Selkie Coat

Happy Halloween!! After almost a year of waiting to post about this costume, I'd finally like to show y'all my selkie coat

This is a costume I've wanted to make for years, and it was so awesome finally getting to see it through!

For more photos and information on how it was made, check out my website here: https://www.eds-costumes.com/completed-costumes/selkie

Hello beloved hellsite people, please help me make a decision XD

I'm about to finish Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, and I have too many other games I could play next. Y'all have good opinions on games soooo....

Horizon zero dawn was the winner! Not what I expected at all, but I'm excited to play it!

wait do those tin can phones really work?? I thought this was all a myth.

I just looked up a video this is wild I’m making one tomorrow

in my high school Art 4 class while we were no doubt supposed to be getting ready for a Very important Art Show, two of my friends made one of these phones but instead of talking into it they would write messages and clip it to the string and slide it across the string to the other and when the art teacher asked why they said “we’re texting” and she could not BELIEVE it, this was the FUNNIEST thing she’d heard all year so she got on her office phone and called the principal and said “two girls are texting in my classroom I need you to come take their phones and issue them detentions” and we all waited like assholes for him to show up and when he asked where they were she gestured at my friends “texting” on their tin can phone and my principal was already a pretty tired dude but that was the most exhausted I think he ever looked.

Haunted and excited by this being a field of study

im sorry, tortures??

Do y’all not remember the arm burn? The hand squeezes to rattle your bones? The ritualistic stories where you beat up on each other’s arms until their red? (Look it’s roses!) all the weird little pain rituals we did to each other as kids?

The fastest way to shut down my "freelance life means I have to constantly be working" thoughts is to remind myself that if I was a boss holding a worker to the standards I hold myself to, their union would hunt me for sport and nobody would blame them.

Not me immediately screenshotting this and posting it to the OPP freelance writers chat I'm in

I tell myself: "I'm the owner of the company. But more importantly, I'm also the head of Scriveners Local 23, and I have some demands."

So what that means is that I have a four day work week. I work monday-tuesday and then Thursday-Friday. Fuck the boss if they don't like it.

I have a workplace wellness program that means I can take breaks for yoga, meditation, exercise, and naps.

I have unlimited paid personal days thanks to my project oriented work structure--I get to decide what's the best balance between production and restoration. Fuck the boss if they don't like it.

I have five days each quarter for vacation. attending a convention, conference, expo, bookstore event tour, or a writing workshop *is not a vacation.* that's business-related travel. taking a day or two for a weekend jaunt *is not a vacation.* that's unlimited paid personal days. Five working days. Each Quarter. Vacation. and since I always have wednesdays off, it doesn't count.

I know there's a piece of your brain saying "I have to hustle, I have to hustle"

I know

My brain does that too

And without the union boss in my head, I'll just work until I drop. That's what I did for years. And then I burnt out so bad that this is the first time I have actually made real, noticable progress(1.) similar to my pre-burnout rates in years.

Because the union boss went on strike, and the boss' bottom line was *destroyed.* If I have to crunch now, the union boss enforces recovery time. that's all overtime. but since I don't get paid a wage, I get all that back in time.

The boss never wants to see a strike like that again.

There is power in a union, even if it's only the union in your head.

(1.) only it's not similar. it's half the "speed" of pre-burnout. It's probably my actual true real speed and not my sweatshop labour hustle culture speed. FUCK THE BOSS IF THEY DON'T LIKE IT.

This is outstanding advice for all forms of freelancing.

i’d say the best thing i have learned this year is to just let people be who they naturally are. no psychoanalyzing them, no overthinking my actions, no asking what i could possibly do to keep their presence in my life. i just bring my best self to the table and always move from a place of love and respect. how that person responds is ultimately up to them. if that causes them to exit my life, i just let it happen. i will never be in the business of changing people. people are only ever ready to change when they’ve made the conscious decision to. all i can do is check myself and be kind always.

this is SUCH a hard lesson to learn if you have anxious attachment problems. you’re constantly scheming to keep someone in your life, even at the expense of your mental health. i’ve been there so many times. it’s literally the most horrible feeling in the world, and it puts so much pressure on you to act the exact way you think the other person wants you to. all just so they grace you w the bare minimum. i feel so much lighter now that i literally just allow people to show who they are and let them fade out of my life organically. it’s brought me so much peace

not to sound like a boomer, but I need some people to learn how to write emails in a semi-professional (at the very least) format so you're not cold emailing a business/potential employer/any other stranger about formal matters in the exact same way you'd DM a close friend on instagram

the formality/language can loosen up in the email chain once you've established a rapport and you match the other person if they're being less formal, but please don't have the very first email you send a stranger be written in all lowercase ultra-casual sms slang with no greeting or signature and a billion emojis

Can I just ask, why?

