🇰🇪

John William Godward (1861 - 1922)

A Fair Reflection

Idleness

Under the Blossom that Hangs on the Bough

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

The Quiet Pet

i’m open to critiques 

Summer might be over but the growing season isn’t! Around this time of the year, retailers are throwing out their seeds and gardening supplies, even seeds of cold weather crops!

Take advantage of this opportunity to have a continual harvest all fall, winter, and spring of cold weather plants like

Cilantro

Turnips

Carrots

Collards

Cauliflower

Spinach

Broccoli

Radish

Celery

Cabbage and/or

Lettuce (this is not an exhaustive list, btw)

First things first I’ll admit I am not an experienced gardener. I’ve fucked around with plants before but 2020 was my first year to actually get a harvest.

That being said, the first step you should take is research! Look up cold weather crops, which plant hardiness zone you live in, your local frost dates, the temperature required to germinate and harvest these crops (broccoli germinates in the warmth and thrives in the cold, but many crops won’t germinate above 70° F), and write all this shit down. Temperature and timing is key here!

(Winter crops include artichoke, arugula, asparagus, beet, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, cilantro, collards, fennel, garlic, kale, lettuce, mustard, onion, peas, potatoes, spinach, radish, and turnips)

Second, and this applies to all gardening, do not spend top dollar on supplies!

1: Seeds are cheap to produce, are being disposed of en masse around this time of year, and you can probably find cheap or free seeds from your local seed library using this locator or by searching “seed library” + your location (on DuckDuckGo.com , instead of Shmoogle, of course).

2: Compost can be found for free or cheap at municipalities that accept compost from residents (only one town in my area does this, but for one pickup truck full of compost is $30, vs maybe 3 or 4 bags of compost from retailers for the same price)

3: wood chips make great mulch, which will protect your plants from the cold, help retain moisture, and enrich the soil over time. Do Not Buy Woodchips! Arborists consistently produce wood chips as a byproduct of removing trees, and will gladly let you have as much as you want for free, considering the alternative is paying landfills to take them. Call your local arborists and see if they will let you pick them up or better yet, if they deliver!

4: if you want to make raised beds, do not buy new wood! Get that shit for free from the back of any big box store, they always have have piles of wood pallets. OR ask any place that sells wood if you can have their off-cuts OR buy majorly discounted wood in packs OR check fa.cebo.ok/cra.iglist for free wood

5: talk about it! Let everyone from your grandpappy to your friend’s fam know that your gardening. people who have gardened in the past will have have all kinds of supplies they don’t use anymore that could be useful to you. And you don’t know until you talk about it!

First things first I’ll admit I am not an experienced gardener. I’ve fucked around with plants before but 2020 was my first year to actually get a harvest.

That being said, the first step you should take is research! Look up cold weather crops, which plant hardiness zone you live in, your local frost dates, the temperature required to germinate and harvest these crops (broccoli germinates in the warmth and thrives in the cold, but many crops won’t germinate above 70° F), and write all this shit down. Temperature and timing is key here!

(Winter crops include artichoke, arugula, asparagus, beet, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, cilantro, collards, fennel, garlic, kale, lettuce, mustard, onion, peas, potatoes, spinach, radish, and turnips)

Second, and this applies to all gardening, do not spend top dollar on supplies!

1: Seeds are cheap to produce, are being disposed of en masse around this time of year, and you can probably find cheap or free seeds from your local seed library using this locator or by searching “seed library” + your location (on DuckDuckGo.com , instead of Shmoogle, of course).

2: Compost can be found for free or cheap at municipalities that accept compost from residents (only one town in my area does this, but for one pickup truck full of compost is $30, vs maybe 3 or 4 bags of compost from retailers for the same price)

3: wood chips make great mulch, which will protect your plants from the cold, help retain moisture, and enrich the soil over time. Do Not Buy Woodchips! Arborists consistently produce wood chips as a byproduct of removing trees, and will gladly let you have as much as you want for free, considering the alternative is paying landfills to take them. Call your local arborists and see if they will let you pick them up or better yet, if they deliver!

