#killing pastas vs non-killing pastas

[fx1600]

Also some very important things to remember about food is THERE'S HARDLY ANY CLEAR CUT GOOD VS BAD FOOD Literally everything in moderation is the healthiest and your moderation will be different than others so if you can listen to your body take note of what it likes and what it doesn't like. The biggest advice is rethink health vs non healthy foods some "junk foods" are actually not as bad as you think. Some of them are even more nutrient dense than "super foods". Potatoes with the skin on are very nutrient dense along with tomato's, avocado, and BUTTER.

A bowl of kale has nothing against a baked potato. Salsa a guacamole are actually very healthy snacks with nothing wrong with them! Same with if you make a homemade pizza with whole wheat dough!

If you struggle with eating the best thing to do is see what you can improve in your diet already -choose whole wheat when you can -try more dark chocolate over milk (little less processed sugar, richer taste offers quicker solution to cravings, fiber, antioxidants) -go for baked instead of fried (the level of oil and types of oils used by big companies to fry have bad cholesterol and overly processed trans fats). Even pan fried in a little butter is better than deep fried! If you really like pastas but can't do leafy greens (sources of high fiber and iron), chop them up, cook down whatever you can and slip it into something creamy and cheesy Have a hard time getting enough fruits (fiber and a variety of different vitamins)? Slip what you can into ice cream, baked goods, smoothies! Sugar is not the enemy get unbleached sugar and make home made smoothies!

Hard time with textures? Try different cooking methods! Don't like steamed? Try pan searing or baking your veggies! Cut them into tiny pieces and cook them in a pan with some things you like! Mix them into a nice creamy sauce! Try finely shredded or ground meats, smoosh and break down fish and mix it into a rice ball!

If you have a hard time deciding what to eat look into those meal planning sites like Hello Fresh, even if you can't afford the boxes you can still find a ton of well balanced recipes and you can just use it like a shopping list when you go grocery shopping.

If you have a hard time cooking look into premade meals or low effort foods like premade sandwiches, hard boiled eggs (low fat source of protein) already deshelled, throw everything you like to eat in a pan with some oil or butter and cook it all up! Look into stews! Soups! Crock pot meals that you can throw everything in and leave to cook!

Also keep a note of what you eat! Monitor your diet and when you feel bad see if there's something you haven't eaten lately!

And most of all the WORST calories are the ones you DON'T EAT! KILL THE GYM BRO IN YOUR HEAD WHO SAYS RAW FOOD IS THE ONLY HEALTHY FOOD! FOOD IS BETTER WHEN YOU LIKE IT AND ARE WILLING TO EAT IT INSTEAD OF SOMETHING YOU'RE SUFFERING THROUGH

AND LOW CALORIE DOESN'T MEAN GOOD LOOK INTO HOW MANY NUTRIENTS ARE IN LOW CALORIE FOODS! Some of them are only nutritious in theory and modern myth like oatmeal which gained popularity in low fat diets. But nutrition wise? You might as well eat 1 egg, 1 apple, and a piece of toast which all have more nutrients in them than a whole (rather large) bowl of oatmeal.

Searching for nutritious food tips online is a nightmare I don't care about losing weight I care about feeding my body what it needs to feel good!! RAHHH!!!!

[spookybreadstick]

I’m curious about the moral code post, under what circumstances would Slender consider a child or elder as a big enough threat to be a target? Also is there ever any tension or conflict between the more ruthless/random killing pastas and the more anti-heroic/non-killing ones? For example BEN and Jeff are good friends and your version of BEN doesn’t kill however, Jeff does, particularly at random. Does that have an effect on their relationship?

ooo this is a great ask! thank you for bringing up these good points, it gave me a bit to think about :)

1) A Child or Elder As A Threat

A child could be considered a threat if they stumbled across, or came too close to, the mansion. As I've said before, in my version of things, Slender only has proxies that kill as a means of defense. They are his guard-dogs, so to speak, and their job is to protect his woods and his mansion. Slender is not only protecting himself and his little pasta-family, but he's also protecting the secrecy of his species, which depends on being unknown to the general human population. A child that stumbles across the mansion and all of its inhabitants could pose a security risk. However, as an alternative to killing the child, Slender could keep the child permanently at the mansion or he could take the risk of them returning home if he believed that the child's parents would think that their offspring's imagination was simply running wild. But both of those situations are complicated, because adults could come looking for the missing child, the child could escape from the mansion and blab to the adults, or if the child was allowed to return home, what if their parents do believe their child and go out poking around in the woods? In a lot of cases, it would be easier to 'dispose' of a person, then stage it in the woods where it is far away from the mansion and it looks like an animal attack.

An elderly person would be considered even more of a threat in this case, because while they would pose no physical risk, they could very easily blab to other, younger, adults who are capable of storming the woods and finding the mansion.

2) Tension/Conflict Between Kiling & Non-Killing Pastas

You ever heard of something like, "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas?" Or, from the Green Mile, "what happens on the Mile stays on the Mile?" It's like that here. What happens outside of the mansion stays outside of the mansion. Talking about what you do on your "personal time" is not allowed, unless you're with a small group of like-minded pastas. But, if you know that a pasta in your company does not share in your, um, "beliefs" then it's considered against the rules of the mansion to discuss such matters. It would also be a forbidden topic at the dinner table, and NOTHING related to killing is ever allowed to be brought up when Sally is present. Slender is very strict about this, because he wants to preserve Sally's innocence.

3) BEN & Jeff's Friendship

Just as I mentioned above, Jeff & BEN's friendship adheres to the same policy of "what happens outside of the mansion stays outside of the mansion." They have discussed killing once or twice while they were alone together, with BEN asking why Jeff does it and what he gets out of it, and Jeff trying to speak about it honestly without scaring his best friend. But it's an awkward thing to talk about, and Jeff hates any kind of expressing his feelings, so they don't bring it up much. All they really need to know and all they really care about is that they trust the other person to have their back and they get along really well, so they're best friends. It's as simple as that to the both of them, and it works.

- breadstick 🥖

[meitanteisachi]

10 People You Want to Know Better

Aww, thank you for tagging me, @marshmallowgoop ​! Appreciate it! ���

Something about fangirl/non-fangirl Sachi below the cut!

Relationship status: It’s complicated -- recently broken up with my boyfriend of four years, but we’re still in contact trying to fix things. (Started out tmi and depressing HAHAH I’m sorry)

Favorite colors: Any shade of red, except bright neon ones. I love pastel colors too, preferably peach and teal!

Favorite foods: Same with Marsh-- potatoes in whatever form = 👌🏼. Additionally, Japanese curry (specifically potato croquette curry from Coco Ichibanya), truffle pasta and truffle soup (recently got into a truffle craze, sorry not sorry), pistachio flavored ice cream!

Song stuck in your head: For Youth by BTS. Why was I not in Busan the other day, damnit!

Last thing you Googled: "Chainsaw Man anime”! Wanted to find a decent ad-less site where I can watch the pilot episode, since it isn’t in netflix nor viu. 

Time: 18:46, Monday. In the car, on my way home from work.

Dream trip: Is and will forever be London. Oh, and Japan - Hokkaido! - with friends and/or loved ones.

Last thing you read: Haikyuu Vol. 21, screaming crying throwing up at Shiratorizawa vs. Karasuno Finals Set 5. Oh god I’m gonna scream again. Tsukki!!!

Last book you enjoyed reading: Same above. Haikyuu manga is life.

Favorite thing to cook/bake: Mozzarella sticks! I also like to bake NY cheesecake with my sister- we do every Christmas, and ‘m telling you our version is better than Starbucks 😝. 

Favorite craft to do in your free time: What craft do I do.... I dunno anymore lol. Can’t even call myself a writer at this point. Corporate capitalism has killed my dreams and hobby

Most niche dislike: Canned tuna and sardines. I used to like them before... until I stopped as they'd remind me of a late kitten I took in and fed with only tuna and sardines as advised by the vet, who misdiagnosed it with rickets. :( Anyway it was depressing and long story short, I developed a strong sense of repulsion everytime anyone serves canned tuna or sardines.

Opinion on circuses: Mmm not interested. But if anything, I don’t want animals in circuses. :(

Do you have a sense of direction: I believe so, yeah. I drive around and directions stick to me after three or four times visiting a particular place. I refer to google maps most times, though.

Tagging @imsotiredcanipleasegetabreak @tetsutits @purplellamanator @defectiveconantoy @fanarain @kannra21 @sadisticwoof-dcmk @amjustagirl @artbykevans @quite-a-character , but absolutely no pressure to do this! 😊

[struwwelzeter]

Things I need to ask Richard Kruspe about.

(Because @theelliottsmiths send me a thing)

Sorry, but I am gonna make you suffer with me.

What do you think of Slash? And don’t give me the “everyone can do what they want” crap, I want the judgemental opinionated guitarist-who-won’t-compromise version please, I know you got it in you. Joe Bonamassa?! How about Guthrie Govan? Would it be ok if we dissed Yngwie a little, as a treat?! Can we talk about all the guitarists you like please? I just need to know.

Can we talk about Steve Albini? What are your thoughts regarding producers and authorship and his ethos? You must be a fan but it seems your working mode is on complete other ends of the spectrum and it’s confusing to me.

How do you feel about the myth building around the electric guitar as representing an entire genre and it’s iconography vs. it being a tool for you?

You don’t seem like a Metal guy, so how is your relationship to black metal, the church burnings and Varg Virkenes memes?! Would it be a better genre without the vocals?

What about classical? Can we listen to Itzhak Perlman playing Sarasate’s Carmen fantasy and talk about sound emulation without an amp and effects because surely you understand how insane that is what he does. How long can you keep up with Matthias Ia Eklunds indian rhythms exercises? My guess is longer than the average person and shorter than you think is acceptable.

How do you feel about production vs songwriting and how much each influences how much you like a song? Because you once said you liked BMTH’s Doomed which I can understand from a writing perspective but it’s made to sound unlistenable, sorry. If you listen to a new song and take it apart mentally (don’t pretend that you don’t), what do you take apart first?

If you were forced to arrange Schubert songs for Rammstein tomorrow, how would you go about it? How can I force you to arrange Schubert songs for Rammstein tomorrow? If forcing doesn’t work, how about bribery? Please?

Are you ever listening to non western music? Does it inspire or riddle you? Can I show you this research project where they are trying to replicate how music might have sounded in assyrian times because it’s awesome and I think you’ll like the idea.

Please show me the electronic music you like, it’s a jungle out there and I need help.

How have your listening habits changed over the years? How much can you still just be a fan without over analyzing it?

Do you miss it? Do you relate to your fans who just find comfort in the sound, and does that even occur to you?

How do you reconcile chasing the (sound) dragon day and night, when we end up listening to your stuff on broken ear buds, tiny bluetooth speakers and with horrible compression on youtube?! Don’t give me the digital ruined it all crap, you listened to the sex pistols on a run down casette tape and a shitty transistor radio and it still got to you, I want the real answer about satisfying yourself. So how do you reconcile it?

Do you miss seeing concerts as a regular crowd person who gets elbows shoved into your ribs? My guess is not that much but aren’t you scared you’ve lost touch a bit? (Sorry, please don’t be mad, I just. Need to know.) You saw Nirvana, right?! How was it?!!!! Do you understand how insane that is, no you don’t. How was seeing all those bands you never could before when you initially came to the west? It wouldn’t be surprising if it was slightly disappointing, it always is, isn’t it. Killing your idols sucks.

Appearantly there is a theory that your music taste stops evolving after 30 - I think it’s bullshit. Discuss.

What’s the first piece of music you remember loving?

Who’s the next stadium band? Will there be any more stadium bands? I understand the dissappointmemt about rockmusic not really producing new things, but what do you say to those of us that are younger and broke who’s closest thing to seeing AC/DC in their hayday will be Airbourne? Is it really necessary to invent something new when the old still speaks to us so loudly? Nevermind Greta van Fleet, it’s not the same, and the Pitchfork review was funny (albeit uncalled for).

