I genuinely don't believe in New Year's Resolutions. The best time to start a new thing or work toward a new goal is Now.
But I did decide, in the days between Christmas and New Year, that I want to read more books from my collection, about one a week, and watch a film I haven't seen before every weekend. I want to set aside time to enjoy new things and become more familiar with my media collection. Acquisition is a huge part of collection, but knowing and curating that collection is also vital, and I've been neglecting those aspects of late.
I made a Spin-the-Wheel full of all of the books in my collection and a few I want to add, but I could use help making a list of movies to watch, if anyone has suggestions. I hope to be able to talk, even briefly, about the books and movies I'm enjoying for the first time, so you might have to deal with me yapping a bit more :)
Sawfish trapped in lower Tampa Bay rescued thanks to young fisherman’s catch of a lifetime | FOX 13 Tampa Bay
Sawfish were once a common sight in Florida waters, but now they're endangered and facing a number of threats – including an illness that ca
A 7.4-foot, critically endangered sawfish got trapped in a pond last year during Hurricane Helene. She was rescued by the U.S. Sawfish Recovery Team and released into Tampa Bay, a small bay on Florida's west coast that feed directly into the Gulf of Mexico.
She'll be able to migrate south for the winter with the rest of her kind. She's old enough to carry pups.
Smalltooth Sawfish are a species of ray, like stingrays, making them relatives of sharks. They were known to grow up to 20 feet long, making this sawtooth small for her species. Today, like many megafauna, smalltooths of that size remain unreported due to overfishing and environmental changes causing them to die before they reach maximum size.
They were found over much of the subtropics of the Atlantic Ocean, and enjoy shallow waters. They enjoy estuaries, and sandy or grassy bottoms. It's estimated that their dwindling numbers only occupy about 19% of their historical range.
Smalltooth Sawfish are classified as Critically Endangered by the ICUN Redlist. They were aggressively overfished both as a sportfish and for the shark fin industry. They are also extremely vulnerable to getting their rostrums (their saws) trapped in nets and other ocean refuse. In fall of 2023, smalltooth sawfish were among the species reported to have a "spinning disease" that would cause them to spin in circles until they died. While the cause has not been confirmed, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has determined the most likely cause to be toxic algae blooms that produce neurotoxins (often called Red Tide, though the blooms are not always red), an increasingly common problem with many human-made causes. While not the only species affected, smalltooth sawfish seemed especially susceptible, and the status as Critically Endangered made this even more concerning.
If you want to know more about Sawfish Recovery and their work or make a donation to assist their efforts, please visit their website here: Link
I'm so grateful and overjoyed to see this beautiful creature returned to her home and given a second chance at life. She is a vital part of our ecosystem down here and vital to her species' survival. I hope she lives a long, happy life in our waters.
Telling my cat in my most calming, most loving voice that it's okay when she knocks something over on accident because I'm child free but still reuse to repeat my parents' mistakes
Sometimes I think about how there are whales old enough to remember industrial whaling. A young whale watching her community shrink further and further, learning only to fear, fear, fear. I think of how lonely that must have been.
But I also think about how she might have grandchildren and great grandchildren now. She might have taught her daughter to fear humans, but maybe she taught her granddaughter how to know which humans to fear and which humans are friends.
I've read articles about live whales old enough to have industrial harpoon fragments in their bodies, and articles about whales assisting divers they believe are in trouble.
What I'm saying is that humans and whales live a long time, and we both remember what we did.
We both remember what we took.
We both know how to work for a kinder, gentler future.
I think it's important to remember that even though we're facing an era of environmental cataclysm resulting from human development, humanity is not alone. We are a part of the environment, not just the hand that alters it. We have neighbors we barely know.
Nothing brings me more joy than blocking someone for being rude to me. I don't care if I didn't "win" the conversation. I don't care if you feel like you "won" the conversation. I don't care if we didn't finish the conversation. I won't miss you. I've lost nothing.
I might, however, write a vaguepost about it, because blocking you brought me a tiny slice of happiness 😌
Burn out is bullshit, actually. Like, what do you MEAN that the month I allotted myself to recover from years of working and studying full time isn't enough and doesn't count if I spent the entire time planning all the things I'm going to do after I'm magically cured of TiredTM in 30 days??? What do you MEAN it can take months or years to actually recover from burnout?! This is BULLSHIT!
And worse, resting and recovering is boring. My brain is too tired for complex thought and I no longer have the stress of my coursework to keep me going anyway so what am I supposed to do with the hunk of goop between my ears? Lie in bed and scroll through YouTube shorts for 11 hours? I don't want to do that! I want to have fun! I want to do all the things I love that I've put off for the better part of a decade for some expensive papers I can frame on my wall!
This SUCKS!
But actually, my therapist says that I should take the full summer to rest and recover and let my grey matter settle. I'm supposed to do things I'm already familiar with: video games I play regularly, movies I've already seen, books I've already read. They also want me to try doing some low-cost activities that I find restorative or energy-neutral, like going to a bookstore or a cafe or to the movies.
Tomorrow, I'm going to see Sinners and get lunch with my brother, and then take a nap or lay about until dinner.
Okay so literally one person asked and frankly I need something to put on this account other than leftist reblogs and MDZS thoughts, so I am going to start posting brief reviews of books I read as I read them.
Keep an eye out while I figure out how I want to tag and structure these 👀
Still haven't posted a whole lot. I've been reading YA for one of my last MLIS classes. I have to read 30 titles total. But I have some thoughts and feelings on them if y'all are interested?
