#I haven't gone into the fishing industry much

[someone-you-do-not-know]

Talk Italian agriculture to me.

Yessssss! :D

First of all, Italy is super big on agriculture, and why are we not talking more about that in general in the fandom? Like, sure, other nations wanted the Italian land for the heritage and Rome, but like, it also has so amazing fertile soil. Italian peninsula is basically a pantry, and especially countries with difficulties feeding their people wanted that *cough* Spain, Austria, France *cough*. And because of the Roman heritage, they had really good cultivation systems. :o

Putting the more historical things aside, Italian agriculture is split in two, more or less, following the split between North and South Italy, so even with agriculture, both our Italys have their own preferences (and as usual, The South is getting the short end of the stick). North is corn, beans, meat, dairy, and a lot of various items, the South is citrus fruits and wheat – especially citrus fruits. A lot of the initiatives to support agriculture throught the last 100 or so years have favoured the Northern parts of Italy, with bigger, wealthier farms, instead of the smaller Southern farms. All of Italy is big on olives and olive oil (as Spain can attest to), and wine. They're the biggest producers of wine in the world.

Speaking of which, I have no mouth, and I must (arti-)choke. I'm not sorry for that horrible pun. Italy is the biggest producer of artichokes in the world, the only other nation getting close is Egypt. Spain is at a third place, but only has an output a little over half of Italy. As far as I know, it's also used in a lot of Italian food (artichokes are delicious).

Apparently, most agriculture in Italy is actually very local and not owned by a few companies at the top (that's one of the most wrong representations in A Job Interview). They're family operated, owned and small. A single company with a majority hold on the food industry in Italy is probably insane and unrealistic. However, it is true that most of the Italian agricultural market is domestic, and doesn't have much export, apart from choice items (like popular cheeses and wines). One of the major forms of tourism in South Italy is agroturismo, as in, visiting and sleeping at a farm in Italy as a tourist. I want to try that.

One of the really big things I probably can't fit into my story is the specialisations of food in Italy, like regional cheeses, meats, wines, and so on. These regional items are one of the biggest Italian exports too, and another reason why a large amount of Italian farms are family operated. Adjacent to agricultural production, there's also heavy equipment manufacturing, commonly known as tractors and that sort of thing. Ferrari, Fiat, and Lamborghini all started out making tractors and other agricultural machinery.

Now, there's actually a bit more history I want to mention, but this is recent history. After WW2, Italy had a flourishing renewal in its agriculture, which lasted until the 1980's, due to some changes from the EEC. It's kind of difficult to really explain the entirety of everything happening between the 1960's to the 1990's, because there's so many different things influencing Italy at this time, and different areas (again with the North-South divide) were affected in different ways at different times. All of this doesn't really have to do with the agriculture sector directly, but it would affect it. The horrible highlights are a recession, The Years of Lead, and corruption. The happy highlights are the general economic boom (North and Central Italy in the 50's and 60's, South in the 70's and 80's), including il Sorpasso in 1987, and the beginning of a modernisation of the South.

One final thing, more about the actual fanfic I did this research for. It takes place in 2007, and this actually matters a lot to the plot. :'D

[lizziedoesvetpath]

Hello,

I’m a vet student entering into my second year and I’d be lying if I said I haven’t considered leaving vet med for human med since I’ve discovered clinical practice isn’t for me. I’m becoming increasingly interested in pathology and I love the thought of performing necropsy often in my daily life. However, I’m starting to wonder if veterinary pathology is worth the large pay cut compared to human pathology. I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic as I’d appreciate any advice!

Hi there!

There are several layers to this question and I'm going to do my best to address them all, so bear with.

