#bc of a lack of pictures available

[seamsterslocal]

summer binder picture tutorial

this is the third binder ive made for myself recently and the first one i’m writing up. it’s designed to do a few things: 1) allow me to put it on by myself without dislocating my shoulders 2) allow me to breathe well enough to partake in normal activity 3) be cool enough to wear throughout a muggy 90-100F summer 4) not constrict my ribs in a way that aggravates my lack of connective tissue and causes intense pain.

this has become necessary even though i had top surgery many years ago, because when i had it i was extremely skinny and since then i’ve increased in size by about 50%. this has been really fucking good for my health in every single way* except that when my chest is squishy or moves at all it’s So Goddamn Triggering for me. but also since ive had top surgery ive developed and/or been made away of a plethora of chronic conditions that make every single commercially available binding option medically impossible. unbound, my chest is pretty much what you’d expect for a chubby cis guy but venturing out into the world in just a tshirt no longer works for me

*anyone who badmouths weight gain or fat bodies in the notes WILL be blocked

under the cut are a bunch of process pictures and explanations of what they all mean:

first i’ll give you a look at the pieces and measurements:

most of the seams are sewn in this picture and one half is turned inside out, allowing you to see both the finished dimensions (right) and the placement of the fusible horsehair canvas that gives this lil scrap of linen any structure at all (left)

to get your chest measurement, you’re gonna have to do some math:

first measure above and below what you want to bind. average these numbers. mine are something like 32 and 34, which average to 33. subtract a few inches--this is to allow the air movement between the laces at center front and back, critical in the summertime. i deleted 3 inches bc i like that number but you can go bigger if you want. the more inches you subtract here, the more youll be able to ratchet all your chest material down later, but at the same time you need to leave enough fabric for a sturdy garment. let’s say a range of 2-6 inches/5-15cm. by taking your measurements this way, you’re essentially measuring the chest you would like to have. that + the horsehair canvas work together to compress any squishy tissue/force anything that doesnt compress up and to the outside (basically into the armpit/lower shoulder--the chest might stick out but it will give a very puffed chest captain america pectoral silhouette)

you can also see how ive clipped my curves and pre-drilled my lacing holes. i used the marlin spike on my knife to open up the holes on the interfacing side, mainly as a way of marking them. this worked well bc the interfacing’s glue kept the linen from raveling

this is the same stage but looking at the non-interfaced grey linen/cotton blend (the black is some 100% linen from my cabbage stash). you can see ive broken the solar-plexus-to-back measurement up into a bunch of pieces to save on fabric but that’s not necessary. my original pattern was just two pieces (front and back) and chopping the straps into thirds on both sides was aesthetic

in the following picture you can really see how this is really just overgrown regency stays:

i thought about doing side lacing but didn’t think that would be comfortable for me. on the front, the side seam allowance was pressed inwards before turning to create a finished looking slot. on the back the side seam is left unfinished with an extra wide seam allowance, and is inserted into that slot.

here’s a closeup on it pinned in place (you can adjust the angle of the side seam and the fit during this pinning stage):

that side seam was just topstitched in place once i had the fit how i liked it, and the armhole was reinforced with more topstitching

alright, time for eyelets: first, you can see how well the marking worked:

next, two rows of basted eyelets (left), one row of eyelets sewn with a doubled and waxed cotton thread (center right), and one row of eyelets opened and stainless steel rings placed (right).

next time i’m going to mark the eyelets same as i did above, but do this step differently--i’ll mark and baste the steel rings in place BEFORE widening the eyelets. this is bc i had a lot of problems keeping the eyelets on center

eyelets half done on this one! on the left are eyelets sewn with doubled and waxed cotton thread and on the right eyelets sewn with quadrupled and waxed thread. the center is basting again. i was able to force the holes back in line while sewing the eyelets but it was kinda annoying. adding a second picture that doesnt have great focus but hopefully shows how that process worked and shows the spike clearly

i ended up using this white cotton thread because it’s stronger than my black cotton thread (which the rest of it is sewn with). [eta: after this was first posted, i pressed the whole thing heavily, which effectively de-waxed the thread, and i dyed the whole thing a medium charcoal grey, the thread blends in perfectly on the lighter side and isn’t such a sore thumb on the darker side]

bonus: the piecing layout for that little piece of strap. the whole light gray half of the binder was made from 1/2 of one of the legs i cut off some linen suit pants to make slutty camping shorts last year and i really really didn’t want to break into any of the other three halves for this garment--i have Plans for it

overall the fit of this is incredible. it DOESNT hurt my ribs which every zip-up garment ive been able to find (and it is difficult) does due to really thick elastic at the base. it doesnt aggravate my sensory issues with the synthetic fibers that every commercial option is made of. i can walk up a hill or stairs, or go to pt, without getting too out of breath. i can eat with it tight, or loosen the front easily and without taking it off to make eating easier and less nausea-inducing. it is reversible!

best of all the lacing at the back gives the garment enough movement for me to get it on without dislocating, and the interfacing and steel rings give it structure once it’s on. the shaping comes only from fusible horsehair linen canvas and stainless steel rings like youd use for chainmail, there’s no boning at all, which makes it very quick to sew (except the eyelets, but metal grommets would be sturdy and quick provided theyre of good quality)

there’s a small amount of gaping on the outside of the shoulder strap, which i plan on fixing with a tiny tiny dart in the armpit, i want to add pockets to tuck the laces into, and i need a better lace for the back, but it’s completely wearable in time for the 90 weather next week which is all i wanted. i’ll do a reblog when it’s perfectly finished with an update on the fit but for now it is done enough 

the little ridge where it doesnt lay flat against the shoulder is most visible with just a single t shirt over it. with a flannel or a sweater, it disappears, and by itself, it’s hidden in movement

eta: after dyeing this, i relaced it a bit looser in the back and that gape mainly disappeared. ive decided to leave it in instead of smoothing it with a dart because the loose fabric gives space for my chest to expand when breathing and shapes my silhouette in a way that emphasizes my shoulders

[choking-on-ice]

Ok, so I've seen the latest episode. Not willing to spoiler it if you haven't seen it yet, but I do want to know your thoughts if you did see it. Currently working on ideas with it. Mostly involving Lex.

