idk

That was definitely Pyrrha's last cigarette

Bonus:

For example, emotionally, I genuinely think less of someone who buys into stupid conspiracies about organ donation. I think that morally, if you are unwilling (unwilling, not medically unable) to donate organs, you should not be an organ candidate. I don’t think you should be able to say ‘If I’m dead I want all of my organs to rot, even if they could save lives. But I also want to benefit from other people’s sacrifice.’ Fuck you.

But I do not believe it would be ethical (or practical) to legislate that. I think it would be a horrible ethical violation and medical coercion. I recognize that, even as I’m disgusted by people who would let someone die when saving lives would cost them nothing.

But what I want to highlight is the political bloc who were most effective against the law, and led to its defeat: community healthcare workers who were on the frontlines, whose careers very often were at that intersection of drug abuse and child suffering. 

Their argument wasn’t primarily about the parental rights of the mothers, or about the criminalization of substance use disorders. Instead, it was about what public health policies work in the real world, and what policies cause more harm. They argued these women would be afraid to access resources for harm reduction during pregnancy. This would result in heavier drug usage during pregnancy than if they were able to access harm reduction strategies and resources. There would also be an increase in abandoned infants, babies who are very sick and need immediate medical help. Fear of punishment wouldn’t help anyone. 

Giving yourself time, safety, and rest. Letting your brain learn how to feel safe again by giving it a safe place to rest and recover. Rediscovering the feeling of peace is a fundamental part of recovery.

Examining your day-to-day feelings. (Not just your feelings about what happened in the past, but the way you feel just in general, day-to-day.) Observing and understanding your present emotions, the things you are struggling with, the things that are getting easier, recognizing the good, the bad, and the gray.

Identifying triggers, brainstorming ways to avoid them, and having a gameplan & coping skills for when they can’t be avoided.

Identifying goals, concrete or otherwise. (E.g. my goal is to have more good days this month than last month, to have fewer days spent in bed, to have fewer moments of panic, to be a little happier and feel a little more safe.)

Mapping progress

Talking about your fears & negative feelings is important. But you can start by talking about your desires & hopes for the future. In therapy, you get to choose what to talk about, and how far the conversation goes.

Reminding yourself that you are working to overcome obstacles specifically because there are good things waiting ahead.

website

This image captures the Tarantula Nebula in all of its cosmic glory. Astronomers study nebulae like this one to learn about how elements form and disperse throughout the galaxy, seeding space with planetary building blocks.

Clouds of dust and gas called nebulae speckle our galaxy. Some are ferocious cosmic factories that churn out baby stars by the hundreds of thousands, while others are grave markers of stars long dead. Astronomers study them to learn about how stars and planets form, and how ingredients are recycled in space.

But all that dust is difficult to see through, and nebulae are often so large that today’s most powerful space telescopes can only realistically study tiny patches of them. That’s where our soon-to-launch Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope comes in.

Mostly it's patience, Facebook marketplace, and local thrift stores. (Not antique stores--they're generally priced at what stuff is worth, and they're able to be patient until a buyer with the right budget comes about.)

And that means that you might be doing a lot of work driving somewhere, hauling furniture, and then driving a lot again. It also means passing on cool stuff that isn't in your budget. The great deals are always the ones that are the least convenient. Always. They're priced low because the seller wants them gone and doesn't want to deal with moving themselves. They're usually in smaller towns that aren't antique hotspots. This piece was two hours away from me and I roped some random motorcyclists into helping me load it into my van.

Personally I'm a fan of getting a budget, secondhand piece of furniture that's good enough for what you need for now, taking care of it, and then upgrading to something cooler when you find it. For example, the side by side is replacing a mediocre writing desk and this very heavy leaded glass hutch (which I moved out of the way yesterday by myself and let me tell you, not fun).

I'll be selling both the desk and hutch for essentially the same amount I paid for them. It's kind of like leasing furniture, really. I already recouped what I spent buying the side-by-side by selling a different china cabinet. All three of those furniture items are nice, and were individually less than $250 when I bought them. They're just less cool than the new thing!

made a little sign to carry with me to markets because fuck AI and fuck AI shit at art markets especially

none of my art is ever or will ever be made with AI, it's all human creativity babyyyy

Liz Friedman, as in co-executive-producer of 91 episodes of Xena: Warrior Princess.