The first factor you're considering here is clinical practice vs pathology. I also realized part way through vet school that I didn't see clinical practice as a good fit for me. That's what I had gone into vet school planning to do, but as the years went by I eventually came to the conclusion that the pace, the day to day tasks, and the overall feel of a clinical practice job didn't suit me. Luckily, I also found pathology during that process. I love histopathology and working at the microscope, I enjoy necropsy and interpreting lesions, and I like the pace of working in pathology. It suits me much better. It sounds like you've already got a feel for that difference, and that's great! If you haven't yet, I would highly recommend looking into this further by reaching out to some veterinary pathologists to talk about what their day to day looks like (make sure it lines up with what you have in your head) and, if that all sounds interesting to you, what steps you need to take during and after vet school to head down that path. The pathologists at your vet school are a great place to start. Other resources that may benefit you are the Davis-Thompson Foundation (veterinary pathology education charity who do lots of seminars and I believe offer a scholarship to support veterinary students doing pathology externships); the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP); and the Society for Toxicologic Pathologists (STP). The ACVP and STP both hold yearly conferences which are discounted for vet students (and have scholarships) and are another great way to meet pathologists and see what we're up to! (I'll link these organisations at the bottom of this post). The ACVP also has a job board where you can see what options are currently being advertised (although this is not an exhaustive list). There are a lot of different ways to be a veterinary pathologist, including positions in academia, research (I know several veterinary pathologists doing research for the USDA), industry/toxicologic pathology (medical device development, pharma, etc.), zoo and wildlife pathology, aquatic pathology, commercial diagnostics (e.g. IDEXX), and many more.

Next, what may be the biggest question here, should you do human med or vet med? Nobody else can answer this question for you, but I'll try to provide some thinking points to help you figure it out. Firstly, while there are similarities, it's worth noting that the two aren't identical fields just with different species. What kinds of cases you see, how residency and senior positions work, what your day to day looks like; all of these differ somewhat between the two professions. I've never worked in human med, but there are some great pathology residents sharing their experiences online if you want some insight. Think about what you're comfortable with too - I find lesions on people gross, but lesions on animals fascinating. In vet path we also get to work on a huge range of species! Just during my residency so far I've worked on everything from coral, insects, and fish, to bears, elk, and cougars. This inherent comparative nature of vet path is, I think, unique to our field. Or maybe the increased access to specific diagnostic tools and broader testing capabilities of human path appeals to you more. Again, you may want to reach out to people working in human pathology to learn more about what they actually do.

Importantly, you already chose vet school over med school at some point. What was your reasoning? Do those reasons still hold if you don't want to work in clinical practice? You're already in vet school, is the appeal of human pathology worth starting over in med school? Only you can answer those questions.

Finally, the "pay cut". You're not wrong that, as a general rule, you will be paid less to work in vet med than in human med. Despite being equally highly educated, trained, and skilled, that's a given and something we all have to reckon with when deciding which field is for us. But it's also worth noting that there are ways you can work in vet med and still be well paid. And there are a lot of different ways to be a pathologist. For example, the ACVP 2017 Salary Survey reported that the median salary for veterinary pathologists in industry, with 0-2 years post training experience, was between $140,000 USD and $199,999 USD (depending on location). Highly paid and more experienced industry pathologists reported salaries over $280,000 (these numbers are due to be updated soon). Now, depending on your lifestyle, obligations, debts, location etc. what you consider "high paying" or "adequate" is going to differ, so I can't tell you that any of those numbers is "enough". But I would factor into your decision what kind of pay you think you need and want, and how highly "paid well" ranks in what is specifically important to you in picking a career.

Ultimately, while I think the gap should be smaller, I don't see working in vet med instead of human med as taking a "pay cut" because we're not doing the same job, and because vet med is the right place for me. But that is based on how I rank my priorities, and you're in no way wrong if you feel differently.

I hope this helps, and let me know if you have more questions!

Links ACVP: https://www.acvp.org/ STP: https://www.toxpath.org/ Davis-Thompson Foundation: https://davisthompsonfoundation.org/

[recycleable-username]

Spoilers for Level Four of I Expect You to Die 3

Ok, so if you've already done it, cool, if you haven't and just wanna read my post, here's some backstory:

I Expect You to Die is a VR Game series where you're this cool secret agent trying to take down Zoraxis, the Big Bad of the game world, in level four of Cog in the Machine (The third game) one of the agency's employees has gone rogue and is working with Zoraxis, experimenting with Kinesium, a metal used for telekinetic implants in agents brains. In the fourth level you infiltrate an underwater lab where Zoraxis is working behind the back of the rogue employee (Dr. Prism).

