andrea. 30s. oregon, usa. white. cis woman. she/her pronouns. bi ace. feminist. fangirl. writer. book designer. i'm really good at assembling IKEA furniture. about.
step one: be extremely depressed during covid-19 quarantine
step two: in your diffidence, leave many half-drunk glasses of water around your apartment
step three: your cat, who is stupider than any other mammal on earth, living or dead, starts drinking from your many abandoned water cups
step four: the cat now believes these are for her
step five: years later, you keep a glass of water on your bed side stand. not such a strange sight. however, it is the cat’s glass of water. she loves it. she drinks from it, she sleeps beside it on the bed next to your pillow to jealously guard it from harm, she cries when the level gets too low and she can’t cram her little head in far enough to reach the water. when overnight guests are there you have to explain that even if they are parched in the night, they don’t wanna drink the glass of water, because that is the cat’s glass of water.
you know how easy it was to get this picture? i picked her up, smooched her on her little head, put her down on the bed facing it, and she went “!!!! ooomye glase ofwater🥰” and started slurpin
reminder that adhd medication isn’t a luxury or preference, but a lifesaving medication. a 10 year long study in the usa showed that, when properly medicated, the rate of car crashes people with adhd get into goes down significantly–men’s rate drops by 38%, and women’s by 42%. the med shortage, denial of meds by doctors, rising prices, and war on drugs has killed–with such a car dependent society, not driving frequently isn’t an option, which means we need better healthcare and need it now.
edit because i forgot to explain: short link is to an article by the washington post, it should be free to read
I’m pretty sure there’s also been a study that unmedicated ADHD increases the risk of developing dementia in old age. I’ll get back to yall when I find the study
@icy-moons thank you for this incredibly important addition!!! People with adhd are almost 3 times as likely to get dementia, and the way to prevent that is stimulant medication–more people need to know this
Not to mention being properly treated and medicated for ADHD reduces the likelihood of developing an addiction or substance use disorder.
The articles below are free to access, they cite their sources if you wanna check out the studies themselves.
ADD-certified therapist here. These claims are ALL TRUE. I don’t have the link to hand but properly medicating ADHD also reduces anxiety and depression rates and I’ve seen it improve eating and sleep over the long haul, and improve aggression in young children.
Having rewatched Pirates of the Carribean several times, I have noticed something interesting. Will Turner is often the only survivor of massive shipwrecks, like the one that killed his mother or the one with the kraken. Other times even when hes alone he survives drowning in ways he really has no right to, like the destruction of the Interceptor. He just often conveniently finds a perfect sized piece of driftwood or something. Remember what Calypso said? About him having a “touch of destiny?” I think that the sea could never kill him, will always cradle him and protect him, because all along he was destined to be the captain of the Flying Dutchman. The sea could no more kill him than a human could cut off their own arm.
you have permission to start birding without knowing anything about identifying birds
As someone who recently picked up birding, and have been super casual about it. I second this. I’ve just been enjoying looking at the birds around me and learning how to notice them more. Even if I can’t identify anything, or I’m unsure because two or more species look similar, I still enjoy just…. Watching nature come and go (including while I’m working at my day job on the 4th floor in a downtown office. So many birds on the windowsills and I don’t have time to identify them. Just noticed and appreciate them!)
Fun tips for anyone who wants to get started with identification!
1. Download this guy:
It can identify bird calls and there’s a step by step visual identification thingie
2. Do NOT listen to snooty old white man birders who will expect you to know everything about birds, and who care more about getting a good picture than enjoying the experience. I saw a whooping crane a few months ago (!!!!!!!) and I was SO excited, and when I mentioned it to some snooty old white man birders they were like “Yeah I’ve seen one.” I was literally in tears when I saw this bird, and they were such spoilsports about it.
3. Birding has become a lot more popular with both young people and people of color, so if it’s something you’d like to do with other people try to track a group down in your area. I personally like to go out alone, but you can learn a lot from other people (who aren’t snooty old white men).
And 4. Even if you don’t get serious about it it’s a great way to appreciate the world around you! You can’t tell a chickadee from a blue jay? That’s fine! But just noticing the wildlife around you absolutely makes the world feel just a little more magical.
I understand that most of your calls can be resolved by telling the dumbass on the other end to plug it in properly, or maybe turn something off and back on again. But I, an advanced dumbass, have already tried that and I’m afraid it’s worse than either of us thought going into this.
Once had an IT guy tell me the only possible explanation was a localised black hole under my desk disrupting the space time continuum, and I’ve always been obscurely proud of having an error that severe, even though it definitely wasn’t me creating localised gravitational anomalies
I once had a computer problem so weird that it was escalated through like 4 different tiers of Apple Care until I was on the phone with this incredibly earnest guy who told me [in the thickest Eastern European accent imaginable]: “Oh my God… This is so strange… Haha!! Oh my God!!! Charlie, I will tell you, I have never encountered anything like this in my seven years of working here! All my days are spent usually helping people with stupid nonsense, but Charlie, you have brought me a PUZZLE! You have brought me a GIFT! I am FASCINATED! Now, I am going to get my manager, but Charlie, I PROMISE you. I PROMISE YOU, I will be back soon. PLEASE, Charlie, stay with me, and I PROMISE I will return to you and my manager and I will take care of you. OK?” and yes thank you i did tear up
what is your favorite type of cookie. not allowed to throw shade not allowed to be mean to each other just say what kinda cookie you like the most. this isn’t a competition just a conversation between friends there is no right answer
Addressing the assembly, Kennedy said: “We cannot accept language that pushes destructive gender ideology. Neither can we accept claims of a constitutional or international right to abortion. [The declaration] exceeds the UN’s proper role while ignoring the most pressing health issues, and that’s why the United States will reject it.” There is no mention of reproductive rights or gender in the declaration except in reference to specific challenges facing women.
These fucking morons. They won’t support targeting cancer now? What the actual shit?
ALT