I know you said it’s about not being rebellious anymore, but is any genre still? Nobody cares about what you listen to anymore. We aren’t fed music through establishment controlled radio channels anymore, everyone listens to whatever the fuck they want on spotify, so how could it be? When you say Hip Hop’s rebellion is just about the life style and not the music, yes, but wasn’t rock the same once upon a time, because it was jever just the music it was about people trying to doctate how we should live? Isn’t it maybe true in general, that music has become an unsuitable tool for rebellion because we have overcome the barriers surrounding it? Boring, I agree, but is it really down to a genre?

In that context: how do you value live music vs. the pure idea represented in a studio recording? Might going back underground be the best thing that could happen to the genre? Considering the beginning rise in analogue synthesizer building and analogue effect again, can you imagine the guitar (+ effects) going through another resurgance in a few years when noone want’s to listen to overprocessed stuff pieced together in Ableton anymore? Isn’t it already happening? *gestures at Gamechangers plasma pedals* Might advanced (analogue) sounddesign be the hope for refreshment for this instrument? Anyway, just give it a bit of time, it will come back (I promise).

Building on your expereinces with the press, describe the kind of music journalism you would like to read and that would be fair to the artists. Is there a natural conflict between the reader and the artist’s wants and need? Does there have to be?

You once said that there is such nice production in Lana Del Reys music, and I don’t disagree, but I still need you to elaborate on that.

How do you value record packaging? Do you see it as part of the Gesamtkunstwerk like videos and the stage? Not quite? Let me change your mind. Do you know that there are actually so many things we could still do with that noone has ever done before? Even digitally? Why does noone do pop up installations in gatefold LPs?! Interactive ways to explore a digital packaging? What do you think of Third Man Records (provided you’re familiar?)

Oh. Speaking of, your judgemental thoughts on Jack White please. What did you think of it Might Get Loud?

I need to talk to you about how Shine A Light changed concerts Films and how Jonas was right because he took the same idea and just pushed it.

Given your love of movies I take it you know who Jóhann Jóhannsson and Max Richter are - thoughts please. Can we agree that some of the modern classic minimalist composers and acts like Front Line Assembly are essentially doing the exact same thing with a different image and (not even that) different instruments or is that just in my head? I do not think it is but I fail at making people see it. Help.

I need to tell you about that time in London when I shopped at the same supermarket as Keith Flint because apparently he had some business in the neighborhood, and he once knocked pasta out of my hands by accident and I only afterwards realised it was him, and then I need you to be sad about his death with me. No context, I just feel like you’ll understand.

[aces-to-apples]

Mandalorian Philosophies

I’m not really a huge meta person, mostly because I can never quite connect and lay out my thought processes in a clear and relatively concise manner, but something finally hit me today. I don’t have anything new or interesting to say about the history of Mandalore and its factions, particularly the New Mandalorians, that hasn’t been said by plenty of others, namely Dr. Izzy O. Coffee (@izzyovercoffee) and @inqorporeal.

But I’ve opened up a new post multiple times over the past couple years to try to lay out my thoughts on the subject, with little effect, so I’ve had ample time to chew it over. And, as I said, I had something of a revelation.

Collectivism vs. Individualism

Not really groundbreaking, I’ll admit, but until now I’ve always tried to lay out my problems with the New Mandalorian regime by itself. Today, I was making pasta and making fun of the Death Watch essentially being a cult in my head, when I did something that I haven’t done or personally seen done before and directly compared the Death Watch, True Mandalorians, and New Mandalorians side by side.

Specifically in that order.

Because until literally an hour ago, if I thought about them in relation to each other, it always looked something like this:

Three very different variants of the central idea of being Mandalorian.

Whereas, an hour ago, I realized that I think it’s more something like this:

On the left: individualism. On the right: collectivism. In the center: the True Mandalorians balancing the community with the individual. (The decision of who’s on left and right was arbitrary, I hasten to add after typing that out. Anyway.)

Collectivism

My overarching issue with the New Mandalorians has always been that’s it is a totalitarian regime that committed genocide ignores consent of the individual in favor of order for the collective. Violence caused disorder and so it was banned wholesale, ignoring that the original culture of Mandalore and its people is a warrior culture. Collectivism is taken so far that consent of the individual is disregarded and ignored. Those who didn’t agree with the new way were banished from the collective and any sense of individuality and dissent suppressed.

Individualism

Death Watch, as a reactionary group, takes the opposite direction: the good of the community is thrown out in favor of the desires of the individual. Anyone who stands in the way of their specific way of life, i.e. anyone who isn’t also Death Watch, is labeled an enemy and therefore an acceptable casualty on their path to restore what they see as their rightful original heritage. Which is also incorrect and, like I said, reactionary, and I hate Pre Viszla so much I’m glad Maul killed him he’s such a dick and Death Watch is a freaking cult I mean it’s literally called Death Watch ARGH! Individualism is taken so far that the good of the community is completely disregarded. Those who don’t agree to join the cult are considered traitors to the cause, taken out back, and summarily shot.

Some Semblance of Balance, Goddamn

The True Mandalorians, by contrast to both of these factions, are (hilariously enough) the least extremist of these three philosophies. While they don’t seem terribly impressed with non-Mandalorians (see @kaasknot’s hilarious breakdown on the two demonyms of Mando’a and how Mandos apparently see outsiders as two groups: “children of [place/people]” and “untrustworthy bastards of [place/people]” which I will never not find funny), they also manage to coexist reasonably well with the rest of the galaxy except for the people who keep trying to erase their heritage (New Mandalorians), the people who keep trying to warp it into something it’s not (Death Watch), and the people who want to kill them for being the biggest and most dangerous badasses in the galaxy I guess (Sith and also kind of Jedi). Family, clan, and community overall are central to their beliefs but they also foster a fierce sense of honor, independence, and self-reliance within individuals. They accept and adopt outsiders into their collective at the drop of a hat, have very little rigidity wrt their ways of life and personal codes, and are reasonably adaptive when faced with adversity. The good of the community and the consent of the individual are both valued and reasonably well-respected.

I don’t really have a conclusion to this (when do I ever?), and I’m not saying that the True Mandalorians were perfect because man that is a fraught thing to say about anything, particularly anything in Star Wars which is entirely made up of streaks of grey, but I figured I may as well share my thoughts now that they apparently have decided to stand still long enough for me to take a snapshot of them. Bah-dah. Anyway, fuck the Death Watch and the New Mandalorians both, they’re both on some extremist bullshit, Apples out.

[theiceandbones]

Shannon vs. Chesapeake

Think of all the things you can do in 15 minutes. You can eat a snack, take a shower, do some quick exercises, do a face mask, it’s really up to you. I think I’ll use a pasta meal prep for this purpose, as it’s something I frequently do in 15 minutes. In the grand scheme of things, it isn’t a lot of time, but this of course depends on what it is you’re doing in 15 minutes. The first of June, 1813, saw one of the bloodiest and shortest naval battles in history- it lasted just under 15 minutes. I’m going to walk you through the history of those 15 minutes- today we’ll be travelling 207 years to the past, off the coast of Boston. Mind the cannonballs. 

Now the Chesapeake so bold, sailed from Boston we’ve been told, for to take the British frigate neat and handy-o The people in the port all came out to see the sport And the bands were playing Yankee Doodle Dandy-o

The British frigate’s name, which for the purpose came to cool the Yankee courage neat and handy-o  Was the Shannon: Captain Broke All her men were hearts of oak And at fighting were allowed to be the dandy-o

HMS Shannon was a Leda-class frigate, a lady built for war with an armament consisting of 38 guns numeric and 52 guns in actuality at the time of her 1813 battle. She was built in 1806 at Frindsbury and completed at Chatham, Kent. Captain Phillip Bowes Vere Broke would command her from her launch up until her infamous battle in the War of 1812. Broke ran a tight ship, his crew was extremely disciplined and would participate in daily drill exercises which made them sharp-eyed and fast-handed. Among Shannon’s victories was the 1808 capture of the French ship Thétis (she later became HMS Brune), however this was not her most memorable capture. 

USS Chesapeake was a 38-gun frigate much like Shannon, commanded by Captain James Lawrence. She was slightly older and larger than Shannon and was just as powerful. During the War of 1812 she was quite successful, capturing several British merchant ships and ready to take more. How convenient it was for Shannon to be patrolling the Boston coast the same evening as Chesapeake. 

It’s the first of June, 1813. Shannon is running low on provisions, yet eager to take one more American ship. Our fiery Captain Broke had his eyes on Chesapeake, and sent out a message to Captain Lawrence challenging him to an exchange of broadsides. Lawrence never received this message. When Shannon and Chesapeake met at half past five in the evening, they entered into something of a standoff, ending just before six o’clock that same evening. Note: this would be a good time to start our pasta. 

As we’re boiling the water, Shannon fires the first shot into a gunport on Chesapeake. Her fire was deadly. She was carrying 32-pounder carronades which fired into her opponent’s helm and foremast, then Chesapeake was blown into Shannon; her stern colliding near Shannon’s bow and becoming trapped on her anchor. 

The fight, it scarce begun, ‘ere they flinched from their guns Which at first they started working neat and handy-o Then brave Broke, he waved his sword, crying “Now, my lads, aboard! And we’ll stop their playing Yankee Doodle Dandy-o!”

The pasta has now begun to cook. Before Shannon’s crew boarded Chesapeake, Captain Lawrence was shot and killed by a sniper. The Shannons are now boarding the American ship (whose crew had “flinched” under fire) on the order of Captain Broke. Mr. William Stevens, Shannon’s boatswain, lost his arm in his attempt. He would later die of his injuries. Aboard Chesapeake it was hand-to-hand combat between the opposing sides. While it seemed the rest were distracted, Shannon’s First Lieutenant Watts made an attempt to raise the British colours on Chesapeake, but his efforts were futile: he was shot in the head and killed. Another of Shannon’s officers, midshipman John Samwell, was shot in the leg and succumbed to his injuries later. 

They no sooner heard the word than they quickly jumped aboard And hauled down the Yankee colours, neat and handy-o Notwithstanding all their brag, now the glorious British flag At the Yankee mizzen peak was quite the dandy-o

Let’s chop some veggies now. Chesapeake’s crew outnumbered the Shannons and wanted to use this to their advantage. A few American sailors snuck up on Broke, one of whom he managed to kill before sustaining a critical head wound at the hand of another. With Shannon’s First Lieutenant dead and her captain in grave danger, command of the vessel fell to 22-year-old Second Lieutenant Provo Wallis, a Halifax native who spent his life in the Navy. He was going to bring her home. 

Here’s a health, brave Broke, to you, to your officers and crew Who aboard the Shannon frigate fought so handy-o

It’s time to start the sauce. From my understanding as a non-American, the slogan of the American Navy is “Don’t Give Up the Ship,” which, of course, are the dying words of Captain Lawrence. Chesapeake’s casualties vastly outnumbered Shannon’s, and when the American sailors realised they could stand no more chance, they surrendered their ship. 

By now, our pasta is finished and so is the battle. Now-Commander Provo Wallis sailed his ship quickly and quietly back to Halifax- she was badly injured and could not risk being seen by another American ship- with the Chesapeake in tow as the prize. They made it to Halifax Harbour on the morning of the 6th of June, a Sunday. St. Paul’s Church, which today is the oldest still-standing structure in Halifax, was filled with its congregation. Word caught on that an American ship was taken and that a Haligonian was at the victor’s helm, and within minutes the entire church was emptied as civilians rushed to the water. The sight of the captured Chesapeake arriving before Shannon incited a rupture of cheers and celebration from the huge crowd gathered at the waterfront, a celebration which has yet to be matched. 

The tale of the Shannon and the Chesapeake, the Battle of Boston Harbour, is as infamous as it is because it caused so much bloodshed in so little time. It is Halifax folklore that at the north side of Province House sits one of Shannon’s guns (note: I researched this and found the gun to be too large). Provo Wallis, the young officer from Halifax, was celebrated as a city icon and would later be promoted to Admiral of the Fleet, living to the age of 100. Boatswain Stevens and midshipman Samwell are both buried in Halifax’s Old Burying Ground, their headstone can still be seen in the foyer of St. Paul’s Church. Captain Broke later recovered from his injuries and would go on to command another vessel, a little bomb ship by the name of HMS Erebus.