Enter Ollie, a Zoraxis Industries employee at the lab who doesn't actually experiment, just send project info to the person whose job you're taking over. The first thing he does and says is turn off poison gas with the line: (roughly) "Venting that gas for you, Zoraxis boarding can be tough :)" Right off the bat he seems like a friendly person, and he is a major help through the level, with lines hinting at things important through background. You eventually learn that he has been waiting 3 days without food for someone to come over and let him leave. He has lines like "I like this one" and "I had orders to incinerate project BURN, ironic, but not helpful." You can see he's just some normal person in a not normal situation.

Some of the most important things are his lines that fully confirm this. There is a massive bomb that goes off, and he comments "I hope they're using that for good." and another line about how he joined Zoraxis to make a change in the world for the better.

He's a good person caught up in an awful, world threatening situation, and he doesn't even know you, but when you send him a cooked fish (cooked at 950 degrees Celcius for two seconds) he immediately takes that as equal value to an actual ID, commenting that you're nicer than any employee he's met.

At some point there is a mind controlled Giant Squid, and he makes a point to say that she's just an animal, being controlled to do bad things. Just like him.

The level ends with him entering an escape pod due to the giant squid doing damage to the facility (and probably the multiple bombs you set off) and that's the last we see of him.

I don't know how much longer Schell Games will make the series, but I'm rooting for his safety.

wow this is a long post

[purplesurveys]

1950

Are you afraid of the dark? Generally, no. But I also haven't been in situations where I actively test out my fear of the dark (like entering a haunted house attraction? haha) so I don't actually really know for sure.

Do you watch American Horror Story? No.

Does your hometown have any urban legends/scary stories? I'm sure it does as my country is generally a fan of horror legends and stories. I just wouldn't be familiar with any of them.

What’s the scariest nightmare you remember having? I had a dream where I was literally shot, and that sort of thing is hard to forget.

Are you medicated? Nope.

Does your family/friends have a nickname for you? Nothing too gimmicky, but my family calls me Byn which is a much condensed version of my name. I've never had anyone beyond my ex call me that.

Who’s some of your favorite YouTubers? I could watch and rewatch Jessica Lee's videos all day, all week.

Do you have any bad habits? Yeah, I fiddle with my nails nonstop. My trichotillomania will also kick in every once in a while but it's never been nearly as bad as it was when I was 12-13, fortunately.

What did you get for Christmas? We have around 3 weeks to go before I find out!

Do you have any phobias? Cockroaches and rats, especially if I run into them at home. Also, sharp objects and fire.

What’s one of your biggest pet peeves? Bad grammar at work. I'm not a grammar police by any means but it's just that I'm literally in the communications industry, so if I spot a teammate having a horrendous grasp of their subject-verb agreement or whatever it definitely raises a red flag for me.

Are there any scented candles in the room you’re in? Yes.

Pancakes or French toast? Pancakes.

Did you have anything for breakfast today? No, I skipped it as always.

Are there any apps you’re addicted to? Reddit and YouTube.

Did you have a favorite stuffed animal as a child? I wasn't into stuffed toys when I was younger.

Do you still collect stuffed animals? I didn't before, I do now. I'm not a hardcore collector or anything like that but I do have a preference for Koya anything, and buy big and small plushies whenever I can. :)

How do you feel about Spongebob? Big part of my childhood. A bunch of the prizes I gave away at my 7th birthday party games were Spongebob-related hahaha. My sister also had a Spongebob lunchbox. To this day I'll occasionally rewatch the episodes I grew up watching.

Do you have any nervous habits? I fiddle with or peel my nails.

