#the best things for a person to do

[nowtoboldlygo]

here are my language learning plans, in high detail! this post will be updated & revised as i update my goals. here's my main post, and my directory for desktop folks.

spanish 🇲🇽, studying at B1 level.

motivation: to attain fluency for work (corporate business shit). lots of hours with comprehensible input, no grammar/vocab study. (went from traditional to pure Dreaming Spanish method.)

the general “OG Immersion” (Pablo Roman) method calls for 1500 hours of audiovisual input. he does recommend crosstalk as the most efficient way to get that input. the below is copied directly from dreaming spanish’s immersion method guide [link to website, link to PDF].

from what i can tell, based on testimonials from the dreaming spanish communities, hitting 1500 hours sets you at B1 proficiency, maybe lower (example). using the CEFR framework, additional attention is needed for three domains: production (spoken and written), interaction (spoken and written) and mediation (translating and interpreting). 

here’s the detailed plan:

complete beginner content: comprehensible input

pre-intermediate / beginner content: all beginner-level CI, tv shows made for learners

low intermediate content: beginner & easy intermediate CI, the easiest podcasts made for learners (see additional resources below)

high intermediate content: intermediate CI, all podcasts made for learners (+ see below)

low advanced content: all comprehensible input (including advanced), easy native podcasts, all podcasts made for learners, native kid shows and familiar/easy dubbed TV, graded readers, chapter books & middle grade fiction, easy nonfiction books (currently here)

advanced content: all audio/audiovisual (scripted and unscripted), extensive reading, crosstalk

threshold independent user: 200 hours speaking practice (hoping to join an online book club / coworking group / DND group / +++)

vantage independent user: media immersion, conversation, writing (social and formal)

advanced proficient user

proficient user, mastery

korean 🇰🇷, studying at topik level ZERO.

motivation: rumor has it that korean is easier than mandarin or japanese. long-term only interested in reading, probably, but i’m using the comprehensible input immersion method because it’s been so successful & fun with spanish.

complete beginner comprehensible input (CI)

complete beginner, beginner-level CI & preschooler-level kid shows

beginner-level and intermediate CI, preschooler-level kid shows, the easiest podcasts for learners, room tours on youtube (currently here)

intermediate to advanced CI video, beginner to intermediate made-for-learners podcasts, room tours, real estate tours, easy cooking shows, maybe crosstalk

all video CI, intermediate & advanced made-for-learners podcasts, easy native podcasts, house tours, cooking shows, product reviews, easy familiar (already seen) kid shows, crosstalk

all made-for-learners videos & podcasts, easy native podcasts, easy &/or familiar dubbed cartoons/anime for all ages, youtubers speaking directly to the camera, vlogs, graded readers, chapter books, easy middle grade fiction, easy non-fiction (self-help, memoirs), crosstalk

dubbed TV, sitcom shows made in TL, single youtubers, easy quiz shows, middle grade fiction, young adult fiction, easy mysteries, lots of non-fiction (the news, familiar subjects), crosstalk & conversation, social media (bluesky, youtube)

conversations between two native speakers (podcasts, youtube channels), slice-of-life shows made in TL, backlist genre fiction (published 1900s), conversation, social media (hellotalk, discord voice channels)

reality/variety TV, podcasts / youtube channels with 3+ native speakers, dramas, comedy, historical and literary fiction, the classics, conversation, social media (twitch)

milestones/goals: 7000 cumulative media hours, 200 hours speaking practice, 100+ adult-level books read

cello 🎻, full beginner.

motivation: to join an amateur local orchestra within the next decade. no rush obviously but i’m working with a teacher now!!

i’m making up milestones, and they will be out of order in terms of difficulty. this is a draft created by a beginner, and i will update as i move towards intermediate ability.

memorize suzuki books 1-5 (currently on #1)

more optional so noted separately, but memorize suzuki 6-10

three-octave major scales (and triads)

bach to basics playlist

new years resolution for 2025: focus on building motivation and developing capacity for enjoyment à la uncomfortable’s play is not fun by watching leonard bernstein’s young people concerts series and varying positions & keys in practice (per instructor’s advice).

drawing ✏️, full beginner.