[oysters-aint-for-me]

IASIP multiples of 5?

5. BROTP?

Charlie and Dennis. When you line up the gang on any kind of spectrum, Charlie and Dennis are always on opposite ends; Dennis cares the most about fitting in and Charlie cares the least, Dennis is “the smartest” and Charlie is “the dumbest,” Dennis is the cleanest and Charlie is the dirtiest, Dennis is the most sexual and Charlie is the least sexual, etc. This makes it really fun when they team up. I love it when they arrive at the same conclusions, albeit through very different routes.

10. Favorite crack ship?

Dennis & Dee/crack cocaine

15. Least favorite thing about the show?

Truly hate that Jack Kelly molested Charlie, because I love that actor and the character is really funny otherwise. (Him screaming “NOBODY LOOK!” in “McPoyle vs. Ponderosa” is one of my top non-gang moments in the whole show but I feel weird about it because of his character.) Also Glenn Howerton looks/acts like my ex bf sometimes and it freaks me out. And also, while I loved a lot of individual episodes of s13, I feel like as a whole it was lacking cohesion with itself and with all the seasons that came before it, and in some ways fell prey to things that RCG have explicitly criticized in the past.

20. Best BDE Dee moment?

In “Charlie and Dee Find Love” when Mac asks her to break open, like, a crab leg or lobster tail or something? I don’t know, I don’t eat shellfish, but Dee breaks it open no problem, and it’s not really mentioned or acknowledged but like…She Did That.  

25. Favorite promo shoot?

Okay I know it’s not technically a “shoot” but I wasn’t sure which was my favorite so I started looking for them and I found this one and I think this on for Season 3 parodying the “Hi, I’m a Mac”/“And I’m a PC” commercials is my favorite because it essentially predicts the ending of “The Gang Makes Paddy’s Great Again” and I’m not kidding:

30. Underrated episode

Okay, I know it’s a weird episode, but I really do appreciate “The Gang Hits the Slopes” because it is honestly a rock-solid, very niche parody! I mean, I still cover my eyes during Charlie’s sex scene, and I cover my ears during Dennis’s “you will be clean” speech, but the episode is solid, the colors are fun as hell, and for some reason the way the guy (fuck what’s his name, i know it’s the name of their editor) yells “I DIDN’T CUM IN YOUR BURRITO! I WOULDN’T DO THAT TO YOU!” just fucking kills me every time. 

35. Favorite IASIP-related show/movie/project (for example The Mick, Pacrim, Santa Clarita Diet, etc)?

Does “Danny DeVito’s general existence” count as an IASIP-related project?

In all seriousness, I haven’t actually seen a lot of the main cast’s other work. I did watch Santa Clarita Diet but there was too much vomiting in the first few episodes and I am severely emetophobic and I couldn’t handle the rest. Unfortunate, because I did really like the parts that didn’t involve vomit. I watched The Mindy Project before I watched Sunny, and Glenn and Rob both have guest roles on that show, but I didn’t really know who they were at the time other than “Are those the guys from It’s Always Sunny?” Let’s see…the guys that play Mr. Guigino (that’s what I call the Waiter) and Jack Kelly were both in an episode of Better Call Saul last season, and I love that show. What else? Matilda was one of my fave movies growing up.  

40: If you could throw a bowl of cold spaghetti at any IASIP character (without any consequences), who would you choose?

This is a trick, because the question is worded like I have a choice, when there is only one answer and that answer is Dennis Goddamn Reynolds. Never has there been a human being who deserves a face-full of tepid sloppy pasta.

Send me IASIP asks!

[awkward-tecchou]

Dino Questionnaire uwu

Day Two: Short Answers

Type “yes” or “no” (with possible reasoning) for each of the questions you feel comfortable answering!

… had to run to save my life.

Yes. I live in a remotely calm neighborhood, but my town has a darker side. Running is a great way not to get hurt, robbed or end up in the gutter, haha.

… eaten food that dropped on the ground (that wasn’t clean)

No! I just. Can't.

… broken something at someone’s house and then not told them.

YES, dozens of times. From shower to the entire room. I am clumsy.

… had a bad fall because I was walking and texting (or another stupid reason you can include).

No, but I sure did run into a street lamp because of texting a few times.

… broken a bone.

No ^^`

… cheated on a test.

No, I don't care enough to cheat. Although I do give others my answers or help them pass by filling out their papers. It is technically second-hand cheating?

… gotten stitches.

Yes. Twice. I don't reccomend. Didn't like it at all.

… had a paranormal experience.

No. I was sure I met my reincarnated childhood cat once though.

… sung karaoke in front of people.

Yes! Kareoke is my favorite thing in the world!

… pressed send and then immediately regretted it.

Yes, but also never pressed Send and regretted it for a long time (#emosoul)

… accidentally sent someone to the hospital.

Yes, I am still sorry Rei, that ball was supposed to reach your palms djwjbfn

… had a physical fight with my best friend.

Hell yes, I loved it. Fighting is fun! :)

… fallen in love at first sight.

Yes, when I saw my one week old kitten, a shaking bean screaming from hunger and cold. It was instant love and life-long commitment.

… worked with someone I hated on a large project

Yes, absolutely not fun experience, I almost killed everyone in my group (or they almost killed me idk)

… danced while no one was watching.

YES!! I love private parties~

… cried in public

No. This bitch ain't got tear duckts.

… spent a night in the woods with no shelter.

No. I'm too much of a baby for this kind of stuff ;;

… been electrocuted.

No, but I'm always scared I will, so I glare at sockets with fear

… fainted.

Yes, just once, but I still find it the most awful experience I've ever physically had to manage.

Now for some more favourites!

Ice cream flavour

CITRUS 🍋

Fruit

Apples and oranges (apples are the base of my diet??)

Vegetable

Beetroot!

Type of Cake

I don't like cake in general, but maybe apple pie?

Pizza toppings

Onions and cheese! 🍕

Drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic)

Green tea 🍵 or iced coffee

Movie  

HEATHERS

Colour

It varies, right now yellow, blue and pink!

Here are some quick would you rather:

dark chocolate vs white chocolate

pizza vs pasta

cookies vs cakes

blueberries vs strawberries

mangoes vs bananas

become a vampire vs become a werewolf

waffle vs pancakes

[feheroestips]

Quick overview

Meet Lilina who is super squeaky, cute and deadly. Last time I compared her to Linde, who has a lot of attack and speed, and while Lilina has the highest red attack of all red mages tied with Sanaki she struggles with speed. Though I shouldn’t really say tied with Sanaki, as her new weapon, Forblaze lets her decimate foes by burning their skin off and then cranking the temperature up even more. Is this enough to make up for her speed? Sometimes is thebest answer, basically most of those veggie coloured units won’t live, but anything blue with moderate resistance will put up a fight.

Base kit

I’m going to skip over bolganone, its an outdated pasta dish thanks to Forblaze, which comes with a built in chill res, which inflicts -7 res on the foe with the highest res, and incredibily amazing weapon passive especially considering when refine it gets DEATH BLOW 3 This means with her weapon alone she can hit 57 with no +atk iv, thats 60 with a +atk iv and you’re removing 7 res on a high res ally? You see why this is slightly overkill. Growing flame is well too long and not that good of a special to begin with. Atk+3 is a lovely budget skill all things considered, finally keeping the attack theme spur attack is a nice skill to support the team.

If looking for budget B slots, desperation with a brash assault seal can be used, while breaker skills like sword breaker are the next best bet.

Pros + Cons

+Attack on attack on attack action

+Pretty budget friendly thanks to desperation brash assault combo

+Decent res as well gives her 66 magical bulk at base.

-Literally just stopped appearing a s a 5 star

-Her speed and defence leave a lot to be desired

-Chills are unpredictable

Partners

Green mages. Like Lilina maybe a nuke but she struggles vs blues and her magic bulk won’t save her from Reinhardt. She really needs that support, but the green mages will enjoy her chill res passive. Sonya, Julia, Deirdre ad Nino are all examples of Mages good at this.

Suggested set(s)

Lilina’s thoroughly cooked, home made, chicken

Suggested ivs: +atk -def/spd

Forblaze, ardent sacrifice, glimmer

Slot A = Death blow/Fury

Slot B = Desperation

Slot C = Ploy skills or any c slot

Sacred seals: Brash assault

Weapon refinery: death blow, we got a dad to roast

Pretty standard set here, basically you rely on the massive attack stat to bypass enemy defences. Glimmer is used because to be frank unless they are blue you will be doing about 20-30 damage at least probably a lot more but you can massively multiply your damage. Death blow maximises your attack stat while Fury offers an easy way into desperation/brash assault range. But also if you wanted to use a ploy puts you at 34 res. Oh I should mention, you want to get into brash assault rather quickly, as that’s when she can fire off multiple massive damage fireballs of doom.

Chill cooking

Suggested ivs: +Atk/spd -def

Forblaze,  reposition, Glimmer/Draconic aura

Slot A = Death blow

Slot B = Chill speed/sword breaker

Slot C = speed ploy/Any C skill

Sacred seals: heavy blade

Weapon refinery = Death blow

This is a slightly more supportive set but better if you can afford it, like Soren, she can run two chills at anyone time. This combined with chill speed and her weapon means she can remove her bad speed somewhat but also increase her damage output. However you can use speed ploy and in conjunction with sword breaker kills every neutral non blue unit in the game. Glimmer is the best special as with heavy blade it procs in two hits and Lilina won’t normally want to take a hit back but if you find you use her more for baiting draconic aura offers the same results at the end of the day.

[almaasi]

reaction post typed while watching SPN 13x12 "Various & Sundry Villains"

☆

if you think you’re better than Rowena, you’re wrong

(I LOVE HER)

03:49pm

i saw a promo and a short extract video on instagram. the promo made me anxious (dean’s “in love” wiTH A GIRL, NON-CONSENSUALLY DUN DUN DUUUUN) but the extract made me laugh (”the one with the hair” or something to that effect, and dean being all squishy and cute like “nO DON’T LEAVE!!!!” omg)

so

idk what to expect but it’s steve yockey’s writing so i’m guessing i’m gonna enjoy every character whether they’re Bad News or not

my biggest hope is that there’s some obvious dean/cas stuff in this - as in genuine romantic love vs. fake magic obsession

-

03:53pm

LET US BEGIN

-

03:55

again, the amount i care about lucifer = 0

although to be fair i did dream about him about 2 hours ago. me and my immediate family and cousins were trapped underground for a whole year with dinosaurs and lucifer (we ate one apple between us, and a bag of dry pasta, for the ENTIRE YEAR).

and then we fought our way out down a hallway using disguises and sneaking from one room to another (scooby doo musical interlude style), and i cornered lucifer against a wall and whispered threateningly “you are nothing without us”

and he was like ...cool. and let us past. except he was more like the devil from uhhh... that cartoon network show i never watched? with the crossdressing devil?? but also it was pellegrino, idk. but apparently he was scared of me so that was nice

pretty sure we rode off on a pterodactyl after that

-

03:59

oh man how LONG has cas been in hell jail

-

04:04

dean: “just keep our heads down and do the work”

sam: “YOU said that”

dean: “and i was right”

heehee

-

04:05

oH RIGHT ASMODEUS IS FAKING BEING CAS

:c

-

04:07

freaking love how bitter and snarky cas is

-

04:09

giggling ‘cause dean’s face when fake-in-love with the girl is awfully similar to dean’s face real-in-love with cas

where’s the gifs comparing dean’s ( *____* ) expression

-

04:11

dean: “i’m in love”

sam: [deadpan] “oh are you.”

OH BOY SAM 100% THOUGHT DEAN WAS TALKING ABOUT CAS

LIKE WHAT OTHER REASON WOULD THE SCRIPT INCLUDE SAM TALKING ABOUT CAS BEFORE DEAN SAYS “I’M IN LOVE”

WHOOP THERE IT IS

-

04:14

“yeAH isn’t it like?? cosmic fate?? that was actuallY HAVE IT??? bwhhghkh”

dean is so ridcululously cute jsfsghdgdf

-

04:17

guess the “no don’t leave!!!” wasn’t in the final cut

that reminds me, remember the episode “behind the mat”?? i really really want a gif of the promo video when dean’s jumping up and down all SUPER EXCITED about gunner lawless.

because that wasn’t in the final episode cut and i swear it was the most disappointing thing

-

04:20

blaz. ing. it.

