#also mixing energy drink with gatorade is such a good idea

[ekatkit]

yo! don't know why i didn't try battery acid in high school this shit slaps!

here's what i put in my battery acid concoction if anyone wants to know: 1 juicy drop pop juice, 1 baby bottle pop powder, as many sour airheads and gummy jolly ranchers as I wanted, 1 fun pop/freeze pop/popsicle/icicle thingy (the blue one if anyone wanted to know), sweet tart rope, half a monster energy drink, a bit of green gatorade(filled the rest of the cup)

[deusinabsentiaa]

This is a reminder to those who struggle with the idea of putting together meals (be it low energy, depression, feeling overwhelmed etc), you don't have to make a regular meal in order to eat! There are lots of pre-made/easy to make options out there that are healthy, filling, and taste good!

Bolthouse Farms pre-bottled smoothies (or any brand pre-bottled smoothie) are a great go-to to for breakfast (the strawberry parfait smoothie is a big favorite of mine)

For a snack, I love grabbing some carrot sticks and the individual ranch dip cups you can buy and the supermarket.

I'm also obsessed over the microwavable mini-potatoes that come with seasoning packets (found in the produce section). Pop that sucker in the microwave for 5 minutes and bamb you got yourself 3-4 meals of potatoes right there.

Yogurt is a great fast and easy option as well (Chobani has the really yummy flip cups that come with toppings such as cookies and cream, salted caramel, and key lime pie).

If you want more snacky food, Quaker Oats has a really yummy Salted Caramel rice cake chips (I used to think rice cakes were gross, but these are fucking fire I almost ate a full bag this morning).

Another great snack is fruit, either dried or fresh! I have a pack of raspberries in the fridge and a bag of apple chips in my snack drawer ready to go.

If you want actual meat, I buy my meat pre-cut (so I don't have to do all the work) and I just mix it up with a seasoning packet (supermarkets have tons of different seasoning packets for meat) and throw it in the air fryer.

Microwavable Minute Rice Cups!! It's a really fast and low-effort way to put together a side of rice for a meal! They come in packs of two individual microwavable cups of rice, all you gotta do is pop it in the microwave for a minute.

Getting tired or sick of drinking water? Grab some Powerade. Yes, it has sugar, but it also has electrolytes your body needs and will still keep you hydrated. I *hate* water, so Powerade/gatorade is an easy way for me to stay hydrated. I always keep a bottle in my backpack and one on my nightstand. You can also try Liquid IV, but I'm not a fan of the salty taste that goes with it. Buuuut there are Sour Patch Kid flavored ones that don't taste too bad 👀 The bottom line is, go for whatever will keep you hydrated.

I've struggled with chronic illness and low energy for years, as well as having essentially no executive function thanks to my ADHD, so cooking or putting together traditional meals has been really difficult. These are just the foods that have been easy for me and I know it won't fit everyone's criteria, but I hope it helps some folks out who are looking for some low effort and easy meals/snacks!

[im-da-bronx]

Executive dysfunction life hacks, loopholes, and shortcuts

By me, your local adhd disaster

Some of these I am currently not doing but that’s more of a funds and location situation b/c I’m living with my parents

Get one of those roomba vacuums that plugs into a station. That way you only need to empty it once a month, and you don’t have to worry about remembering to vacuum.

Get one of those air filtering systems. I’ve heard that they suck the dust out of the air (less cleaning, yay!!) and it’s supposed to be really good for people with allergies and asthma. These, too, only need to be emptied once a month or so.

PAPER PLATES. PAPER PLATES EVERYWHERE. You WILL thank me, when you don’t have a pile of dirty dishes piled up in the sink. Yes, have regular dishes, but save those for special occasions, and use paper plates and disposable cutlery for everyday.

If you can, set up your bills to be paid automatically, top priority, every month. That way you don’t have to worry about forgetting to pay them, and you don’t have to worry about not having enough money, because you pay them FIRST, and then use the rest for other expenses. (Is it obvious I have no clue how banking works?)

Keep a wastebasket in your room. That way you can throw out all of the food wrappers without having to trek all the way to the kitchen/bathroom/wherever, and having a trash free bedroom is a must.

Try to do your laundry once a week, because if you’re anything like me, you’ll have only gone through three or four outfits, and it’s way easier and less time consuming/stressful/requires less spoons to fold three shirts, two pants, and six pairs of socks than folding a months worth of clothes.

NO DUMPING LOCATIONS. Try to not have a beanbag chair/steamer trunk/desk/whatever in your bedroom, because you WILL want to dump your laundry and assorted things there to deal with later. DO NOT. I do not have one, but I want to get a desk for my bedroom, and I will be getting a slanted drafting desk, because if it’s flat, I WILL dump things there.

Avoid over-complicated neurotypical organizers. If you’re not going to hang up your shoes every time, then just get a big bucket to dump them in. You will not be tempted to dump not-shoes into your shoe bucket, because shoes are gross and dirty and you don’t want your things dirty. **This comes with the caveat that you might wear the same two pairs of shoes over and over again, simply because you can’t see your other shoes.**

If you take medication every morning, put your Flintstones vitamins (or equivalent) right next to your medication so that you don’t forget to take it. I know that I forget to take my vitamins, and it’s really not good because I’m borderline anemic, and I’m not getting enough iron.

On that note, DRINK WATER. I will forget to drink water, so I try to make it fun. I’ll drink out of a dollar tree chalice, or a pirate’s rum bottle, or I’ll take shots or smth. If you can’t make yourself drink water b/c of the taste or smth (which happens), try to drink Gatorade or other flavored electrolyte juices (my go-to is fruit punch Gatorade, which is great until you brush your teeth and think you’re bleeding)

If you rely on packaged snacks to eat, try to buy healthier snacks, such as granola bars, trail mix, fruit cups, etc., b/c they’ll have nutrients that you need, and b/c sometimes the flavor mix up from ‘sugary junk food’ to ‘salty trail mix’ or whatever can be satisfying to those of us who get bored with repeating things. You don’t need to completely cut out junk food, b/c any food is better than none, but it will make you feel better if you’re in the mindset of, “I’m gross, I don’t eat healthy, I don’t work out,” b/c then you’ll be like, “wait, I ate a fruit cup today! Fruit is healthy!” And fruit is tasty and has water and vitamins.

Facial wipes. Sometimes (most of the time) I’m in a rush to leave or I just don’t have the energy to pull out the face scrub and completely wash my face, so facial wipes are a must. The ones I get act as a cleanser and makeup remover, and they don’t require rinsing afterwards (though I prefer to rinse my face if I can). These are great, because if you’re self concious of acne or oily skin, but can’t bring yourself to completely wash your face, these will make you feel fresh and clean.

Wide toothed combs for my friends with crazy curly hair. When I had mono (AVOID AT ALL COSTS) I would roll out of bed (often already partially in my uniform) brush my teeth, and use one of these on my hair. It was a huge change from before, when I would take a shower every single morning, and spend at least ten minutes on my hair and appearance every day. The trick with these (to not brush your curls out completely, but also avoid tangles and rats nests) is to start from the bottom with DRY hair, then wet your hands and run your fingers through, dampening the curls enough to re-clump and re-curl them, without making your hair dripping wet.

If you have to/like to wear makeup, but don’t like that it costs so many spoons, try to figure out why. My makeup routine used to take 30 minutes for just the basics, but recently I bought a kabuki brush (so soft!!) and it took 10 minutes to do my makeup. I then realized that my routine before consisted of 50% makeup application, and 50% washing my hands a million times b/c I had a super small sponge applicator and I’d use my fingers a lot.

If you have hobbies that require a bunch of supplies, but organizing them is a pain, get a giant plastic tub and dump everything in there. That way you don’t have to worry about “my paints are over here, but my canvases are over there” because giant tubs can fit a lot. I recently did this with my knitting and crocheting stuff, and it’s great, because while, yes, I really liked the baskets I had them in before (pretty woven reed ones), they weren’t conducive to stacking, and I had so much yarn that it would fall out and roll everywhere.

If you have trouble getting out of bed, try sleeping with a pet. When my dog would sleep with me, I’d have to get up to let her out in the morning, which was a mental “hey, be aware, you have to get up soon” when I went back to bed. DO NOT RELY ON THIS METHOD, use it as more of a guide/reminder, unless you have a specially trained service pet.

Try feeding your pets treats at the same time every day, coinciding with your ideal mealtimes. That way, they know it’s time for them to eat, and they’ll remind you, and you’ll remember to eat. **this also works with children, in that they’ll make you make them food, and you’ll be reminded to eat**

Slippers are great for of your feet get cold easily/you don’t like dirty feet/you don’t have the energy to put on shoes. Be aware, though, that if you don’t like dirty feet, or if your feet get really cold, you should wear socks with your slippers, because if you don’t, your feet will get really sweaty (gross) and then, b/c your feet are damp (ew) they’ll get EVEN COLDER (no)

Lists are good. If you’re like me, though, and you need about five separate lists (one for your daily routine, one for chores, one for your daily goals, one for your weekly goals, one for things you’d like to do eventually, one for ideas you want to look up, etc) get a day+week+month planner. If you’re like me, you won’t want to use a 2020 planner if you’re beginning it in July (b/c my brain is weird and doing that is just Not A Good Idea, though it isn’t Banned) so if you’re weird like me get one without any dates in it (or ambiguous dates, like the month and day, but not the year or specific week day) so you can start anytime, or plan ahead and get the yearly one in December.

Reward yourself!! If you know you did everything you’re supposed to in a week, buy a Frappuccino or an ice cream, something you don’t get very often. If you’ve been putting off watching that show, but you went for a walk two days this week, watch that episode! *try not to make the rewards too vague/far off or too close, because you either won’t do it because “I’m never gonna get one” or “why should I, it’s RIGHT THERE”

Put music on while you’re working/cleaning/etc. upbeat music will get you dancing, and hey you’re standing up, so you might as well take these shirts those three feet to the hamper.

Use the “fuck it” method (I’ll try it, and if it works, nice, if it doesn’t, fuck it, I gave it a shot.)

If all else fails, throw your phone away (social media is a huge distraction, I spent an hour writing this instead of doing other things)

Please feel free to add on to this!! I am always in need of finding new ways to do things, as I either forget, or realize there are too many steps to doing a thing, and my brain doesn’t like it.

[ficsandcatsandficsandcats]

Road Trip : Punk!AU

Fandom: The Witcher Pairing: Punk!Jaskier x Reader, Punk!Geralt x Punk!Yennefer Word Count: 2,589 Rating: T Taglist: @heroics-and-heartbreak​ @whatevermonkey​ @mynamesoundslikesherlock​ @magic-multicolored-miracle​ a/n: Here we gooooo! Part one is complete and we are on the road! Part two will be coming by @heroics-and-heartbreak at their leisure. Enjoy!

Part I – Coming Out of My Cage

Aevryn hung up the phone, closed out of Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook, took a deep breath and then walked into the little diner.

“It’s done,” she announced. The little ragtag group she addressed sat slumped in the booth. Yennefer and Geralt exchanged shrugs of resignation, Win gave Aevryn an encouraging smile, and you rubbed comforting circles into Jaskier’s back. He was clearly the most upset of all of you which was hard because he also set the tone for the rest of the group 75% of the time.

“Did Andrzej say when the bus would be fixed?” Geralt asked.

“They’re going to have to do some extensive work,” she said, voice falling into her most professional, clear tone as she repeated the words she’d recited to all of the venues you’d have to miss, “They said it could be as long as two weeks but they’re hoping to get it done in one.”

Jaskier slumped further, the pendant clunking against the linoleum tabletop.

“So we’re stuck here til then?” Yennefer asked.

“Not necessarily,” Aevryn said, taking her seat next to Win who placed a hand on her thigh and patted it comfortingly, “We just won’t be able to get to those places in time to perform. But they’ve agreed to refund the tickets or offer replacements for when we do them on the way back down the countryside.”

Win looked at you and could see the wheels turning in your eyes, sensing that you had a plan even before you lifted your gaze to hers and gave her that eureka smile you got when you had a scathingly brilliant idea.

“So we don’t stay here,” you said. Jaskier raised his head to look at you, skeptical but intrigued. “We do a road trip.”

“A road trip?” Geralt echoed.

“Yeah! We get a beat up van or something and we hit the road and when the tour bus is fixed it can meet up with us wherever we’re at!” you exclaimed, looking around the table for support.

