sassypotatoe1

[sassypotatoe1]

"oh gen z is so rude" "oh millenials are so entitled" you want to know who's rude and entitled? The elderly! Genx and boomers both. Because tell me why I request comment from the municipality about the water damage and leak at a state run old age home, and they come back with "well have the residents reported it? We can't do anything to fix it if no one reported it" and that's not entirely correct because I could argue for days about the responsibility of the municipality wrt maintenance and repairs.

So I pop a message to one of the residents, politely asking if she can make a report and send me the reference number for the report so I can go back to the municipality like "here now they have are you happy?" and you know what this woman does? She sends a voicenote from one of the other residents insulting me for filth because no one has made a report why am I asking for reference numbers I should come take my own photos.

My loves I'm the journalist not the handyman I ALREADY have photos and video of the leak and water damage, I'm already aware of the extent, I already sent the photos and videos to the municipality, they came back with "reference number?" so I asked someone to make a report so I can get that so they can't pass the buck.

I LITERALLY can't make the report for you, I'm not a resident of this old age home, it has to be made by someone living there, and if you want anything done within the current system THAT'S how you get it done. You report it to the municipality, they come fix it. When they DON'T fix it THEN I can put pressure on them as the media. It's not that hard to understand.

I'm going WAY out of my scope of responsibility by preemptively asking the municipality for comment, all I ask is for one resident to make a single report so I can send the municipality a reference number, because NOTHING ELSE WORKS to get shit done, but no they want everything to be handed to them without having to ask, and when someone asks for an incredibly simple favor to try to help they get bitchy.

I'm incredibly tempted to just tell them to fuck off and deal with it themselves but that's unprofessional and I actually care about the safety and well-being of the people in my community, so it would be antithetical to who I try to be as a person.

[sassypotatoe1]

Just a reminder that humans became the heirs to the throne of Narnia because two kids crawled around in the walls to sneak snacks and play pretend and accidentally caught one of their weird uncles doing cosmic alchemy and making jewelry with it. Houses need crannies and crawl spaces or we'll never have magic.

I hate the “open floor plan” that everyone is obsessed with in houses now. I want nooks and crannies and bizarre floor plans. I don’t need to be able to see what someone is doing on the other side of the house. I want places to hide and lurk and dwell in the shadows. I am the beast who awaits in the labyrinth

[sassypotatoe1]

the most batshit stuff i learned for the lit review section is that the reason hyperthermophiles (those little bastards that live in boiling hot water) love deep sea hydrothermal vents so much is that the bone-crushing water pressure CANCELS OUT THE EXTREME HEAT. they're chilling at 110*C and their protiens aren't unfolding into spaghetti and their cell membranes aren't turning into an oily puddle because the enormous water pressure that is enough to crush a car into a 1 foot cube is literally holding everything togather.

[sassypotatoe1]

“I tampered with that persons food/drink order because I thought it would be funny” is like saying “I cut your brakes out of your car because I thought it would be funny”. that’s not a joke. It’s almost premeditated murder

[sassypotatoe1]

There's this interesting phenomenon where when you're a child, or some other vulnerable minority dependent on a job for shelter, you are actually under duress almost constantly. You can't say "I don't want to work today," you cannot say "I don't want to do the dishes, actually," you cannot choose not to participate. In a lot of cases, the punishment is explicit. Your parents might yell at you. Your boss might fire you. But in other cases, it's implicit. The mood will sour. You lose leeway. People get mad at you. And that creates a really shitty environment where you're constantly being coerced to do things!

And here's the kicker; you're not allowed to acknowledge that. You cannot acknowledge that you are being coerced, you cannot acknowledge that your free will is not being respected, because that's punished too. Your boss insists that you act excited. Your parents punish you for acting surly. You are forced to fake enthusiastic consent, constantly. It's a fucking nightmare. Your hand is being forced, you do not have the option to say "no," and if you ever, for a second, try to acknowledge that, everyone acts like you're the aggressor.