ROWENA IS THAT YOU

-

04:23

cas torturing lucifer by telling him all about how nice his son is

what a good bean

-

04:24

i fucking love rowena

FUCKING UNKILLABLE

FUCK YEAH

c:

-

04:29

i would very happily hang out with rowena i think

and just sit there with stars in my eyes and my chin on my hands

-

04:30

fifth base

i’m guessing that’s “i’ll kill for you”

-

04:31

ROWENA SAYS “WHAT’S BY IS BY” WHILE THE CAMERA IS ON DEAN LOOKING CONFUSED

WOW

*cough* dean is bi *cough*

-

04:32

honestly the amount of times the winchesters refuse to help rowena only for her to be helped anyway is frustrating

why fight it, y’know?? she’s mostly good to them, she just wants things for her own gain but nothing she gains actually hurts them ultimately?? they’ve hurt her more than she’s hurt them

i mean, besides that attack dog spell she did on cas that one time

they kept her chained up??? they’ve been so mean to her????

and all she wants is her shit back dammit

-

04:37

rowena: “how depressingly mid-western”

dean: “alright, red, where to?”

whenever rowena is on screen i feel so calm

ugh i love her

-

04:38

cas trying to get lucifer’s power up by saying mean things in a bored, careless monotone

-

04:40

dead black demon =__=

-

04:41

sam: “i’m pretty sure you CAN but i’m also pretty sure you SHOULDN’T”

rowena: “bless your precious heart, you just described my entire life”

this post is basically just me swooning over how much i love rowena isn’t it

-

04:43

traumatised lucifer-abuse survivors ;~;

talking about their feelings ;~;

bless everything about this

-

04:46

checkout lady 10/10

-

04:50

cas looks good all dirty

-

04:58

i feel like sam allowed rowena to rip the page she needed out of the grimoire

and we’ll only see a shot of that later

-

04:59

dean: “yeah. getting beat up by a girl, that’s a story i want to tell”

sam: “girls beat us up all the time!!”

good to know

dean you can stuff that effemiphobia where it belongs: an empty void of nonexistence

which, by chance, is the same place you keep your heterosexuality

-

05:01

DEAN’S ABOUT TO OPEN THE BOOK AND SHOW SAM A MISSING PAGE ISN’T HE

-

05:04

honestly?? life goal to be as powerful as rowena

but in a good, soft way

-

THAT WAS A GOOD EPISODE AND I ENJOYED IT A LOT 10/10 WOULD WATCH AGAIN

bad:

dead black guy

dean thinking getting beat up by a girl is somehow worse than just generally getting beat up???

good:

black guy named dipper had an actual name and a personality

alive black lady with an actual personality

alive rowena (holy shit i love her!!! DID I MENTION THAT YET)

nonconsensual stuff = obviously bad

sam and rowena talking about being trauma survivors and now probably being in a better position to recover

rowena being allowed agency over her fucking life finally

lucifer being obviously bad and not written so the audience is manipulated into “forgiving” him

cas being in this episode

cas being snarky as fuck

cas learning from his mistakes and saying it aloud for those people in the back

dead (?) lucifer

sam talking about his feelings and getting emotional about it

goofball dean

kudos to amanda tapping for directing this with all the close-ups on people’s faces when they have inticate face emotions, i quite enjoyed that. seeing sam’s beauty marks on his cheek was nice too

[soepicsokim]

cause you dared me

How are you, really? I'm depressed, lonely and my shoulder hurts!

How do you feel right now? I feel tired and in pain What are you thinking about? I'm thinking about sleep and the fact the museum is really empty.

What’s your favorite color? green

What’s your favorite food? Pasta or Pancakes

What’s your favorite dessert? CAKE or COOKIEs

How old are you? 23

What have you learned today? Don't know, I've only been awake for 2 hours

What was your favorite subject in school? Writing and History

What do you do? I'm a intern at the museum along with a secretary at another job.

What are some of your favorite books? O geez I mostly read memoirs or historical books... Profiles in Courage by JFK and 11/22/63 by Stephen King

What are some of your favorite movies? STAR WARS

What kind of music are you into? EVERYTHING

If you were going to write a book, what would you call it and what would it be about? It would be called something like, "Love, Death and Twisted Hope." And it would be a lot like my OC's story but it would be my original story.

What’s one of the scariest things you’ve ever done? Fell in love

What accomplishment are you most proud of? Getting accepted into John Hopkins only to turn them Down!!!! HA. !% school in England baby.

Are you married? No

How did you meet your spouse / girlfriend / boyfriend? N/A

Do you think it’s better to get married when you’re young or better to wait a while? Both.

Do you have any kids? Um.... No

Have you ever thought of adopting? I can't with my health

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? Astronomer - still do

How did you get into [INSERT THEIR CAREER FIELD]? Museum Studies. I got into it at the Holocaust museum in Washington DC. There is a room full of blue/black leather shoes and one white pair of shoes. I wanted to know the story to the white pair of shoes and why they were placed on the top of the pile. So I looked into Museum studies.

Would you recommend [INSERT THEIR CAREER] for other people? It's up to you. If you want to spend hours researching an object, restoring and object, and then displaying the object, then sure by all means get your masters degree and work at a museum.

What do you do for fun? I read, write, play video games, sleep.

Do you like traveling? YES

If you could visit any country in the world, where would you go? Germany, Poland, Russia.

Who are some people you’d like to meet someday? O geez.... Um.....

If someone asked you to give them a random piece of advice, what would you say? Be true to who you are. Don't let the world change you. Do what you want to do even if everyone tells you it's wrong.

What’s one of your favorite habits you have? Playing with my hair to calm me down.

What are some things that make you really happy? Superman art. Comic Con's. And a really good Disney movie... COOKIES

What are some things that make you really sad? No cookies, Bad Superman art. Bad museum displays.

What are some things that scare you? CLOWNS, and Ferris wheels

Do you like to plan things out in detail or be spontaneous? Both

Are you a religious person? YES

If you could go back in history, who would you like to meet?...... Um... I can't answer this completely because then people will hate me so I'll give you half of the answer. JFK

Would you rather live in the country or in the city? Well I live in the country... CITY!!!!

What was your life like growing up? good for the most part

What were you like in high school? NERD!!!!

Do you have any brothers or sisters? How many? YES, 1 Sister.

What’s your favorite part about today so far? COFFEE

Who in your life has influenced you the most? How did they do it? O geez. There isn't even enough room to start this list and reasons.

What’s your favorite joke? What's a joke?

Have you ever tried sushi? (Did you like it?) I love sushi

Do you like spicy food? I live in New Mexico. Of course I like spicy food.

How do you like your steak cooked? Medium Rare. (You taking me on a date?)

Do you have a favorite number? 3 Any particular reason why you like that number? My number on every soccer jersey I ever had

If you were a type of animal, what would you be and why? PEACOCK because of the colors

What’s one of the strangest things you’ve ever done? Um not safe for children's eyes... ha ha sorry

What kind of vacations do you like? Fun... Disneyland, Six Flags, Museums.

What are some of your major goals in life? Get my PHD and have people call me Doctor Kim.

What are some of your smaller goals in life? Find a husband

What do you like least about yourself? My everything

What embarrasses you? People making fun of how I look

If you could try out any job for a day, what would you like to try? No idea

What’s your earliest memory?... I don't have many memories any more. The last stroke I had took a lot of my child hood memories away.

What’s the best decision you ever made? College

Who’s your best / closest friend? K.T. @kathlyan and Te'a @bat-lakota

What do you think people think of you? That I'm ugly, I'm TOO smart and I need to get a better job.

What were your grades like in school? Straight A's with a c in math

If you could learn one random skill, what would you learn? Tap dance

Are you an introvert or an extrovert? I can be both at times.

Have you ever taken a personality test? (How did the results turn out?) Um... no I haven't but I took an animal personality text. It said I was an Omega Peacock, I like to be showy but I like to be in the back ground.

What’s the first thing you notice about people? Smiles, eyes, fidgety hands,

Do you think people can control their own destiny? No

Do you think all people are equally valuable, or do you think some people in certain situations might be more valuable than others (say, a severely retarded patient vs. a doctor who could potentially save hundreds of lives)? Huh. Every one is equal. You are the only one that can make your self better or worse. No one causes you to be what you are.

Do you think people are basically bad or basically good? Neutral

Do you think morals are universal or relative to the beliefs, traditions, and practices of individuals or groups? Um... Morals are absolute?

Do you think God exists? Yes

Do you think any kind of afterlife exists? Yes

Do you vote? YES Why / Why not? If you do vote, how do you usually vote? Non of your business - independent

Do you think gay people choose to be gay? Do you think straight people choose to be straight? No comment

Is torture ever a good option? If no, why not? If yes, when? No comment

Would you kill an innocent person if you thought it might mean saving a dozen other people? No comment

What’s the most money you’ve ever given away? Ain't tellen ;)

What’s the biggest personal change you’ve ever made? Depressed to non depressed

What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done? hahahaha good times. o man I .... oh your standing there um look a cat!

What do you think would be one of the best steps we could take toward ending poverty around the world? As a historian, I have no comment

What do you think we could do to best improve the education system? EDUCATE THE STUDENTS!!!! Not just standardize test them.

In general, what do you think about art? It's ok

What are some of your favorite websites? NOPE

What’s the biggest turnoff in a man/woman? NOPE

What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told? hahahahah NOPE, NOPE and NOPE (I Worst day of my life started with this lie.)

What’s something most people don’t know about you? I have 2 rare blood diseases, but I look perfectly fine

What’s something you wish everyone knew about you? I don't want to talk about that

What are some of the first things you do in the morning? Read emails, Read tumblr, read text messages, feed the pets then get ready for the day

What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you? I really don't want to talk about it. only 6 people outside of my family know. and 3 of those 6 are my friends here on tumblr

Do you cry easily? Depends on my day... NO

How do you feel about public speaking? Um, I'll do it only if I have too

Do you like to talk on the phone? yes, I like that better than texting

How many emails do you get each week, roughly? 200 for work and school

If someone were to make a movie about your life, who would you hope would play you? ...... hmmmm.... ummm... hmmmm. No idea

What’s one of your favorite questions to ask new friends or to get a conversation going? Tell me something random about you

Would you ever sky dive or bungee jump? No and NO

Have you ever been in a fist fight? YES

What’s the best prank you’ve ever pulled? HAHAHA not telling

What did you do on your 16th birthday? went to school and my boyfriend at the time broke up with me on my 16th birthday

What do you think is one of the most undervalued professions right now? MUSEUM CURATOR's

How would you explain your basic life philosophy? You live, you learn, You pass on your knowledge, You be kind, You love, You die/

Would you rather be hated or forgotten? Neither

If you knew you would die tomorrow, would you feel cheated today? NO

THERE I ANSWERED THEM ALL!!!!!

THIS IS ABOUT ME!

 so glad only one person sent in this dare. Just saying I post this numbered questions that way everyone can send me random numbers or send me their own questions.

 I got depressed while answering these...

[mrmrsvegan]

Hey! So I've reached my goal weight! I want to start incorporating some more processed foods into my diet to help maintain my weight. What are some good brands for processed foods? Things like Bread and pasta and whatnot

with wheat stick to organic as much as possible to avoid Round Up sandwiches...https://www.ecowatch.com/why-is-glyphosate-sprayed-on-crops-right-before-harvest-1882187755.html“Farmers there often had trouble getting wheat and barley to dry evenly so they can start harvesting. So they came up with the idea to kill the crop (with glyphosate) one to two weeks before harvest to accelerate the drying down of the grain,"the trouble is pre dry wheat will absorb it. the crop is not uniformly dry"According to a wheat farmer in Saskatchewan, desiccating wheat with glyphosate is commonplace in his region. “I think every non-organic farmer in Saskatchewan uses glyphosate on most of their wheat acres every year,""look for local bakeries vs nationwide that can flood them with preservatives. my regular grocery store (no name non chain) has WAY better bread than Whole Foods... Whole Foods has the worst tasting bread on the planet. If you can find a local old world baker who does organic its going to a breadgasm. For pasta I like all the major organic brands. Try to find fresher ones by comparing best by dates. Again, look for local small batch pasta makers who are going to make a far better & potentially fresher product. You can always make your own of both, too! Congrats so much on reaching your goal!