“I’m in, that sounds fun as hell!” Win piped up, sharing a smile with their best friend who beamed at them and then looked over at Aevryn who was running the numbers.

“We could do that,” she said, “If we made sure we stayed in contact with Andrzej.”

“What do you think babe?” you asked Jaskier who had started to sit up a bit more, his sky blue eyes slowly clearing.

“It has been a long time since we were able to spend time together without working,” he said, turning to look at his bandmates. Yennefer nodded but you could see that Geralt’s furrowed brows were not convinced.

“Hmm,” Geralt began, a bad sign, “I don’t know, Jaskier. It may be safer for us to stick close by.”

“That isn’t very punk rock of you, Geralt,” Yennefer said coolly, sipping her coffee nonchalantly as though she couldn’t feel Geralt’s glowering stare shooting daggers in her direction.

“Road trip it is then,” Geralt snapped, “I’ll get the van.”

-----

“It’s perfect!” Jaskier cried, arms out wide as though he was preparing to hug the vehicle Geralt had driven back to them a suspiciously short while later. It was a vintage Volkswagen bus in a tawny brown and white. The front seats had wooden beads strapped to them and Geralt leaned with his arm around the wheel, shooting Yennefer a challenging look.

“What do you think, Yen? Isn’t she beautiful?” Jaskier asked excitedly, totally oblivious to the tension between Geralt. Well, oblivious or just desensitized after years of it going on at low levels around him.

“It’s a beast,” she said in a tone that wasn’t quite critical but also wasn’t clearly praising. It was also uncertain whether she spoke about the bus or the man she stared at as she answered who gave her a rueful smirk in response.

“This is what we should be doing these tours in,” Jaskier insisted, pulling you with him to jump inside and claim a seat. The car smelled like stale smoke and the seats crunched beneath you with a plastic covering that you knew was going to stick to your thighs after sitting on it for too long. It was perfect.

“We’ll see how you feel after sleeping in it for a week,” Yennefer said, taking the front passenger seat promptly.

“Hey nobody got a chance to call shotgun,” Win protested, though only jokingly as she and Aevryn had plans for the backseat anyway. Yennefer looked at her through the tops of her sunglasses.

“Guess you’ll have to draw quicker next time,” she said in a voice that sounded cold but a smile that was warm as she leaned back against the seat, the dark hair tangling in the wooden beads. The bus roared to life and they set off down the road, getting about as far as the exit for the highway before Jaskier announced that it was actually illegal to have a road trip without snacks and Geralt stopped by a gas station so they could get some supplies. The little bell above the door dinged a welcome and the man behind the counter gave you the barest glance and nod as you walked in. You split up to cover different corners of the convenience store, a couple of baskets between you to pile in things as you went.

“Ok I think we have all the food groups,” you said before long, looking down in the basket that held a large bag of sour gummy worms, a tub of red vines, two bags of chips (doritos and harvest cheddar sun chips), a couple of king size Hershey bars, three cans of pringles, and a multipack of pop tarts.

“This has actual food in it,” Yennefer said, casually chucking in a bag of trail mix that she knew you all would just pick the m&ms out to eat.

“Drinks?” Geralt asked, heading to the cooler with the rest of you hurrying in his wake.

“Waters,” Yennefer said, giving you all a look that said it was happening whether you liked it or not and she grabbed a few big bottles of Smartwater. Geralt rolled his eyes and threw some Arrowhead in the basket.

“Obviously Redbull,” Aevryn said, pulling open the door only to have Jaskier stall her hand with his.

“I think you mean Monster,” he corrected. She cocked an eyebrow at him and pulled a face.

“Don’t do this, Jaskier. Not here. Not in public,” she said warningly.

“I’m a Nos girl myself,” you piped up. Both Aevryn and Jaskier turned to give you twin disgusted faces but your plan had worked, giving them a common enemy to keep the fighting to a minimum.

“Just pick one,” Geralt said, suppressing a heavy sigh.

“Yes, one,” Yennefer emphasized, “We’re not buying six different kinds of energy drink.”

“You got two different kinds of water!” Aevryn challenged. Yennefer shot Geralt a look but he just smiled at her irritation which only made her more frustrated.

“Obviously it’s gotta be Rockstar. I mean, come on,” Win said, shaking her head like you were all insane. Yennefer and Geralt gave her a baleful look while Jaskier laughed.

“That’s pretty good. The joke, not he drink, which tastes like piss. Sorry Win,” Jaskier said. She stuck her tongue out at him and you smacked his chest, chastising him for being rude. He pouted at you and gave you puppy dog eyes and you planted a kiss on his cheek.

“Alright,” Geralt said, pushing past the lot of you. He reached into the cooler and pulled out roughly three of every energy drink, only taking care to pull out exactly five Mango Ginger Zevias which pulled a small smile to Yennefer’s lips though she made sure to keep it hidden until he’d passed her and headed up to the counter. He took a brief turn and then wove back into view with a 12 pack of cheap beer.

“Now it’s a road trip,” Jaskier said, pulling you in to give you a kiss on the cheek.

“Hey,” Win said, pilling Aevryn’s hand into theirs, distracting her momentarily from the phone she was squinting at with a furrowed brow.

“Yeah! Sorry! Just saw something,” she said, forcing up a smile though Win could tell something was wrong.

“Win, please tell Jask that I’m right and Powerade is better than Gatorade!” you called from the front of store to which Geralt barked something about not sitting through this again. Win shook her head and ran up to the front, preparing their argument for the great Powerade vs. Gatorade debate of 2020.

“Hey,” Yennefer said, walking over to Aevryn as soon as Win left, “What did he do?”

“What makes you think – ok, yeah, it is,” Aevryn said, sighing heavily and handing Yennefer her phone. Yennefer saw it was a DM for Aevryn’s personal twitter:

@valdomarxofficial: heard the concerts were canceled. everything ok?

Yennefer considered the phone for a moment. Aevryn bit her lip and watched Yennefer’s face, looking for something. Disappointment or anger or something tangible to respond to. Her friend just gave the phone the same impassive look she gave most things and then she deleted the DM before handing the phone back to Aevryn.

“I’d block him but you could just undo it,” she said pointedly. She looked towards the front where Win was posing for a selfie with you and then looked back to Aevryn. “Does she know?”

“Yes,” Aevryn said, ‘I mean, there isn’t much too know, honestly! But she knows I have an ex and that it’s…. complicated.”

“It’s really not that complicated, Aev,” Yennefer said. Before she could continue Geralt whistled from the front, pulling Yennefer’s attention towards him to shoot him a scathing glare that made him grin.

“Let’s do, this fucking chocolate’s already melting.”

Aevryn hurried past Yennefer to catch up to Win who took her hand and Yennefer followed suit, tucking the rest of the conversation away for later.

-----

The world passed by in a blur of steel that bled into trees. Jaskier propped his converse-clad feet on the window despite Geralt’s protests and rested his head in your lap to rest while you craned to face Win, joining her and Aevryn in singing along to music from their phone. Yennefer sipped her Zevia and rested her face against the open window, the wind and sun caressing her face and sending her dark locks flowing behind her. You noticed Geralt glancing at her, his eyes following the sun’s progress across her features as though he were imagining that he was offering her with that tender caress, that soft warmth. He saw your looking at him and though you quickly looked away he kept his eyes firmly on the road after, not noticing when Yennefer peeked an eye open to offer her own subtle scrutiny.

It was a fairly peaceful ride all things considered, until Mr. Brightside came on and everyone was forced to scream-sing along (another law according to Jaskier). They had just about reached the chorus when the song cut out, the whole bus pausing with their breath held.

“What happened?”

“It’s lost connection,” Jaskier explained. They finished the song acapella but it wasn’t the same and evrery one was a bit glum until Geralt pulled through McDonald’s. He’d spent enough time with his bandmates, and with people in general, to know that there was very little nuggets couldn’t improve. He rebelliously got a cheeseburger and ordered Yennefer a filet-o-fish but the rest got to share a massive pile of nuggets.

“You ok?” Win asked Aevryn, noticing how she kept picking up her phone and putting it back down again.

“Yeah it’s just… I’m used to always checking things, you know? For work,” she explained, ignoring the look Yennefer sent her in the rearview mirror.

“It’s a vacation for you too, Aev. You gotta loosen up a little,” Jaskier protested. She rolled her eyes and turned to face him.

“Hard to do that when you’re out there accepting every bloody birthday invitation and prom proposal,” she argued. His eyes widened and his mouth formed a little ‘O’ of surprise and indignation.

“What is the point of being a famous musician if we don’t do all the things we wish our favorite bands had done for us?” he asked. Geralt sighed heavily and Yennefer instinctively reached out and patted his thigh, knowing this was a fight they’d heard a thousand times before. Geralt stiffened slightly, looking down at the hand that rested on his thigh, but she didn’t pull away when he did. She offered him a small smile and she could see he wanted to return it but turned back to the road. Only when he shifted in his seat did she remove her hand, putting it back in her lap and looking out into the sunset as it bathed the land around them in gorgeous oranges and fuchsias that were muted by her warring emotions.

As evening crept into night and the signal didn’t come back Jaskier found a map tucked into the front seat pocket. It was old and yellowed but the land was the same and he handed it to Yennefer.

“I don’t need a map,” Geralt grumbled.

“Geralt don’t be stupid, you’re not even from America,” Yennefer replied.

“Roach and I know where we’re going,” he mumbled.

“Sorry – did you name the van?” Jaskier asked, his eyes lighting up with amusement that only doubled when he saw Geralt glare bashfully, not realizing he’d been overheard.

“Maybe,” he grunted.

“Oh that’s adorable! But why Roach?” Jaskier asked, crinkling his nose up.

“Because I found a dead roach in it and the dealer knocked off another hundred for it,” Geralt answered simply. Jaskier paled and then it was Geralt’s turn to be amused as he stifled a yawn.

“At the next exit you need to pull over so we can switch drivers,” Yennefer said.

“Nobody else is driving Roach,” Geralt answered, not caring who overheard his name for the van now that the secret was out. Part of Geralt’s allure was that once he said or did something he committed to it so hard it became not only acceptable, but cool. Yennefer remained unimpressed.

“How are you going to drive all night?” she argued. He slid one hand to the cup holder and lifted the half-empty can of a dangerous looking energy drink called Power Horse, gesturing it at her before taking a pull off of it. Yennefer rolled her eyes and folded the map back up.

“Fine,” she said, “But if you get us wrapped around a tree or worse, stuck in some field in the middle of nowhere, I get to decide the punishment.”

“Well you know how I like to be punished,” he said, fixing her with a smile that would have been charming on someone else but was devastating on him. Her face remained impassive but when she rolled her head back to face the window you could see the reflection of her smile in it as she settled in to rest. Aevryn leaned against the side of the van and Win lay against her, pulling the blanket they’d found tucked under the set against them. You and Jaskier cuddled together, this time your head resting in his lap so he could stroke your hair and hum a song for you until you fell fast asleep to the sound of his voice and the steady rumble of the van winding its ways through the countryside.