4: if you want to make raised beds, do not buy new wood! Get that shit for free from the back of any big box store, they always have have piles of wood pallets. OR ask any place that sells wood if you can have their off-cuts OR buy majorly discounted wood in packs OR check fa.cebo.ok/cra.iglist for free wood

5: talk about it! Let everyone from your grandpappy to your friend’s fam know that your gardening. people who have gardened in the past will have have all kinds of supplies they don’t use anymore that could be useful to you. And you don’t know until you talk about it!

If you're in the US, connect with your local university extension office/master gardener program. These are great resources that exist to help hinder gardeners be successful and they have localized knowledge which is very useful.

Secondly, if you hear an arborist working in your neighborhood, ask them for their chips. They have to get rid of them, and usually they're quite happy to get rid of them in nearby yards. We've gotten 4 loads this way.

Definitely mulch! It'll help protect plants from cold, reduce weeding, and reduce watering needs while improving soil fertility.

which is a great observation

But it also ignored the fact that things wear out, deteriorate, or just shouldn’t be bought used. (Underwear, just one example)

Plus, there are lots of things in everyday life that just gets used up too fast to buy used all the time

So, yes, buying used should be your first choice.

But when it comes to stuff like soap, food, and necessary single use items….

Yes

Buying organic, small, biodegradable, etc. should also be priority for those who can afford it*

*not everything low waste is more expensive.

For example

Soap nuts are biodegradable and work great as laundry detergent. They’re not expensive, use 0 plastic, and don’t require extra time or effort beyond using hot water for your laundry.

Leather is a fashion term. Like how “vegetable” is a culinary term. A tomato is a vegetable in culinary terms but a fruit in biological ones. We call it a vegetable because we wouldn’t put it in a fruit salad. We use the word that best helps us describe how and when we use it in cooking. Mushroom leather is leather in fashion terms and mushroom fibers in biological terms. Which term helps me to decide if this cute jacket will go with my outfit:

leather jacket

mushroom jacket

Language evolves. The point of language is to clearly communicate an idea. If I want you to know what the clothing item LOOKS like, and it LOOKS like leather, then I will call it leather. If I want you to know that the item was made without animal exploitation I will call it vegan. If it is both of those things at once? Vegan leather. It’s really that simple.

If you want to know what it’s made of I can just say “vegan mushroom leather”, but it’s still “leather” because that’s what it’s trying to look like. That’s the texture and the feel of the garment.

Well I’m at it again. From one dumpster diving haul from a single pet store I will be able to feed 4 dogs for a month.

Pictured above is 2 dog food containers, each with about 60 pounds of kibble, and another bag of dog food at 30 pounds. Yes, out of 1 haul I got 150 pounds of perfectly edible dog food. This waste is inherent to capitalism, especially the late capitalism we’re living in now, and even in the middle of a pandemic.

For 4 years now I have been feeding my dog for free, not just with freegan kibble but with meat, eggs, and veggies saved from being thrown away from households, restaurants, and retailers.

But more often than not I come across way more food than I need, and it’s not always shelf stable kibble. So what now? Take a portion and leave the rest to rot? Well, you don’t have to!

If you find yourself with the time and enthusiasm, a dumpster full of perfectly good potatoes can quickly become an empty dumpster, but how do you disperse this much food? First, try to find a Buy Nothing Project near you, see if your city has a free store, a food rescue project, or if you need to get your precious perishables to a fridge ASAP, donate to the closest homeless shelter (they’re usually open 24/7, but make sure to call ahead first). But if it can wait, food banks do take “expired” food, and are always in dire need of bulk donations.

Whichever method you choose, always make it a point to connect with people, dive and donate regularly if you can, and most importantly, get organized. Because when you donate what you don’t need, you’re taking direct action, and you are more powerful together.

Dumpster diving safety

Dumpster diving legalities

I lied, that food lasted for months. And then we refilled the containers again, from one haul ( from a dumpster 1-6 days full of kibble [just one pet store throws away enough kibble to feed 4 large dogs for 2 months every 1-6 days, think about that).

This is why you organize. This is why you share your enthusiasm and ask around. You never know who used to sew and had heaps of sewing supplies, power tools, gardening stuff, etc.! When the right people know what you’re about, you will naturally form community and share what you can give. Whether that be skills , goods, or a helping hand.

Find a Mutual Aid group (U.S.)