motivation: i’ve never drawn & i would like to get seriously into art. might end up painting, or sculpting, or creating mosaics or carving wood or or or…  i do want to start with the fundamentals, theory and sketching for now.

following this syllabus from reddit, and then getting into NMA

so right now, working on lines & ellipses with draw a box, Scott Robertson’s book, and Ctrl+Paint.

reading about color theory, art history, different mediums

keep a list of exciting, personally motivating projects

cooking 🧑‍🍳, possible infant.

motivation: there are already some things i can make better at home than find in a restaurant. i like to eat, i like to make food to share, life is too short to eat mediocre meals.

alright so the plan is to work my way through a skills-progressive cookbook, and concurrently get through some culinary school-standard safety info.

Start Here by Sohla El-Waylly

youtube videos for at-home sanitation requirements, best-by and sell-by date information, and charting for time-temperature combinations

more cookbooks

joining a cookbook book club!! 📖

in-person classes for knife techniques & butchery

[kiwi]

as a former escape room host i highly recommend doing an escape room as a first date. its a great way to learn how ppl react under pressure and how well they collaborate with you right off the bat. also more than once ive seen people enter an escape room as a couple and exit broken up LOL its a fantastic litmus test

[inkskinned]

okay is she being actually immature or is it just a woman over 30 expressing a human experience you find to be immature.

like yeah. at certain ages... let shit go. im not defending the real immature shit. im not defending the karen you're picturing. i worked in retail i hate those people too. (once somebody got mad at me because she didn't like how our winter window decor was a snowman smoking a pipe. i wish i was joking).

but men at 57 will write books about how 17 year old girls are soooo sexy. they will invent worlds where women have to be naked for "armor reasons." they will write songs that treat women as objects. people rush to defend them. meanwhile a woman at 35 will be like "heartbreak is hard, actually" or "i feel betrayed by a friend" or "i am struggling with something emotionally." immediately people will say stuff like this woman is 35 by the way. by the way this woman is SO OLD to be experiencing this. BY THE WAY.

im 31, almost 32. the other day a poet was blasted online because at her "big age", she had written a poem about feeling unloved. top comment was "this woman is 29 by the way." this woman is too old to still be useful, by the way. she has to behave better . maybe if she was a good wife and mother she could stop existing loudly, and the story could continue on without her. this woman has served her purpose, by the way. she's so cringe, by the way. at 29 - so old! - she still hasn't figured out that her existence should be one of shame.

[stil-lindigo]

Bisan is calling for another global strike!

I saw some posts just outlining Jan 21st, and wanted to clarify that Bisan has called for a full seven days of action.

What a global strike would look like is:

calling in sick to work

purchasing bare essentials ahead of the week so you can observe the general boycott of goods / buying as little as you genuinely can

putting in a concerted effort to elevate Palestinian voices and make it clear that this strike is in support of a permanent ceasefire!

For those who will have to purchase necessary goods during this time, please observe the brands that the BDS movement is asking us to boycott!

♢♢♢

Right now is also a good time to mention some better uses for your money during this week.

Available e-sims in Gaza are running low!!

Mirna El Helbawi and her team are working round the clock to continue to connect Palestinians as Israel does its best to cut them off from the rest of the world.

You can learn how to purchase and send e-sims here, and below you’ll find a list of what is currently needed (the areas in brackets indicate what region you should select to buy e-sims in).

--

CareforGaza is an organisation that does verifiably good work, distributing supplies directly to Palestinian families.

They have a Gofundme set up at the moment, but because of Gofundme’s poor track record regarding refusing to transfer funds to Palestinians, I’d recommend continuing to donate directly to their PayPal here.

Good luck to all of you. Don't turn away from Palestine!

[phantom-kiwi]

Venom 3 spoiler warning but like

"Ride me cowboy", "we've been together for a year?", "Sometimes I think we would've been happier you and I living a life like this", them calling each other Thelma and Louise? Them talking about future plans and the camera directly cutting and staying on literal happy newlyweds?? "BUT I NEED HIM BACK" ???? A montage of their time together???? Hello ??? Symbrock nation can you hear me !!!!

[wuntrum]

honestly love when artists draw copious amounts of fanart for a character and then start adding more and more personal touches or headcanons to how they depict them and then just change their name and adopt them as an original character. its like watching nature heal in real time

[tartppola]

biased but my favorite bits from the official twst artbook 🥰🫶

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

I've never been more normal in my life.