What drink do you normally order at Starbucks? Brown sugar soy milk iced shaken espresso. It's a mouthful but it gets the job done for me.

Do you shape/fill in your eyebrows? Nope.

Which way do you face in the shower? Well, just facing the shower, I guess. I didn't know others faced other sides? Hahahaha.

What’s your favorite comfort food to eat? SUSHI. SUSHI SUSHI SUSHI or any variations of it, like sashimi or poke bowls or tuna salad. I love anything with raw fish in it.

What do you wear to bed? Just a loose t-shirt and shorts, usually.

Have you ever stolen/borrowed clothes from an ex? Like, while they were already an ex? No.

What’s the last movie you watched at home? I tried watching Parasite a second time but it's so difficult to watch because of all the suspense and lies the characters were pulling off so I didn't end up finishing it hahaha. You really have to mentally prep yourself when watching that LOL :(( and I mean that as the biggest compliment!!

What’s the last movie you watched in theaters? Hello Love Again, finally!!! It was so perfect!!! I got my happy ending!!!

Do you/did you ever have a Neopets account? I didn't have an account but I had an offline Neopets game on my old phone.

When’s the last time you were camping? I've never gone on a legit camping trip.

Have you ever had eggs cooked over a campfire? No. I'd love to experience that! The only thing I've eaten at a campfire has been marshmallows lol

If you do drink, what’s your favorite alcoholic beverage? Espresso martini if I'm having a chill time. Long island iced tea if the night is still young and if with the right company.

Are there any songs you’ve been listening to repetitively lately? Closer by RM because I desperately want to make it my most-listened to song for my Spotify Wrapped two years in a row, HAHA

What’s your favorite coffee mug look like? It's just a plain black porcelain mug.

Do you have any pets? Yes, we have two dogs and one cat.

Are you passive-aggressive? Only as a response to somebody else who has already started being passive aggressive toward me. I don't usually instigate.

Do you have social anxiety? No, I'm pretty extroverted! My only thing about this is that I don't particular take a liking toward customer service/client service. In my work in PR, I love and THRIVE being behind the scenes – and I super dread the times I need to actively accommodate people because it's just not my thing.

Have you ever had fried pickles? No.

Where’s your favorite place to go out to eat? Nikkei has a laidback vibe that I really like.

Do you like plaid button-ups? No.

Do you have any Valentine’s Day plans? Work.

Have you/would you ever go bungee jumping? I have. I hated it but that's a me thing more than anything because my stomach is just weak and can't handle sudden drops.

What’s the last theme park you visited? I can't remember. Universal in Singapore maybe? Theme parks aren't really my idea of fun.

Cereal, granola, or oatmeal? Cereal.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Inflation

So the Iron Rig DLC for Dredge came out today, and on the r/dredge subreddit there was someone whining about how it costs £12 when the base game 'only' cost £20, and if it wasn't at least half the content of the base game, it was a cheat and they wouldn't buy it. And a few people agreeing.

And I'm thinking ... y'know ... inflation gets noticed most in really big numbers, and really small numbers.

See, they were expecting a £5 DLC like they got with Pale Reach ... which, I will remind you, was an interim DLC put together as an apology for not having Iron Rig ready when they said they would. And I've played some Iron Rig already. Given that it's not only a new area but changes to the old ones? New gear, new fish - including aberrations, new hazards, new buffs, upgrades to our base kit, and a whole damn storyline? And they expected to pay £5 for that?!?

I hate people. I know that the video games industry seems to want us to pay more and more for less and less all the time. But by the same token, some people are pushing back by wanting more and more for less and less. And yet they'll pay above the odds (while complaining about it, but they will) for AAA stuff that's usually pretty much a carbon copy of What's Hot Right Now when you get right down to it, but will balk at a £12 price tag on a pretty impressive DLC for a base game that was actually pretty innovative on the conceptual level.

Well, I personally thought it was worth the £12, and I haven't even finished the DLC yet. So they can all fuck off.

