#2five

[tksstgiftguide]

I’ve been volunteering at a local nature preserve where there are motion cameras set up, and the video captures have been illuminating: coyotes, mule deer, bobcats, bears... and of course there are dozens of animal cam vids on TKSST. So when we discovered signs of animal activity in our back yard, we wanted to know: Opossum? Skunk? Raccoon? 

High-end night vision, motion-triggered trail cams can be expensive, so I was really happy to find this affordable, highly-rated Vikeri 4K 32MP trail cam. Its settings tailor resolution, activation speed, video length and more, and it comes in a weather-proof case with a sturdy strap, SD card, and starter batteries. (I did, however, also order more rechargeable Eneloops.)

This nature-observation tool is a fantastic educational activity for the whole family, and it was ridiculously fun to find a few videos waiting for us after the first night. 🦨

Get this trail cam

[sombrasblancas]

I've been experimenting with new aspect ratios and this wide one was perfect for a low tide seascape. It is 20 x 10 cm (7.87 x 3.94 inches) and you can find it at https://www.etsy.com/listing/1434248360/small-seascape-painting-on-canvas-board

[torley]

‘I’ve been in so many ensembles where I’ve been, like, the horny mom. Or the horny divorced mom. And I loved all those parts! But there’s something about this where it was women — and this one beau…

[spiritsoulandbody]

#DailyDevotion Are You A Wise Or Foolish Virgin?

#DailyDevotion Are You A Wise Or Foolish Virgin? Matt. 25:1-13 Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten girls who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3The foolish girls brought their lamps, but they took no extra oil. 4The wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5But the bridegroom delayed, and so they all dozed off to sleep. 6"At midnight there was a shout: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out and meet him! 7Then all those girls woke up and got their lamps ready. 8“But the foolish asked the wise, 'Give us some of your oil. Our lamps are going out.' 9“The wise girls answered, “There will never be enough for us and for you. Better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' 10“While they were away buying it, the bridegroom came, and the girls who were ready went with him to the wedding, and the door was shut. 11“Later the other girls also came and said, 'Lord, lord, open the door for us!' 12“ 'I tell you the truth,' he answered them, “I don't know you.' 13“Keep awake, then, because you don't know the day or the hour." There are a number of different interpretations of this parable. They mostly fall into what are the different meanings of they oil. Most of these are wrong because their interpretations just don't hold up throughout the parable or reason (of course many things of faith are contrary to reason). Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to ten girls who took their lamps and went out to meet the groom. Well, what are we to make of this? Everyone seems to be invited to the wedding banquet. Well, that sound pretty good. However five were wise and five were foolish. The wise brought extra oil knowing the groom was known for being late (ok, that's me taking license) and the foolish just brought enough for what they thought the job would be. Well they all fell asleep. Now should we interpret this as dying? Falling asleep is a well known term for death starting with Jesus. Then when unexpectedly the groom arrives at midnight. The girls wake up. Should this not be seen as the resurrection when Christ the groom of the Church appears. I think so. Now comes the sticking point with the oil. The wise have enough, the foolish do not. Their oil is running out. Is the oil faith? Both have oil and it runs out. Does our faith run out? Can you go to the marketplace and buy more? I don't think so. Is it works? Do our works run out? Can we go buy some more when Christ returns? Again, I don't think so. Perhaps the whole oil thing or going and buying some is one of those things Christ puts in his parables to keep us humble. I am certain, the oil is not the main thing of this parable. Well the 5 wise meet the groom and go into the banquet with him. By the time the 5 foolish get to the banquet the doors are closed. They bang on the door and call out to the groom to let them in. He tells them this chilling thing, “I don't know you.” Jesus said the same thing in Matt. 7 and Luke 13. In those passages they claim to have done great things in Jesus' name and they hung out with him. But Jesus doesn't know them. Jesus' sheep know him and he knows them. They follow him wherever he goes. “Watch!” Jesus says, “Keep awake!” This is the point of the parable. How do we do this? Examining the Scriptures, our Lutheran fathers concluded we should, “adhere to God’s Word, pray diligently, abide in God’s goodness , and faithfully use the gifts received.” Such is the life of a good Christian to remain faithful to the end and not rely on past efforts but always to be faithful to Jesus today. Heavenly Father, give us your Holy Spirit that we may watch faithfully for your Son Jesus Christ's second coming so we may be prepared for that day. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

[don-lichterman]

Mostert, Percat start new business

Mostert, Percat start new business

The Walkinshaw Andretti United drivers have teamed up to create an automotive parts business called 2Five Garage. It will initially specialise in selling wheels and other parts, Mostert and Percat using contacts made in the Supercars paddock to stock their new site. “This year has been unique for me and Nick as teammates,” said Mostert. “We are a very similar age and have a similar ambition…

[mcflamegames-blog]

five nights at freddy’s 4 gameplay

[macguffindesigns]

I’ve had quite a few people asking for a MJ poster and finally(!) it’s here!

