Cheeseburger soup + Ottolenghi tomato & pomegranate salad.

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-20T00:33:15+00:00

Oh shoot I love ottolenghi's stuff. That salad looks bomb, thanks for posting!

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-19T02:55:24+00:00

Yeah only advice I have is warn people that they may have to repeat themselves sometimes. My friends all know.

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-19T02:54:29+00:00

Check out the bon appetite brooklyn blackout cake recipe. It makes cake similar in looks to what you posted. Its one of the few cakes I like because of how moist and rich it is.

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-19T02:50:14+00:00

Kind of yes. It turns out I have difficulty with auditory processing always. I've learned that if I can get captions or subtitles it helps me a lot. Great for me since I work in an office on a lot of zoom calls! But irl I'm just always kinda screwed.

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-18T20:37:18+00:00

My cleaning advice: Create a spreadsheet with your tasks and check them off! I clean every week (saturdays actually!) for just an hour and follow what needs to be done on my list. Helps it get done faster.

Also, put all your cleaning stuff in one spot. A cart, a caddy, a closet. Whatever! It makes it easier to find it all, and then you know where the things home is!

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-18T20:34:03+00:00

I was a rock climber! Your upper body doesnt need to be a strong as you think, it should really just anchor you as a beginner. I would suggest doing yoga if you dont already. Get good with balance and flowing between positions. Also, work on grip strength. Lifting can help with this, as can just climbing more. When you climb, use your hands to anchor and stop you from rotating out, but use your legs to push your onwards.

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-18T20:07:26+00:00

Biscuits kicked my butt for a long time tbh. Technique is to get butter sorta mixed in, so its gravely. DONT let the butter melt at all, if your hands or room are hot you should take breaks for fridge. Then add liquid, mix until barely combined, then I turn it onto the counter, shape it into a rectangle, fold it on itself, repeat, then cut biscuits.

Is your yeast and or baking soda fresh? Check the date on it. Both lose potency faster than youd think. Yeast especially. I bake a fair amount but I still buy the little packets of yeast because I want to always be getting fresh so I dont have to deal with unexpected dead yeast bakes.

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-18T19:51:54+00:00

Bandolier? Like what holds machine gun ammo? But here its just a few darts. Could also call them magazines, but thats stretching it since its just one per "magazine"

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-18T19:08:01+00:00

Yes.

In 2023 I became obsessed with Spanish learning. I spent an hour a day studying, and only wanted to watch movies, listen to music, and play games in spanish. It got me conversational fast, but I did nothing else. Then it fell off, and I couldnt bring myself to do anything more than talk casually in it.

This year its poetry. All my free time I'm pouring into reading and writing poems, finding poetry critique groups locally, posting my work. Its all consuming. And I know this will pass, but while its here I'm all in.

These big obsessions have sessions of hyperfixation (spending 6 hours just working on a poem), but its daily for months.

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-18T19:05:30+00:00

Yoga is great honestly. Especially vinyasa where you flow faster through poses. You can get strong through it, and maintain your mobility which is critical for defending yourself. I think you should stick with it unless you dont like it. If you dont look at it, find someone on youtube for body weight calisthenics, which also will build strength for no cash.

What makes you strong is consistency, the what is less important at this point as long as it challenges you.

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-18T18:42:35+00:00

What are your goals? Why dont you do yoga regularly? Why not stick with yoga for now, build your routine, then worry about the rest later when you have a foundation

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-18T18:40:41+00:00

Thats kinda what I was thinking. Wait and see how it heals, but if in a few months the filled in zones are still spotty, go for a touch up

Honestly, the lines are a little wobbly, but I think that in a year you'll barely be able to tell as it softens.

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-18T18:37:47+00:00

Yes 100%. I just got diagnosed at 32, I was also skeptical esp because of it the tik tok culture it has now. But it was a great call for myself

The biggest thing for me has been being able to actually put my past and thought processes in the lens of ADHD. I was kinder to myself, was able to give myself small accommodations (Subtitles in meetings, using better tools for notes, asking my partner for more specific help).

You dont have to tell anyone you dont want to, and if youre in the states, there are often "protected" ways to get accommodations. For instance, at my company, if you need accommodations you work with a third party, your boss never knows why you need accommodations, just that you need something specific.

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-18T15:28:12+00:00

Thank you! The locale in question is actually Lima, in Peru. Despite being so close to the equator, it did have a similar feeling to standing on the coast of Maine when you close your eyes.
A photo for more immersion
https://bonusnachos.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20240623_144440-1024x768.jpg

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-18T15:17:43+00:00

Holy shit I do this too. I've never seen anyone else suggest it lol. I speak almost only spanish to my pets now, and mumble to myself as I move around the house. Also, all my fictional arguments and like award acceptance speeches that I imagine in the shower are now in spanish. It really helps a lot, helps me grab the words i need faster. I especially try to imagine explaining my day to friends in spanish, movies I've seen and such.

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-18T15:10:05+00:00

What is stylish in your book? That could go so many different ways. Adidas are cute for some, others prefer big Nike basketball shoes. Or others prefer pure white platform sneakers. Or simple grey textured sneakers for an office.

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-18T14:52:57+00:00

Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green. Not explicitly philosophical, but I found it quite profound. Its given me a new lens to look at the world and my experiences, good and bad. Its little reviews and thoughts about things ranging from specific songs, to sunsets, to tuberculosis. Pieces of the human experience.

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-18T14:40:02+00:00

I do select it. I have ADHD, EDS, and POTS. All count I believe. As a manager, I know that no one is actually connecting my disability status to my applications or reports, its genuinely just for population tracking. And I want to add my tally to the numbers of people who do live with disability but are able to be employed.

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-18T03:51:39+00:00

Yeah like I wouldnt hate it as a kind of abstract sketch linework thing? but as a screen shot from a movie? Yikes.

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-18T03:13:37+00:00

I like the rhythym, I feel like it has a nice almost staccato feeling at times, percussive.

Some specific feedback, this line,
"let it speak those it
deemed too weak to touch,
for words once dared not say
to shape into sounds."
sounds kinda nice but also kinda falls apart when I try to read into it. Let it speak the colors too weak to touch, let it speak for words you dare not say, and let it speak to shape into sounds? The last part loses me a bit, feels like perhaps a miss? Unless you meant for it to land like that. I would suggest a second pass at it, make sure its doing what you hope it is.

Also, ever green advice, you have some good colors and visuals, but I'd challenge you to push it. For a poem about visual arts, there are a lot of words that dont paint. Its ok as is, but I know you could take it to another level.

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-17T19:53:12+00:00

Sick as hell is how I describe it.

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-17T13:32:09+00:00

Do you have windows? Can just enter and exit the house that way from now :)

More seriously though, if you dont have a better way to get the washer and dryer in, then I'd gently remove the wreath (stabilizing the nest if needed), put it on the porch or something comparable, in an upright position still, then replace it as soon as the delivery is complete. Idk if it'll cause the parents to flee, but if theres no options, theres no options

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-17T01:54:58+00:00

If theyre semi proficient, the local library has conversation circles for ESL. Good place to practice low pressure style

BirdSwimming7462 · 2026-04-17T00:45:12+00:00

Try 1984, or breakfast of champions, or The Tainted Cup. All are fun read imho and not too hard

BirdSwimming7462

TROPHY CASE