(And on the subject of AAA games, yes I have seen the Veilguard release date trailer. I have THINGS about this, but mostly I'm still just miserable about them having gone to the action RPG place and terrified that their attempts at accessibility options won't work for me, and I'll have paid AAA prices for a game I can't play. ...Again.)

[thegeneralreturns]

IF I ABSOLUTELY HAD TO RANK THEM: The Academy Award nominees for Best Picture

10. Maestro - With its dialogue gaudily written in a style reminiscent of the Golden Age of Hollywood--keeping all of the cadence and none of the wit--kudos must be given to co-writer, co-producer, director and star Bradley Cooper for making a movie about the first great American conductor of classical music that's utterly fucking excruciating to listen to. And as an actor, he doesn't find a character here, getting lost in an impression and hiding behind prosthesis. He did give one of the best performances of 2023, but it wasn't as Leonard Bernstein, it was as Rocket Raccoon. Though I will say this film is impeccably made, and even though he can't make a connection himself, he did a great job in setting up Carey Mulligan to succeed. She gives one of her best performances as Bernstein's long-suffering wife. Bradley Cooper is a wonderful director, and he's a pretty good actor once he gets out of his own way. But could someone who loves him please tell him to step away from the typewriter?

9. The Holdovers - Da Vine Joy Randolph is the front-runner for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. And she deserves it, as the rest of The Holdovers can't keep up with her. Alexander Payne's early-seventies boarding school pastiche is all artifice and cliche (most of the time agreeably so, I'll admit), but when Randolph's school cook starts emotionally cratering in a very real, visceral, uncomfortable way, the movie seems to wake up... only to lull itself back to sleep once the camera is off of her. I have often said that one can only review the movie one is given, but, well, I'd have paid the premium price to go see the movie about Da Vine Joy Randolph's Mary. As it stands, I'm glad I caught The Holdovers on Peacock.

8. Poor Things - If Tim Burton suffered from a permanent hard-on, this is the movie he would make. Yorgos Lanthimos' feminist, socialist riff on the Frankenstein story has a lot of ideas and a ton of jokes that land, only for him to vanish up the prolapsed asshole of his own technique. It feels as though we're assaulted on the quarter-hour with iris shots and fish-eye lenses that seem to serve no other purpose than to inform the audience that this film is capital D Directed. I recommend this movie, don't get me wrong. It's smart, it's hilarious, the sets and costumes are impeccable, and Emma Stone gives an all-time belter of a performance. But it's really frustrating to have all this in the hands of a director that's the equivalent of an eight-year-old who wants us to watch him do cannonballs in the pool.

7. American Fiction - Cord Jefferson's American Fiction was sold as a biting satire of the inherent racial prejudices of the American literary industrial complex, from publishers looking for authenticity to the heaps of plaudits delivered by guilty white readers who want to bear witness to black misery without being told how much they suck for that. But I gotta tell ya, I think Jefferson could have gone farther. He could have been a little bit more vicious, went for blood, because what we're left with a satire that doesn't really seem to be mad at anyone. But the human drama and comedy that exists apart from that? That works wonderfully. Jefferson populated his film with real, loveable people that any audience would want to spend more time with. It's only surprising that Sterling K. Brown got nominated for an Oscar if you haven't seen the movie yet. And Jeffrey Wright's transformation into America's brainy, slightly depressed uncle continues apace.

6. Barbie - It was a cultural juggernaut that made all the money in the world, and spawned enough thinkpieces to choke a team of Clydesdales. Did its admittedly lofty ambitions jibe with its tone and approach? Not always. But did its jokes land? Yes, Barbie was the funniest movie of 2023. But I don't think I can say what hasn't already been said... Except America Ferrera was really good. I'm serious, I saw people get all butthurt about her Best Supporting Actress nomination, but these people couldn't reason their way out of a wet paper bag that was open already. And this isn't even about that monologue, either. Ferrera provided an oasis of plausibility in the middle of all this neon pink madness. Never once does she wink at the camera, or dive in and join the scenery chewing. She's funny, but funny in a real way that provides much needed counterweight to the musical numbers and jokes about Skipper dolls with expanding boobs. If it weren't for America Ferrera's work, Barbie would have been caricatures bouncing off of one another, and any weight this movie has is a testament to her skill. She was given a truly thankless task... Or it would have been, if she didn't get that nomination. Good for her.