[sassypotatoe1]

a whole bunch of gazan mutual aid projects and nonprofits. if the decision of which individual fundraiser to give to feels too daunting, or if you just want to help as many people as possible in one go, these are great initiatives to support.

care for gaza - focuses on providing food and essential supplies. donate here or here.

connecting humanity - securing internet access via donations of virtual sim cards (esims). if you can't afford a whole plan yourself, crips for esims is a communal pool that will use your donation to purchase and maintain esims

gaza soup kitchen - provides food, medical care, and classes for children. also has a gofundme

glia gaza medical support initiative - provides medical care through field clinics and tents at hospitals. donations can also be sent through their website.

ele elna elak - provides clean water, food, clothing, and shelter. they also have a gofundme

life for gaza - raising money for the gaza municipality to repair water and waste management infrastructure

taawon - partners with local civil organizations to provide food, water, medical care, shelter, and basic supplies

the sameer project - running various initiatives providing tents, medical care, and necessities. they have their own encampment project focused on sheltering families with children, sick and disabled members, or members in need of perinatal care

islamic relief worldwide's gaza emergency appeal - provides food, water, hygiene kits, medical supplies, and psychological support

baitulmaal - provides a variety of necessities, including food, water, shelter, and medical supplies

gaza mutual aid fund - distributes food, hygiene products, water, and other essential supplies, including financial support. run by @/el-shab-hussein's amazing friend Mona. updates can be found on her instagram.

hygiene kits for gaza - provides hygiene supplies including menstrual products, wipes, and toothbrushes/toothpaste

anera - provides a variety of necessities, including food, water, hygiene supplies, medicine, blankets and mattresses, and psychological care

palestine children's relief fund - provides supplies and support with a focus on children. also has an initiative for lebanon

dahnoun mutual aid - provides water, food, tents, baby supplies, financial support, and other necessities. updates can be found through their instagram

certainly this is not an exhaustive list, so please feel free to add on other projects or organizations that i didn't include. and as always, please take the time to donate if you can and share. it truly makes all the difference.

[sassypotatoe1]

i luv him so much

[sassypotatoe1]

Imagine sleeping in because you're dreaming your morning routine and going to work, and then being late for work as a result.

[sassypotatoe1]

dino saurs were not scary monsters they were mamas with eggs and when they drank water they were like fuckk yessss waterrrr

[sassypotatoe1]

Me as the guest but I used the ugliest mug in the office kitchen that was available for communal use, I mean hideous it had non-emergency and emergency service delivery contact numbers printed on it with random ass characters, half on green and half on red, but then it broke off the handle randomly and shattered on the floor so I got myself a normal mug.

I'm like so not kidding she was hideous

And she died in a blaze of glory

[sassypotatoe1]

You find people like you that you love and adore and then you go "but it's stupid that I don't love and adore myself too I'm gonna do that now"

How do you deal with that general feeling of being ugly and unlovable

[sassypotatoe1]

Sassy

Hello friend, I am Salsabil, a mother of two childrenSuha and Zuhair 👫. My husband was injured as a result of the bombing and cannot move. I am the breadwinner for my family due to my husband’s illness. I cannot provide a loaf of bread for my children. I grind lentils and some legumes and knead them to feed them. Contribute, friend, to bringing life back to my family. Donate $25 or what you can to make my family happy. 🫂💔🇵🇸

I cannot donate unfortunately but I can absolutely share your campaign. Link here.

[sassypotatoe1]

"When you get bored with something you give up" no I put it on a backburner to explore something new and exciting. Most of the time I get back to it at some point, sometimes multiple times, sometimes not at all, and all of that is fine, actually. There's no moral value to maintaining interest and participation or not in an activity that is meant to bring you joy.

I played pool for two seasons, my team this year isn't playing the second season because two of the members are teens in high school who are preparing for final exams, and I'm so fine with not playing. I enjoy it, and I know playing frequently will improve my skills, and the people are great, but I'm also focusing heavily on my work at the moment because there's a possibility of a promotion to senior journalist and it's taking all my interest. So pool is on a backburner, even if I bought a moderately expensive cue after the one I got as a gift got stolen a month ago.

I started a diy diorama (miniature doll house, or scaled down scene) because I've been obsessed with tiny versions of things since I was a little bitty child. In Sunday school I'd make tiny tiny burgers with the modeling clay we were supposed to make the nativity scene with. I built fairy villages in the building sand or next to the pond on our farm every chance I got.

I am roughly 15% done with the kit, and I haven't worked on it in over a year. I did not give up on it, it took a backburner because my interests shifted to and stayed on fiber arts for quite a while. They're starting to shift back to tiny things, and I'll probably be spending my free time on that diorama for the foreseeable future.

