I dunno what's going on either

There is a type of task which I would call "washing a dragon." There were a variety of specific things that would fall into this category but broadly it meant something like, I need to do this thing and I have been putting it off because it will be hard but the longer I put it off the harder it actually becomes.

Like if I really need to wash a pet dragon, well the dragon doesn't really like to be washed so it's hard to fight with the dragon to get it washed but also the longer I put it off, the dirtier the dragon gets and so the harder the washing and fighting will be once I do it.

And for a real life example, I needed to email a professor whose independent study I was in, to tell him I needed to drop it or find some other solution because it was going to be so hard to catch up because we hadn't met or worked in weeks, but this was a hard email because I was embarrassed and I wasn't sure what the solution was going to be, but obviously the longer I put it off the harder the problem is to solve and the more embarrassing the email was going to be.

Washing a dragon was often something of this form, asking for help on something where the longer I wait the more help I need to ask for and the more embarrassing it is to admit I need it. But there were also other kinds of dragons to wash. And since they often had some amount of embarrassment to them (it's embarrassing to leave the dragon unwashed for so long) it is hard to ask someone to help hold me accountable for finally doing the thing, or to ask them to make me sit with them until I do the thing.

Satin stitch, "shtapivka" stitch

Satin stitch, cross stitch

Cross stitch, "shtapivka" stitch

Cross stitch

“I had been at work about two months when Christmas came on – and here I must relate a little anecdote. The principal [the tailor] and his lady were invited to a party among their friends…while it devolved on me to stay at home and keep house. There was nothing left me in charge to do, only to take care of the house. There was a large cat that generally lay about the fire. In order to try my mechanical powers, I concluded to make a suit of clothing for puss, and for my purpose gathered some scraps of cloth that lay about the shop-board, and went to work as hard as I could. Late in the evening I got my suit of clothes finished; I caught the cat, put on the whole suit – coat, vest, and small-clothes [breeches] – buttoned all on tight, and set down my cat to inspect the fit. 

most of their job is dealing with the kinds of assholes who think black market tiger cubs are a great idea right up until someone gets mauled, except these are even bigger assholes with black market Smilodon cubs that they are even less equipped to care for

this is the most straightforward and therefore relatively headache-free part of their job, however, because it’s the same “put that thing back where it came from or so help me” song and dance every time

it’s also significantly less depressing than the trophy hunters who don’t even want an alive extinct animal. those are extra annoying because you have to undo the time travel that let them kill that poor Megatherium or thylacine or anklyosaur or whatever, and it’s always so much extra paperwork.

and those people suck, definitely, and have fully earned a stint in Time Jail. no question. but they still do not create anywhere near as much work as the obsessive hobbyists with their exhaustively careful best practices and worryingly good track-covering. also, weirdly, it’s almost always birds with them?

like. the guys who will flagrantly abuse Time Law to bird-nap breeding pairs just long enough to raise one clutch of eggs apiece, and return them seamlessly to their spots on the timeline. who are so determined to keep their pet (ha) projects going that no one even realizes what they’re doing until they have an entire stable breeding population of passenger pigeons up and running. who are now the reason that reps from six different zoos are about to start throwing hands right in front of you over who gets dibs.

A bright and colorful delicious Mango Salsa made with eight easy ingredients in about ten minutes.  Mix up a batch today and enjoy it over grilled chicken, omelets, burritos, tacos, and Tex-Mex casseroles.

The Estate's Secret

This recipe was a ton of work, he is straight up lying when he says a prep time of 10 minutes and a cook time of 20 minutes. I even used just canned refried beans heated in the microwave and it took a ton of time anyways. Because of that I probably wouldn't make the whole recipe over again, but I'd defs make that salsa again!

But this one is really yummy! I recommend cabbage instead of lettuce, I think it gives a nicer crunch, but if you won't use up the rest of the head of cabbage, it's not worth it.

I always find tostadas a bit messy to eat, but the author talks about how they're nice because you can fit more filling on them, and I guess that's true.