[First] Prev <–-> Next

[royalarchivist]

Bad: I don’t think people understand the effect QSMP had on some of the streamers in terms of like… The real raw mental impact, so I’m gonna set the stage for you. [...] Imagine that you were given a friend to play Minecraft with — like your best friend — BUT if this person dies, if they die in the game, you never get to talk to them again. Can you imagine what that’s like?

Bad: If you did not live through the QSMP, if you did not live through that, it almost sounds like, crazy. But I don’t think people realize how much of a joyous experience the Eggs were. They were SO awesome! They were literally so awesome to just hang out with and spend time with.

Bad: I’m not saying I regret it. To this day, I loved the experience. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. Even knowing how everything went, I would still do it all over again. [...] I would still do it all over again, because — even knowing like, all the trauma and suffering and stuff like that — because it was just… It was just that fun, it was just that fun.

Earlier today during his stream, Bad shared his experience and thoughts about the Eggs and the significant emotional (and traumatic) impact they had on him and his fellow QSMP members.

This clip a very edited-down version since his commentary was ~13 minutes long, so I highly recommend checking out Bad's VOD if you have the time. (Timestamp: 47:36 - 1:00:14)

[ Full Transcript ↓ ]

———

Bad: To be fair Chat, I really think the QSMP... I don't think anyone really can relate to it, Chat. It's something that's so... I've told people this before, like– but it's hard to understand. Right? Like...

Where was I? Sorry Chat, I'm losing my train of thought. Look, let me explain Chat– here's the dealio, ok? Here's the dealio, and this is what I mean when I say like, it's important to keep this in mind, Chat. Ok? It's important to keep this in mind:

I don’t think people understand the effect that the QSMP had on like, some of the streamers, in terms of like… The real raw mental impact, so I’m gonna set the stage for you. This is the analogy I’ve given to every person who I’ve like, shared this with. Imagine you meet somebody– [He hears a strange noise] What the fudge was that? Did you hear that?

Anyway– Chip! The story I was just relaying to Chat, Chip, was this: I was sharing this story with them, I said–  I was giving them an analogy. 

Imagine Chat, for example, imagine that you were… playing Minecraft, with like– you were given a friend to play Minecraft with, Chat, like your best friend, and [unintelligible] were like, “Hey, you get to play Minecraft with this person, right? BUT if this person dies – they’re currently your best friend, Chip – but if they die in the game, you never get to talk to them again. Ever again.” Can you imagine what that’s like, Chip?

I don’t think a lot of people understand like, what that does, right? I’m not gonna say that like, it creates this situation, Chip, that like, messes with your head, but it– Chip – but it totally, totally does, Chip. It messes with your head! It literally puts you in a position where you’re second-guessing and thinking about everything, Chip! You’re thinking about EVERYTHING Chip! Ok? And that’s the problem, Chip– is you turn into a paranoid monster because of it, Chip! Like, you don’t understand Chip– I was- I was so afraid of every dirt block, I used to carry a shovel with me Chip, and I would specifically right-click dirt blocks that looked suspicious because mines, Chip– mines could not be shoveled! Like, I was crazy, Chip! But here’s the problem, Chip: that craziness is still there. I’m genuinely like–

I remember thinking Chip, that I would one day– I was like, “I’m going to move past–” here, let’s go up here, Chip. I remember thinking one day Chip, I was like, “I’m gonna move past the underground base, one of these days. You know, one of these days, I feel like I’ll be able to grow and achieve the desire to build a base that doesn’t have to be underground.” But I don’t think it’s possible now Chip, because I think… I just don’t know. I feel like the paranoia– there’s still like, residual leftover trauma from that situation, Chip.

But here’s the problem Chip: I don’t think I don’t think– I don’t think people understand it. Like, I just really don’t. But I also don’t blame them Chip, ‘cuz I don’t think it’s possible to fully understand it if you haven’t lived through it. Like, if you did not live through the QSMP… I’m talking about the QSMP, I don’t- I don’t know if that was obvious– if you did not live through that, it almost sounds like, crazy. But I don’t think people realize how much of a joyous experience like, the Eggs were. Right? I don’t think people realize it. Like, they were SO awesome! They were literally so awesome to just hang out with and spend time with, Chip. So, it’s just one of those things that–

[He’s interrupted by a loud rumble of thunder above them]

Did lightning just strike here? Is it thunderstorming out…? But anyway, Chip. That’s the food for thought.