5. The Zone of Interest - One does not explain Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest, one can only experience it. A man and his family settle down into their new house, only the man is the commandant at Auschwitz, and the twentieth century's greatest evil is happening just beyond the garden wall. We never venture into the camp itself, we never see what goes on, but for one-hundred-and-five minutes, we hear it. This family idyll is constantly underscored by gunshots, screaming, barking dogs, and the ever-present drone of the crematorium. This is one of the most unsettling experiences I've ever had watching a movie... the first time around. I don't think it would work dramatically for a second viewing. For as much mileage as Glazer gets out of his approach, it's still a gimmick. Not a cheap gimmick, mind you. It's a free-range gourmet gimmick from a place that's hard to pronounce, but a gimmick nonetheless.

4. Anatomy of a Fall - I don't know whether to ding Justine Triet's plug for the website didshedoit.com before even the studio's logo at the beginning, or to commend her for it. It tells us what kind of movie we're in for. A man falls from the balcony of his French chalet, and it's determined that it was either suicide, or he was pushed by his wife, and we spend the next two-and-a-half hours going through interrogations, investigations, re-enactments, and a full-blown trial trying to get to the bottom of a question that we were told at the beginning, through the mention of that website, that we weren't getting an answer to. It's only arrogance if Triet can't pull it off, and she very much does, presenting us with information in a way that leads us to question how we got to our conclusions. I'm usually resistant to movies that try to get us into a dialogue with ourselves, but the answers I got from... uh... me, were quite enlightening. I think it's odd that the Palme D'Or went to a simple courtroom movie, but as far as simple courtroom movies go, it's the best I've seen in decades.

3. Oppenheimer - Those who claim that Oppenheimer glorifies the life of the father of the atomic bomb quite frankly haven't seen it. I have never seen a biopic that holds its subject in such lively, blistering contempt as this one does. Cillian Murphy's J. Robert Oppenheimer is a man blundering towards a scientific breakthrough that will irrevocably worsen the world, and the only one who can't see it is him. Christopher Nolan's usual icy disregard for the people at the center of his narrative mazes comes off, in this case, as a kind of deadpan disapproval of a man who, brilliant though he may be, just can't see the train coming. Geniuses are still just men, only their mistakes are an entire magnitude larger, and virtually unfixable.

2. Past Lives - What a wonderful movie this is. A boy and a girl in Korea separate after her parents emigrate to America, only for them to reconnect decades later in New York, after she's married someone else. But the held breaths and things left unsaid aren't just romantic, but encompass the entirety of both their lives. It's not just about lost love, but lost opportunity, and being a stranger to themselves had one other thing gone different. Boy loses girl, and the realm of possibility winnows down to one for both of them. More than what these people say to each other in Celeste Song's marvelous debut, but what they don't say. What they can't admit to themselves. What they think the other can't take. Past Lives is quiet and delicate, but boy is it powerful.

And the Best Picture of the Best Pictures is...

Killers of the Flower Moon - This is a master working at the height of his powers. This is a top-shelf effort from the greatest filmmaker the United States has ever produced, depicting in minute detail the slow-motion genocide of the Osage people for oil money in the 1920s. At the center of this is Leonardo DiCaprio's Ernest Burkhart; a dimwit roped into this evil by his charismatic uncle, played by Robert DeNiro. It is through the lens of Burkhart that most of this story unfolds; a man whose grief and good intentions and convictions melt away once someone stronger and wealthier than he is tells him to do something that violates them. Now, there are some who recoil at this approach, preferring instead to center more on Ernest's Osage wife Mollie (played in a performance for the ages by Lily Gladstone). And I want it known that I'm sympathetic to this view. The movie they want may very well have been a great one, and it may very well have been better than this one (Hey, anything's possible), but it wouldn't have been this movie, which I wouldn't trade for anything. Mollie Burkart is the kind of character that would be the hero in another film, but Martin Scorsese doesn't make movies about heroes. He makes movies about weakness and failure. Hell, his movie about Jesus centered on a hypothetical moment of temptation. If Ernest Burkart hadn't existed, Scorsese would have had to invent him.