(adding your tags since I'm addressing them)

It’s polite, for one. Professional doesn’t need to mean elaborate—in fact, most professional emails are aiming to be as clear and concise as possible. (in english at least, I know some other languages have some very complicated and elaborate email etiquette)

Greetings and signatures also don’t need to be elaborate. I feel like lots of people overthink it and assume that professional emails need the whole “dear x, my name is x and I am writing this email to inform you about [topic], sincerely [my name and all my contact info]” shebang, when really it’s as simple as adding a quick greeting/signature and avoiding super informal slang.

Here’s an comparison using art commission inquiry as the topic, written with zero extra fluff:

If I want to add a little more fluff, maybe I write:

Those are very short while also being more polite than an email that just says:

with zero greeting/signature and very informal tone. 

There’s still a person on the other side reading that email, and just like how being polite with a customer service agent on the phone will get you better results than being rude with them, sending a clear and professional email will have you taken more seriously by whoever is reading it. All 3 emails get the same point across, but the last one leaves a much worse impression. You don’t speak to your close friends the same way you’d speak to strangers, and it’s the same in text form. I get so many emails that are just abrupt questions, with not even a quick "thank you" either in the initial email or as a follow-up after I respond, because they ghost me as if I'm just a chat bot answering questions.

I know complaining about email language sounds like a ~corporate america white-collar bullshit~ kinda thing, and there is indeed significantly more elaborate email etiquette that can vastly differ depending on your job/field that I’m not addressing at all, but just having the very basics goes a long way in how your emails are viewed by other people.

As an addition, professional language acts as a social boundary setting to the protection of both parties.

Long story short, it indicates that this is a professional relationship, not a personal one.

That matters because when you are dealing professionally with someone (be it within a corporate office or commissioning an artist on tumblr), there are going to be discussions and disagreements. Maintaining that professional language ensures (at least in theory) that those disagreements are treated as part of the work and not as professional attacks. It also ensures that work will be done during work times and for appropriate recompense. This is work after all, not a favour for a friend.

^^^^^^

also in *any* professional space you are going to be dealing with a very very wide range of people in terms of age, experience, cultural background etc. the basic rules of professional writing can help you ensure that your message is interpreted correctly.

As someone who, on a daily basis, has to deal with customer e-mails for the returns department of a large online retailer, I can confirm that receiving an e-mail without any greeting or signature will instantly make sure that we don't put any more effort into your case than we need to. However, if you take the time to write a decent mail, we will take the time to get your shit sorted out and usually do a little more than we need to. Especially if you're friendly and don't question every single thing we say. We ask stuff for a reason, why are you being paranoid about it. Also, cursing, insulting our intelligence, or calling us names in an e-mail (which happens more than you'd expect) will definitely ensure that we won't care about your case. We will do the bare minimum so we don't get fired, but other than that, fuck you and your broken iPhone. Have some common decency, why don't ya.

My face is having uncontrollable spasms. Great. It hurts really, really, really bad.

I think part of why I have trouble explaining pain to the doctor is when they ask about the pain scale I always think “Well, if someone threw me down a flight of stairs right now or punched me a few times, it would definitely hurt a lot more” so I end up saying a low number. I was reading an article that said that “10” is the most commonly reported number and that is baffling to me. When I woke up from surgery with an 8" incision in my body and I could hardly even speak, I was in the most horrific pain of my life but I said “6” because I thought “Well, if you hit me in the stomach, it would be worse.”

I searched and searched for the post this graphic was from, and the OP deactivated, but I kept the graphic, because my BFF does the same thing, uses her imagination to come up with the worst pain she can imagine and pegs her “10″ there, and so is like, well, I’m conscious, so this must be a 5, and then the doctors don’t take her seriously. (And she then does things like driving herself to the hospital while in the process of giving birth. Probably should have called an ambulance for that one!)

So I found this and sent it to her. Because this is what they want to know: how badly is this pain affecting you? Not on a scale of “nothing” to “how I’d imagine it’d feel if bears were eating my still-living guts while I was on fire”. 

I hate reposting stuff, but I’ll never find that post again and OP is deactivated, so, here’s a repost. I can delete this later, i just wanted to get it to you and I can’t embed images in a chat or an ask. 

This is possibly why it took several weeks to diagnose my fractured spine.

Pain Scale transcription:

10 - I am in bed and I can’t move due to my pain. I need someone to take me to the emergency room because of my pain.

9 - My pain is all that I can think about. I can barely move or talk because of my pain.

8 - My pain is so severe that it is difficult to think of anything else. Talking and listening are difficult.

7 - I am in pain all the time. It keeps me from doing most activities.

6 - I think about my pain all of the time. I give up many activities because of my pain.

5 - I think about my pain most of the time. I cannot do some of the activities I need to do each day because of the pain.

4 - I am constantly aware of my pain but can continue most activities.

3 - My pain bothers me but I can ignore it most of the time.

2 - I have a low level of pain. I am aware of my pain only when I pay attention to it.

1 - My pain is hardly noticeable.

0 - I have no pain.

It’s also really important to get this kind of scale to people who have chronic pain, because chronic pain drastically lowers your perception of how “bad” any kind of pain actually is, and yet something like this pain scale is extremely user friendly. 