Spider-Man MJ poster by MacGuffin Designs

Available to buy at macguffindesigns.etsy.com

[mr-vodkaa]

Christopher Duett, Producer and Host of the Criminal Perspective Podcast, wrote that off all the inmates he have corresponded with, Barry Loukaitis is the only one whom he considers a "friend". He also tweeted he used to love talking with him as he is extremely intelligent and self-deprecating.

Barry wrote him that he's fantasized about going back in time, trying to reason with his younger self. "Also, cliché but true; I needed a role model."

(c) Christopher Duett

[somnolent-snufkin]

If you ever need confirmation that Moomins has queer themes...

[christinaroseandrews]

I've loved Marion Chesney since I was in Middle school, but I never got a chance to read this series. It wasn't in my library system and this was long before Amazon, so I'm catching up now. 

The year is 1800 (early for Regency Romance but relevant) and Hannah Pym has just received an inheritance from her recently deceased employer of over 30 years. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, she aims to travel. To Exeter. In winter. On the flying coach she's seen outside her windows so many times. On the stage she meets Emily, a naive spoiled brat who is running away from an arranged marriage, and Lord Ranger Harley, Emily's affianced husband, as well as other characters like Mrs. Bisley, Mrs. Bradley, Mr. Fletcher, and more! When the weather forces them to seek shelter at an inn, the sparks fly... as do the bullets.

So... I really liked this book. I did. I really liked Hannah Pym. She’s a wonderful character with complex wants and motivations. She’s older (in her forties) but not reduced to a caricature.

But she’s not the romantic interest in this book (there’s hints of a future romance with her former employer’s brother but that’s definitely not realized in this book). And because she’s not the romantic interest, and this book devotes itself to not one but two romances, is where it falls down.

First off, we don’t meet any of the romantic leads until over a quarter of the way through the book. That’s a bit too late.

Secondly, the “main” romance felt more secondary than the “B-plot” romance. Emily and Harley should have been the primary couple. But most of the time when we see them, they’re sniping at each other with Emily being a spoiled brat most of the time while Harley tries to correct her. But it kind of falls into Mansplaining territory at times. (Other characters try to wash the spoiled brat off of Emily too including Hannah Pym but some of the harder points come from the male lead.) The B-plot romance between the wealthy recently-widowed Mrs. Lizzie Bisley and the impoverished solicitor Mr. Fletcher is much more plot relevant. Not only does she have a total of three suitors vying for her. The climax of the whole novel relates to her plot. Emily and Harley are supporting characters in it.

Thirdly, I wasn’t rooting for Emily and Harley to end up together. I liked Harley. The fact that he was so awesome to Hannah Pym was definitely a plus in my book. Emily just annoyed me. A lot. A lot a lot. So when they decided to get married at the end of the book, I had a hard time believing it.

So for that, even though I enjoyed the book, it loses a star.

Other nitpicks that didn’t affect the rating... like the fact that there were three characters whose last names ended in "-ley" two of which were Mrs. B---ley. Confusing. Second the author uses third person omniscient and jumps from POV to POV within the same paragraph at times. Most of the time you're in one of the three lead's heads... but it will jump around as the author decides she wants to share something. It's not my preferred method and as an editor I actually advise my clients NOT to do this. But this was written in a different time.

Things that kept it from being rated lower. The characters. OMG the characters.  For all that I was annoyed at Emily, I loved the well roundedness of all of the main and supporting cast. They were individuals. Real.

I also loved the realism of the time, and the insights I got into the class structure. Seriously Chesney did her research and it showed.

I liked the plot... particularly the B-plot. I liked the women supporting women theme of the book.

I read this book in a day, I liked it that much. So because of that, this gets...

Four Stars.     

If this is your jam, you can get it here. Frankly I’d see if your library system has it... it’ll likely be on Hoopla.

If you like these kind of honest reviews, please consider supporting us here!

[girlsbestkeptsecret]

I’ve been inbox by this lovely girl who would like some support ♥️

Dear all, I hope you are well. I wanted to let you know I have started a crowdfunding project for which I am aiming to raise £400. I would love it if you could donate using the link below to access my project page. Any contribution large or small will be hugely appreciated. Thank you. I’ve been furloughed from my job :-(: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/ive-been-furloughed-from-my-job

[dizzymoods]

the first paragraph alajdkahsbdhfndbdk

in all honesty though when my girlies say that their bfs are trying to get them to watch one of *these* types of movies i always tell them to run! all bfs, especially str8 ones, have very bad taste.

[zinjanthropusboisei]

I’ve been having fun with some map making recently; I’ve always liked a good meandering river, especially since spending time in Louisiana last semester for fieldwork.

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