[knivestheresnothingtoit]

Got tagged by @coffeeandtin , @cthulhuwithtea​, and @low-x-battery​ so I’m combining my answers here!! thanks dudes!! <3

1. Do you have a fictitious crush?If so, who?

TOO MANY. #1 atm is probably Daryl Dixon. Also of course Vasquez.... and more 

2. Is there a professional sport you enjoy following?

I don’t watch pro sports! I watch some college sports though.

3. Do you have a favorite poet?

Tbh I don’t really read poetry much anymore, but I always love stuff by Alfred, Lord Tennyson 

4. If you could be a supernatural creature, what would you be?

Maybe a centuar? I’d still like to have some human-ness but it would be so cool to be able to run super fast and stuff. Although I would miss being able to wear cool sneakers :P

5. Is there a food you don’t like no matter how many times you try it?

I’m really not a fan of pasta salads, and that never seems to change lol.

6. Is there a movie quote you use a lot?

“houston, we have a problem” (also, I always seem to get the Mag7 line “He shot my damn foot!” stuck in my head, though fortunately I have never had a chance to use it lol)

7. Who are you within a group dynamic?

Depends how close I am with the people. If I’m not super close with them, I’m pretty chill and go with the flow. With my close friend groups though I end up kind of the initiator, in charge and organizing things, and also the parent lol, I take care of everyone. If it might be cold, BRING A COAT OR I WILL PERSONALLY CHEW YOU OUT and then hug you until you’re warm.

8. Something you find aesthetically pleasing?

Obvious choice, but the sky. Like a nice bright blue sky with puffy clouds? I love it.

9. Favorite historical period?

Well my favorite period to study is the Civil War era, but of course it was a brutal and vicious era - extreme racism, war, the whole mess- and I wouldn’t want to live then.

10. Is there a show/movie/game/book you’ve been meaning to engage with, but just haven’t gotten around to it yet?

24! I’ve been meaning to watch it forever but I’ve only gotten a few episodes in.

11. If you could punch a fictitious character in the face who would it be?

Gareth!! that nasty cannibal dude from TWD. I HATE HIM SO MUCH. Also the Witch-king of Angmar (maybe I could do some damage since I’m female?). And Bart Bogue. I would put McCann on here but we all know Vasquez has got him covered.

1. Do you prefer sweet or savoury foods?

Savory! If I had to subsist purely on cheese, I probably could.

2. What’s your favourite cartoon show?

Looney tunes! watched those all the time when I was a kid and still love them. 

3. What scares you the most?

The thought of losing people i love.

4. Your favourite animal and why?

Probably lions? They just have this bearing of power and majesty and I know they could kill me instantly but I just want to get close to one and stand there and watch it move. 

5. Do you play video games? If yes what’s your favourite title?

I don’t! :/ 

6. What’s the one song that once played doesn’t get out of your head for hours?

The Magnificent Seven theme lol. Also Vor Í Vaglaskógi by Kaleo.

7. Can you dance?

Yep! I actually taught dance for awhile. 

8. What class would you be in a fantasy game (Dungeons and dragons for example. Stuff like rogues, clerics etc)

I’ve never played Dungeons and dragons so I’m gonna have to wing this one but probably Ranger? 

9. Do you believe in aliens?

No. I do believe in angels/ fallen angels though. 

10. What’s your favourite genre of film/book?

Action, probably. 

11. What film are you looking forward to the most this year?

Star Wars, Dunkirk, or Wonder Woman- can’t decide.

1: What is your least favorite genre of music?

Modern country or heavy metal. 

2: If you could act in any genre of show or movie, what would it be?

Again, action lol. Love those movies and I think the way I look and carry myself and the stuff I’m into would suit that best.

3: What’s something that makes you feel very nostalgic?

Bob Ross. Always watched him every weekend with my family when I was little.

4: Cupcakes or donuts?

Donuts! I still haven’t figured out a non-messy way to eat cupcakes lol and I really like the texture of donuts.

5: Do you have a favorite song that’s a one-hit wonder?

Come and Get Your Love by Redbone! Pretty sure that was.

6: Who are some of your role models?

Tbh... I don’t have many? Some people that really inspire me though are James Horner, Chris Pratt, Ron Paul, and Queen Elizabeth I

7: Are you an Xbox, Playstation or PC gamer?

I’m not a gamer lol

8: Would you ever go on a reality TV show? I think so? Although I would be worried about having stuff I said being twisted or taken out of context or whatever.

9: Is there an animal and or insect you’re afraid of?

Ticks, probably. Wimpy ik but they gross me out so much. Ever since I found one latched onto my thigh with all its legs squirming when I pulled down my pants in a Cracker Barrel bathroom stall... YUCK

10: What’s your favorite thing about the town/city you live in?

I like our downtown area. :) it’s really cute and we have a fountain and park and stuff.

11: Do you like to dance?

YEAH. Had to take a break cause my knees were jacked up but now they’re better so I’m back to it!!

OKAY here are my questions!! 

1. If you had to listen to one genre of music for the rest of your life, what would it be?

2. If you had to live in a fantasy world (or some real world AU, like harry potter or something) for the rest of your life, what would you choose?

3. If there was a zombie apocalypse, would you choose to team up with Vin Diesel, The Rock, Jason Statham, Jackie Chan, or Sly Stallone?

4. What’s the most-listened-to song in your iTunes library?

5. Do you prefer big cities, small towns, or rural areas?

6. Favorite school subject?

7. What circumstances do you like to study/ work in? Bustle, silence, etc.?

8. Play any instruments?

9. Favorite word to use?

10. Do you do any crafts? like knitting, crocheting, that kind of stuff?

11. An army of ninjas vs. an army of Samurai - who would win?

Okay, I’m tagging @low-x-battery, @geekyelvenchick , @rocanono, @cthulhuwithtea, @fresh-as-lettuce

those of you who already did this can maybe just answer my questions if you want?

[lilkyy-blog1]

Presentations

 Euthanasia - I also did a research paper on euthanasia in high school, 10th grade to be specific.  I found the topic to be extremely important because I don’t think it’s fair to tell someone they cannot kill themselves, especially if they are terminally ill.  One question that was brought up in class that I disagreed with was about if doctors did not want to perform euthanasia.  Legalizing euthanasia does not force doctors to perform it.  If cancer patient X is ready go and he asks doctor A to euthanize him, he can say no, I don’t feel comfortable with that I’m sorry, cancer patient X can then call up doctor B and ask him for the favor, doctor B also has the ability to chose whether he would want to perform the procedure or not, no one is ever forced to do something they don’t want to do just because its legal.  That is like saying that because marijuana is legal in Colorado, I am obligated to smoke it while I’m there.  Another issue that I feel needed to be more addressed was the topic of mental illness, such as depression.  People with depression are suffering as well, should they be able to be considered as candidates for euthanasia???

Nurture vs. Nature - I totally agree that it is a combination of the two that determine how a person turns out.  Coming from an accepting family, I could be straight, gay, trans, they wouldn’t care.  The fact that they are accepting had no influence whatsoever on my sexual preference, being straight or gay or trans is something you are born with, it’s not something you can chose, or that can be influenced on by your environment.  An example where nurture is a cause would be something like the food you like and dislike.  My mom and my aunt can both cook, for the most part, I never had to settle for ordinary food.  So when I go to my friend’s house for dinner, and she tells me shes making a pasta chicken dish, I have high expectations.  When she pulls out a bag of who knows what from the freezer, where all she has to do is warm it up in a pan, I cannot even begin to swallow the mushy chicken before I gag.  I was not born disliking mushy chicken, I was raised with non- mushy chicken so that is what I like.  Nature vs. Nurture at it’s finest. 

Mental Effects Of Sports Injuries - It has happened multiple times over the years where a star athlete gets injured and when he/she returns he/she never seems to play as good as he/she did before.  Could it be physical, probably, it’s like when after you drop your phone and after a while, sometimes the screen isn't as responsive as it used to be.  Could it be mental, without a doubt.  Everyone has such high expectations for a returning star athlete, sometimes it can be difficult to live up to expectations even when you were the one that set them so high.  I think it can also be difficult to get past the fear of getting injured again, sort of like a PTSD type situation. For a quarterback coming back from an extreme injury, he may be more prone to try and get rid of the ball faster, leading to mistakes, in order to protect himself from getting hit again.

Electoral College - Even after learning about how our government works multiple times through my years in school, I still do not fully understand how it works.  From this presentation I have learned that the electoral college prevents a tie between candidates.  I also learned that there has NEVER been a tie.  I do know that if the electoral college was not in place during the 2016 elections, we would not have an embarrassing idiot representing our country for the next 4 years.  SO, with that being said I am totally in favor of getting rid of the electoral college.

Breed Specific Legislation - I completely agree that BSL is wrong and should not be a thing but I do understand where these cities are coming from.  One thing that the presenter stated that I don’t necessarily agree with is that the temper of dogs like pitbulls is solely dependent on the way it’s raised.  I do believe that the way a dog is raised and treated has a large impact on how the dog reacts in different situations, unfortunately some breeds of dogs are genetically prone to be more aggressive.  With the right owner and training, this wouldn't be a problem but more often than not, families get dogs and don’t realize how much work they really need to put into them.  Even with dogs like golden retrievers, the most family friendly dog, they can still be aggressive.  At the end of the day, a dog is still an animal and will do whatever it feels like.

Euthanasia vs. Physician Assisted Suicide - I did not realize there was a difference between the two.  If I was terminally ill, I think I would rather take part in physician assisted suicide where I could go home with my loved ones and die peacefully in my own home.  Then again, I’m not quite sure I could do it, i’m not sure I would have the balls to kill myself no matter how ill I may be.

The Effects of Body Language on Mental Health - I think it would be interesting to study the ways different types of body languages can be perceived by different people in different cultures.  I was not aware that body language has an effect on mental health and after this presentation I am still not really clear on how it does but I am very curious so I may look into this myself.

Effects of Media on Obesity - I enjoyed this topic because I believe obesity is a growing problem that is becoming widely excepted because of the media.  I’m all about body positive and loving yourself no matter how you look, but I think people need to realize that problems with obesity should stem from health not looks.  Its great if you’re overweight and still confident with how you look, but that should not be your main concern, people need to be asking themselves, ‘Am I healthy?’ NOT ‘Do I look good?’  One show that immediately comes to mind is My Big Fat Fabulous Life.  This woman Whitney is extremely overweight and the show follows her life and the different struggles she faces being overweight and how she over comes them.  Whitney is constantly acknowledging the fact that she is ‘fat’ and that she doesn’t care because she is happy with her body and her life.  I think its awesome that she is happy but I think it is important that she looks at her weight as a health risk because there is no way she can be healthy being that overweight.  A persons health should always take priority over their looks.

Figure Skating: Artistry or Athleticism - I think it’s rather clear that figure skating takes a ton of athleticism and strength, I’d love to see anyone that disagrees try to do some of the stuff these skaters can do.  Whats even crazier is the fact that they not only have to perform wild stunts but they also have to look pretty while doing it. 

Common Core - I have always been really good at math and when my younger sister brought home her common core math homework I could not figure it out.  I think they have really good intentions with common core but the concepts they’re trying to teach are too complicated for students so young.

The Importance of Firearm Education - I don’t think people really understand how dangerous guns are.  Firearm education should always be required when purchasing and owning a gun.  Even the most educated firearm owners find themselves involved in gun accidents, humans make mistakes and that’s why safety precautions should always be taken.  Without proper education these accidents are much more likely to occur and that is a tragedy no family wants to face.