For example, if someone asked me how much pain I’m in at any given time, I’d say hardly any, and yet I’m apparently at a chronic 2.5, and it only goes up from there depending on the day. 

There’s also a similarly useful “Fatigue Scale”

I haven’t been below a 5 on this scale for 4 years 

Here’s the fatigue scale

Fatigue scale image desc:

10: can barely move; can’t talk

9: can barely move; can talk

8: can move, but can’t do much more than watch TV

7: can watch TV and play a game on my phone simultaneously

6: can do work on my computer lying in bed

5: can get around the house, but definitely couldn’t go out

4: can run a light errand

3: can get in my 10,000 steps, making my fitbit happy

2: can do three or more activities in a single day

1: going clubbing!

See also the Mental Health Pain Scale by Graceful Patient:

Mental Health Pain Scale transcription:

MILD

1 - Everything is a-okay! There is absolutely nothing wrong. You’re probably cuddling a fluffy kitten right now. Enjoy!

2 - You’re a bit frustrated or disappointed, but you’re easily distracted and cheered up with a little effort.

3 - Things are bothering you, but you’re coping. You might be overtired or hungry. The emotional equivalent of a headache.

MODERATE

4 - Today is a bad day (or a few bad days). You still have the skills to get through it, but be gentle with yourself. Use self-care strategies.

5 - Your mental health is starting to impact on your everyday life. Easy things are becoming difficult. You should talk to your doctor.

6 - You can’t do things the way you usually do them due to your mental health. Impulsive and compulsive thoughts may be hard to cope with.

SEVERE

7 - You’re avoiding things that make you more distressed, but that will make it worse. You should definitely seek help. This is serious.

8 - You can’t hide your struggles any more. You may have issues sleeping, eating, having fun, socialising, and work/study. Your mental health is affecting almost all parts of your life.

9 - You’re at a critical point. You aren’t functioning any more. You need urgent help. You may be a risk to yourself or others if left untreated.

10 - The worst mental and emotional distress possible. You can no longer care for yourself. You can’t imagine things getting any worse. Contact a crisis line immediately.

These are so important! SO SO IMPORTANT SHARE THIS AND SAVE IT TO SHOW YOUR DOCTORS!

This is the first time I’ve seen the fatigue scale, and HOLY MOLY that’s a revelation!!! These should be on all hospital and doctor office walls.

I’ve never seen the mental health one! or the fatigue one! I printed out the pain one and gave it to my GP. 

Doing more than one? Choose whichever you found the most helpful. ❤️

Not that it's above criticism, it's not, but I feel your Met Gala take should at least acknowledge it's a fundraiser for an art museum with pay-what-you-want admission instead of vaguely presenting it as as if it's an event where everyone goes to dump their money in Scrooge McDuck pits and jump around in it

"They put on the Met Gala as a distraction from-"

You cannot distract the general public with the Met Gala because the general public does not watch the Met Gala. It's a fashion slideshow on the morning news to them. It's disproportionately popular on social media but the number of people following it live is, while it's a number I can't quantify, I have to wager not very large

See also the Oscars, which are "around twenty million viewers" popular, not Super Bowl popular, nothing that's all-consuming but the Super Bowl so the idea that any event but that could be a "distraction" from anything in a modern media environment just doesn't work

800,000 people watched the Met Gala live. This doesn't count people who just engaged with it on social media, but the actual viewership was 0.24% of the US population.

By comparison, 19.3 million people watched the final episode of Game of Thrones live, and 8.2 million people across the US and Canada tuned into a single hockey game last month. And somehow I don't think the IDF are checking the NHL schedule when planning their assaults, or waiting for a big streaming series to drop.

The reason IDF terrorist attacks happen every time there’s a big pop culture event in the US is because the IDF carries out terrorist attacks every hour of every day

Hi all! My artwork “New Perspectives” is up for auction in the 14th Annual UPwithART fundraiser supporting Unity Project London and Museum London here in Ontario!

You can view this piece in-person at the Museum's exhibition from April 26 to May 3 – free admission. Save the date for the arty-party on May 4 and get your tickets and/or donate now at UPwithART.ca !

This event will help support the unhoused members of our community access shelter and move to permanent housing as quickly as possible. Support would mean a lot for this cause. :)

Some watery beasts :)

presented without commentary or apology

Why OP

slam that fucking unmute button

Oh? what a promising thumbnail.

That’s quite a costume. I love this woman’s hair, and her energy…

WAITAMINUTE

I fundamentally disagree with Thomas Jefferson and Mark Twain. "Never use two words when one will do," "don't use a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word will do," I'm going to turn a single sentence into an essay and it's going to cost five hundred dollars per word because those are the right words to get across what I mean without ambiguity and misunderstanding, thankyouverymuch

Rude

Found at swedish thrift store and purchased without hesitation  

what if you brought it to america and it turned into a picture of like mickey mouse or something