Spoilers for S2E9 of MAwS

- I was so happy to see Lex outside for the first time in the show, good for him

- I've been secretly praying for more Steve + Jimmy content and I absolutely SCREAMED

- Steve implying that his wolf mural represents him and Jimmy made my day

- Steve giving Kara such a solid casual af pep talk was perfect to me

- I feel like this ep is a great potential to have Lex's "turning point" in a fic or something. Like seeing everything go wrong and Lex helping spring Jimmy bc he realizes he fucked up, or just straight up jumping ship on Wallace when Jimmy gets arrested

- I'm hoping Jimmy's phone still live streaming Wallace wasn't just a throw-away plot device, bc so many people would have seen that and I'd like to see her pulled into the spotlight

- Jimmy attempted to use kryptonite against Brainiac-Clark in the previous ep, I could picture a lil team-up scene as he explains to Lex why it won't work

- Jimmy yet again displaying the emotional availability and communication skills that like 90% of the cast woefully lack (no shade, love them stubborn shits)

- Super Lois was dope, and the world would absolutely not be safe if she got to keep all that power lmao

- something about this episode activated my lil gremlin brain that wants to see my faves all angsty and sad:

- Lex thinking Jimmy's gonna die and it will be all his fault and how he'll never be able to face Kara.

- Jimmy thinking his failed plans led Kara and his friends to their doom and believing one of his biggest failures was never reaching Lex and pulling him out of Wallace's clutches.

- Kara finally has something to fight for only to fail at the hands of both her Father and Lex's robots, all while her fragile Jimmy is left to watch her defeat from the sidelines

- the Daily Planet showing up to save them made me so happy, these goofy journalists are more helpful than literally any cop or government official

[superwings-cultural]

Architecture and Monuments: Great Sphinx of Giza - Egypt

The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestonestatue of a reclining sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion. Facing directly from west to east, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt.

The Sphinx is the oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt and one of the most recognizable statues in the world. The archaeological evidence suggests that it was created by ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom during the reign of Khafre (c. 2558–2532 BC).

A special feature of the Sphinx is its actual lack of a nose. The circumstances surrounding it about being broken off are uncertain, but close inspection suggests a deliberate act using rods or chisels. Contrary to a popular myth, it was not broken off by cannonfire from Napoleon's troops during his 1798 Egyptian campaign. Its absence is in fact depicted in artwork predating Napoleon and referred to in descriptions by the 15th-century historian al-Maqrīzī.

It is unknown how the name of the Sphinx came to be, due to propably multiples origins, for example of its creator of the Old Kingdom, as the Sphinx temple, enclosure, and possibly the Sphinx itself was not completed at the time, and thus cultural material was limited. In the New Kingdom, the Sphinx was revered as the solar deity Hor-em-akhet (English: "Horus of the Horizon"; Hellenized: Harmachis)

The commonly used name "Sphinx" was given to it in classical antiquity, about 2,000 years after the commonly accepted date of its construction by reference to a Greek mythological beast with the head of a woman, a falcon, a cat, or a sheep and the body of a lion with the wings of an eagle (although, like most Egyptian sphinxes, the Great Sphinx has a man's head and no wings). The English word sphinx comes from the ancient Greek "Σφίγξ" (transliterated: sphinx) apparently from the verb σφίγγω (transliterated: sphingo / English: to squeeze), after the Greek sphinx who strangled anyone who failed to answer her riddle.

Over the centuries, writers and scholars have recorded their impressions and reactions upon seeing the Sphinx. The vast majority were concerned with a general description, often including a mixture of science, romance and mystique.

From the 16th to the 19th centuries, European observers described the Sphinx having the face, neck and breast of a woman. Examples included Johannes Helferich (1579), George Sandys (1615), Johann Michael Vansleb (1677), and some others following it. Most early Western images were book illustrations in print form, elaborated by a professional engraver from either previous images available or some original drawing or sketch supplied by an author, and usually now lost. Seven years after visiting Giza, André Thévet (Cosmographie de Levant, 1556) described the Sphinx as "the head of a colossus, caused to be made by Isis, daughter of Inachus, then so beloved of Jupiter". He, or his artist and engraver, pictured it as a curly-haired monster with a grassy dog collar. Athanasius Kircher, however, depicted the Sphinx as a Roman statue

[annieqattheperipheral]

Kyle. Hi. Wow. Ok. I'm sad. Wow gonna miss u hard.

Ok so the Brendan Shanahan media availability just ended. Wow, he revealed a fair bit and didn't hide that letting Kyle go was his decision and revealed when he changed his mind from fully working on extending his contract, to ok thank you but bye.