[am-i-the-last-dreamer]

I've followed for so long but had no idea about... Juicepinions (juice opinions) you wouldn't happen 2 have... Other Beverage Thoughts?? a shot in the dark but I'm interested

mentioned post here

HERE WE GO YALL

Ramune forcibly stops you from chugging the whole thing and comes with a lucky marble. A classic. Hard to open but sometimes we have to suffer for what we want. 10/10

5 hr energy would stop my heart and restart it only out of spite and rage. -3/10

Hot chocolate tastes like memories and warm hugs in all the best ways, but drinking it comes with an inevitable sugar crash that will make moving next to impossible. Nobody talks about this??? 5/10

Kombucha was made by mixing the sweat of a devil and the fart of an angel. Tastes like cat sneezes. 0/10

Coffee carries entire nations on it’s back without breaking a sweat. Easy to get addicted to but have you ever had it with a whole hunk of brown sugar and chocolate cake stuffed in the bottom of the mug? That’s what victory tastes like. Chugging it might put you in a caffeinated haze and inspire dumb hyperactive choices but most of us make those anyway so who’s the real winner? 7/10

Monster energy was made for Mothman and nobody else. Would punch me in the face just to prove it could, and gets a point for the audacity. 1/10

Coke has too many names. What, is it Coca-Cola? just Cola? Can we all just agree on a name that doesn't make people asking for it sound like they want a different, less-legal product? Until it gets its shit together, that’s a solid 3/10

Pepsi is somehow a well known drink that is also forgettable as fuck. You drink it and ask why it isn’t another drink before recycling the can and forgetting you consumed anything at all. It tastes the same as Coke anyway. Also 3/10

Milk. Why are we drinking it past infancy? Every other animal ages out of drinking milk. God, cows must think we’re a bunch of babies. Healthy and good with cookies, though. 4/10

Boba Tea is a miracle gracing this earth through the dreams of children and sleep deprived college students. Maybe we as a species screw up near-constantly, but if boba tea is what the cosmos remembers us by, I will be satisfied. We did at least one thing right. 20/10

Gatorade belongs to sportsball as an entity. Yes, sportsball. I know what I said. 5/10

La Croix is the peach juice of the greater beverage community. Maybe they flavored it by whispering sweet nothings about fruit while carbonating water. Or maybe there isn’t flavor at all and it’s just canned lies sold to the masses. It tastes like music playing at 3% volume in an empty mall. Disgraceful. 2/10

Water has both no flavor and every flavor. 12/10

Smoothies are either perfectly blended or too chunky to get up the tiny straw you found in the back drawer of your kitchen. It’s like Sisyphus rolling his rock up a hill, only for it to fall before he reaches the top. Except this is a stubborn piece of fruit stuck halfway up a straw that’s mocking you as it refuses to budge. If you ever want to be humbled, take a fuckin’ sip, babes. 5/10

Bonus Tea section:

White Tea was put on this earth because someone saw me suffering and decided I deserve one nice thing. Can be made badly, but if you do it right that’s an instant 10/10

Green Tea is overused by hipsters looking to be cool, but the powdered stuff is all I need in life. Beat the shit out of it with a whisk and drink it with a sweet treat on the side. 7/10

Mugicha (barley tea) deserves validation and a raise. Summer only but damn does it commit. Somehow more hydrating than water. 8/10

Black Tea considers itself better than coffee despite having maybe half the caffeination and twice the regal aesthetic. Tastes like a history museum gift shop. 3/10

Herbal Tea has so many flavors? So versatile?? Can taste like anything from day-old lukewarm ramen broth to liquid starlight brewed over a merrily crackling campfire. Usually falls perfectly in the middle. 6/10

[sunderedazem]

If You're Not Eating, But Need To:

So, I've recently been going through a pretty long depressive episode, and one of my biggest problems (besides the obvious) is that I tend to avoid eating when I'm experiencing this. Obviously, this is kinda not a good thing, so if you're going through something similar, I put together some of the tips I've been using to help myself out - in the hope I can help someone else.

General Tips!

Keep snacks on hand. Small snacks, like granola bars or a pack of trail mix. Munch when you have a spare moment

Keep food close by - if you can't get out if bed some days, keep a stocked cooler or a box of non-perishables in your bedroom

For the days you can get out of bed - easy food. Microwaveables, five-minute dinners, sandwiches, finger food. Boxed mixes work well for this, or prepackaged meals that you can heat up

If you're feeling good one day - take the time to make a few extra lunches for the future. Use things that won't spoil easily.

Keep favorite foods on hand. For me, that's hot cocoa and Funyuns. Is it healthy? Hell no. Is it better than nothing? Hell yes.

Reward yourself for eating a full meal, especially if it's well-balanced. If you sit down and eat, treat yourself to a sweet afterward. (Dark chocolate, in my case)

Eating food > healthy choices. First, get the hang of putting food in your body regularly, then you can start worrying about what it is.

College Tricks!

Keep food in your dorm room for when the cafeteria is too far away. Ramen is unhealthy, but it's easy to make with a friend's Keurig.

Oatmeal also works really well for this purpose, and is my personal favorite.

Ask a friend/roommate to bring something back for you if you can't get out of bed

Better yet, schedule a mandatory dinner/lunch meet-up with a friend or roommate every week, if you can.

If you can, put aside a few bucks a week when you're feeling okay, so you can have a little stash when/if you need to order food.

Keep a schedule. Know when you're going to be close to the cafeteria for your classes, and schedule in mealtimes. Work homework and etc around them

Starting Again (after a period of not eating)

The nausea is real, and it gets me really hard after I have to try and start eating again, so here's what helps me there.

Start with liquids - not water, something with calories. For me, that's Gatorade or juice. If it's too sweet, cut it with water.

Bland foods work best. Saltine crackers/soda crackers are a good choice. So is plain bread or toast with butter.

Also, soup. Anything with a chicken-broth base usually works well for me (and yes, this can include ramen). Cream-based soups are heavier - I avoid them at first.

Applesauce is another that works for me. Fresh fruit in general works for me, in small amounts. Especially apples, for whatever reason.

Plain pasta. With butter or olive oil, usually, and in small quantities.

If you're craving something (for me, usually olives or pickles, probably because the salt) indulge. Not too much, just in case, but eat it.

Smoothies. I do use protein powder, because I don't eat much meat. Usually I toss a banana, rice milk, ice, and my protein powder in a blender and drink that slowly.

Milk and soymilk are heavy liquids, in my opinion - rice milk isn't. I'm lucky that my school has rice milk, but otherwise try to avoid dairy.

Sorbet over ice cream. It has the added bonus of you rewarding yourself for eating!

Again, for right now- Eating food > Eating healthy. Eat your favorite foods and use them to coax yourself back onto a routine. Once you get a routine down, you can start injecting healthier options

Anyway, this is just some stuff that's helped me in the past and recently, so I thought I'd share! Feel free to add things I've missed.

(note: this isn't about anorexia - it's about me not having the energy to force myself to eat, even when I'm hungry. I have no idea if this will work for folks with eating disorders, though I hope that it might be able to)

[crohnsdigest]

How To Manage Dehydration When You Have IBD

Do you find that you have trouble staying hydrated because of the signs and symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)? Diarrhea can lead to dehydration even in healthy adults and can be a special problem when IBD causes chronic diarrhea. People with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis sometimes also have surgery to treat their disease, which can include the removal of some or all of the large intestine. The large intestine is where most water is absorbed, and when part or all of it is missing, less water might be absorbed by the body. This is why hydration is a special area of concern for people who have an ileostomy or have had j-pouch surgery (ileal pouch-anal anastomosis or IPAA). Dehydration is a major cause of readmission to the hospital after ileostomy surgery.

The Origin Of Sports And Energy Drinks

Many people turn to sports drinks as a source of hydration. There are a few different groups that developed drinks that were meant to provide hydration and energy before, during, and after exercise. The most famous of them was originally developed for use by athletes who may lose a lot of water by sweating, especially during hot weather. Dr. Robert Cade of the University of Florida, at the request of the university's assistant football coach, led a team that originally developed a drink containing electrolytes and carbohydrates. The football team went on to have a successful season while using the drink, and other colleges started asking for it. This, of course, was the start of the sports drink Gatorade. In time, manufacturers began adding other ingredients to their drinks, including stimulants like caffeine, to create energy drinks. Most energy and sports drinks also contain artificial colors and sweeteners.

Sports Drinks May Not Be the Answer to Dehydration

There are a few things about sports and energy drinks that make them a less than perfect choice for people with IBD who need to replenish fluids and electrolytes. The first is that they don't actually offer the right mix of nutrients: most don't contain enough electrolytes. The second is that some brands contain things that aren't needed that make them taste better (sugar or artificial sweeteners), look colorful (artificial colors), and provide a burst of energy (caffeine). The World Health Organization has developed an oral rehydration salts (ORS) solution that is used across the world, especially in areas where severe dehydration is a cause of illness and death.2 Using a special combination of salts and water to rehydrate is called oral rehydration therapy (ORT), and it saves lives in areas of the world where diarrheal disease is a leading cause of death in children. ORS is available in Western countries at pharmacies, hospital supply stores, and sometimes in sporting goods stores with the first aid kits. There are also recipes for ORS that can be made at home. ORS is usually fairly inexpensive but checks with a doctor before resorting to buying it or making it at home for rehydration.

How Can People With IBD Get Hydrated?

Short of keeping a supply of ORS on hand (although it's not a bad idea to keep some with your emergency supplies), how can people with a j-pouch, an ileostomy, or IBD, rehydrate at home? According to the University of Michigan IBD Team, rehydration is probably best done with a mix of a few things most people with IBD probably already have at home. The experts at U of M recommend that the sports drink is just a start.4 To bring hydration up, they suggest eating and drinking the items in this "recipe" designed to mimic ORT: 1 liter of sports drink1/2 cup of chicken soupOne of the following:1.6 bananas1.6 sweet potatoes1.6 medium avocados1.5 cups of yogurt1 cup of spinach3 1/2 tablets of 650 mg of sodium bicarbonate (or 7 325 mg tablets) The United Ostomy Association of America also has recipes available for replacing electrolytes and fluids. This is the suggested homemade electrolyte drink:5 1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon white Karo syrup1 6-ounce can freeze orange juiceAdd water to make one quart, mix well

What To Do If You're Dehydrated

Mild cases of dehydration can usually be dealt with at home. Severe cases of dehydration may need to be treated by a physician or in a hospital. For severe dehydration, with symptoms of confusion, dizziness, or fainting, call 911. If you have more questions about how to avoid becoming dehydrated, or what you should eat or drink if you are dehydrated, ask your physician. click here to read more Read the full article

[farmcontent]

Tell us more abt food prepping and meal planning 👀📝

ahhhh idk where to begin! i am kinda embarrassed cause it seems like such a pinterest mom thing to me but i’m not exaggerating when i say it changed my life as far as farming! (also big farm/manual labor tip is to drink gatorade esp in mid summer that shit for real changed my life)

getting into like a life rythym was a super big change for the better with me particularly when i started farming 60-70 hours a week. taking my sunday to clean the house, do the laundry and cook for the week sounds boring but i got to a place where it felt really good because it gave me a sense of control over my life and gave me more space in the evenings to relax and focus on other stuff instead of being exhausted and overwhelmed by even the idea of cooking.

a lot of the food prep stuff is really simple like i know i like to eat this kale salad for breakfast so on sunday i’ll cook a bunch of quinoa and refrigerate it and grate up a bunch of carrots and chop up my kale and onions etc and have them all in bags or containers ready to mix together.

i like this method better than prepping the salads for the week cause a) it gives you the option to switch it up and add other stuff/leave stuff out, and b) if something spoils you can just toss it and not have to toss your whole breakfast.

as far as lunch and dinner they’re usually variations on the same stuff. i like doing a big vegetable sauté on the stove, and roasting my root veggies in the oven and making a big batch of rice/quinoa and usually a pot of beans or lentils and also frying some tofu. again keeping those in separate containers (like the root mix and veggie sauté are each one container you don’t need to seperate out the different varieties) cause that way you can mix n match depending on how you’re feeling!

this stuff almost always lasts me a whole week without anything spoiling.

other tricks are prepping your produce as soon as you bring it home from the store/csa/farmers market like i usually rinse and chop everything before it ever reaches the fridge even if i’m not cooking it that day! for me CSA day is thursday so i do all my chopping that evening so that sunday on my cooking day it’s less work!

some stuff i cook fresh though for example i don’t like reheating greens so i always steam them fresh but that takes about five minutes and is easy to clean up.

as far as meal planning i know what i like and i can eat it all the time without getting too bored. i rely pretty heavily on spices for variety and that’s something i’d really recommend and also adding fresh herbs to your salads! when i first started i thought meal planning had to look like

monday - chili

tuesday - stir fry

wednesday - polenta

etc etc and it can look that way but it’s a ton more work. having that kind of food variety is nice but in my mind, with the career i’ve chosen - that’s something fun to do in the winter when i have the time and energy.

just find what kinda stuff you like to eat regularly and make big batches of it one day a week so you can eat it all week long! also i utilize my microwave a lot and i’m not ashamed of that even a little bit.

i usually plan for a ten am snack which is like a pb & j or an apple with peanut butter or a granola bar! i also usually eat a little bit of chocolate at the end of the work day and sometimes more fruit/granola bar if i’m really hungry on my commute home.

i know this isn’t realistic for everyone but i did it while working 60 hours a week on $8/hr pay while dealing with some pretty severe trauma/anxiety/depression n i say this not to belittle you or be one of those assholes who is like “have you tried drinking water?” but to encourage you and give you hope and say that it is possible if it’s something that you want/are working towards cause i know to me at first it seemed like a really lofty goal and i didn’t do it because of willpower or any of that shit i did it with the support of my community (housemates, partner, friends,mentor, therapist) and also the support of medication i desperately needed. and it changed my life, and with years of practice it’s gotten much easier and the benefits have only increased.