Find a seed saving network

How to start sharing in your community

Now more than ever, we need each other, and you can make a difference. Whether that’s by feeding dogs, feeding your household, or feeding others.

Put yourself in situations where your have more than you need and distribute.

have 3 achievable goals a day: having a laundry list of things to do everyday is super unrealistic, and you just end up feeling bad about yourself because you didn’t accomplish your goals for the day.

leave your sundays open: i love sundays because they’re my day to chill out and catch up on school work that i wasn’t able to finish during the week.

recognize when you’re at your emotional limits: forcing yourself to get work done when you are unable to comprehend your study material does not benefit anyone.

learn how to say no: people will ask you for your time and it will stretch you to the limit, whether it be at your job, in your extracurriculars, or in your personal life. know when to step back and say no.

take care of yourself physically: take breaks, go for walks, shower regularly, get enough sleep, eat healthy, see your friends

celebrate your accomplishments: go out to eat with friends after a big exam, indulge in a night off after a busy week with some netflix and wine

make a study plan beforehand: it can be daunting to see how much work you need to put in to a class or task beforehand, but this allows you to spread your work evenly so you don’t become overwhelmed.

learn how to ask for help: it is very rare that people make it through school, whether it be high school or university or any graduate program, without needing the advice of others or just a kind soul to vent to. find that person.

never forget your hobbies: you will need things that keep you sane. if you love to play music, write, play volleyball, or cook, make you sure you don’t lose these things. they will become your escape when times get tough.

PART TWO I CHROME EXTENSIONS

part one here

Wow, I really didn’t think you’d like the first part as much as you did - Over 9K notes! I’m stunned! Well, here is part 2 - chrome extensions 😊 I’ll try to update it once I work more with my laptop and as always, recommendations are appreciated!

bolded = favourite, cursive = apps I use every day

Studying

Forest well, everyone knows forest right? It’s great for concentrating and motivating each other. How about joining our forest group on discord?

Studyblue Create, study and share your own digital flashcards for free

StayFocusd restricts the amount of time you can spend on time-wasting websites. Highly configurable which is great!

max words learn about Latin and Greek roots with nice graphics

Flashtabs FlashTabs is a tool that enables you to set a deck of flashcards and process them at every new tab screen.

myHomework Student Planner planner for students. tracks classes, homework, etc. available offline and mobile

Focus A bit like Forest. A timer & distracting websites on your list will be blocked during that time.

Noisli Blocks out annoying noises - timer and study sound, very good for concentrating. Also available for iOS

Note taking and co

Evernote On my phone/computer for over 4 years now. The group feature is so great for projects. A bit like OneNote

wunderlist for lists and to-dos. you can share them too. available offline and mobile

lucidpress you can create newsletters, brochures, etc. using templates or making your own.

OneNote online gathers web pages, notes, pictures, bujos, documents all in one notebook. includes collaboration.

Canva Easily designs beautiful, professional graphics.

Languages

Mainichi Learn Japanese each time you open a new tab.

Grammarly checks your grammar while you write. Really helpful, especially for non-native speakers.

Rememberry Translate words and phrases while browsing the web and learn them through flashcards

Tab Extensions

Momentum A Tab extension that has established itself well between studyblrs. It’s simple and elegant with a to-do list feature and a focus

Tabby Cat I Such a cute extension! Every time you open a new tab there is a new calming lil’ cat waiting for you. It even purrs! Very nice an simple design.

Color tab shows a new stunning colour palette with every new tab

Infinity highly configurable tab extension Weather Tips, To-dos, History Management, Notepad Apps like Evernote, HD wallpapers and Google Search

ColorZilla allows you to pick up a colour from any site 

Inspiration & Motivation

Drink! Reminds you to drink in between your study sessions

Planetarium An interactive sky map for exploring the stars and planets.

PostureMinder Pops up every once in a while to tell you not to slouch. Didn’t think it would help but I’ve actually noticed some progress.

Spotify My main source for music. You can find my study playlist here

8tracks another great site for study playlists but not free

Animal crossing music Play Animal Crossing’s smooth background music in real-time throughout your day

Others

Aerys Open too many tabs in your browser? Don’t worry, let Aerys II Targaryen, also known as the Mad King, help you burn them all!