The timeline:

Off-season 2022: shanny tells dubas they're going to wait and see how the 22-23 season goes and then decide on whether or not to extend him. Kyle all cool beans super profesh

Season: goes well normal ups n downs. Owners & board & shanny are happy

Trade deadline 2023: shanny is very pleased and now there's not much else for GMs to do rn so tells dubas we want to extend you. Kyle all cool beans i want that too here's my agent's deets y'all figure it out keep me out of it while i focus on the end of season & playoffs

Friday May 12: Leafs nation crashes and burns out of the playoffs in round 2

Saturday day off

Sunday they all come in for team pictures and shanny & dubas chat and he tells dubas you did well this doesn't change anything we still want to extend you. also everyone will be talking to media tmr you don't have to i won't be. Kyle all cool beans but I'm gonna bc the players & coach have to and i should support them

Monday May 15 - Kyle Dubas speaks to media -> he did not confirm yes/no on whether he wanted to stay as GM, answers with this season was v hard on my family and i have to speak w them before i answer in any way at all

Shanny's brain goes all WTF. Yes we've talked extensively at every conversation about how hard this season has been on your family. But like did not expect that response to the media. So then shanny's all driving home that night thinking ok i have to think about the possibility of next season having a different GM

Tuesday - they don't chat

Wednesday - shanny goes to see dubas. They talk about his Monday media availability cuz shanny got questions cuz like wtf. They talk about pressure on family in this industry both as player and management. Kyle says his agent will contact him tmr and shanny all uhh ok but I'm like still so confused girl

Thursday - dubas agent sends shanny a new contract w different financial package expectations. Kyle emails shanny that night i wanna be ur GM boo🫶 but shanny already got the ick factor going and is so not into it anymore

Friday May 19/today - shanny drove to dubas office at ford performance centre and told him we will not be extending ur contract 😭😭😭

Brendan Shanahan speaks to media

If you've got the urge and u really love kyle highly encourage you watch/listen to both of their press conferences. Shanahan speaks highly of Dubas keeps it profesh there is none of the bad blood we heard about

Kyle is so awesome, open, emotional and possibly its the last time we'll hear from him for awhile since he's no longer with MLSE nor any other org. He said in his media that if he were to not be GM with leafs, in no way would we be seeing him signing with another team like next week. His answer didn't have anything to do w having other job offers.

My overall conclusion:

shanny no longer saw the 100% passion and want for the job anymore from dubas during his Monday press conference. And it's ok if that is how kyle is feeling bc he clearly needs to focus on family for a bit now after just a rollicking season & stressful as shit playoffs. Yes Kyle was in a vulnerable state so soon after playoffs elimination and probably shouldn't have been judged for his contract extension based off of that. But workplaces and jobs are like relationships where if the want to work isn't fully there anymore it is going to turn off your coworkers and boss, and his lack of confirmation of wanting to be GM to the press really drove home that he was still on the fence and iffy about going all in on the job despite the horrible 2nd round loss.

Wherever you go kyle, I'm following you, even if you go to one of my hated teams bc i know you'll fix the org & locker room culture like you did at the leafs💙💙💙

[quotesfrommyreading]

Diodorus Siculus spent much of his life describing major historical events such as the fall of Troy or the rise of Alexander the Great. But, sometime in the middle of the first century BC, the Sicilian-born Greek writer felt moved to address a contemporary issue that had captured his attention: the drinking habits of the Gauls, the Celtic people who occupied modern-day France at this time.

The Gauls were, he observed, excessively fond of wine, so much so that they usually drank it neat and often went into battle inebriated. In Siculus’s eyes, this love of the grape not only betrayed the Gauls’ lack of breeding (a civilised Roman would always dilute his wine), it also left them open to exploitation by canny Roman traders.

“Many Italian merchants, with their usual passion for money, look on the Gallic craving for wine as their treasure,” he wrote. “They transport the wine by boat on the navigable rivers and by wagon through the plains, and receive in return for it an incredibly high price.” Then, with thinly veiled incredulity, Siculus added: “For an amphora [a wheel-thrown terracotta container that typically held around 20 litres of liquid] of wine they get in return a slave – a servant in exchange for a drink!”

It will come as a shock to absolutely no one to learn that human beings were every bit as likely to succumb to the temptations of drink 2,000 years ago as they are today. What many people will find more surprising about Siculus’s words, however, is the picture they paint of relations between the Romans and their Celtic neighbours – one in which the two peoples were engaging in trade, rather than hacking each other to pieces.

In the popular imagination, the Celtic-speaking people of western Europe were constantly at war with the Romans. The truth was very different. There were battles, of course, and the relationship would eventually end in bloodshed and subjugation after Julius Caesar launched his campaigns of conquest in Gaul in 58 BC. But the violence was preceded by long periods of peace and collaboration, and that collaboration benefited both parties.

Siculus clearly thought that the Gauls were being duped by wily Roman traders. After all, in Rome a Gaulish slave would fetch five or six times the price they could command at home. But Siculus was missing the point. In Gaul, slaves were available in surplus, a result of raiding between rival tribes. Once an external market developed for slaves, raiding could be intensified to satisfy the demand. A Gaulish leader could then offload surplus slaves in return for Roman wine that, distributed to his followers, would greatly enhance his status. For the chief, then, it was a very good deal indeed.

The Roman merchants were also doing very nicely out of their trading links with the Gauls. By the late second century BC, the Roman economy was changing dramatically. Small farms were being bought up and merged into vast estates run for their aristocratic owners by managers commanding armies of slave workers. The easiest commodity to produce on the slave-manned farms was wine. But as the estates grew and became more reliant on grape monoculture, wine production began to outstrip Italian demand. For the estates in western Italy, the solution to the problem was simply to ship the surplus to the major ports of southern Gaul – Massalia (Marseilles) and Narbo (Narbonne) – where middlemen were ready to transport it to the Gauls. The slaves acquired in return were brought back to labour on the estates. It was a system that benefited everyone – except, of course, the slaves.

  —  The Celts: were they friends or foes of the Romans?

[hjremi]

under the cut is some random information i've collated about remi, feel free to read to learn more about him. will update as more information comes to light / i learn new things some of these do contain triggers, which are tagged below.