Police Brutality (Is it an important issue in America?) - America has the highest police brutality rates according to this presentation.  This particular student seems to be focusing mainly on the brutality on minorities.  From her statistics I gathered that 62% of the population is white and 24% of the population is black.  49% of the victims of police brutality were white while 13% of police brutality victims were black.  She stated that blacks were 2.5x-5x more likely to be a victim of police brutality but if you do the math she is wrong, in fact whites are more likely to be victims of police brutality based on her numbers.  What I feel the focus of her essay should be on, is the way the media turns police brutality into a story about race rather than focusing on what really occurred. 

The Impacts of Standardized Testing on Education - To rid of standardized tests would be difficult because we need some sort of way to test the knowledge of students.  I do not think the results of these score should have a major role in the evaluations of teachers.  While how a student performs does somewhat show how good a teacher is, there is more that needs to be taken into consideration.  Some student just do not apply themselves, no matter how much extra help a teacher can try to give, they just wont apply themselves in class or on standardized tests.

[kaoruyogi]

About Me Monsterpost

Okay, so @ladydracarysao3 and @ma-sulevin tagged me in some memes while I was gone and just after I came back. I’m gonna jam them all in this post, so if you’re interested, it’s under the cut!

Star sign: Scorpio

Height: 5′8″

Time Right Now: 9:00 am on the dot

Last thing you googled: “EVGA GTX 1070 SC vs FTX” (see this post)

Last book you read:  “Worst. Person. Ever.” by Douglas Coupland, though I’ve been reading a lot of novel-length fanfic lately too.

Favorite music artists: Y’cant ask me questions like this!!! I’l just say that lately (past couple weeks) I’ve been listening to a lot of Carla Morrison, Polica, Odesza, and video game OSTs.

Last TV show watched: The very last show I watched before going to bed was “Call the Midwife.” BBC show about midwives in the East End in the late 1950′s. I like it. It’s cute and kinda poignant when it wants to be.

What are you wearing right now: Black yoga pants with a blue striped band, a gray shirt with an “Underwood 2016″ logo (from House of Cards) and my gray/maroon Cullen Templar hoodie. I’m a walking ad for stuff I like.

When did you create this blog: I’ve had the account for years, but my first post was in July 2016.

What kind of stuff do you post: Cullen, mostly. Dragon Age stuff, my fics, music here and there...that pretty much sums it up.

Do you have instagram: Yeeeaaaahhh, but I haven’t posted in years. I was just using it to show my nail art.

Do you have snapchat: Nah. Not my thing.

Do u get asks regularly: Not really. I used to get more, but I’ve hermited for bar prep, and people don’t like that I guess. I’m always happy to answer asks, though.

How did you choose your url: Kaoru was the name of my favorite guitarist in my favorite band in high school, and Yogi was my nickname in high school. I’ve been using this for a looong time.

Gender: Cis female

Favorite color: RAINBOW! Then blues.

Average hours of sleep: Between 4-10 depending on where I am in my work week.

Favorite characters: Cullen Rutherford, Sera, Dorian Pavus, Garrus Vakarian, Nathan Drake, Ellie and Joel...I could go on for days like this.

How many blankets do you sleep with: One on me, one on my husband/over the rest of the bed, one in the middle for the dog.

Dream job: Intellectual property attorney (copyright, I think)

Random: I dunno...I started playing “Horizon: Zero Dawn” last night, and it’s pretty. But I was too sleepy to get really into it. Also it’s kinda tropey, at least in the beginning. 

1. How tall are you? 5′8″

2. What colour and style is your hair? Copper-red

3. What colour are your eyes? Hazel, gray-green-blue on the outside with a copper ring around the pupil

4. Do you wear glasses? Yeah

5. Do you wear braces? Not anymore, but I did when I was 14.

6. What is your fashion sense? T-shirts and yoga pants for home, jeans or jeggings or a dress for going out, a uniform or a rad pant or skirt suit for work.

7. Do you have any siblings? 1

8. What kinda student were/are you? Teacher’s pet all the way through high school. I was high performing student who loved to participate and always wanted to know more. In college, there were some classes I only showed up to if there was a test/quiz, but others I actively participated in (still came out with a good GPA). In law school I was tired, but generally prepared, and I participated a lot. And I graduated with scholastic merit.

9. What is your favourite subject? It was English and History when those were a thing still.

10. Favourite TV shows? Can’t ask me this!!! There are too many.

11. Favourite books? Also too many...I like stuff by Chuck Palahniuk, Douglas Coupland, Neil Gaiman, Janet Fitch, William Shakespeare and dozens of other amazing authors.

12. Favourite pastime? Vidja games, mostly. I’ve been playing some form or another since I was 9 months old and my dad got me a talking parrot game for his new computer.

13. Any regrets? Eh, not really. They’re pointless.

14. What is your dream job? See above in previous meme ^^^

15. Do you want to get married? I am, so...yeah?

16. Do you want kids? How many? Yeah, we want 2.

17. How many countries have you visited? 3-4 (depending on how you count Scotland), but I want to do 3-4 more in one go for our next big vacation

18. What’s the scariest dream you’ve ever had? Usually ones where people are being horribly murdered...I have a lot of those. Don’t ask me why because I have no idea.

19. Do you have any enemies? Probably? I’m an oblivious archenemy I think.

20. Do you have a datemate? My husband, I guess?

a - age: 30 b - biggest fear: Failure c - current time: now 9:34 am d - drink you last had: Water; last non-water drink: Hubert’s Mango Lemonade e - every day starts with: Checking my phone f - favorite song: At this very moment? Either “Un Beso” or “Azucar Morena” both by Carla Morrison g - ghosts, are they real: Nah h - hometown: I don’t want people doxing me, so I’m just gonna go with Southern California  i - in love with: My husband (and our dog? XD) j - jealous of: People who own houses and already have babies...and maybe the people who passed the bar the first time. k - killed someone: At work, we have this thing where, if you answer the phone when someone was dead or dying, you “killed” them. So, in that case, sure. But I’ve never actually killed anyone. l - last time you cried: Day before yesterday. I cry a lot. n - number of siblings: 1 o - one wish: That I passed the bar this time so I can move the fuck on already. p - person you last called/texted: @ladydracarysao3 ^_^ q - questions you’re always asked: How’s school/studying? r - reasons to smile: My husband, my parents/sister, my dog, my friends, a nice comment on tumblr or AO3 s - song last sang: "Un Beso” t - time you woke up: 7:34 am u - underwear color: black  v - vacation destination: Next time, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark w - worst habit: Nibbling on things x - x-rays you’ve had: From bottom to top: toes, ankles, entire spine, fingers, neck, head, teeth, and nose. I’ve broken some stuff and had some injuries. XD y - your favorite food: Pasta or salmon sushi...can’t make me pick more specifically than that. z - zodiac sign: Scorpio 

1. Favorite Color? See above ask meme ^^^

2. Favorite Movie? Too hard a question to answer. It probably falls somewhere between 2005  “Pride and Prejudice” and “The Fifth Element.” But who knows?

3. Favorite Music? See above ask meme ^^^

4. Best childhood memory? There are a lot of good ones...the mud fight in the front garden with my little sister, chasing bighorn sheep up the side of a mountain in Alaska, getting chased by a herd of startled elk in Montana, playing video games with my sister and/or my parents, movie nights...I had a pretty good childhood up to a point.

5. What are you most proud of? The life/relationships I’ve built.

6. Left or right handed? Right

7. If you could only keep 5 things, what would they be? My laptop, my phone, my chargers, my dog, and my wallet to buy the rest of that shit back!

8. Most embarrassing moment? Umm...I screamed on the air once while I was talking to units in the field, and about 300-400 people heard me? I dunno, I don’t get embarrassed easily.

9. Your favorite characteristic? A great laugh and great hugs

10. Water, wind, earth or fire? Depends on the day. Sometimes fire, sometimes water, sometimes earth.

HOLY SHIT THAT TOOK ME AN HOUR!!! Okay, if you’ve made it this far, congratulations!!! <3 I’m not gonna tag anyone because that would just be cruel. XD

[thegrandsolarminimum]

Get Started Saving Food - How to Save with Mylar

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/JiVFOC

Get Started Saving Food - How to Save with Mylar

Learn how to properly save rice and other dried foods for long term storage

Check out our Amazon lists for an affordable start to saving food!

We just started adding content and will be adding more.

https://www.amazon.com/shop/grandsolarmin?listId=ITVDSKJ839S5

Rice is one of the great wonder foods.

While rice alone cannot keep you alive it should be an important part of your survival stores, especially if you’re on a budget.

A 10lb bag of rice is full of carbs and is cheaper than dirt. It’s like a 10lb bag of energy!

White rice is all starch (carbs) and metabolically equivalent to potatoes, white bread, pasta, flour and even raw sugar.

Starches are not completely digested by our bodies and the indigestible carbohydrates are not just neutral bulking agents, but have important physiologic effects, and contribute energy to the diet.

Starches are not all equal in their effects on blood glucose and lipids, but some studies have linked eating large amounts of white rice to an increased risk of diabetes.

This is why it is important to vary your diet and your food stores. You don’t just eat rice every day, do you? So don’t stockpile rice exclusively but also include lentils, corns, wheat, pastas, and beans.

The Best Rice

While brown rice may be more nutritious avoid storing it as the fats and oils in the husks will go rancid fairly quickly. Brown rice stored in mylar bags inside 5-gallon bucks with o2 absorbers stores about 6 months, whereas white rice stores roughly 20+ years in the same mylar bags.

How Much Do You Need

The easiest way to figure how much rice one person needs for one year is to determine how many cups of rice you want to eat every day and then divide that by how many cups there are in a pound of rice.

Why not figure it by calories, you ask through your screen? Because man cannot live by bread…err rice (or any simple carb) alone. For this reason, storing rice by calorie count alone is a mistake because it will not be your only calorie source. For most people with a varied stockpile of food 1/2 cup of rice per day is enough. Most people balk at this idea and end up throwing money away on unneeded food “just in case”.

Remember these are your emergency food stores, and not intended to be a feast. Your food stores are temporary and only intended to get you through until another sustainable food source can be found, such as a garden, so they should be eaten sparingly.

For the record, 1/2 cup of rice is about 300 calories. 1,500-2,000 calories/day will get you by just fine. Mixed with other foods such as beans, meat, and wheat, 1/2 cup per day will round out your new diet nicely.

There are roughly five 1/2 cup servings in 1lb of rice. This means for every 1lb of rice you have 5 days of stored rice, so by doing some simple math we find that 73lbs of rice will last one person an entire year and a family of 4 will need about 300lbs of rice, 292lbs to be exact.

The Do It Yourself Way

You should buy your white rice in bulk 50lbs bags to save money.

Large warehouse chains like Costco and Sam’s Club always have plenty of 50lb bags laying around. You can also try your local Asian marketplace for great deals on bulk rice.

Here’s a quick list of what you’ll need:

Several food grade (best) or Home Depot/Lowes (they’ll work) 5-gallon buckets. Each bucket will hold roughly 35 lbs of rice.

5-gallon mylar bags

Oxygen absorber packets (1,000 cc per piece)

Bag sealer (or just a flat iron or an iron)

Before we begin let me clarify a few things. You do not need food grade buckets and if money is tight you can use any new bucket. This is because you’re food will be inside a air-proof mylar bag, so if you’re planning to skip the mylar (bad idea) then you’ll want to make sure you use food grade buckets.

Don’t spend money on fancy lids, a regular snap on lid will work just fine. You do not need a $10 screw on super sealer lid so save your money. The mylar will do the final air-tight sealing and you will not open your buckets enough to warrant an expensive screw on lid.

Do not buy O2 absorbers in bulk thinking that you will save them. Buy only what you need and buy them new for every batch. Oxygen absorbers are highly reactive little tablets, so much so that they will activate and go bad even in their vacuum sealed packaging.

On the mylar…. Mylar bags are cheap and can be bought from Amazon for a little bit of nothing per cu ft. They offer a vital extra layer of protection from insects and punctures, ensure that your air-tight seal will really be air-tight, and mylar protects your food from off-gassing and flavors given off from the plastic buckets.