Save to pocket save articles and websites to pocket to read later and offline

The appearance and organization of my notes plays a huge role in the amount of time that I dedicate to studying and my overall performance on tests.  Therefore, I’ve spent the past several years experimenting with various methods, and these are a few of the techniques that I’ve found to be most beneficial.

Cornell Method

The Cornell Method emphasizes identifying the key points of a textbook passage or lecture and consolidating information as much as possible.  

I’ve found that this style works best for literature and science courses that require extensive, dense reading and note-taking.  It allows me to easily and quickly identify what I understand versus what I still need to work on.

Adapted Cornell Method

I’ve created my own adaptation of the Cornell Method by eliminating the summary section at the bottom of the page and incorporating Post-It notes throughout the body of the page to highlight lists and key points.  And, of course, I had to add some color!

Outline

This is, by far, my favorite method due to its flexibility and clean, minimalist appearance.  While the image above doesn’t depict a true series of bullets at varying levels of indentation, you can experiment with different types of bullet points as well as varying spacing.  

I prefer using this method for maths because it allows sufficient space for me to draw graphs, record examples, and solve problems.  

Mind-Maps

Mind-maps are extremely helpful for organizing complex or extremely confusing topics.  There’s no right or wrong way to go about drawing one, and much of the final appearance will be related to the material that you’re diagramming.  Keep in mind that certain topics and information will more readily lend itself to this sort of portrayal.

So you want to experience the lifestyles of the “rich and famous”… 

The first thing you need to do is ask yourself if you’re ready to do this. 

Are you truly prepared to enter this world?Are you willing to make sacrifices? 

A lot of us that become a part of this lifestyle will lose a lot (if not all) of our friends because we can no longer relate to them (amongst other reasons). And there’s no guarantee that you will make new friends, especially ones that you can count on while you’re in this lifestyle. Can you handle losing your friends?And that’s just one of the sacrifices that you may have to make. 

You also need to ask yourself if you’re mentally prepared for this. Can you handle your friends or people in general trying to use your for material gain? People only pretending to like you because you know “so-and-so” and they want the hook up? How would you handle a situation like that?

Can you deal with your loved ones getting jealous?Can you hold your composure when a stranger calls you a gold digger? Can you deal with being called a thot by your friends (and not in a jokingly manner)? Can you brush it off if your family begins to question you and your morals? I’m not saying these things will happen to you, but I am saying you need to be prepared for any possible backlash. Because you are a young woman that wants to enter into this circle…you will most likely be called names. And the ones I mention are the nice ones you will be called. 

And I know you say that you’re not a sugar baby but boo, no one’s going to care and if you’re constantly seen hanging around celebrities (especially male celebrities) no one’s going to believe you.  Are you okay with that?And what about your looks? You need to be honest with yourself about this one.  I’ve seen so many girls get their feelings hurt simply because they didn’t take the time to improve themselves…Now, I’m not saying that you need to be a size 0 with supermodel looks, but you need to look put together. Let me repeat this: YOU NEED TO LOOK PUT TOGETHER. I’m not going to lie to you about this. I’m not going to sugarcoat this. I see so many girls going around lying to y'all about something that doesn’t need to be lied about. Anyone can improve their looks. Anyone can look put together. ANYONE. This is a learnable trait. Take the time to brush up on your makeup skills; look through magazines to put your wardrobe together, etc.  I’m not saying spend thousands of dollars on designer clothes and cosmetic procedures (get the rich person/celeb to do that lol). What I am saying though is be honest about your looks, and if you need to improve something…improve it. Can you handle the ups and downs with this lifestyle? What if you’re not invited to a party that you just knew you were going to go to? What if a celebrity kicks your ass to curb and no longer wants you to associate with them? What if you find yourself featured on “TheDirty”? Can you brush it off and keep it moving? I apologize if I sound a bit negative, that is not my intent. I am a positive person, but I also try to be a realist. This life can be amazing with some incredible rewards and opportunities, no doubt about it. That’s why we all want in. But everything has it’s pros and cons. Only you can decide if it’s worth it.  Take some time. Sit with yourself and truly ask if you want to do this. Be honest with yourself. Be real with yourself.

I know this situation all too well. And in all honesty, I’m still dealing with this myself. You’re stuck in a rut my love and it can be challenging to climb out. And what’s worse, the longer you’ve been in one, the harder it is to leave. 