BASIC INFORMATION: NAME: remington clifford [ no korean name ] NICKNAME: remi BIRTHDATE: april 17, 2000 [ 23 years old ] ZODIAC: aries GENDER: nonbinary, he/him preferred SEXUALITY: bisexual OCCUPATION: freelance programmer LINKS: his full bio. please heed the tw. his pinterest. his tags. his playlist.

FUN FACTS: -owns a used pickup that he loves half to death, it's got a myriad of problems that require a lot of upkeep, but he wouldn't trade it for the world -owns a bunch of vectors because he thinks they're cute, also carries a tamagotchi around with him on his lanyard with his keys, he really just likes little robot pets -does not know how to swim ?? not sure why he's on an island in that case -most of the burns / scars he has are on his arms / chest, but he does have a scar on one cheek / side of his jaw / in his hairline on his left side [ which incidentally is the side his hearing is worse on ] -is ambidextrous but favours his right hand lately as his left experiences some mobility issues -is literally 5'4 bless his heart -plays a lot of video games, and has participated in esports tournaments before [ nothing recently due to a lack of anonymity for contestants ] -basically picture the type of kid who would've been at the big hero 6 school and that's basically remi -previously went to MIT before coming to korea, misses that more than anything else in america as he had resources to do a lot of the things he wanted to readily available to him. -builds computers in his spare time, usually as commissions or he sells them after the fact -double major in computer science and robotics with a minor in electrical engineering, is also taking korean language and ksl classes to help communicate easier, since english is his first language, does plan to take asl classes later on -his thesis is about a hearing device capable of translating sign language to speech with gesture recognition, as well as translating other spoken languages in real time and potentially even being able to translate lip reading into speech, if he can figure out how to make it happen. at his previous school, he was dabbling in mixed reality / augmented reality, but there aren't resources to do so here in hanjeong. -is super passionate about the environment and especially about renewable energy omg, he's currently trying to get the grocery store he lives in switch to solar panels, as he uses quite a bit of electricity. he would prefer to use marine/offshore energy, since they're on an island and all, but has been assured by multiple people that anything he attempts to set up would mysteriously be destroyed, so he has settled for solar power. it's incredibly difficult to set up with the trade restrictions when it comes to sourcing things he needs, however, causing a growing amount of tension. -he's very ambivalent about the whole supernatural thing. tbh whenever he first found out he thought they were joking, and even now he doesn't really bother himself with it all that much, seeing as he doesn't really encounter it that often in his day-to-day life. -is very staunchly anti-government and anti-police. thinks the idea of modern monarchies [ three in the same place, even ! because they can't pretend that the captain's descendants aren't a form of modern monarchy ] is possibly the most idiotic thing he's ever heard, and refuses to acknowledge any of them. whatever they're doing doesn't concern him, anyway. -really badly wants to go ghost hunting, but doesn't want to go by himself because that's boring. -is afab, has not had any gender-affirming surgeries, he doesn't ever really bring it up though bc honestly it's not relevant in most situations. he might refer to it offhand though, feel free to have your character react however. THE GOOD: clever. strong-willed. spontaneous. easy-going. THE BAD: irresponsible. absurdist. flippant. impulsive. THE UGLY: physically cannot stop getting in over his head.

[rabbitcruiser]

National Food Day

Eating well doesn't have to be boring or restrictive — fuel your body with nutrient-dense foods that energize and nourish you.

Getting families to pay more attention to what they are eating and then make improvements toward eating more real and whole foods is the entire essence of National Food Day!

History of National Food Day

When packaged foods and convenience foods began to grow in popularity during and after World War II, the number of people cooking meals at home from scratch seemed to hit a decline. And with women working outside the home more than ever, this seemed like a great compromise for family life.

But with the convenience came the addition of non-natural preservatives, artificial trans-fats and a lack of clear labeling. Because of this, many scientists and nutritionists were concerned that families were finding themselves uninformed and unaware about the things that they were ingesting into their bodies.

In 1971, the Center for Science in the Public Interest was founded by several scientists who were concerned for the health of families. As a consumer advocacy group that is science-based and independent of any government agency, the clear and ambitious agenda of CSPI has been to improve the food system in the United States to support healthier eating for American families.

One large goal of the CSPI was to make sustainable, healthy food available to anyone, and they have gone about advocating for this and raising awareness in a variety of ways. This includes legislation for more informed labeling, removal of certain dangerous trans-fats, advocacy for better school lunches and much more.

By 1975, the CSPI founded National Food Day in an effort to get more people involved in learning to shop, eat and cook in a healthier and more natural manner. In an attempt to offer something similar to Earth Day, National Food Day has been celebrated annually for several decades.

National Food Day is all about making an effort to eat more whole, real foods, such as fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains and natural proteins. While it might take a bit of thinking ahead and creating some new habits, the potential for massive results is certainly worth a little bit of effort!

National Food Day Timeline

1500 BC

Yeast bread is first recorded

The earliest recorded bread made with yeast is in Ancient Egypt, though it is likely that fermentation was used in bread much earlier than this.

1921

First fast food restaurant opens

White Castle, America’s first fast food chain, opens in Wichita, Kansas and serves burgers made on an assembly line.

1971

Center for Science and Public Interest is founded

CSPI, the founding organization for National Food Day, is established by several scientists.

1975

First National Food Day is celebrated

Founded to raise awareness about the increasing industrialization of food in America, as well as hunger, increasing food prices, as well as the diet and health crisis in the United States.

2015

Food Day Apple Crunch takes place

On National Food Day this year, students are encouraged to participate by posting a picture of themselves biting into an apple, with the hashtag #FoodDay2015.