Mylar is your insurance policy that in 5, 10, 20 years you can still open your emergency food stores and still actually eat it. Don’t be penny-smart and dollar-foolish here.

Let’s Get Started 

Clean your buckets and dry them thoroughly. Place a mylar bag inside one of the buckets.

Add a 1,000 cc O2 absorber in the bottom of the mylar bag. Slowly pour your rice into the mylar bag, lifting up and down on it as you pour to ensure all the cracks and crevices are filled in.

Once the bag is full (leave a 1-2″ air gap from the top of the bucket) add another 1,000 cc O2 absorber.  Squeeze all the air out of the top of the bag and either use a clamshell sealer or an iron to seal your mylar bag.

Snap the lid on your bucket and store it in a cool (room temp or below) and dry (minimum humidity) place such as a basement or closet.

Your first thought may be a root cellar, but the humidity may vary too much, and don’t even think about storing it in a hot attic. Garages are usually a bad idea too because they are more likely to get insects and rats and their temps usually get too high for storing food.

Remember, your biggest enemies are heat, moisture, and insects.

More in-depth info on Food Storage with Mylar…

What is Mylar?

The trade name for Mylar is biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate.  It was originally produced in the 1950s and is used for things like insulation, solar filters, blueprints, and even kites.

Why Mylar is Great for Long-Term Food Storage

As far as food storage goes, Mylar is amazing because it is:

Non-porous

Impermeable to gas

Reflects light

Flexible

Durable and puncture-resistant

Cheap

Easy to use

There are certainly other packing materials you can use for long-term food storage, but they tend to have a higher learning curve, are more expensive, or simply not as good as Mylar.

Mylar vs. Vacuum Sealing

Many people confuse Mylar bag storage with vacuum-sealing.  They are completely different processes and get different results.

With vacuum-sealing, you are using a machine like a FoodSaver (Amazon Link) to suck air out of the bag while sealing it. While this does have benefits (like being cheap and fairly easy to do), it isn’t the best option for long-term food storage.

Vacuum-sealed bags:

Leak: The plastic bags used in vacuum sealing are porous. You can’t see the little holes but, over time, vacuum sealed bags will allow air to leak through.

Don’t remove all oxygen: Vacuum sealing will remove most air (which includes oxygen and nitrogen) from the package. However, some air will remain.

Allow light through: The bags used in vacuum-sealing are clear – which is great if you want to see what’s packaged inside, but not great if you want to prevent food degradation from light.

By comparison, Mylar bags will not leak. When used with oxygen absorbers, virtually all oxygen will be removed. Finally, Mylar has a foil layer which blocks 100% of light from coming through.

This doesn’t mean that vacuum-sealing isn’t good for food storage.  Vacuum-sealing can increase shelf life of foods by 3-5 times.  But, when it is long-term storage that you want (5+ years), then Mylar is the way to go.

What Foods Can You Store in Mylar Bags?

Any dry, low-fat food can be stored in Mylar bags.  That means things like:

Dehydrated fruits and veggies

Flour

Grains

Pasta

Sugar

Dried beans

Powdered milk

Cereal

Spices

Remember the key words here are dry and low-fat.  Any food which has moisture in it may start to go bad in the Mylar bag.

The same goes for foods which have fat in them – the fat will cause the foods to go rancid in around 3-12 months.

Not Suitable for Long-Term (5+ Years) Storage

These foods can still be stored in Mylar bags, but you’ll have to rotate through them about every 2-5 years (depending on the food).

Whole-wheat flour

Pearl barley

Brown rice

Brown sugar

Chips and greasy junk food

Granola

Dried meat/jerky

Nuts

Seeds

Fresh or wet foods

Dried eggs

Milled grains (other than oats)

Any dehydrated fruit or veggie which is not so dry that it snaps when bent!

Mylar Bags and Botulism Risk

If the Mylar bag is bulging (a sign that bacteria is growing inside), then don’t eat its contents!

Botulism is usually only talked about in regards to home canning.  However, because the botulism bacteria grows in no/low oxygen environments, it could also grow in Mylar bags packaged with oxygen absorbers.

Botulism requires moisture of 35% to grow.  However, to play it safe, virtually all food preservation guides will say that food must have 10% or less moisture to be packaged in airtight containers with oxygen absorbers. (1)

This shouldn’t scare you away from self-storing foods with oxygen absorbers.  Just make sure you aren’t storing any moist foods in Mylar with oxygen absorbers for the long-term.

Some moist foods – such as dehydrated fruits — can still be stored in Mylar bags. They will be fine for the semi-long term (such as up to five years).  Home dehydrated fruits and veggies just need to be so dry that they snap when bent.

The good news is that botulism toxin (which causes the disease) can be easily destroyed by boiling for 10 minutes. (2)  Many of the foods which get stored for long-term need to be boiled anyway (dry beans, dry grains, etc.), so this in theory would kill any contaminants.

However, that doesn’t mean you should eat any foods which you suspect are contaminated with botulism.  If the Mylar bag is bulging (a sign that bacteria is growing inside), then don’t eat its contents!

Shelf-Life of Foods in Mylar Bags

When trying to figure out how long foods will last in Mylar bags, you will see a lot of different ranges given.   Here’s why it is so difficult to give an exact number of years that food will last.

1. Nutrients Break Down Long before the Food Goes Bad

Part of the reason for these varying shelf-life dates is because nutrients can break down.  For example, the nutrients in rice may start to degrade after 10 years.  However, the rice will still be safe to eat for approximately 30 years.

2. Mylar is a New Product

The process of checking how long a food will last is called shelf life testing. Big manufacturers are required to do shelf-life testing.  However, aside for a few studies on canned foods, there haven’t been any tests on how long food can last.

Also, consider that Mylar is a relatively new product (it was made in the 1950s).  We think some foods will last 30+ years in Mylar, but I don’t know of anyone who actually tested food that they packaged in the 1980s!

3. It Depends on Packaging Conditions

Mylar only protects food from degradation due to oxygen and light.  Assuming that you used oxygen absorbers correctly and properly sealed the bag, you still have to worry about degradation from heat and moisture.

According to the USDA, each 10.08 degree F increase in temperature will half the storage life of seeds.  This applies to other foods too.  So, if you are keeping your Mylar bags in a cool area (such as a root cellar), they will last longer than if stored in a hot area (such as your garage).

With these factors in mind, here is what you can reasonably expect in terms of shelf-life for foods in Mylar bags.

Food Type Shelf-Life (in sealed Mylar bag with oxygen absorbers) Hard Whole Grains (Dry corn, buckwheat, hard red wheat, soft white wheat, kamut, durum wheat, spelt) 10+ years Soft Whole Grains (Oats, quinoa, rye, barley) 8+ years Professionally-Dehydrated Vegetables 10-20 years Professionally-Dehydrated Fruits* 10-15 years Home-Dehydrated Fruits and Veggies* 2-5 years Freeze-Dried Fruits and Vegetables 25 years Legumes (Beans, lentils, chickpeas, split peas) 25+ years White Rice 10-30 years Brown Rice 2-5 years White Flour 10-15 years Whole-Wheat Flour 10 years Corn Meal 5-10 years Potato Flakes 30 years Pasta 20-30 years Dry Non-Fat Milk 15 years Cheese Powder 10-15 years Powdered Eggs 5-10 years Nuts ** 1-5 years Granola 1 year Yeast 3-5 years TVP 10-15 years Baking Soda, Baking Powder 30 years Sugar Indefinitely Honey Indefinitely Salt Indefinitely

(Sources: 4, 5)

*Dehydrated Fruits and Vegetables in Mylar Bags

Most dehydrated fruits and veggies usually aren’t suitable for long-term storage.  They simply contain too much moisture.

Many people report that their dehydrated fruits/veggies last much longer than 5 years.  However, it’s important that they have very low moisture (10% or less) before storage. That means the fruit/veggie will snap when bent.

Some people also recommend using a desiccant to remove moisture from the dehydrated fruits/veggies before packaging.  More on this later.

**Nuts and Seeds in Mylar Bags

Putting nuts and seeds in Mylar bags will extend their shelf life.  However, because they contain so much oil, they will start to go rancid.

Most people put the shelf life of nuts/seeds in Mylar at about 2 years.  However, some nuts and seeds will last longer than this even outside of a Mylar bag.  The key is keeping the temperature low.

Since nuts are so expensive, I wouldn’t want to risk having an entire batch get destroyed. Only package as much as you actually eat and rotate through them regularly!

Removing Oxygen

Mylar bags only work for long-term food storage if the oxygen has been removed from the bags.  To do this, you need to use oxygen absorbers.

Oxygen absorbers are little packages containing iron.  When you put the oxygen absorber (OA) into an airtight container, the oxygen molecules “stick” to the iron.  OAs can reduce the amount of oxygen in a container to less than 0.01%. (6)

Keep in mind that air is about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and about 1% other gases.  Oxygen absorbers only remove the oxygen. The nitrogen will remain, thus you often won’t get a vacuum seal.  However, nitrogen does not cause food to spoil.

Note that not all foods are oxygen sensitive.  For example, whole grains, peas, and beans aren’t too sensitive to oxygen.  If you plan on using the foods within 5 years, there won’t be too much difference in freshness regardless of whether you use an OA or not.

However, oxygen absorbers do protect against pests and have other benefits.  Since OAs are pretty cheap, it is smart to use them anyway.

  Benefits to Using Oxygen Absorbers:

Keeps food from degrading due to oxidation

Prevent mold and bacteria from growing on the food (mold and most bacteria require oxygen to grow)

Preserve flavor

Prevent vitamins from being destroyed by oxidation

Kill pests (tiny pest eggs which are invisible to the eye may be on your food; without oxygen, they cannot hatch)

Foods which Should NOT Be Stored with Oxygen Absorbers

Salt: Will become rock hard if stored with an OA

Sugar: Also will become rock hard; brown sugar also contains too much moisture for storage with OAs

Baking soda/baking powder: These may explode when stored with OAs

Wet foods: Foods with a moisture of 35% or more can grow botulism in airless environments. To play it safe, it is recommended that foods stored with OAs have 10% or less moisture.

Oxygen Absorbers vs. Gas Purging/Nitrogen Flushing

I’ve recently come across many guides and videos about gas purging (aka nitrogen flushing) Mylar bags.  The basic idea is that you use a special machine to force nitrogen gas into the package.  The nitrogen flushes out any oxygen. Then you seal the package so only nitrogen remains.

Nitrogen flushing is used by some food manufacturers to keep their greasy foods (such as chips) fresh for a long time.  That’s why bags of chips are puffy when you get them.

However, unless you have access to professional equipment, nitrogen flushing is very difficult to do! You have to displace all of the oxygen and make sure none gets back into the bag before you seal it.

Packaging with oxygen absorbers is much easier, and leaves just nitrogen in the packaging.  Don’t mess with what works – use oxygen absorbers for your home food storage and leave nitrogen flushing to the experts. (7, 8, 9)

How Many Oxygen Absorbers To Use?

Here is where things can get confusing: For food storage to be successful, you need to have enough OAs to absorb all of the oxygen in the Mylar bags.

Oxygen is in the Mylar bag in two ways:

In the space between the food

Inside the actual food

To figure out the correct amount of OAs you can do some tricky math or just use our handy graphic and table instead. (I have included the math in a dropdown for those who are interested)

Oxygen Absorbers – The Math

As Fresh Pack points out, there can be a surprising amount of oxygen within the actual food. For example, dry foods like TVP contain a lot of air inside of them.  The same goes with dry beans.

They also point out that there is mistaken information about how density affects air amount.  The idea that “items with small particles (like flour) are ‘dense’ and have less air volume” is FALSE.  Here is why:

“A pool filled with marbles will have the same interstitial air volume as one filled with basketballs. Yes, the basketballs will have much larger pockets of air, but there are far fewer of them. Think of a checkerboard with just 2 large black squares and 2 large white squares… ½ of it’s area is black and ½ white. What if it had 100 small black squares and 100 small white ones? 1000? Even with tiny squares it is still ½ black and ½ white as long as the squares are all a uniform size.