[imsobrooklyn-archived-sameurl]

TAGGED BY:  found & stolen. TAGGING: @saturnrang, @falsedking, @valinta + whoever come across this.

►   GENERAL.

HEIGHT:  5′8  —  previously 5′6. After being bitten by the genetically-altered “42″ Spider, his stature is elongated by two inches. WEIGHT:  160 lbs — Miles is an ectomorph; it’s mostly maintained because of his obligatory participations in gym classes, playing basketball with the neighborhood every now and again after school, and the rare times he can sneak off for urban exploration or play around with his uncle’s punching bag. He doesn’t exactly have the greastest diet plan. ETHNICITY:  African-American && Afro-Puerto Rican. OCCUPATION:  Freelance photographer, explorer, artist, F.E.A.S.T. (Food, Emergency, Aid, Shelter, and Training) volunteer, Brooklyn Vision student, convenience store cashier, Dream Defender, and vigilante. GENDER:  Cis-male. He/him. ROMANTIC AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION:  Heterosexual & Demiromantic. MBTI:  ENFP- the champion. Miles know how to relax, and he is perfectly capable of switching from a passionate, driven idealist in the workplace to that imaginative and enthusiastic free spirit on the dance floor, often with a suddenness that can surprise even his closest friends. Being in the mix also gives him a chance to connect emotionally with others, giving him cherished insight into what motivates his friends and colleagues. He believe that everyone should take the time to recognize and express their feelings, and their empathy and sociability make that a natural conversation topic.

Few personality types are as creative and charismatic as ENFPs. Their enthusiasm and vivid imagination allow ENFPs to overcome many challenging obstacles, more often than not brightening the lives of those around them. ENFPs’ creativity is invaluable in many areas, including their own personal growth.

►   SPECIFICS.

FAVOURITE FOOD:  Pasteles, Empanada, Chicharon de pollo, Pop-Tarts, Platanos, Chopped Cheese, Nathan’s Famous’ hotdogs, Aunt Butchie’s Desserts (chocolate mousse preferably), Chinese food, and Ray’s Pizza. FAVOURITE DRINK:  He enjoys his uncle’s Whey protein drinks, but you’ll mostly see him drinking sodas, Gatorade, O.J., and water.  FAVOURITE HOBBY:  Vandal by nature, Miles loves snagging Priority Mail and Hello, My Name Is stickers to practice his art and toss his mark up wherever and whenever he can. Other than that, he plays mental gymnastics for fun when it comes to math problems. If he’s not doing that, then he’s fooling around with programs like Audacity, Sony Vegas, or FL Studio. 

But the activity he feels most at peace at is when he’s isolated in his room or hanging around a building as Spiderman, writing in his journal. FAVOURITE SCENT:  Vanilla, Sandalwood, Shea Moisture Manuka and Yogurt. FAVOURITE PERSON:  Ganke. Miles never had a brother (a reality he yearned his parents make happen), but Ganke gives him an idea as to how it would be if he did have a biological brother.

►   TEN FACTS.

Miles is an only child. “Born” on December 14th, 2003.

He’s Catholic.

Adaptability comes as second nature to Miles. In two days, he managed to survive his near-death experiences as he tangled with some of the best of the original Spiderman’s villains.

Miles use to cry Martin Luther King Day because the television and radio would play clips of his speeches, and he thought sounded like a ghost. 

Until he reached the age of ten, Miles had irritable bowel syndrome and would crap his pants every so often.

He owns an Atari, Sega, and Nintendo console passed down to him from his father.

One of his favorite shows is American Ninja Warrior.

Calculus is one of his favorite subjects. Numbers, symbols, and alphabets is a challenge that he can never tire from.

 There’s an unshakable habit he has and that’s speaking his thoughts out loud, much to his chagrin.

His facial features mostly resemble his father and his uncle, which is can be considered a blessing and a curse, depending on the environment he’s in. Because the Davis brothers dark past had them as hustlers, stick-up kids, and graffiti artists, and their lives would take a drastic turn in where one becomes a cop and the other went on to become a boxer, the name Davis is enough to put a sour taste on the tongues of certain circles. It’s a fleeting love-hate thing he has for it.

►   FIVE THINGS HE LIKES.

VIDEO GAMES  —  Jefferson was never comfortable with sharing his questionable deeds on the streets with his son, but he was more than excited to share his childhood glory with him. He couldn’t wait until Miles was old enough to have a controller in his hand. Miles is “heir” to a collection of dated collection. He likes modern consoles too, as he does own both a XBOX ONE and PLAYSTATION 4, but he prides in being a ‘young old soul’. GRAFFITI  —  It just kind of happened? He wasn’t messing with actual spraypaint because he’s too young to cop them from Home Depot, so he stuck to just stacking up on stickers and using that until he’s legally able to buy his own. HIP-HOP  —  That’s New York. Hip-Hop was born there. Miles passionately embraces the main four elements that represents its culture: Emceeing, DJING, Graffiti Art, Breakdancing and integrates the other five in how he moves. Street fashion, language, entrepanuership, knowldge, beatboxing, Hip-Hop is something he lives.  BOXING  — We can thank Aaron for his interest in that. Aside from the man’s criminal resume, Aaron graduated from neighborhood bruiser to professional boxer. His had a impeccable record before he hung up his gloves, but the passion he had for the sport stayed with him and any chance he got with his newphew, it would show when he would spit game on the greats like Mohammad Ali, Joe Fraizer, Dixie Kid, Jack Dempsey, Tyson, and others and teach him a few of his old moves.  CLEANING SNEAKERS —  It’s nothing deep. You watch Paid in Full a couple of times and add your love for that movie to your natural love of keeping your gear fresh and you get a sneakerhead that’s addicted to keeping his kicks mean and pristine.

►   FIVE THINGS HE DISLIKES.

PEER PRESSURE  —  His hood didn’t have too many stars. There were plenty of potential there, but due to unfortunate circumstances, they make it out, but Miles—everybody regards him as the gold representation. Because of his upbringings, Miles is sort of hood royalty in a positive sense. On one hand, he enjoys it appreciation, but on the other hand, he hates it because his father doesn’t make it easy on him at all. He doesn’t judge his father for doing what he had to do in the streets to survive, but he hates his father for shoving his demons down his throat. Becoming Spiderman was nothing to leap for him to leap excitedly over either. Being stressed with being the “good son”, the “golden boy” of his neighborhood, and acing studies was enough as is. Since Peter Parker and his uncle’s murder, he felt tremendous guilt over not being able to help, and with his abilities, he feels strong on his moral obligation to do what he can to be New York’s protector. It’s not the easiest weight for a teenager to carry. E X P E C T A T I O N S! eff dem! UNDERESTIMATED  — In school, he dealt with a teacher that regarded him and kids like him as trash that would never be able to amount to anything. The Spider-gang didn’t think he had what it takes, making him feel as if he was a burden and incapable of being strong enough to keep his promise to his universe’s Peter Parker. He doesn’t do well with people acting like he can’t do anything. TALES FROM THE HOOD  — Doesn’t particularly care to hear about criminal exploits, especially the ones his family participated in. Some kids would love to hear about how hard their peers went in the street—Miles isn’t one of them. If anything, he wishes he was oblivious to it and didn’t have to hear one related word to it. That’s one thing he’s thankful for when it comes to his dad and Aaron. They never bragged or felt inclined to share gorey details and for good reason. Miles know they and everyone else want better for him. LYING —  His mama raised him to be a honest boy. His pops raised him to be a man of principle. His uncle instilled street honor in him. Other than that? Miles naturally hates lying. It doesn’t make him feel good and can actually make him a serious nervous wreck if it gets to be too much for him.  FIGHTING  —  Even though he was taught self-defense and enjoyed his boxing lessons, Miles avoided conflict as much as he could. He preferred to just be that cool guy that can make friends with the whole world and keep it pushing. He accepts that it’s unavoidable as a superhero, but that doesn’t stop him from trying to come to a peaceful resolve before the situation gets nasty.

►   WORDS / PHRASES THAT ANNOY HIM.

CLASSISM —  I know it’s not a word/phrase, so I’ll just say toxic braggadocio statements. When it comes to skin color, religion, abilities (supernatural or mortal), lienage, whatever—Miles views them all as people that share the same oxygen and should treat each other like they’re aware of that. Being made to feel like a sub-human aggravates him more than he cares to admit (he once broke his classroom desk because of his teacher constant poking at the african diaspora).

►   PERSONALITY TYPES HE PREFERS.

FREE SPIRITS —  Chilled souls; people that are down to do whatever they please (in a healthy, non-violent way), and exudes positive energy. It’s nice to be around individuals that understands what it means to have fun without restrictions and not people that live by some book like his father. You can miss him with those that feels like they have to be tight asses all the time.

►   PERSONALITY TYPES HE AVOIDS.

GOD COMPLEX —  Kingpins/drug lords/gang leaders/criminal upstarts, just people that play God in the streets, dictating who lives and dies, just because they have a gun and have a little bit of power. There’s not a doubt in his mind that there will be elements in the underworld that’s going to try to seduce him to the life. It’s a mission of his to not fall into the same darkness that stained the Davis name. You will never see Miles becoming close friends with a thug or a wannabee. He’ll try to steer them clear of it and be a moral compass of course, but having that as a part of his inner circle is a big no.

[csa-survivor-confessions]

Advice for helping yourself eat and get nutrition when struggling.

{Disordered eating cw, medical mention, food mention, weightloss mention, neglect cw}

Be advised: getting help fro an eating disorder is advised

This is to help when that isn’t possible or if the struggle is more related to fatigue, executive dysfunction, general self-care issues, dissociation or related to neglect/abuse. 

First:

Signs of severe dehydration:

Not urinating or having very dark yellow urine.

Very dry skin, dry mouth, dry eyes

Feeling dizzy

Rapid heartbeat.

Rapid breathing.

Sunken eyes.

Sleepiness, lack of energy, confusion or irritability.

Fainting.

Signs of severe malnutrition:

Loss of large amounts of weight in short periods of time

extreme fatigue

confusion & difficulty concentrating

Dizziness

no longer feeling hunger

constipation or stoppage in bowel movements

pale skin, sunken eyes

being cold all the time

chest pain

lightheadedness

new muscle pain

If you are experiencing the dehydration symptoms go to a doctor now. If you are experiencing the malnutrition symptoms go to a doctor. 

Your safety is first before anything. You can’t always fix these things on your own, there are things like re-feeding syndrome that have to be monitored by a doctor. If you are extremely dehydrated/malnourished you can have organ damage.

If it isn’t an emergency:

You can set alarms or reminders throughout the day to remind you to hydrate and eat. 

Have water (or other liquid) with you at all time. Eat around the same time regularly.

Know that there isn’t “bad” food, that's a dumb made up idea. If you're just trying to make sure you are getting enough, focus on eating what gives you energy and makes you feel more alter and able to do things you love.

Schedule eating time into your life. this allows some regularly which helps build habits. If you have trouble matching and following hunger cues, this can be crucial to following a plan.

If you're struggling with self-care in general, that’s okay and it can be helpful to have people try and remind you! Give yourself rewards when you do things to help you

Understand that if other wouldn’t let you eat, or didn’t think you deserved to eat you do it can be hard to unlearn these toxic ideas, but allowing yourself to eat was an important first step (along with other trauma work)

meditation and grounding can help you better tune into hunger and fullness signals.

If you haven’t been eating near anything at all You can follow steps like when someone is sick, you also start with things that are easy don’t take lots of work and won’t cause nausea/pain as easily.

Please start with drinking water lots and lots of water, keep your kidneys/heart/stomach/brain well. With water add in things like Gatorade or Pedialyte if you can these keep you hydrated and help balance electrolytes.

next, you can try something like carnation instant breakfast or similar breakfast drinks/nutrition shakes. These are quick and as long as you have no allergens are usually okay on the stomach. They also only take the powder and something to mix it in an easy meal. don’t buy anything marked for weight loss.