How to Celebrate National Food Day

Celebrating and joining in on the fun of National Food Day can not only be a delight to enjoy, but also is a great step in creating healthier habits that can last a lifetime!

Consider implementing some of these tasty ideas in honor of the day:

Eat Some Real Food!

Sure, it’s something that most humans do on most days, but National Food Day is a particularly important day for eating – and for enjoying the food that is eaten! On this day, make a bit of an effort to get all of the meals for today from the produce section or fresh meat section, rather than eating from pre-made, preservative filled convenience food.

Got a craving for some crunchy food? Put down that bag of potato chips and, instead, pick up a crisp apple or a crunchy carrot stick. Feeling like a sweet snack? Instead of that pre-packaged granola bar, consider whipping up some homemade granola that includes oats, raisins, cinnamon, vanilla extract and honey.

When it comes to eating real food for National Food Day (and beyond), the changes can be small but the effects are important and lasting!

Learn to Shop Differently for National Food Day

Many times, simply out of habit, people tend to do the same things over and over again. For those who are accustomed to purchasing processed foods, it can feel a bit difficult to overcome that habit. But, National Food Day is a great time to try to re-think the old habits of grocery shopping.

All it takes is a bit of time to stop and reconsider the way grocery lists are made and food is purchased. One of the best ways to level up that food shopping experience is to make a plan in advance, filled with healthier, natural and fresh foods.

In most cases, an important factor for learning to grocery shop differently is to spend the most amount of time around the perimeter of the grocery store. This is because the perimeter is typically where the healthier and most natural foods are located. Fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy items, the meat counter, and freshly baked items are all often located on the outside loop. Start by filling up the cart with produce and move on around the outside from there.

On the other hand, at the center are items that may be filled with preservatives, like frozen foods, pre-packaged snacks, convenience foods and more. Although some of these are not bad, simply being aware of this can help change the way grocery shopping impacts a family’s health.

Join in on a National Food Day Event

Different events in honor of National Food Day are planned in local communities around the country. Whether this means attending a lecture on how to stock a more natural kitchen at home, or joining in on a community event that is advocating for healthier school lunches, this day is a great one for getting connected with others who are making similar efforts!

Try Some New Healthy Recipes

Just because it is healthy doesn’t mean it can’t be quick and convenient! It’s all about learning to think a little differently about the way food is shopped for and prepared.

For instance, when the kids come home from school and want a snack, it’s easy to grab a bag of potato chips or a package of cookies. But what if they had some pre-cut carrots to dip into peanut butter instead? It’s just as delicious and tons more nutritious.

Or, instead of cooking up that box of prepared mac and cheese or a package of ramen noodles, try some Asian stir fry made from frozen, pre-sliced veggies. It’s just as easy and much tastier and healthier.

Longing for proteins that are more convenient? Try grabbing a rotisserie chicken from the deli section of the grocery store. It’s quick and easy, but also healthier than grabbing hamburgers at a fast food joint. Simply add some sliced cucumbers or home baked sweet potato fries as a side.

Even with a small effort, and simply paying attention, National Food Day has the potential to improve the diets and the health of Americans as well as people all over the world!

National Food Day FAQs

How is food important to culture?

Food provides cultures and individuals with identity, comfort, status, pleasure and belonging and, for some, it is more important than geography or even language.

How long can you go without food?

A person could possibly survive up to two months without eating food, although this would cause some serious health problems.

Does food give you energy?

Yes, all food gives energy to the body, but the type of energy can range from a quick jolt with refined sugars to more sustained energy with whole grains or veggies.

How long does it take to digest food?

It typically takes 6-8 hours to digest food from eating to its arrival in the small intestine. From here, it is another 36 hours or so until the food moves through the entire colon.

Can food poisoning cause a fever?

Yes, food poisoning can be accompanied by a fever, nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea.

Source

[lidsterk]

My Competition

After searching competitors, I was unable to find any similar businesses operating in the city where I am located (Kamloops, BC).  I was able to find three companies that offer similar products in other locations, which I have summarized below:

1:  The Cat Scratcher (listed on Facebook)

Cost: not listed

Strengths:

Offers new scratchers as well as provides repair and restoration

Two positive reviews and recommendations from previous customers

Weaknesses:

Products and services not clearly displayed

Only listed on Facebook

Costs not listed

2:  Pioneer Pet

Offer:  Many different cat scratchers

Cost:  varies by style ranging from $25 to $80

Strengths:

Sell a wide variety of cat products in addition to scratchers

Professional and well-established website

Ship across the USA

YouTube videos demonstrating products

Good reviews from customers

Weaknesses:

Lack variety of scratchers

Mass produced, not a small or local business

3:   Dream a Little Bigger by Allison Murray

Offer:  DIY cat scratcher plans to build your own cat scratcher

Cost:  Free plans available on the website (customer would still need to purchase their own materials to build their scratcher)

Strengths:

Great website (excellent pictures with the DIY scratchers in use)

Easy to follow instructions

Budget friendly product

Has plans for a number of other cat products

Weaknesses:

Customer needs to purchase the materials and build the scratcher themselves

Customer may require specialized tools that they don’t have

Only one style of scratcher

[foxlawed]

[ snarl ]   your muse growling and / or baring their teeth at mine during sex. (Trenton)

@ofwings-andclaws (non-con / dub-con as per usual for these two bc reasons)

claws dug into a muscled bicep behind him, the other fought with a couch pillow in a desperate attempt to escape, but the paws on him were unforgiving. one fisted his short hair with ease, the other held onto his tail. trenton caught him off-guard. in his own goddamn home. again. nathan might or might not have taken a few pictures for his online presence (it was grindr) with his tail out & felt quite proud of them, so mischief had taken over & he laid down on the living room couch for a little nap, which was when the bear struck.