[40sandfabulousaf]

大家好! Qing dan (qing - light in richness and grease, dan - light in flavour) is 1 of the ways to eat more healthily and this was what I relied on to prepare for a lobster noodle indulgence with LW. Fish was what I focused on when dining out; nourishing fish broths with rice, chirashi, sushi and sashimi were my go-tos. At no point did I feel deprived or restricted from having an enjoyable and filling meal because everything was just so delicious! 1 thing in common for all these dishes: rice.

This staple carbohydrate fulfils the qing dan requirements of light in richness/grease as well as flavour. Pastas and bread are made with oil; olive oil is added to prevent pasta from sticking and more oil is consumed in the form of sauces. Salt and other flavourings are sometimes added to pastas and breads to make them tasty, whilst rice can be eaten plain thanks to its natural fragrance. When I eat qing dan, I tend to favour rice for the reasons listed. Salads and veggie dishes are made at home to maximise value for my buck.

This week was a hectic one. We were tasked to look into our portfolios and come up with some answers for a list of matters which a ministry sent the upper management. The deadline given to upper management was a month; we were given 2 days to provide the answers to upper management. More peripheral tasks flooded in and we will have to tackle them as our emails pile up in the meantime. And, to top it off, a colleague tendered her resignation; it all got too much for her.

We were instructed to 'get this done BY TODAY', 'get that done BY TODAY' and 'look into this this this as well'. To say that we're drained almost everyday this week is an understatement. It's so demoralising to realise that even machines get a break when they break down and need repairs. I was on medical leave for 2 days for flu and fever but had to work during the entire medical leave. I'm just so tired.

It's an industry-wide exercise, so we were not alone tackling this, except our industry peers had far more breathable deadlines - a week to 2 weeks whereas we only had 2 days. Those we spoke to expressed horror at the tremendous pressure we were under, especially when I was unwell and still haven't fully recovered. Now, this exercise has been extended to other lists we need to complete. So this weekend, I'll just sleep as much as I can to recuperate. 下次见!

[tequilatuesdays4all]

So... I realize I've been gone for quite some time and I don't want to pretend like I haven't disappeared for almost 4 months without an explanation. I've gotten a few messages asking if I'm okay and I'll get around to answering them, promise! Life's been absolutely crazy lately and I just haven't had the strength to keep up on here.

Not fishing for sympathy here or anything but we found out my sister's cancer is back just before they were supposed to come visit us for Christmas. Many of you know my sister lives in the UK and I haven't seen her or my nieces in almost 3 years. She's back on chemo again since February and luckily it's working but she still has a long way to go. I feel terribly guilty for not being able to be there for here physically and this combined with the actual shock of facing the possibility of losing her made me spiral and shut people out.

I'm counting down the days until August when I finally have time off work and will be able to see them all again.

Caught Covid some time in February(?) as well 🙄

Then, last Friday, my hometown was hit by a tornado! It's still so fucking surreal! I live in the middle of Germany, in a city - not a rural area at all. When I think of tornados, I think of America, states like Texas, Kansas or Florida... not a fucking populous city like my hometown... But this huge tornado rips through town, misses my house by like 200 meters (!!!) and leaves behind so much devastation. I was driving home from work about an hour after it happened and was so shocked by the destruction all around me. Debris everywhere, parts of roofs in the streets, balconies ripped off the houses, trees, massive trees everywhere. Luckily no one was killed but we had 43 people injured, 10 of them in serious condition. We've had really bad storms here in the past but I have never seen anything like this. A park near my house is just ... gone. There are no trees there anymore. There's an industrial estate near my parent's house - car dealerships and furniture stores, completely destroyed. Streetlights and traffic lights ripped from the ground, trucks and cars flipped over and... I don't know, I'm probably still under shock - I just can't get these pictures out of my head...