Try and get fruit and veggies. Buying canned fruit is fine there is little cleanup and you don’t have to worry about it expiring. Buy the boxed salads if you can tolerate them they need little work and clean up.

Snacks are your friends. Things you can keep with you. Granola bars, chips (yes chips), gummy snacks, veggie straws, dried fruit. whatever you like, can afford and is easy on your stomach. Having these around can make it easier to eat they require little to no energy to prepare and are good ways to keep your blood sugar up.

The goal is to eat enough your meeting your energy needs and as close to vitamins/nutrients as possible. When you’re not doing well easy foods with low energy consumption are fine.

work up to a full wide-ranging diet, it can take time when you get out of practice and it might not be possible till you get to a better place mentally and that's okay

[annoyingthemesong]

Unfortunately, they don’t provide a simple cure in this article, just some vague suggestions. But it touches on something interesting-  alcohol’s relationship with our brains GABA receptors. I was prescribed Gabapentin (neurontin) for disc damage a few years ago, which also target these receptors- and as a weird byproduct of this med regimen I discovered it is the perfect hangover cure. Gaba (especially when it’s been in your system for a period of time, making it less sleep-inducing), will halt the effects of a hangover within an hour. I have energy, am up, and feeling good. 

My cure for even the harshest hangovers:

A can of Coca cola (the article tries to dispel the idea that sugar will help with hangover/blood sugar levels but for me a Coke, perhaps the mix of caffiene and sugar, helps immediately, while something dehydrating or diuretic like coffee will make it worse) . Gatorade, sprite, ginger ale seem to work well too, but a Coke really zaps me back to some kind of life.  

Two NSAIDs , ibuprofen or aleve to counter inflammation from ethanol toxicity (author agrees with this) 

400-800mg of Gabapentin (author hints at other drugs that target this area in the brain, but no mention of gabapentin) 

Burgers. Or poutine or something greasy...  Well, perhaps this is just the craving I need satiated, and when I’m killed with a hangover I feel I deserve the extra grease. But its effects against the hangover itself are negligible and with the salt probably make it worse without all those other things. 

Not drinking. Duh. I drink once a month, and only get a hangover every few months because I refuse to do that to myself each weekend. 

Gaba is a weird drug. The studies are minimal, I’ve been on it for years with very few to no side effects, no noticeable build up of tolerance, and no withdrawal on times I’ve stopped it. It’s also sometimes prescribed for alcohol and opiate addiction, and as an antidepressant. And as a nerve blocker for pain. 

And hell, it KILLS a hangover fast. 

[nomorelonelydays]

Last night, I was lying down in my pile of garbage and I thought to myself, 'hey, self -- what about hockey players as various mythical creatures?" So if you're down to indulge the idea, I've got a couple thoughts? Like, for one, Nephilim Sidney, AKA: angelic strategic/militaristic leadership capabilities, devotion and loyalty, strong moral compass, and unbelievable beauty, BUT human goose honk laugh, sense of humor, occasional lack of gracefulness, and fully functioning sex drive, all (1/11)

More under cut. Like a lot more. But it’s an epic so highly recommend

rolled into one. Ever since he was just a kid, people have debated whether being a Nephilim means he gets some kind of unfair advantage, or if it just means he's got a huge, self-righteous stick up his ass -- disregarding the fact that, even if he does have angel blood, Sidney is still partially human, with fully human feelings. Then, because I am the Angst Gremlin, Gremlin of the Angst, Geno, with his relaxing charm, easy confidence, clever hands, even cleverer tongue, and, quite frankly,(2/11)

really big dick, is an incubus. While technically still a demon, he's not really into filleting the souls of the innocent or any medieval shit like that, he just gets laid a lot and needs sex energy to stay alive. Regardless, everyone is on edge for Sid and Geno to meet, hoping beyond hope that the two young men the future of the Pens Organization is riding on don't want to kill each other on sight. So, people take it as a pretty big surprise when they get along fine. Sid keeps his cross (3/11)

necklace on under the collars of his shirts (just in case they'd bump into each other), their hotel rooms are always on opposite ends of the hall (because Geno would like to be respectful and he knows that his post-game feedings can occasionally be a little loud), Sidney keeps a special lid on his water bottle so it doesn't get confused with anyone else's -- especially Geno's (we'll say that holy water is basically the electrolyte-infused gatorade version of water for Sidney, so that's (4/11)

what he drinks), and, Geno does all pre-game snacking in locked, empty training rooms (because "pre-game snacking" usually means calling one of his routine hookups and making them orgasm via phone sex, and even if he sometimes does it in Russian, it'd be rude to do it in front of everyone, and extra rude to do it in front of Sid). The first time they're so hyped from a victory that they spontaneously hug each other while undressing in the locker room, they both worry that they hurt each (5/11)other somehow, before realizing that they're fine, and Sid's just like, "It felt really good, actually. A lot of the time, people hold me at a distance to be respectful -- and I appreciate it -- but it's nice to just feel normal." However, Sid didn't realize that Geno was holding back with physical contact as much as he was, that saying what he said would mean G would start touching him as much as he touches everyone else, or that, when allowed, G wound up touching people /a lot/. Or, how (6/11)

all of the little casual touches would drag the whole "being in love with Geno" thing to the forefront of Sid's mind. Eventually, when they're squeezed next to each other in a booth at a club, and G clasps his hand around Sid's thigh while laughing at a joke he'd made, Sid cracks. In a voice more nervous and less seductive than he was intending, he asks Geno if he likes touching him, and when Geno responds with, "Why you ask, Sid?" he powers on to say that if he doesn't mind touching him, (7/11)he's in his mid-twenties and has never been able to go through with losing his virginity because he just gets so worked up about it and freaks, but he trusts Geno more than anyone else, and, "if you'd be okay with it... you could make it easier for me to, well... you know... and you'd get a meal out of it?" But then G just looks at him sadly and shakes his head, and Sid feels more and more broken and nauseous by the second -- only, the hurt fades into confusion when Geno amends, "Not (8/11)because I don't want, Sid. Just... afterwards, for me, trying to feed... it would be like swallow sewer water after drinking champagne from Stanley Cup." Geno pauses, giving a wry smirk, before adding, "You're like 'Holy Grail.'" And Sid's in shock, but musters every last ounce of angelic bravery to say, "I've been in love with you for a really long time, so maybe, if you feel the same, it wouldn't be just once." And cue amazing sex. Sidenotes: Flower is most certainly a lovable, trouble- (9/11)

making imp, Tanger's the vampire who's low key really grumpy over the fact that he'll never get to see how hot he is, Olli owes all of his height to the human side of his family, because the other side are all haltijas (a type of helpful finnish gnome that needs to be treated with love and regularly fed), Conor gets pouty about having a mix of pixie and leprechaun blood, because he's just short and with how often he's accidentally walked in on Sid and Geno boning/nearly boning, no way in (10/11)hell is luck on his side, and Jake's usually cool about being an elf until the holidays come around and every chirp he gets is a quote from the 2003 Will Ferrell movie. (11/11)

Also, I have been acting in the manner of an anon-ask spiders georg, and have already harassed you with enough content for an eternity, but... a Nicky/Ovi Footnote: Ovi is a Russian species of yeti, and he sites his lineage whenever an annoying interviewer asks him about the streaks of grey and white in his hair, "You know Russia -- there is much snow, so yetis are grey. Is fine," (only, while grey is normal, white coloring for Siberian yetis is a sign of stress and premature aging, (1/7)y'know, like what happens when someone is repeatedly blamed for their franchise's inability to win things, but that's none of my business *insert the meme of kermit drinking tea*). Nicklas Backstrom is not publicly known to be a non-humanoid, however, from the second Ovi saw the lively, mesmerizing green of his eyes, and heard the musical lilt to his voice, he knew, there was just something about Nicky. Even after multiple incidences of Nicky scoring a goal in a game, Ovi definitely (2/7)

seeing Nicky present in the locker room, Nicky conveniently disappearing right as the media comes to talk with him, and Ovi running into a decorative ficus, thinking, 'when the fuck did this tree get here?' he doesn't register what's going on, but whatever, because after convincing Nicky to go out to dinner with him once a week, they work up to eating together five nights a week, then to gentle, nervous kisses, followed by not-so-gentle-or-nervous making out, and by the time his first (3/7)

sight upon waking up every morning is the bare expanse of Nicky's back or his head of golden hair resting easily against a pillow, there's so much love in his heart that there really isn't any space left to wonder what Nicky is or isn't. However, it takes one incident of Nicky practically jumping his bones while they stumble into the hotel elevator, both of them not realizing their teammate TJ is in said elevator, and TJ commenting, "Nicky the nympho, way to get it," for Alex's brain to (4/7)

put the pieces together and start screaming, "holy!!! fucking!!! shit!!! nicky's a nymph!!! of course he's a nymph!!! the world makes sense again and this doesn't do a single fucking thing to change how intensely i love him, but it was an astounding epiphany!!!" (or something like that) while he just gets this look of amazement on his face and silently mouths, "Nymph?" to Nicky. When he stops wanting to die from embarrassment, in the privacy of their hotel room, Nicky confirms it, and (5/7)

begrudgingly agrees to stop turning into a tree to avoid media scrums, so long as Alex swoops in to guide the attention away from him if it goes over three minutes. After the “conclusion to a healthy relationship conversation” sex (there’s breakup sex and makeup sex and mid-fight sex… let me have this) Nicky settles his back against the warmth radiating from Alex’s chest, and as Alex tucks his chin against the crook of Nicky’s neck, fondness blooms in his chest as he notices that Nicky (6/7)smells like a freshly cut bouquet of roses, and a forest after everything has been dampened by the rain. (7/7) I'M THE WORST FUCK THIS IS A TOTAL OF LIKE 20 FUCKING ASKS OH MY GOD I'M SORRY I NEED TO GET OUT OF MY GREMLIN CAVE AND STOP BEING A STATISTICAL OUTLIER AAAH GOD I'M SO SORRY DUDE

[omgkittymonster-blog]

KAT'S KETO STARTER GUIDE

a quick guide to starting keto easily and without worries!

⦁ intro ⦁ science ⦁ myths and misconceptions

⦁ breakfast ⦁ lunch ⦁ dinner ⦁ snacks ⦁ food list CHEAT SHEET:

⦁ intermittent fasting ⦁ what to do when you go out to eat ⦁ what to drink and when

⦁ "carb cycling", cheat days, and how tos: ⦁ things to avoid that are a waste of money

INTRODUCTION TO KETO Keto is an amazing diet and/or lifestyle that when paired with multiple other forms of healthy choices can be a quick way to lose a few pounds or a healthy way to live longterm allowing you to still enjoy life without estranging yourself from your friends and family.  It is very flexible and people that stick to keto find themselves in love with it and raving about their success, as long as they gave it the proper chance! I myself lost ten pounds the first week I did strict keto and I knew then I was hooked!

SCIENCE BEHIND KETO AND WHY IT WORKS The common american diet is very high in sugar, carbs, unhealthy fats, caffeine, sodium, etc. This recipe is a disaster waiting to happen, heart disease, obesity, cancers, diabetes, among a plethora of other terrible life stealing diseases that effect millions of americans. Whether you do a low carb, or low calorie, or low red meat and fat diet, the idea remains the same.  Reduce calorie intake vs output, avoid foods that cause inflamations or gastro-intestinal upsets, and eat filling whole foods that offer a lot of nutrient density. Now, the reason that keto works so good is the science behind the diet: When you reduce the amount of sugar (glucose)  your body intakes, which is its normal source of fuel, it panics, uses what it has, burns glycogen which is stored in the liver and muscles, and finally switches your body to KETONES (which burns FATS for fuel instead).  When your body is in Ketosis, it will burn your body fat and consumed fats for energy, to do normal body functions.  This sounds like a miracle, and I can honestly say it is.  Most average americans have anywhere from a 20%-50% body fat ratio, men usually on the lower end of that, where anything over 30% is usually considered overweight.   That being said, most people have a lot of fuel to burn that they would never have burned if they were eating a large amount of carbohydrates that the body prefers to burn first.  You literally have your own fuel just waiting to go, and you will feel awesome when you see the fat melting off your tummy, thighs, back, face.  :D

Myths and Misconceptions When I first started keto I thought I could eat as many hot dogs, burgers, chicken wings, ranch dressings, etc as I could stuff in my face.   Truth be told you can, but your body will be severely lacking vitamins and minerals that you need to be healthy so I would suggest making sure to vary your diet, always include a healthy fat (example: salmon, avocado, macadamia nuts) and lots of greens whenever possible.  If you absolutely cannot, taking a high nutrient density multi vitamin is really smart, as well as looking into electrolyte mixes or supplements. People will try to bully you or shame you for not eating "just one this" or "you have to try a bite" and after a little while, you absolutely can! But during the first month or so, til you become "fat adapted" it is best to be as diligent as possible, and you will be really proud of the results. Not all fats are created equal:  While dirty keto does exist and sometimes is necessary, try to remember that quality of your fuel will always dictate how you feel.  Will you feel better after a slice of greasy pizza or a big salad with lots of veggies and roasted turkey? Easy concept. You don't have to starve yourself.  This was the hardest part for me to learn at first.  Keto foods are filling, yummy, and full of flavor, so eat til you're about comfortably full and give the fork a rest.  You'll find you're sated for many hours! Not all people get the keto flu.  Some adapt to eating high fat really well with minimal issues.  If you are feeling dizzy, lightheaded, or stomach sick, make sure you have plenty of water and if you need to, have a shot of pickle juice or a sprinkle of salt in your water.  Vitamin water ZERO is also a decent way to get electrolytes without having to spend a lot on a supplement.  I'd avoid zero sugar gatorade though, the sweetener in it is sucralose which is bad for ketosis.