he woke to torn clothes & grubby paws all over him, leaving not only sparks of something in their wake, but bruises, too as trenton was incapable of gentleness & nathan bruised so very easily. tried to escape, but it was to no avail. the firm tug to his tail actually has him gasp, but not in pain & he hated himself for it. it wasn't his fault, he didn't have it out a lot, so he wasn't used to the sensations as much as he was to others.

pleas & spite were useless this time, too. as per usual. trenton took what trenton wanted. those who refused or stood in his way would regret it & nathan did, every single day of his life. he wished he never took the damn case, but then again - he hadn't exactly been presented with an option. if only he could go back in time, he'd change everything about their meeting, including the lack of security. god, regret was laid on thick again tonight.

trenton never quite... waited long. clothes were exterminated, nathan's will to live challenged & diminished at the same time & then trenton would take what he came for. him. the alpha usually stayed away long enough for nathan to fully recover, so when he did return it was like they'd never met before & nathan's struggle began anew. he fuckin' hated his guts.

protest was swiftly silenced with a paw wrapping around the fox's throat, squeezing tight & tighter - usually tighter rather than just tight. mostly because nathan fought down to the teeth, with everything he had. at least at first. but when trenton pushed nathan to near unconsciousness & every permitted breath felt like heaven's gift, resistance dwindled & hopelessness took root.

nathan rarely faced trenton when they fucked (was that even accurate? it wasn't they, it was trenton), so the fox tended to try avoid as much around him as possible, but when fangs came down on an earlobe & a low growl rumbled in the alpha's chest & against his ear, promising even more regret & disgust (at himself), because the omega reacted to it.

it wasn't his fault.

[ravenintraining]

MAG 1- Anglerfish

I hate hearing the first episodes of anything over again because the voices lack all of the personality they grow into over time. Especially this posh prick I'm hearing right now.(/j)

(analysis under cut so i don't feel bad)

Anyways, let's get down to business.

I've spent many of the last few weeks trying to visualize the layout of the Archives(for fic writing purposes), and the part where he can see thousands just from where he's sitting (in a room with a door separating it from the rest of the area, as is mentioned later) really throws all of that off. I like to think he saw a bunch of boxes full of papers and assumed those were statements, even though in the event that his predecessor wasn't an eldritch horror they're probably be print-offs from seminars or audit logs or literally anything else. In my head all of them are actually mounds of scrap paper from a local school so that Elias has to deal with the information overload of creative writing classes.

"so the only thing in most of the files are the statements themselves" this is REALLY outing Jon for not understanding what an Archive does. Why, pray tell, would the research be down in long-term storage? When you have a whole section of this Institute called RESEARCH DIVISION? Obviously they'd keep their OWN RECORDS UP THERE. Probably digitized by now because you all had your own computers. Give me a BREAK.

"he's not likely to contribute anything but deh-LAYS >://" i think you should re-adjust that stick up your ass it's starting to effect your Brain. you've known this dude for all of an hour tops calm your tits. Technically speaking so far the only one that's delayed you was your inability to record something digitally and so it's You who is currently delaying the Archives. Chomp my dick loserboy.

Just remembered that these recordings are available to the public. Dog no college student gives a shit about you and your problems they're just gonna make fun of you on the internet. Actually I think a really funny socmed au could come out of the twitter commentary of someone reading the statements from the magnus institute bc the transcriber drops his drama ALL OVER them.

they must have gotten SO many statements in 2012. I mean, people thought the world was going to end. This of course is the largest part behind why I think the Extinction isn't real and is just a version of the End, because it would have manifested in either 1999 or 2012 when everyone was so worried the world would end. (which also, sidenote, i think could have been perfect explanations of end rituals that failed. i think end avatars would 100% try at least a few times)

sorry I haven't even gotten to the statement yet. idk this one really isnt even that interesting? like oooo dude trips on brick path, stranger ignores that he hurt himself and wants to bum a cigarette. i think it would be better if the anglerfish like actually got its hand(s?) on him and then he got away instead bc without that the only scary part is the implications the episode name gives you. it leads to a great reveal of what happened to the victims later on in the melanie statement (stapling her skin back on) but without that context it's just a dude who's talking to you without opening his mouth.

"el oh el" i bet tim and sasha took the tape after he recorded it just to hear how jon would pronounce 'lol.' i only think that bc that's what I would do.

it is interesting that the body doesnt show up in the images though. like i figured considering the way the stranger loves manipulating digital tech that it would get a kick out of the picture showing the guy just floating there boreing its eyes into your skull. like i get it was meant to be the "light" of the anglerfish creating the illusion of a harmless creature that then turns out to not be there but come onnnn is that Really a stranger thing to do. could be so much better. the stranger should get a suggestion box i have some thoughts.

okay that's all folks. catch you tomorrow for the same shenanigans

[cupcakefoggy]

... See, my biggest problem with the HP collab isn't even that it's a partnership with the Terf Queen. I mean, that very much IS a problem, and it IS something that needs to be addressed. But other, more qualified people than me have already covered that. We KNOW why giving JKarenR more money is a bad thing to do. But I have something else to beef about here.

What truly frustrates me the most about the HP collab (and to a similar degree the Disney collab) is the lack of imagination. And the aggressive branding. Oh, the branding. Actually, they go hand in hand. Because behind those collabs are two thoughts: 1) "OMG collectors will SO buy this bc it looks GREAT in pictures!" and 2) "Ooh, parents will DEFINITELY buy this Shiny Perfect Thing for their little HP-loving kid to play with!"