But that’s the problem– Like, every time it rains in Minecraft, I have to like, look at the sky, and I get this weird, like, second--hand vibe because of the trauma. The trauma, Chip! The trauma is real! But that’s the point– I’m not saying I regret it. I, to this day Chip, I loved the experience. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. Even knowing how everything went, I would still do it all over again. 

[He falls down] Dangit, don’t come over here Chip, ‘cuz I’m coming back up! Ok.

I would still do it all over again, because — even knowing like, all the trauma and suffering  and stuff like that — because it was just… It was just that fun, Chip, it was just that fun. I really wi– I don’t think it’s ever gonna be possible, Chip, to give people that same energy, like that same experience. You know what I mean, Chip? I don’t think it’s ever gonna be possible again. Like, EVER.

Because… because like, one: I will say on one level Chip, I will say on one level, like– it’s sort of emotionally like… It’s emotionally devastating, and I think to actually go through that– and this is where like, if I ever do end up going to a– see a therapist, if I ever do end up going to see a therapist at any point, I’ll talk it over with them and be like, “Hey, what do you think about this?” Because I genuinely think on one level, like– it’s created this fear of forming attachments because of like, how things can go. You know what I mean? Like, the fear of getting attached to something and then potentially losing it. Like, it’s- it’s a genuine thing. I think people forget about that.

Like, at the end of the day, everything was RP, right? On the server. You know what I mean? Like, everything was RP, Chip. BUT at the same point, even though it was RP Chip, it was still like– there the reality of you were still playing like, with another person, and you were still getting that experience, and it felt like you were genuinely attached to someone and you didn’t want anything bad to happen to them. It was GENUINELY stressful, Chip.

But at the same point, I don’t regret it, and I don’t think it was a bad experience. I’m– 

Sometimes in life Chip, you go through stuff, and maybe you have a certain amount of like, things that like, can happen, that you’re like, “You know what, maybe this wasn’t a good thing that this happened,” but at the same point, you still aren’t necessarily upset about it, because… it’s like growing as a person, right? Here’s the thing Chip; even bad situations, Chip, can lead to an overall good outcome. Like–

Even if you’re going through something bad Chip, just because a bad thing happens doesn’t mean that only bad things have to come from that. That’s one of the things I tell people all the time, Chip, is that if you go through a bad situation, you can learn from it, and you can use your experience to help others. And you can be that– you can be, at the worst-case scenario, you can be someone for other people who are going through that same experience to lean on when they go through that.I think there’s a certain amount of comfort that comes from that; from knowing no matter how bad your situation is, you’re not the only person who’s experienced it. You know what I mean?

[peach-moths]

The pb&j screenshot redraw from 2022 I was talking about in my other post

God seeing my old art style is so weird

And of course the screenshot I redrew

Also don't expect the backgrounds to increase. In fact, the one for raph and mikey is.....minimalist at best LMAO

[extreme-dyke-syndrome]

A disabled woman fell on the bus I'm on and I'm literally the only one who listened to her and didn't try and pull her up when she said she wanted to sit for a second, or crowd her saying what she should do next.

Can we actually listen to disabled people maybe? This is exhausting.

[bacchuschucklefuck]

we let the ocean drown out our voices/enjoying the bitterness/in the chaotic light, I close my eyes and see

[ionomycin]

2023 favorites

[lotus-duckies]

i think there's something very interesting about the fact that irl, turtles aren't very social or familial in any sense but the ninja turtles are incredibly social and love caring for others and this is arguably the greatest example of their humanity

[obsessedwithstarwars]

Question for the DP fandom:

Do you think Danny’s hair turns white when it falls out? It’s technically dead cells anyway but when it naturally falls off his head, do you think it turns white? Because I think it would be hilarious if his hairbrush just has white hair, no black strands whatsoever, and his significant other thought the worst until they know his secret.

[proselles]

Getting older is realizing bill cipher was sexier as a triangle anyway.