NOW TO THE FUN PART: THE FOOD! I do most of my shopping at a normal grocery store, and most of the things I mention can be bought at meijer, target, walmart, or whatever your local chain is. Buy organic if you want! But it isnt necessary.  Meats and dairy foods are best when bought all natural or organic if possible.  Look for words like grass finished, or pasture raised.

Breakfast ideas: Omelets - add whatever meats veggies and cheeses from list fit your choosing Cauliflower "hash" - sautee pieces of cauliflower with meats, veggies, top with cheese and let it melt :D keto "cereal" - 2 cups unsweetened coconut, sprinkle with cinnamon, stevia, coconut oil, pecans, macadamia nuts, whatever.  bake two minutes per side around 375 til toasted.  cool and serve with unsweetened hemp, oat, almond or soy milk and fresh berries if you want! Chorizo and eggs with avocado and sour cream - they do make turkey chorizo too! or make your own by adding hot sauce and spices to ground turkey.  :3 "Two Good" Makes a super low carb yogurt that tastes amazing  - i eat it with berries or a "Quest" brand protein cookie for breakfast! Chia pudding - 2 T. chia seeds, milk substitute or water, stevia, and whatever flavor you want to add! Peanut butter, cocoa powder for PB cup,  raspberry/almond,  blueberry/pecan.  Chill overnight, awesome grab and go Egg muffins  - mix up eggs like youd be making scrambled eggs, add some ricotta or cottage cheese (full fat only), add toppings, bake for 5-10 mins til middle is set (use a tooth pick).  Can freeze and pop in microwave or last a week in the fridge.  I like mine with pesto and mozzarella with tomato on top.

Lunch ideas: La tortilla factory low carb wrap "blt" - these tortillas are amazing and come in many sizes.  If you cant find those, find any brand that says "low carb" - look for net carbs under 6 for best choices.  Add avocado, turkey bacon, mayo if desired, lettuce, tomato, peppers, etc.  Eat with cheese chips (recipe in snacks) Soups:  Creamy chicken chili, broccoli cheese (substitute heavy cream and broth in place for milk in recipes) bone broth veggie soups (imagine PHO or Ramen with no noodles!) MAKE A BIG ASS SALAD WITH WHATEVER MEATS AND CHEESE AND VEGGIES YOU WANT   (that are safe on the list ofc) this is what i do a lot, and i put the dressing on the side so i can just munch on it throughout the day without it getting soggy.   If you find yourself picking certain parts out of your salad right away, try to focus on those more until your body is craving other things.  Some days i eat my meats right away, others i eat all my veggies.  Your body often tells you what you need without even realizing. If you're a grazer make a fruit and nut tray, or "lunchables" almost. There is a recipe for whats called CLOUD BREAD. It's basically like a fluffy meringue that is made with cream cheese and eggs. I dont make it a lot, I almost always would rather have those wraps.  They're that good and last longer :D Try to keep things with you that you know you will eat, rather than things you think you're supposed to eat, because cold fish sounds disgusting vs that yummy five piece chicken tender with hot sauce. >_>

Dinner Ideas: Dinner is my forte because for a long time I was doing OMAD keto, aka "One meal a day keto" where I would fast until dinner every day, except for coffee, tea and water.  During these times I dreamt up many cheat meals that I JUST HAD TO HAVE and went home and keto-ized em.  If there's a will there's a way, bahahaha. OMAD is not recommended at the start of ketosis because you may feel low on energy or dizzy sometimes and we want to avoid bad feelings during initiation so when you see the success you have you won't have a negative feeling as to why it happened.

LITERALLY IMAGINE YOUR FAVORITE DINNER. Whatever you're craving.  You can hack it. We got this.   Chinese/Take out? Easy mode.  You can make stir fries, fried cauliflower rice, sweet and sour chicken (using parmesan for a crust!), peanut "noodles" or "zoodles", egg foo young, etc! American: Wings, burgers, brats/sausages, grilled chicken, etc - most cook out foods in whole form are totally safe. Pair with grilled veggies or a salad, or make a pasta salad from zoodles with homemade italian dressing.  YUMMMM bish Italian: Low carb tomato sauces and "noodles", Fat head Pizza (link to fat head dough recipe will be at bottom.  This shit is dope.  I never even liked pizza before this).  Chicken Parmesan, "Spaghetti and Meatballs", Lasagna: AND OMG GUESS WHAT. Alfredo is like totally fair game, and its really good with mushrooms and chicken. :P Mexican: HOLY FUCK I EAT THIS STUFF SO MUCH.  Like, pretty much everything but the chips and rice are totally gucci for keto.  Taco/Burrito bowls, fajitas, ceviche, salsa, avocado salad, guacamole, and for dipping I make cheese chips or thin slices of cucumber spritzed with chili lime and salt. Greek: Greek salad, schwarma, gyros (either without bread or use the low carb wraps), hemp seed "Falafel", tzatziki sauce, feta cheese, olives, etc. I have even made indian and thai curries, moroccan food, middle eastern We have made chicken tenders, french fries, chips, "nachos", fish fry, breaded mushrooms, mozz sticks, cheese curds.  All your craving foods! The internet is wonderful for this, just make sure you are paying close attention to how much a portion is, or if its higher in carbs than you're allowed for the day.

Above I posted a picture for a shopping list.

This is a nice shopping list but I find it is sort of strict.  Try to stick to these items to start but You can add in things like more nuts or avocados, almond and coconut flours (to make cakes and breads!), and higher starch veggies and fruits as time goes on.  I get down on some cantaloupe pretty often, and have a cupcake at least once a month.

Intermittent Fasting IF is typically considered an advance technique or body reset especially after big meal days or cheating, and while it has amazing health benefits, I would suggest you research it yourself and decide if it's right for you.  I had a lot of luck with it because I hate to keep track of my calories on an app so I knew if I ate whatever I could within a five to seven hour period that the chances that I would eat more than 1800 calories would go way down.   Each person is different, if you feel physically hungry, don't deny that feeling. Here is a link that describes and explains types of IF. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-guide#methods

What to do when you go out to eat We live in a time where many people eat low carb, or restaurants are very willing to wiggle with ingredients or substitutions.  Remember that nicer restaurants appreciate this less, but if you know that it will be happening, you can always call the restaurant and let them know in advance.  Many chefs are reasonable and want your business and willing to help. Always check the menu for words like, naked, ask for sauces on the side, try to stick to things that are usually safe, blue cheese, ranch, vinaigrettes, mayos.  When a dish comes with a carb side, most places will double up on steamed or grilled veg for very little extra or no charge.  I get steak with a literal dick ton of broccoli or asparagus and lotsa butter and its good and filling. :D Burgers can be put on top of a side salad , or ask for a lettuce wrap.  Make sure wings and chickens arent breaded before frying or baking.  Chinese restaurants usually have a section that has all the same ingredients but sauce on the side and veggies steamed, good for when you go out.  Egg drop soup is usually ok as long as you don't eat a gallon of it. If something comes that you really want, but can't have, just have one small bite and cover the rest of it with too much salt or ketchup or something than you can handle, or trade it away.  This will prevent you from eating it all. There's lots of options and understand that whenever you go out, there is a chance that you might slip out of ketosis.  Don't be discouraged because a small slip is a lot easier to deal with than a big one, and you will feel fine within 12 hrs.

What to drink and when Coffee, espresso, unsweetened teas, club soda or la croix like drinks with zero fake sugars added (look for aspartame, sucralose, dextrose, erythritol, etc), pure liquors with no added flavor or sugar (vodka, gin, whiskey, rum, tequila), dry red wine (cabernet, merlot) dry white wine (sauvignon blanc, brut champagne, pinot grigo, chardonnay).  Keep in mind that alcohol still contains a lot of calories and while it will not likely bump you out of ketosis, it does delay your body burning calories because it is too busy trying to destroy the evil alcohol from your bloodstream (dramatic music) so limiting intake in the first month really helps you to get in the swing and feel good and hydrated :P. Side Note: Ketal One makes new no sugar added Botanical Vodka and the Peach one and the cucumber mint one are fucking amazing, the end.

"Carb cycling" cheat days, and how to IF YOU KNOW YOU'RE GONNA CHEAT mentally prepare yourself for that.  Know what you want to eat, what isnt worth it, and how to stop yourself when you are done.  Ever been on a bender where you drank like three days in a row and by the end you're like dude wtf happened all I wanted was to drink friday night and now its sunday where did it go".  This has happened to me lots with holidays and special occasion weekends, and the best advice I have for you is to pay attention to how cheating makes you feel.  Don't feel guilty unless you feel bad for your progress or your body.  Sadly, potatoes make me feel like garbage so I try to avoid them like the plague even when I do cheat. Try to not eat for as long as you can handle after you cheat to allow your body some rest and to burn the glucose and glycogen that may be still in your system.  If you feel good enough some cardio or lifting may help to get you back in faster. Ultimately, if keto is a lifestyle for you, remember that life happens and its ok to be human, and eat things that are unhealthy as long as its not the normal.  Remind yourself that you deserve to be happy as well as healthy and balance that in your mind.  Being positive and recognizing this will help you to not fall off the deep end either way, by being too strict or completely abandoning keto, which often in the early phase will lead you to gaining all that weight you lost back. Carb cycling is a form of keto diet for athletes or very physical people who benefit from a quick carb before intense activity in order to feed their muscles or whatever but as I am not one of those people, I just stick to my higher carb fruits and veggies when I think I might go for a run or walk, or drag my ass down the road, whatever you'd like to call it. >_>

Things to avoid that are a waste of money Don't buy "exo ketones" or "Keto drinks" or powders, anything "bullet-proof" is basically bullshit, you can make the same things for zillions of dollars less and it will taste better as well. Keto urine strips are pretty much just a waste of money, they aren't really indicative of where you are at. Expensive "keto" supplements aren't necessary, take your multi and drink your electrolytes and you should be good to go.  Keep in mind if you are an intense athlete I am not so like talk to your doctor or coach dude.

[raindropsonroses123]

ScotSwap Entry

@fandom-frenzy

Hello! I was your person for scot swap and here is my story! It's not very good at all (and sort of late), for which I'm sorry, but I hope you like it!! :P I decided to use your camping prompt, although tbh I’m not sure exactly what is going on, I just went with it. Enjoy <33

Much thanks to @kerowyn-ankh for organizing this whole thing!<3

Thanks to @penguins-united for editing!

September 2016 A.D.

Virginia

It was, Jerrot thought, an insipidly delightful trip. The weather was glorious, the food decent, and everyone was sort of getting along. The only bad thing about the entire adventure was that it was so short. Despite his best efforts and intentions, Jerrot was rather enjoying himself.

He was even beginning to forget why he was so gloomy in the first place. It had been one of the vicious arguments he was always having with Lymond, probably about Marthe or Gabriel or Philippa or politics or religion or whatever stupid comment one of them had made. Afterwards Jerrot always felt a little mixed up, as though a hurricane had swept through all his carefully organized thoughts and principles and left them in disarray.