I have several unfinished paintings, but I don't want to paint right now so they're sitting in my portfolio bag and waiting until I do want to paint. I'm busy with knitting gloves, crocheting a granny square blanket and doing a cross stitch as a gift to my mother, the three main fiber arts projects I've been working on. They will be taking a break while I work on the diorama.

I'm reading three books. I'm currently trying to finish war of the worlds, a masterpiece that I'm reading uncritically for now, and also a compilation of Henry James' ghost stories (I have two left but it's a difficult read), and a non-fiction book about sustainability in agriculture. They're taking months to get through, because I have to be in a super specific mood to read.

I started block printing, got to buying the ink, brayers and tools and then moved on to the cross stitch, which is almost done, before I actually printed the custom tote bags I've been working on to sell for extra cash. I have carved the blocks for the prints, but the actual printing is taking a breather.

I make resin jewelry, but I got stuck because the four leaf clovers I was using for Keychains got too transparent in the resin, and with the black background they're basically invisible, so I painted the back of the rest of the clovers with a thin layer of green acrylic paint, which should help with the transparency and also make the clovers less prone to tearing when I position them in the resin.

I haven't actually cast the painted ones yet because resin takes a good two hours of work to make five keychains, and at least 24 hours to cure, and then there's sanding and polishing, before assembly, which can take another hour, and I haven't had the kind of time required to do it. I'm hoping to get some time for it soon, but until I do I'm not making any keychains.

I have 7 different novel ideas and started writing on a lighter one and planning on a heavier historical fantasy, but my personal laptop is dead and I don't have an open outlet in my room to charge it, and I write so damn much in my day-to-day job that I'm not in the mood to write when I get home. I will still finish those novels and, hopefully, get them published, but they're on hold for now.

None of these many many projects are abandoned. I have returned to projects I started years before I finished them. I have probably only actually abandoned less than 10 creative projects in my life, and I have no guilt about giving up on them. It's never felt like a waste to me, even if I put in a lot of materials, effort or time only to toss it. The act of doing it is what has value for me, and I have done a lot of things.

[sassypotatoe1]

The last medication you took is now your wizard name, are you happy with it?

[sassypotatoe1]

i will apologize for being insufferable but i will not stop. you all know this.

[sassypotatoe1]

I love it when women tell me they just finalized their divorce. ESPECIALLY older women. The correct response is always “congratulations” and they always seem so pleasantly surprised, they just seem to light right up and talk about how happy they are, what their plans are, how well they’re doing. I’ve only ever met like 1 person who was upset to be divorced and it was a middle-aged dude. Second most exciting is young men. A 25 year old guy says he just got divorced and you go “congratulations” and he SMILES? You KNOW there’s a story. I love it. People should get divorced more

[sassypotatoe1]

Guys I submitted a fucking beast of an article, 1300 words (was 1250 but I added a paragraph for readers to contact me with their stories) and it was literally so difficult to write my sugar crashed and my mom had to get me ice cream (it was likely actually that I didn't eat much yesterday but I like to attribute it to writing the article because it was an intense motherfucker of a piece to write).

Am I happy with the sources I had to use? No I don't like the organization my public perspective voice is working under they're a white supremacist organization, but he's incredibly involved with domestic violence and sexual assault victims as a chaplain and medic, and he frequently helps victims make reports to the police, and he has a unique, incredibly detailed and valuable perspective on what my article is about. The other sources are just literally the court, the police and the department of health.

I finished it yesterday, fed it into grammarly for restructuring so it makes more sense because she is a humongous piece of writing for a newspaper, like she's wall of text. Grammarly goes "oh this is actually perfect lol" not like perfect perfect but I'd say grammarly changed less than 5% of the article.

So I submit it with sub headings because that's all I could think of to make it easier to read, because it's an important piece imo and I want people reading the whole thing, and my news editor sends it back with the note "great story, bring the local angle in sooner" so I move the interview with above-mentioned guy up two sections, because it still makes sense that way, and I submit it again.

Now it's gonna get published, and I put a call to action for people to share their stories with me via my work email at the end, and I'm so fucking stressed because either people won't read it because it's such a beast of an article which isn't ideal, or a lot of people will and I'll be inundated with emails, which is also scawy. But I want to get this story out there and I want to get people's voices on it out there because as I said, I think it's really important, but it's gonna be a lot.