What does matter is particle size distribution, or in other words, whether you have particles that are all a uniform size or if you have a lot of particles of different sizes. If you have a pool filled with basketballs AND marbles, the marbles can fill in all the large pockets of air. So, products with uniform particle sizes will have more interstitial air than products with a greater distribution of particle sizes.”

Calculating How Much Air is in the Container

To figure out how much air will remain between the food spaces in a filled Mylar bag, you can do this test:

Put 1 cup of product in a large measuring cup.

Add 2 cups of water.

See how many cups you get total (the amount won’t be 3 cups because the water is filling in the spaces between the product).

Calculate: 3 cups – (how many cups total you got)

The answer is how much of the product was air. For example, let’s say that you got 2.5 cups total: 3 cups – 2.5 = 0.5 cups.  Since 0.5 = 50%, that means 50% of the product was air.

With this information, you can do a fairly exact calculation of how many oxygen absorbers you need.  This requires some more math:

Figure out how much air your Mylar bag holds. For example, a 1 gallon Mylar bag holds 3785 cubic centimeters (cc’s).

Determine how much air will be left in the bag once filled by product. For example, if you determined that 50% of the product was air, then you’d have 1893cc of air space.

Only about 21% of air is actually comprised of oxygen (the rest is mostly nitrogen). So, calculate 21% of your air space.  For example: 0.21x1893cc= 398cc.

*Some products like beans contain a lot of air inside of them.  For the water test to work, you have to let them sit for at least 6 hours so they absorb the water. Note also that beans require a lot more oxygen absorbers than typically shown in charts.

  Top Tip

It is always best to play it safe – use more oxygen absorbers than you think you need!  Using extra oxygen absorbers won’t impact the food. OAs are cheap,  better to  spend an extra 25 cents on an additional oxygen absorber than throw away 5 gallons of food when it’s needed most.

  Food Type 1 quart 1 gallon 5 gallon Beans, lentils, split peas 125-150cc 500-600cc 2500-3000cc Rice 100cc 400cc 2000cc Flour 100cc 400cc 2000cc Instant mixes and powders 100cc 400cc 2000cc Coffee beans 100cc 400cc 2000cc Pasta 125cc 625cc 2500cc Cereal 125cc 625cc 2500cc Instant potatoes 125cc 625cc 2500cc Whole grains (barley, corn, wheat, oats) 125cc 625cc 2500cc

How to Save Unused Oxygen Absorbers

The moment you take oxygen absorbers out of the package, they will start to absorb oxygen. You must work quickly!

The moment you take oxygen absorbers out of the package, they will start to absorb oxygen. After around 2-4 hours, they’ll have absorbed their maximum capacity of oxygen.

It is important that you have a plan on what to do with any unused oxygen absorbers before you begin working.

Ideally, you will reseal oxygen absorbers in the packaging they came in.  Then you vacuum seal them.

If this isn’t an option, you can also store unused oxygen absorbers in a mason jar.  Fill up any extra space in the jar with marbles (or something similar).  The less air that is in the jars, the less air the unused OAs will absorb.   Be sure to seal the jar tightly!

How to Tell If Your Oxygen Absorbers Are Still Good

If you buy OAs from a reputable company, they should be good. We like the supplier DiscountMylarBags, they are the cheapest around and provide good quality products. They also sell on Amazon if you prefer to shop there)

They will arrive in a vacuum-sealed package.  Most oxygen absorbers have a “margin for error” added into their abilities (DiscountMylarBags use ShieldPro absorbers they absorb 200 to 300% of their rating).  So, they will actually absorb more than specified.  This is so you can have a good 10-20 minutes to work with the OAs and not have that air exposure count against you.

Here’s how you can check:

They arrive in a vacuum-sealed package.

The oxygen indicator is pink or red and not blue.

The packets feel soft and not crunchy.

Sealing Mylar Bags

The trickiest part of using Mylar bags for long-term food storage is sealing them.  They must be sealed with heat in order to create an air-tight seal.  Even the Mylar bags with zip seals still need to be heat sealed (the zip is just there for convenience).

According to Top Mylar, you need a temperature of around 375-425 degrees F to get a good seal. Thicker Mylar bags will require a higher temperature.

There are 4 main ways that you can seal a Mylar bag:

1. Clamshell Heat Sealer

This is by far the easiest way to seal a Mylar bag.  They are great because they are hand-held.  They also squeeze, which helps grip the bag.

It makes it very easy to close the last 2 inches of the Mylar bag after you’ve squeezed out the air.

This clamshell sealer is a bit pricey, but it is very easy to use.

It has two heat settings.  The higher one is 410F, which is perfect for sealing Mylar bags.

2.  Impulse Sealer

I personally wouldn’t recommend impulse sealers.  Not only are they expensive, but they are designed to seal an entire bag at once.

Ideally, you should seal most of the Mylar bag, push the air out, and then seal the last 2 inches.  This takes some practice with an impulse sealer.

There are some affordable impulse sealers available which get good reviews. For example, this one by Metronic is well liked and doesn’t cost much.

  3. Hair-Straightening Iron

While I personally don’t have experience using one of these for sealing Mylar bags, it seems like it would be better than a normal iron.  You’d be able to keep the bag vertical so bits of produc

t don’t get into the seal area.

Just make sure you get a hair-straightening iron with adjustable heat settings.  This one, for example, gets up to 450 degrees F at the highest setting.

  4. Home Iron

If you’d rather not buy a special product for sealing your Mylar bags, a home iron will work.   You’ll need to have a piece of wood to put the Mylar bag against while sealing.

Also be warned that, since you’ll be sealing the bag as it lies horizontally (as opposed to being able to keep it vertical), you might end up with bits of product shifting into the area you are trying to seal.

It’s not impossible to do. However, it can be a bit frustrating – especially when you are trying to work fast because of the oxygen absorbers!

Step-By-Step Instructions

Materials Checklist

Food that you will be storing

Mylar bags

Oxygen absorbers

Bucket or container (that you will be putting the Mylar bags into)

Sealer (clamshell sealer, iron, hair straightening iron)

Work gloves

A piece of wood with a towel wrapped around it (to serve as an ironing board if using an iron for sealing)

Scoop or funnel

Permanent marker for labeling

Mason jar (or another way to store unused oxygen absorbers)

Step 1: Preparation

It is really important that you get everything set up in an assembly line.  You can take your time filling up the Mylar bags.  But, once you open those oxygen absorbers, you need to seal them quickly!

Open Mylar bags and put each in a bucket/container

Line up the containers

Make sure your sealer has a cord long enough to reach the buckets

*If you are going to put lots of smaller Mylar bags into one bucket, then you obviously won’t be propping up one bag per storage container.  It’s really helpful to have the bags propped up during the process.  Consider rigging a shelf system for holding the bags, or bust out all of your Tupperware to use as holding trays for the open Mylar bags.

Step 2: Loading the Food

Using a scoop or a funnel, fill up the Mylar bags with food. You’ll need to give the bags a good shake to ensure the food particles are settled (which means more food per bag and less air).

Fill the bags to about 4-5 inches from the top. Make sure you don’t overfill the bag or it will be very difficult to seal.

Label the bags and container with the contents plus the date.

Tips

If you are using 7.5mil Mylar bags, wear gloves! The bags are sharp and can easily slice your fingers!

To protect the label from rubbing off, put a strip of clear packing tape over it.

Step 3: Partially Seal Bags

Let your sealer heat up.  Irons and hair-straightening irons need to be on the highest setting. Seal all but the last 2 inches of the Mylar bag. Make sure there aren’t any little pieces of food in the seal.

It is also smart to wear gloves during sealing.  The sealer can make the Mylar bag get very hot and burn your fingers!

If Using an Iron: The easiest way to seal with an iron is to put your 2×4 over the rim of the 5-gallon bucket.  This will make an ironing board so you can seal the bag without having to lift it out or turn it horizontal.  Once you’ve sealed one bag, then just move the board to another bucket.  You’ll definitely want help – one person moves the board and the other does the sealing. Tip: Make sure you seal as close to the top of the bag as possible.  That way you’ll have room to reseal the bag again.

Step 4: Add Oxygen Absorbers

It takes about 2-4 hours for an oxygen absorber to do its job.  However, you should really try to get your bags sealed as quickly as possible (within 10 minutes, 20 tops).  Otherwise, you risk the OA absorbing too much outside air and not being able to absorb all the oxygen in your Mylar bag. Tip: Before you open your oxygen absorbers, mark each bag with how many OAs the bag needs.  This will speed up the process.

Step 5: Fully Seal the Bag

As soon as you’ve added oxygen absorbers, you need to quickly seal the bag.  Press the bags to get out as much air as you can.  Then seal the remaining 2 inches.

Step 6: Checking the Seal

Wait at least one day.  Then go and check on your Mylar bags.  Look at the seal and see if you can squeeze any air through them.

When oxygen absorbers have done their job, the bag may look “sucked up” or vacuum-sealed.  However, since so much of air is actually nitrogen, it is possible for the bag to be properly sealed but not sucked down.

Step 7: Seal Buckets or Containers

Once you are sure that the seal is good, you can close up your buckets/containers and put them for long-term storage.

Ideally, you will store them in a cool place which is accessible during an emergency (for example, you wouldn’t want all your emergency food in the basement during a flood!).

Which Mylar Bags to Use?

Aside from the brand, there are a few key considerations when choosing which Mylar bags to use: size, thickness, and whether you want zip tops.

Size

Mylar bags come in various sizes, typically ranging from 1 pint to 6 gallons.  To give you an idea, a 1-gallon Mylar bag will hold about 6-7lbs of rice. A 5-gallon Mylar bag will hold about 33lbs of rice.

That’s a lot of rice!

If you are only doing long-term food storage for your family, you probably don’t need anything larger than 1 gallon Mylar bags.

Yes, you will need more food than this – but it is probably smarter to store the food in smaller bags.

Imagine that a disaster has occurred.  If you opened up a 5 gallon bag of rice, there is no way you could eat it all before the food got destroyed (by water, rodents, etc.).

Also consider how you’d use the food.  Eating 6lbs worth of rice might be feasible, but 6lbs of dehydrated onions?  You’d be much better off putting the dehydrated onions in a smaller bag.

The downside, of course, is that it takes more work to store food in smaller bags. You’ll also have to do a lot more planning to figure out how you’ll divide up the food.

How Much Food Will Fit in a Mylar Bag?

  Food Type 1 quart 1 gallon Rice 5-7.3lbs 25-37lbs Whole Grain White Wheat 5-7.5lbs 25-38lbs Flour 5lbs 25-33lbs Cornmeal 5-6lbs 33lbs Beans (black, pinto, white, etc.) 5-7lbs 25-40lbs Lentils 7lbs 35-36lbs Macaroni 4lbs 20-21lbs Potato Flakes 2.5lbs 12-13lbs Diced Dried Carrots 3.3lbs 16-17lbs Dry Milk 5-6lbs 29-30lbs Powdered Eggs 4.2lbs 20-21lbs

10, 11,

*How much food you can fit in a Mylar bag depends on a lot of factors.

How big the food you are trying to store is (for example, some beans are smaller than others).

How well you shake the food to pack it down and how high you fill the bag. It’s easier to seal a bag which isn’t completely full.

You’ll be able to fit more food in thinner Mylar bags because they are more flexible.

  Thickness

Mylar bags come in various thicknesses, with 4.3mil and 7.5mil being the most popular.  The 7.5mil bags will hold up against damage better.  However, they aren’t as flexible.

Because the thick bags are so much stiffer, you probably won’t be able to get as much food in them as a thinner bag.

Also note that the 7.5mil bags are sharp! You should wear gloves when working with them so you don’t slice your fingers.

Mylar Bags with Zip Tops

There are some Mylar bags which have zip tops.  The zip top does NOT replace heat sealing.  However, it is great for convenience.

During the sealing process, you can first squeeze the air out and zip lock it before heat sealing.  It prevents little pieces of product from getting into the seal.

Once the bag is open, the zip is also great for closing the bag while you use the contents.

  We will be adding more articles to help motivate people to be prepared.