He sighed, resigned to cheerfulness, and went off smiling to look for Archie.

In his subsequent search he found himself looking all around camp. Adam had also mysteriously disappeared, but Fergie Hoddim and Randy Bell were passionately arguing about the proper way to make s'mores. Or, at least, that was how the argument had started; at some point it had shifted to the Mexican-American war and then to the affect oil prices had on the economy. Either way, they were neglecting their one task, which was to build the fire.. Lancelot Plummer (Jerrot had tried to think of him simply as Lancelot once, and it was just wrong. He was the sort of person who needed two names) had taken over, which was lucky, because he actually knew how to build a fire.

Lymond, who had organized their expedition into the terrifying world of northern Virginia camping grounds, was supposed to be getting out the ingredients for s'mores. Or building tents. Jerrot was positive he was supposed to be doing something. Instead, he was sitting on a big blue cooler Hercules brought, plucking away beautifully and maddeningly at a guitar and humming Neil Young songs under his breath. Lymond was consistently the most beautiful and maddening person in a group, Jerrot thought. It did not help that Jerrot was positive Lymond wasn't really as unthinking as he seemed. He probably had a great scheme in his head for the rest of them to carry out.

Meanwhile..

Archie and Adam had been gathering firewood by the little creek. "Had been" because Archie had declared that it was pointless to gather firewood and had tried to convince Adam to wade in the stream and catch minnows. Archie knew a lot about minnows. Adam let himself be distracted, reluctantly at first, and then enthusisastically, as he felt the sun beam down and the lovely weather whittled away at his resolve, until he was happily picturing landscapes to sketch and listening to Archie prattle on about squirrels.

The sun sank resolutely behind the trees as they wandered along the path. Adam realized suddenly that it was quite dark, his bad leg was aching, and he had no idea where they were.

“Archie? We aren’t lost, are we?” he said.

“Ohh” said Archie. He was probably the only person in the world who could say ‘oh’ in such a disapproving and decidedly Scottish tone of voice. “Oh. No. Not really. Just a wee bit, maybe,”

“Glad to hear it,” said Adam flatly.

Later…

“Has anyone laid eyes on Fergie or Adam?” said Lymond commandingly. He was standing on the cooler now, like a politician on a soapbox.

Jerrot was trying very hard not to roll his eyes.

Fergie coughed discreetly. “I believe they were looking for firewood,”

“That was an hour ago,” said Lymond coldly. “And neither brought a cell phone. Well. Everybody grab flashlights. We’ll meet back here in half an hour. Fergie and Randy, you go to the creek, I’ll go to the path, Lancelot, watch the camp. Jerrot, you head south to the lake,”

He sprung down from the cooler like a cat, and ran off to get flashlights. There was a brief silence, all too familiar an experience after some of Lymond’s declarations.

Jerrot scoffed, loudly. “It’s like he thinks we’re at war, or something,” he said. “The woods aren’t even that big,”

The others nodded sympathetically and agreed with him, but went about their respective tasks anyway. He was half-tempted to simply declare he was going to stay at camp, but it was getting sort of dark. And perhaps he wasn’t ready to face Lymond’s verbal whiplash again...

It took an hour or so of stumbling about in the woods until Jerrot found Archie and Adam. Adam was sitting on a rock, bored out of his mind, his leg aching. Archie, on the other hand,was extremely energetic. After realizing they were lost, he had apparently chugged a few powerful energy drinks he had packed. He said it always pays to be prepared. He didn’t respond when Jerrot asked why he didn’t bring a cell phone.

“What’s going on, then?” he had asked instead, pretending not to hear.

“Lymond’s been organizing search parties,” said Jerrot, resigned. “I think he’s rather enjoying himself,”

Another hour or so later, and the stars were out and ridiculously bright. Archie and Adam had  prepared to face a lecture by Lymond, but he had taken pity on them- probably because Adam looked pathetic as a kicked puppy and Archie was still bouncing around like a monkey on steroids. Fergie was carefully toasting marshmallows and Archie was eating them amid his bouts of spontaneous dancing. Randy and Lancelot Plummer were listening to Adam tell a ghost story. Jerrot, bored by the idea of dead people and phantoms, and spurred on by some alien self-destructive impulse, sat down cross-legged by the fire next to Lymond, who was staring at it darkly.

He had been going to say something to provoke a fight, or to apologize, but all he managed was a rather lame comment on how nice and useful the fire was.

“For the night is dark and full of terrors..” said Lymond.

Jerrot blinked. “Was that a game of thrones reference?”

“Yes, Jerrot, it was,” said Lymond lightly. “Now how can I help you?”

“I’m not always trying to start a fight, you know!” said Jerrot.  “Maybe I just wanted to make conversation!”

“Sorry,” lied Lymond, grinning. “Enjoying yourself?”

“I don’t know,” said Jerrot. “Camping is nice, but don’t you ever feel small, looking at the stars?”

“Bright star, would I were as steadfast as thou art, not in lone splendour hung aloft the night…” said Lymond. “Not really. I’ve always felt a little too important, frankly,”

Jerrot turned to him with something bitter on his lips about arrogance, but Lymond was, for once, laughing, and without reason, Jerrot was suddenly laughing too.

He was still planning on being melancholy and sulky, but then Fergie caught a marshmallow ablaze, and nearly burned an outraged Archie, and Adam very nearly had to stop a brawl, while Lancelot Plummer was laughing so hard he could hardly speak. Lymond sprang up from his seat, eyes sparkling, and Jerrot wondered with a sinking feeling if he was going to make some speech about taking themselves seriously and ruin their fun. But instead, Lymond picked up his ridiculous guitar once more, and began to strum. Archie, high on the twin pagan gods of caffeine and gatorade, began to sing in a surprisingly operatic voice.

Yes, thought Jerrot with a strange feeling he thought might be contentment, he was enjoying himself.

[psmf-diet]

How to Choose the Best Pre-Workout Snack for Your Body

Right before a sweat sesh, some people swear by a handful of peanuts, or a specific brand of protein bar. And yet for others, the ideal option might be a … Wendy’s Frosty? Yep, a milkshake can actually have real pre-workout perks, according to Julie Duffy Dillon, RD, a nutritionist specializing in fitness. Read on to learn why—plus other helpful tips on how to fuel up right.

Pay attention to your body

Dillon, who has worked with high school, college, and professional athletes for 19 years, says the most crucial thing about picking a pre-workout snack is recognizing your individuality. “We can look at recommendations or nutrition books,” says Dillon, “but everyone is different in what feels best. The thing I always recommend to people who are wanting to move their bodies more and wanting to incorporate food is that it takes practice to figure out the best ways for you.”

Certified trainer and registered dietician Jonah Soolman agrees. “The first thing I say to patients when they come in with a sports and nutrition concern, whether it’s pre- or post-workout, is, ‘It always has to be individualized,’” he says. “There are certainly principles that apply to virtually everybody—say, for example, carbs before a workout,” he adds, but some things will vary.

Soolman, a marathoner, is a great example. “When I go for long runs, I drink Mountain Dew and eat Oreos,” he admits. “That’s what works best for my body. The way I found that was first trying things like Gatorade; that didn’t work for me so well.”

As you try various snacks, keep in mind that what works for your workout buddy might not work for you. "Our bodies are just different,” says Dillon. “Some people feel super-energized by a mix of macronutrients. For others, it’s carbs. We all metabolize differently, and we have to respect that.”

RELATED: 6 Rules for Post-Workout Meals

Don’t shun carbs

Our carb-avoidant culture can present difficulty for those trying to find the best sustenance for workouts, the experts say. “People turn their noses up at sugar and carbs,” says Dillon, but “from a sports point of view, you’re keeping the fuel from your muscles.”

The body tends to prefer carbohydrates, which digest quickly, as a source of quick fuel. Though both experts point out that there are always exceptions, for the majority of us, completely avoiding carbs will make it more difficult to exercise effectively. “My body feels like dead weight today,” is a phrase Dillon has heard from the occasional paleo client.

Time your pre-workout snack wisely

When you’re choosing what to eat, also consider how long it will be until you exercise.  

If you’re eating hours in advance of your workout—say, two hours before a soccer game, says Soolman—you can have a well-rounded meal, since “that’s a pretty good amount of digestion time,” says Soolman. (Think: carbs, protein, and fat.)

An hour before your workout, says Soolman, you should be thinking more about “a ratio of food [that is] heavier on carbs. Protein and fat could slow digestion and make you not feel great during the workout.” Consider yogurt, which yes, has protein and fat, but is heavy on carbs, or a couple pieces of fruit, he suggests.

Immediately before a workout, says Soolman, “we’re thinking pure carbs: maybe juice, Gatorade, saltines, pretzels, a piece of white bread—something to digest and absorb really quickly.” He adds, “when you’re about to do a workout, you don’t want to do necessarily something that’s high-protein or high-fiber.” Complex foods can cause stomach issues, depending on the workout. (Again, says Soolman, there’s always an exception, including the ultra-marathoner Dean Karnazes, who famously ate a whole pizza while running.)

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Be adventurous

“People think, ‘bananas, protein, sport drink,’ which I think is fine, but could also get really boring,” says Dillon. “Don’t be afraid of a bagel with peanut butter on it or chocolate milk. Things that feel appealing any time could also be very energizing for your sport.”

As opposed to getting hung up on which snacks are “healthy” (which can feel “loaded and ambiguous”), make sure 1) you’re getting enough food; 2) you have something you can snack on halfway through a long workout; and 3) you don’t discount options just because they seem odd, says Dillon. She has seen people have success with grub as eclectic as grilled cheese sandwiches, trail mix, and yes, that Frosty, which she says is “absolutely” not a problem. “[I]ts fat will keep it in your stomach longer” on a long run, she says—and that means more energy.

Stay hydrated, too

“Make sure you listen to your body,” says Dillon. “When you’re thirsty, make sure you have some [water].” She reminds us that it’s better for the body to sip on water throughout the workout (and beforehand, and after) than to drink a lot at once. And a good general rule of thumb, she says, is that “a person working out for 45 minutes should make sure to stop and get some then” to replenish the fluid you’ve lost through sweat.

RELATED: 5 DIY Sports Drinks to Help Keep You Hydrated 

Don’t exercise hungry

There are definitely various schools of thought on this point, but Dillon is not a fan of exercising hungry: “Rumbles of hunger will put your energy level in toilet.” She suggests bringing something with you that you enjoy, such as a granola bar or trail mix, just in case. Allow yourself to experiment, too, she says. Really listen to your hunger, and provide for yourself. And sometimes a lack of snacks isn’t the culprit: “Sometimes the best way to provide nutrition with sport is to make sure we’re eating more nourishing meals throughout the day,” she says.

Go ahead and eat mid-workout

Again, like the pizza-eating ultra-marathoner, it’s OK to snack as you go. Around the 30-minute mark of a high-intensity workout your glycogen store will get depleted, says Dillon. “Having a snack within half an hour of that exercise is something that’s traditionally recommended. Some people need it further out; some people won’t want one.” Experiment, and recognize your own needs.

If you’re running long distance, try carrying quick-to-digest energy in the form of gels, Gatorade, or whatever works for you.

Consider these options

Below are a few suggestions from Dillon to get you started. But both dieticians agree that you need to find what works for you. (Some of Dillon’s ideas, for example, such as peanut butter on a bagel, might be too heavy for high-impact workouts.) So experiment, get creative, and be OK with what works for you.

A half hour before a low-intensity to medium-intensity workout, try...

A handful of Dates

Nature’s Made Crunchy Granola Bar

Oatmeal with fruit

A piece of toast with nut butter

Dried fruit

An apple or pear

Graham crackers

One hour before a longer, endurance workout, try...

A bagel with peanut butter

Pineapple and cottage cheese

Peanut butter Toast

Turkey-avocado wrap

Pita with tuna salad

Chocolate milk

A bagel sandwich with egg

A sliced apple with cheese on crackers

Greek yogurt with granola

Egg-and-cheese breakfast sandwich

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[robustcornhusk]

hysterectomy recovery

probably just going to do the first week, since so far it’s seems mild? and i guess i’ll throw in the followup appt i’m supposed to have eventually.

having said that, i can still write excessively about it

descriptions of bodies, pain, fluids, etc below

day 0:

we got home around 7:00pm, i want to say. the first thing i noticed on getting home was how much more mobility and energy i had this time rather than last time? like, last time it hurt to get up off the couch, i had to roll out of bed rather than sit up in order to spare my abs, i could only shuffle down the hall. this time, none of that. my abs were a little sore, but really, just a little.

cohuman went out right away to fill the scripts that had been included in my discharge stuff, because damnit, they’d sent off my prescriptions to the wrong pharmacy. 