So yeah... That's what's been happening on my end. Thanks for still sticking around though. I hope you're all well and life's been treating you a little better than it has me. If not, I'm wishing you all the strength and courage you need to get through whatever it is you are currently going through! 💙

Fuck cancer! Fuck Covid! And FUCK tornados!

[charmixpower]

I haven't finished s4 yet, but

I hate the teacher thing so much because it's only there for like the first episode and then it's forgotten

Like.... Why even bother???

Bloom could of been on earth, or on Domino with either set of her parents and gotten attacked there and that would of set up the wizards up just as well. Bloom would of called her friends shaken and they would of asked Fargonda for help

Why teachers????

Honestly I don't mind them being on earth as a concept but the way it's handled is so god awful

Like, they set up that all of the earth fairies are gone. That's an interesting plot point to explore, trying to return magic to earth is interesting

This being Bloom's pet project that she wanted to dedicate herself to that suddenly got a lot more dangerous than she expected and being forced to call her friends down to help her actually sounds fun to me

A localized threat that's still dangerous but let's the group get away and process all the major political changes that's happened to them? Cool!

I wanna know how all the group feels about being so important now, maybe even seeing eachother less because of all the political magical suff in-between the seasons, and I think them vibing in a small town would give them the space to process all that

It would also be a an amazing book end to Bloom's fish out of water arc, with her going though her whole adventure but with Roxy as the confused earth girl

That could show how Bloom has grown and developed and no longer fits in on earth

But the writers dont care about that!

They wanna make dumb alien jokes and destroy Riven/Musa/Aisha/Nabu/Bloom/Stella/ect's character

Why are the working?? Like at all. Bloom has gold she can sell. Stella has gold she can sell. They could shape shift magix money into dollars—literally anything but love and pet. I hate love and pet, I hate it so much

I don't understand why they didn't just leave earth with the wizards after them to hide better???

Like I know they can't remove Roxy permanently bc Roxy would hate it, but for an EP? After the white circle makes her evil?? Help??

And the guys??

Bloom in s1 was disappointed by how nomral Magix was why the FUCK are the guys so confused???

Sky you have gold you can sell, I'm going crazy

Their jobs as waiters is so dumb, like fucking why??

Security. The guys should be in fucking security, or be bouncers, if they must have jobs bc fucking duh???

The fruity music bar is dumb and you cannot convince me Riven would work public service without attempted murder

Also the Jason storyline makes no sense on earth

Why would Musa want to be in the EARTH music industry when that's a small pond compared to THE ENTIRE MAGIC DIMENSION

She has no reason to want to do that???? He can't help make her a star, earth it's a backwater planet!! She should find his offer amusing at most

It would only make sense if he was from a full dimension music company

Its just so dumb, Musa baby I love you why the fuck do you care about this man. He's worth less than the dirt on Solaria

If this season makes one more "hee hoo the aliens don't understand Earth" I am going to scream

Just for this horrible nonsensical joke I want them off of earth, go anywhere else, stop making this joke. it makes no sense in the canon that's been established

They have the characters talk about how interesting and unique the people of earth are and like?? You people have been to different planets before, been to earth before, why are you impressed??? I hate it here

I have not finished the first episode of Season Four, but

Winx Club, you want me to believe that all the girls stayed to be teachers?

All of them?

Including:

I will skip every class I can without failing; Tecna and Stella

I have enough soical anxiety to take out a bull; Aisha and Bloom

And

If you have any questions about anything, go fuck yourself; Musa???

I can believe Flora, I cannot believe the rest of this

Do they all even like kids??? Come back here's and explain this—