant Floor Holding The Ace Of Spades, 1931

Lesbian Couple At Le Monocle, Paris, 1932

The Most Beautiful Suicide – Evelyn Mchale Leapt To Her Death From The Empire State Building, 1947

The Remains Of The Astronaut Vladimir Komarov, A Man Who Fell From Space, 1967

Race Organizers Attempt To Stop Kathrine Switzer From Competing In The Boston Marathon. She Became The First Woman To Finish The Race, 1967

Harold Whittles Hearing Sound For The First Time, 1974

Nikola Tesla Sitting In His Laboratory With His “Magnifying Transmitter” more

[jonesywrites-deactivated2025050]

Wow

[thetrevorproject]

5 Young LGBT Leaders Got Surprised By Their Own Queer Role Models

"I believe that when you mess with one queer, you mess with us all."

Happy Pride!! 🌈🌈🌈 You deserve to be celebrated during Pride Month and every month 🎉

Remember, there’s no timeline for coming out, and there’s no right way to be LGBTQ+ 🌈 If you need support, we’re here for you 24/7: 866.488.7386 or text/chat thetrevorproject.org 📲

[odinsblog]

No matter what she says, that was no joke. Particularly not when Betsy DeVos has made it clear that she fully intends to accelerate the school-to-prison pipeline to incarcerate black children en masse. And Ms. Swearingen is very obviously, FULLY aware of what would likely happen to a black child if she made that false report to the police. Shanna Swearingen’s “joke” was barely more than a veiled death threat to special needs black children.

This was not just another racist educator, but a school principal. I feel sorry for the black children under her “supervision”. She obviously doesn’t think much of them, nor does she care about their safety.

[crazysenji]

Just so you all know..

This blog is 100% anti PETA.

We love our vegetarian and vegan friends and family (and I have a lot of them!!). We don’t support an organization that claimes to love animals and does nothing but hurt them and the people who love them.

Hugs and support to my extended dog show family at Crufts.

[mitskisguitar]

Not saying that youre wrong because peta is on some sketchy shit but what did they do to hurt animals?? Again not saying that ur wrong I just don’t know

[cephalophor]

PETA’s Shelter Euthanized 72% Of Its Animals Last Year.

PETA kills “rescued” lobsters by putting them in fresh water

PETA Joins Forces with Group Working to Kill All “Pit Bulls” Nationwide

PETA thinks that keeping pets is cruelty and slavery

PETA’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad History of Killing Animals 

More why PETA is horrible

[thnksfrthmania]

We also do NOT support vegans that force their carnivorous pets to live on a vegan diet. Hypocrisy is somthing I HATE and if you really cared that much about animals you would do the research needed to feed your pets a species appropriate diet.

[stormclaws]

i couldnt find these anywhere so i made some gay heart and sparkle emojis for discord! you can use these, it’d be cool if you could give a like/reblog if you do!