(no one at the hospital asked where i wanted them to go? so they sent it to a nearby, but kinda not-good pharmacy, rather than the nice delivery pharmacy i prefer. the not-so-great pharmacy is not so great because they close kinda early, it’s really rundown, there’s usually a long line to drop off and pick up scripts, they don’t call when they fill your script, and a couple of times when i’ve walked home from there people have assaulted me in the street.) 

cohuman managed to come back with the Prescription Ibuprofen (???) and the stool softener (colace?), but they weren’t able to fill the oxycodone script or the Prescription Tylenol (???) script. (dr. rowen wanted me to have plain-oxycodone rather than the kind with tylenol mixed it, so that i could try to stick to tylenol and ibuprofen and only add oxycodone as needed)

one of my other housemates was home and served as Responsible Adult Supervision while my other other housemate ran out and got me some gatorade to drink. as soon as housemate came home, it was 7:30 I think? so I took the colace, 600mg of ibuprofen, and at 8, (it having been 4 hours since i was painkillered in the hospital) i took 2 tabs of my old hydrocodone. I also totally downed the whole bottle of gatorade and a bottle of soylent since by calories for the past 24 hours had been “two graham crackers” and “a mini can of gingerale”. (i kept asking for more water please, more ginger ale please, i’m so thirsty, my mouth is made of sand, please give me more to drink)

someone asked if i had weighed myself before and after; it turned out that i gained 6lb, which sorta makes sense: i went from being hella dehydrated to having been pumped full of iv fluid and gatorade and soylent and hadn’t been able to urinate.

i was attempting to talk to people via laptop, but i kept falling asleep, so after a bit cohuman + housemates were like “we’re not letting you drop another laptop, go to bed”, despite it being only 8:30. but getting in bed woke me up again, so i did try to talk to a friend, except i kept falling asleep during that, too. whatever. 

laying down, it seems, moved something around, and so i got stuck in a 15-minute cycle of lay down, sleep for a few minutes, “hey, i have to pee”, go to bathroom, sit there for a bit doing exactly that (but so slowly), lay down in bed, ... this went on for like two hours.

cohuman tried to transfer my scripts from (bad pharmacy) to (nice pharmacy); unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to transfer the oxycodone script due to it being hella controlled.

right before cohuman and i went to sleep, for real, at 11:30, i took more pain meds (2 hydrocodone) and some otc stuff to help me sleep. i woke up like … 6 times anyway, to pee, but it was fine. it went from being “oh my god, i have to sit here and strain to get it out” to “this is a lot slower than usual”.

day 1:

i woke up and sat in bed for a bit being all it’s sore and i don’t like it it and then cohuman was like “take your drugs?” which helped a lot. having said that, this is more like my level of pain at least a week after top+lipo, i think. 

i got a robocall from the hospital being like “do you have all your information? we’re going to give you a robo-survey except it’s actually not going to be used to inform us what we can do better next time, but instead we’ll have nurses call you if you answer bad things like ‘i was confused by what was going on at the hospital’” but they didn’t say the “except it’s not actually” so when it said “Oh, you were confused by discharge instructions? we’ll have a nurse call you” i had to figure out how to say NOOOOOO because i really don’t want more phone calls thanks.

even after drinking another 40oz of fluid, my mouth was still really dry? 

one of the things they handed us on the way out of the hospital were more pairs of the mesh underwear and a bunch of maternity pads. i had been annoyed at the time because it seemed that they didn’t have any adhesive and just kinda ... floated around, fell in the toilet, etc. i discovered this morning, while getting dressed, that they /did/ have adhesive and just the nurse last night hadn’t bothered to take the adhesive-peel off.  

dr. rowen also called to make sure i was doing okay: told me the surgery went well on their end, asked if i was having difficulty with urination, said i should schedule a follow-up appointment in 4-6 weeks. 

housemate’s datefriend is working from our place and being my Responsible Adult Supervision today (and probably tomorrow). with the aid of my Responsible Adult Supervision, i managed to walk over to the pharmacy and not get harassed on my way there or back and successfully retrieved my Actually Prescribed Painkillers. the line was long enough that i did have to sit on the floor, though, while waiting, because i was sorta dizzy.

took 1 additional oxycodone at noon; took another 600mg of ibuprofen at 2. experiencing a little bit of running-cramp like pain in my right side, and a little bit of pain in my shoulders. at 4 i took two oxycodone; at 8 i took another 2. 

it seems the pain has been ramping up a little bit over the course of the day; sorta crampy and my shoulders hurt and it’s probably the gas that they put in me that’s doing this. 

i felt good enough to make lunch (Responsible Adult Supervision came with me, which was actually a mistake, because it meant I missed a package by three minutes) and to make dinner (tomato soup + waffled grilled cheese sandos; also a mistake, because we were eating right after i took pain meds and i accidentally dropped my phone in the soup).

also there are goofy pictures of me in a cat kigurumi with a cone of shame.

around when cohuman and i were going to sleep, 11-12ish, i was actually in a fair bit of pain and it sucked: in my shoulder, around my ribcage, right side of my stomach, The Place Where My Cervix Used To Live. So at 11:45ish, I think, i took two oxycodone and the advil and the tylenol, then cohuman and i watched anime together until it kicked in enough to sleep

day 2:

felt better when i woke up; cohuman told me to take some gas-x because apparently that’s a Good Thing for post-laparoscopy gas pain; i took ibuprofen + 2 oxycodone right when i woke up, at 9.

picocat decided to sit on me this morning which never ever ever happens so i allowed him to press his little toothpick legs into my tender and sore abdomen for 15 minutes. i love this cat.

housemate’s datefriend is battling a sinus infection with codeine, and i’m recovering from surgery with oxycodone, and what i mean is there was No Responsible Adult driving the car today. the metaphorical car, i mean, i just sat on the couch all day.

i made weenie noises at my weenie cat all day, because he was super cute most of it and sat next to me on the electric blanket that a friend brought me last night .

at 1pm it hurt, so i took 2 painmeds; i was sorta sleepy and dizzy all afternoon but the pain went away until around 5. i took 1 then; i also pretty quickly felt kinda sick? i laid down on the couch and sorta slept with picocat (he never does this) for an hour until it felt better. 

cohuman came home near to 9; i took an advil right before we ate dinner. i didn’t have much of an appetite, though.

most of the pain i experienced today was in my shoulders, i think? 

day 3:

i took one pain object right when i woke up, at ~9:30, though this might not have been necessary. (also colace and gas-x) and i took advil at 2. the pain seems to have mostly stopped! hooray! 

rainy, though, so i didn’t actually do anything today.  my housemates and i alike were trapped inside for a nice day of anime (yuri on ice!), curry (tofu katsu, i cooked), and zaireeka.

my throat/the back of my mouth was still hurting, and in one specific spot only, so i took a lot in the mirror. it wasn’t from the surgery; it was a blister from me burning the shit out of my mouth with the soup i ate on day 1. i have no idea when it will stop hurting, but hopefully soon.

i am still bleeding from The Place Where My Cervix Used To Be, but less. it hasn’t really ever been much. the hospital-provided maternity pads remain not very good. the hospital provided mesh underwear also remains not very good. if it were more than hardly any blood, i would care.

(while going to bed, a little bit of pain again, but it stopped like 30 minutes after i tookm more advil)

day 4: 

advil at 10 and at 4, probably again at 11 for sleep. it’s not strictly necessary but also why not? pain today was /minimal/. the advil at 10 was pre-emptive “what if it hurts when i get up?”; at 3:30 i noticed a bit of mild, mild cramping, which is why i took the 4pm dose.

like, the day of surgery when i woke up was peak pain i think, which was on par with “the worst menstrual cramps i had ever had, but not more than that, and also they gave me the good drugs”; today was “hey btw your uterus used to be here, do you miss it? no? okay we’ll see ourselves out”. 

the worst part has been the shoulder pain! (holy wow that was awful at first.) and that’s mostly gone. today i got a couple of occasional twinges.

24 hours out from my last dose of *codone, the gastro-intestinal effects began to become undone. i regret eating curry for dinner. i think my doctor said to call if this hadn’t happened by the end of day 2, but also i was pretty sure it would happen within a day of going off the pain meds, so whatever.

i had expected to be swollen for a few days after surgery, but i wore my normal clothes on day one (to get meds) and today (and my pants nearly fell off...) so maybe not so much, at least not outside of my midsection.

i was pretty sleepy all day but i think that’s just because it was rainy and i was warm and stuck inside. felt a little nauseated at one point but it might’ve just been the heat (electric blanket, sweatpants, normal blanket...). the like, mental fuzzyness/sleepiness without the actual wanting to sleep part seems to be gone now.

day 5:

ibuprofen morning and evening. i didn’t have very much pain during the day, but had a little bit when i went to bed. 

this is probably TOTALLY UNRELATED to how last night i was like “you know my doctor specifically said that non *iv sex is totally fine, right”

also i pulled a muscle in my shoulder and it probably has nothing to do with how i spent 5 days on the couch with a lapdesk and the world’s worst posture. 

day 6:

so over this halfassed bleeding. so over these hospital provided pads. i should like... go to walgreens or somewhere and get some not terribad ones, but also i can’t bring myself to buy 50 (or 30, or 20) or something that i need 5 of.

day 14: 

i am still bleeding. 

pads are the worst and the wings keep wingdingin’ around and they rotate 90 degrees in my clothes and fold over and turn upside down and fuck it i hate these so on day 8 i just started bleeding on my clothes. fortunately, blood washes right out of my hella-synthetic underwear (thinking back to the long times i would spend scrubbing underwear as a teenager... cotton underwear feels like a conspiracy.). 

did i mention the blood also comes out in big, thumb-sized clumps. because it does exactly that. like tbf i have kinda small hands so my thumb-sized objects are like not so big, but nonetheless, it was a little alarming the first like... 10 times.

it’s almost convenient, like a period egg. except they keep coming and coming and coming. the rest of the time it’s just a little bit of blood.

i’ve noticed that after orgasm, it seems there’s less bleeding for~12 hours.

i’ve not been taking any painkillers, including ibuprofen, for obviously-surgery-related pain, though i occasionally get a momentary twinge where my cervix used to be. i’m getting cramps when i walk or bike too fast (like running cramps, in my side, not intestinal or uterine). my doctor okay’d me for biking after a week, as long as i promised to not go too fast.

another side-effect i didn’t notice immediately: sitting up for long periods hurts. i have horrible sitting-up-straight muscles to begin with because i slouch constantly, but like “sitting up in a movie seat to watch rogue one” left me in deep pain at the end on day 10.

so i guess i was taking ibuprofen for surgery-related pain, but it was a few steps removed. that’s been mitigated for now, by doing any sort of writing work laying down with my tablet and a piece of paper masking-taped to a lapdesk. it works.

day 21

still bleeding! (though fortunately, no more clumps.) still occasionally getting awful but brief pains where my cervix used to be!

so done.

day 29/followup

the bleeding stopped sometime over the weekend.

mostly not in any pain. when i walk like a mile or two i feel kinda squiggly on the inside, like a running cramp, minus the pain.

had the four week followup! the cohuman came with me, for both moral(e) support and also being the Insurance Dealing Human. doctor seemed apologetic that i had bleeding until the weekend, then i got to have my one and only speculum-aided exam (since all the stuff they did while i was under turned out negative. good. the not-bad outcome.).

the exam took all of two minutes: scoot up, a little further, all the way to the edge, don’t fall out of the stirrups, oh you fell out of the stirrups, that’s my hand, that’s the speculum (hey cool it has a flashlight attached!), you’re going to feel some pressure (YEP), going to swab with a qtip and it might feel weird (YEP), okay, we’re done.

(”hey so i don’t have a cervix, and i’ve seen pictures of what it looks like when there’s a cervix, but what does it look like now?” “like a wall of flesh”)

(i got a speculum! i really wanna see what my wall of rococo flesh looks like)

there is some silliness with insurance because they took the ovaries and that means it couldn’t be done as a plain ‘ol hysto. gotta get that sorted, with letters.