It's the second one that ticks me off. Because the thing is, when I was a kid, if I wanted to imagine my Samantha doll as a witch, I had to make her a flowing black robe out of a handkerchief and craft a tiny broom for her out of twigs from my backyard. If I wanted her to be a princess, I had to fashion her a tiara out of glittery pipe cleaners. If I wanted to make her into anything, I had to MAKE her be it -- either by physically crafting something, putting together pieces of available outfits to make a new outfit, or purely by using my imagination.

See, I get what they're trying to do with the collabs, and the collector dolls. I do. But it's so very...adult oriented. Like, the appeal of AG to kid!me was always the imagination factor. Samantha could be anything to me. And a huge part of the fun was the process of making her into that "anything." I still have all those scarves and scrap fabrics I fashioned into ballgowns and cloaks for her, still have the pieces of bead trim that became her necklaces, the tissue paper that became her giftwrap, the pony beads that became her food. Because those things were a part of her collection to me just as much as her tiny replica Wizard of Oz book or her iconic Buster Brown dress.

Maybe I'm just looking at it through nostalgia goggles. Maybe kids today play differently and they WANT a huge shiny perfect Hogwarts Express to send their dolls to imaginary wizard school, complete with a thousand pieces of shiny perfect candy. But I know kid!me would've had more fun making a train out of a cardboard box and using tinfoil and beads to make my own fake candy. And I have to imagine that on some level, there MUST be kids out there today who feel the same.

I wonder if there is someone who loves American Girl but believes that the JK Rowling collab is not canon and refuses to buy that.

[you-will-return]

Joonas as drawn by my friend Maxi

[donuts4evry1]

turns out one of my friends is afraid of jellyfish so i'm trying to help xem out a bit, do you have any suggestions on cute + harmless jellies i could show xyr? other than the obvious moon jelly lol

in lieu of me not being on my laptop right now, I've compiled a list of harmless looking jellies in nonthreatening positions to help you and your friend on your journey :)

The first types of jellies I'd like to recommend are Rhizostomeae jellyfish, which have relatively mild stings and short oral arms, absent of long tentacles, and thus look nonthreatening (though I'd recommend showing shots of them from the side- Rhizostomeae means "many mouths" and they can look kind of scary from a bottom view)

Here are some examples!

From top to bottom:

Cauliflower Jellyfish (Cephea cephea), Fried egg jellyfish (Cotylorhiza tuberculata), and Cabbagehead jellyfish (Stomopolus melagidaris)

We also have the famous Palau jelly (Mastigias Papua), which is even more nonthreatening and cute thanks to their mild stings, if any, and the yellow zooxanthellae that lines their body, giving them food

At the end of the Rhizostomeae category we have the Upside down jelly (Cassiopeia sp.) and this specific picture of the Flame jellyfish (Rhophilema esculentum)

I suggest showing xem exclusively side views of these jellies, as a full view of their oral arms is probably a little freaky, ehe...

The flame jellyfish usually only looks pretty scary but this particular one (paired with the caption "Orphan no parents") makes me pity it quite a bit, lol

I'm going in assuming that your friend is scared of most "conventional types of jellyfish", so I'll stay away from Sea Nettles and Lions manes (they do have numerous, long, and painful tentacles anyway)

Comb jellies (specifically the Lobed and Beroe varieties) are also a great option, granted you don't tell xem the creepier parts of them. Comb jellies are also aggressive proponents of queer rights, constantly displaying the rainbow with the movement of their cilia and many being simultaneous hermaphrodites (or male and female at the same time). These guys just don't do gender.

They also have no nematocysts, instead trapping prey with "sticky trap" cells, as Lisa-Ann Gershwin likes to call them.

Now for the final stretch, I'll show you some Hydroazoan jellies (categorized by the numerous peripheral tentacles on their bell, much like a moon jellyfish). They can vary on how scary they look, so I'll just put the nonscary images I have readily available to myself

Here, we have the freshwater/peach blossom jellyfish, found pretty much worldwide, and the snow globe jellyfish (a picture I took myself at the monterey bay Aquarium ehe 😎).

I think they're just cute, haha.

One last jellyfish for the road:

This one's a screenshot because the phone I took it on doesn't save files as png or jpg for some reason?? Whack. Anyway this is a juvenile purple spotted jelly (Chrysaora colorata), classified by the darker spots, small oral arms, and a lack of peripheral tentacles. It's just,,, a lil baby... I love it.

alright, I think that's all I have for now, but I'd like to add some words of my own ehe:

Jellyfish are, regrettably, creatures that aren't often conventionally attractive. Their movements may be rhythmic and hypnotic, but some are off put by the tentacles and their toxicity. I compiled the list with criterium such as "short tentacles" or "small body" but the reality is that the term encompasses an extremely diverse group of animals, and they can be quite freaky or scary.

I don't blame your friend for xyr fear. Jellyfish can be dangerous, and touching them is never recommended (unless you're me, bc you know most of the venomous jellies already lol /j). In that sense I kinda feel a kinship with them, since I don't really like being touched either (sometimes I wish I had deadly venom to prevent other people from making unwantef contact with me ehehe). Anyway, these are definitely species that are a "look, but don't touch" kinda deal.

Still, even just a surface dive in jellyfish lore (ugh, can't believe I'm saying that) makes you step foot into a surprisingly interesting and foreign world. Invertebrates are infinitely interesting, and jellyfish, being one of the oldest, are sure to reveal hidden powers and abilities that one would not even be capable of fathoming.

The optimistic side of me hopes that your friend overcomes xyr fear of jellyfish, but at the very least, I hope that xey can learn to be comfortable with the idea of jellyfish, haha.