But you can. 

The key for changing your life (because that’s really what you’re asking me) is to change your environment while surrounding yourself with positive reinforcements.

That’s the short of it. Of course, this will most likely be easier said than done. 

However, when I say “change your environment” I don’t recommend that you just pack your stuff up and move. Nonetheless, if you truly do think that will change your life, go for it. But I feel that if you’ve been stuck in a rut for that many years, suddenly up and leaving will be too overwhelming. Too much anxiety and possibly too much fear. You run the risk of creating another rut in the new place or returning to the old one with your tail tucked in between your legs which will unfortunately result in you digging into your rut even deeper. 

Instead, I recommend leaving in short bursts. And since you’re writing me, I’m going to guess that you have an affinity for living the life of a jetsetter. So how do you apply this?

I’m going to guess that you hardly go out anywhere now, so starting small would be good. Go to upscale restaurants. Go to spas. Go to boutiques. Go to wine tastings. Go to art galleries. Work your way up to weekend getaways and week long trips. 

And if by chance you have no money - go to free events. A google search of events in your city plus the word “free” I’m sure will result in some things you can do. 

Visiting these places will shake up your environment which causes your brain to “temporarily” leave it’s rut (because let’s be honest, when it comes down to it, being stuck in a rut is a mental thing). Any change in an environment will do but like I said, you wrote me, so let’s stick to how to apply to this jetsetting.  And when your brain is in a different environment, it’s more willing to receive new information, such as new habits (such as exercising) and positive reinforcements (such as being more encouraging and loving towards yourself). 

I’m also willing to bet you have anxiety….and probably a perfectionist. If you are, changing your environment, may be a bit unnerving at first. But you have to do this. And don’t try to be perfect. You can read as much motivational shit as you want, but in the end, you’re going to have to take some action. There’s no other way out. If you truly want to change your life, a big part of that is going to have to involve changing your environment. It’s going to be uncomfortable. Leaving a comfort zone has never been comfortable.

You sleep so much because you’re mentally exhausted and most likely depressed. I’m not saying these things to upset you but so that you’ll know why; so that you can catch yourself the next time you feel as if you’re falling back into a comfort zone. 

And as far as you putting everyone first, I don’t need to tell you that you should change your ways. I don’t need to give you reasons or tell you to put yourself first. Your spirit has already told you otherwise you wouldn’t be aware that you’re doing it in the first place. 

And by the way, putting everyone else first, all the time, is what causes a lot of that mental and emotional exhaustion that you’re having. And if it goes on for long enough, you’re going to end up a resentful and angry person. And if I could place one more guess, I’m willing to bet you’re already starting to feel that way. 

But you still have time to turn all of this around. 

Getting out of a rut is probably one of the hardest if not the hardest thing you will ever do. But you owe it to yourself. You owe it to your dreams. Sweetheart, you did not choose your dreams. They chose you. And they’re waiting for you to make them a reality.

What’s a selfish person? A selfish person is someone who is mainly concerned with their own interests, benefits, pleasure, gains, etc. 

So how do you use this to your advantage? You focus on their interests, benefits, pleasure, gains, etc., while appearing to put your own interests, gains, etc., second.

In short: you use people’s selfishness by giving them what they want. 

{And I don’t mean sex}. 

I mean their vanity. Their self-esteem. Their greed. Their desires. Their fantasies. All of this is selfish. 

Why is all of that selfish? Because all of that is about putting yourself first. And most people will put their own wants first. 

Especially men. 

So what do you do? You appeal to their vanity. You stroke their egos. You make them feel good. You give them what they yearn and long for. You discover their fantasies and little by little you give it to them. {You always give it little by little so that you will not overwhelm a person and make them suspicious}.

Don’t worry about them appealing to your vanity. Don’t worry about them stroking your ego. Remember your objective is to get what you want out of them. And to be honest, it’s not hard to do this because so few people are willing to be selfless. So few people are willing to {seemingly} put another person first. 

Never let anything break the illusion. 

A willingness to take the risks necessary to live the life they want for themselves

A deep understanding of the psychology of men combined with strong skills of seduction

A talent for marketing and self-promotion

Strong personal ambition and drive to succeed

A strong head for business and sharp financial acumen