[roughscribs]

This was longer than I intended but it’s just a rant about kid fics in the startrek universe 🤧💜

I can always tell when a spirk kid/mpreg fic is written by someone with a fundamental misunderstanding of how culture and race works. I hate fics that outright condemn Spocks culture and especially when they use Kirk as a mouth piece for it it's so out of character.

It's so nasty to me to see ppl write Kirk haphazardly raising Vulcan/half Vulcan children. Neglecting their Vulcan heritage and culture. It smells like white parents rasing poc children and filling their head with dangerous notions about race. Neglecting to teach them about racism and dismissing their concerns for how the world will treat them once they enter society independently. It's why so many mixed race children grow up with a weak sense of identity.

Considering that xenophobia and discrimination are still very much present in star treks sociopolitical climate it would be extremely damaging to interspecies children and their sense of identity and even their biological health bc of actually being a different species.

WE LITERALLY SEE IT WITH SPOCK. How his lack of education on his human heritage and forced emphasis on his Vulcan heritage has left him fighting these two identities FOR MOST OF HIS LIFE. So why would y'all write Kirk taking care of Vulcan children in such a negative and dangerous way???

One of my fave kid fics is my beautiful human by ladyTauriel on ao3. It paints a really vivid picture of a loving multiracial parent child relationship. Kirk works hard trying to teach his adopted son Vulcan heritage to the best of his abilities WITH real research and he seek outside sources when he knows he is not enough. His child’s emotionalism isn’t shamed or neglected. But as a Vulcan the path of logic is essential to his growth and wellbeing and Kirk may not get it but he knows its necessary. It's so great and healthy and beautiful I love it.

For the ppl who just don't GET IT. Let me put it in another way. Living with strict or conservative parents/family and having to stifle a certain type of self expression and then finally u hit those year when ur finally independent and ur left spiraling trying to figure out who u are bc u weren’t allowed to explore or even learn about other options? Well that is this. Except racial identity is not an invisible internal struggle it also an unwillingly external one and it's something every poc is gonna have to deal with.

For queer ppl do y’all know how much different it would be if ur parents would have given u the option to explore ur sexuality??Or even expressed to u that different sexualities existed and they aren’t queerphobic???

Growing up as a interspecies child having one half of ur identity just not even made available to u is wild. So many consequences. Vulcans are telepaths. They need guidance perfecting these abilities why would Kirk just??? Neglect this especially if he’s taken in the challenge of parenting. Kirk raising Vulcan children as if they are just average human children then them being set out independently into society being rejected by both Vulcans and humans and not having either identity properly reinforced at home would be fucking awful to them.

((This also just shows an ignorance of health parenting… just saying. Sometimes, as some with child care experience, seeing the way ppl write children and parent interactions has very “go to room young man” energy, very “this person has never interacted with children or ever been in a position to take care of children” energy. That’s not y’all’s fault so it’s not a real criticism it’s just a person gripe and I laugh at a lot of dialogue 😭 u know how ppl with siblings can tell when a writers has no siblings.))

Anyways While my dislike for this is a personal opinion and I'm not saying this makes anyone a bad person. Or anything pls write whatever u want but like it does show a lack of understand about these subject.

[mithliya]

the nudes were upheld as somehow not pornographic & not CP sometime in the late 2000s i believe, so it wasn’t about a lack of laws against CP. the way it was justified was that the guardian supported it + its not actually sexual/sensual bc there’s no sex acts or something. even though fucking obviously a girl that was like 9 year old posing nude for PLAYBOY is automatically something sexual being produced for pedophilic freaks. i believe it was brooke shields herself who fought to get these images removed under CP laws, and her request was rejected, but i may be mistaken there.

these pictures are still publicly available too, people can easily look it up and see it. i saw a censored version and the way they made her pose makes it blatant that it was meant to be sexual. it’s disturbing as hell & it’s even more disturbing that any of these images can be found at all. she’s all made up with heavy makeup etc and standing there completely naked. i’m horrified at what she had to go through at such a young age. child actresses have gone through similar for a long time & continue to, but it’s often not as blatant and public the way it was for shields.

“million dollar jailbait” on the cover

“the most perfect nymphette”

“she’s only 12 years old and destined to be the next sex symbol”

[carnagesaw]

what is mo4 and how do i join you

HII OMG first timer okay here we go im like not that good to ask abt it bc i have shit ass memory

mo4 stands for marikin online 4 and its a jrpg only officially available in jpn, however there are korean and russian translations out there as well.

there were 3 other games that have now been pulled from playing due to the creator, axez finding them old, some older videos of the gameplay is still up of mo2 and theres a few of mo3 as well as the game still floating around somewhere.

mo4 considers this in the beginning of the game and gives an introduction to the older games, so i dont think you need to worry about trying to get your hands on older stuff unless youre looking for older dialogue or art.

theres 17 playable ikenuma overall that are well fleshed out and very enjoyable, i think everyone has at least one favorite. and amazing music in there produced by both axez himself and his friends.

heres the official site and where you can download (keep in mind in order to play you have to download a specific rpg version i cant remember but it should tell u)

if youre going to play the game youll need a good translator, whether its translator++ (i couldnt rlly figure this one out so maybe ask around ?) or just google translates picture feature (<- i did that one which had pretty accurate translations id say, although some words due to the font cant bw translated well)

other than playing the game, most other fans have just taken to consuming the english wikipedia which despite how much information it has definitely does lack some.

keep in mind mo4 does have some problematic stuff, though its not in a good light and does give warning to this when a new save is made

I THINK THIS IS ALL I HAVE FOR NOW ? but if anyone would like to add anything ill rb that ^-^

AND IF U DO GET INTO IT HAVE FUN ^-^ its such a good game