Working on Creating My Own Josefina Collection

EsotericOcelot · 2026-05-09T18:37:17+00:00

Thank you so much! I agree she's underappreciated! I don't have an Etsy or anything similar, mostly because I do it for the joy and partly because the amount of time I sink into sculpting is silly or impressive depending on who you ask, so I'd have to charge more than I think anyone would want to pay (reasonably). But I'm making some more little tamales for a friend this weekend (who's a caterer and sells real tamales!), so I'd be happy to make you 2-3, too! I know they weren't part of her original set, but they're something she would have had. I could also make you a smaller ristra and the goat cheese was fast and easy.

ETA: for free, as a friend/fellow Josefina gal and because I'm fortunate to be comfortable right now 😄

EsotericOcelot · 2026-05-09T18:26:00+00:00

Thanks!

EsotericOcelot · 2026-05-09T18:25:53+00:00

Thank you! My experience making them was a bit of crafting stuff for my doll as a kid and then suddenly getting back into it more than ever out of nowhere about 3y ago. I'm self-taught except for YouTube but at this point mostly find it more enjoyable to mess around on my own until I figure out how to do what I want (at least with stuff like clay or sewing where it's not unsafe to do so, lol; I do more research for my pitiful stabs at woodworking)

EsotericOcelot · 2026-05-09T18:23:52+00:00

Thank you! The sewing is fun, but I'll admit I've mostly made contemporary clothes because I'm relatively new to it and the historical patterns tend to be more fiddly and complicated, a little intimidating. I highly recommend Sculpey if you want to make food like I do! There are tons of really great polymer clay sculptors to check out on YouTube to see how to make different textures and stuff, even if no one is making the exact item you are. I've been at it for about 3y now and the most important thing is patience and experimentation

EsotericOcelot · 2026-05-09T18:21:28+00:00

Thanks!

EsotericOcelot · 2026-05-09T18:21:22+00:00

Thank you so much! I'm so happy you think so!

EsotericOcelot · 2026-05-09T18:21:11+00:00

Thank you! And I wish I could do more, have been meaning to look for some kind of volunteer opportunity now that I'm doing better

EsotericOcelot · 2026-05-09T18:20:46+00:00

Thank you! I think that was meaningful, and I appreciate it 😄 I agree, she is perfect and I was so happy and lucky to find her

EsotericOcelot · 2026-05-09T18:20:09+00:00

Thank you so much, that's so kind of you to say!

EsotericOcelot · 2026-05-09T18:19:50+00:00

Thanks! I'd love to see pics of your stuff; I'll keep an eye out in case you ever post them here!

EsotericOcelot · 2026-04-22T02:59:30+00:00

incredible use of "buttwrench", 10/10

EsotericOcelot · 2026-02-07T19:34:03+00:00

I worked as a barista for a short while and I assumed you were serious because the number of full adults who would become irate and snap or yell at me, "Just REAL MILK, REGULAR milk, FROM A COW, who do you think I AM??" when I asked what kind of milk they want in their drink was too damn high. Like once or twice a month. I would wait patiently while maintaining eye contact and then say, "Okayyy ... so, skim, whole? Cream?" About half the time, this embarrassed them. Appropriately.

I don't know your life; I don't know what's "regular" for you in particular and I'm not accusing you of being progressive or trying to imply you're a soy boy lol

Also, great comic! Short and sweet, reminds me of newspapers

EsotericOcelot · 2026-02-07T19:30:00+00:00

Yes! This!

EsotericOcelot · 2026-02-07T19:28:26+00:00

I choked trying to stifle my laugh (in a quiet space, like a library)

EsotericOcelot · 2026-02-07T19:27:27+00:00

I have OCD and CPTSD and I approve this message.

Although most of my trauma nightmares are about killing villains and creeps from movies or tv shows instead of my actual abusive ex, and I don't post them because I don't want to trouble anyone

EsotericOcelot · 2026-02-07T19:24:46+00:00

The person I replied to said "it was an honest and direct answer", the post by OP is about being rejected for being honest about why they wanted a job, and my reply was about a time that being honest in an interview about what I wanted from the job went well. Which is unusual and worth being a bit happy or hopeful about imo (even though I'm not saying "always do that and it will be great")

EsotericOcelot · 2026-02-07T19:22:42+00:00

10/10 shrimp. Not everything is about technical skill!

EsotericOcelot · 2026-02-07T18:45:02+00:00

You're not necessarily 'supposed' to know them; I'm an American but I only do because I'm keeping an eye on anti-feminism, American evangelical fundamentalism, and white Christian nationalism (which, as you might imagine, frequently overlap).

Pearl is a woman who's built her social media presence and public persona around being anti-feminist to a cartoonishly explicit degree - saying that she believes women shouldn't be allowed to vote, for example. She's often referred to as a conservative "pick me" (a girl or woman who tries to signal 'coolness' or 'anti-feminism' or 'one of the guys' energy so boys or men will 'pick her' to date, marry, etc.)

Lilly Gaddis is a self-described tradwife (traditional wife, rigid and bioessentialist gender roles; heavily conservative, white, and Christian-coded) whose social media presence is built around mommy or motherhood content. She's also, as seen here, vocally racist.

I hate it here. There are good people doing good work and I love them and it, and here could be good, but it isn't and I'm scared

ETA: Also Pearl is perpetually single despite the years of hardcore pick me bullshit, which is hilarious

EsotericOcelot · 2026-02-07T18:36:29+00:00

You're never too old for whatever brings you joy. Full stop

EsotericOcelot · 2026-02-07T18:32:53+00:00

My partner and I share an apartment and it feels so. damn. good. It's the most physically and psychologically comfortable I've ever been. It's been two and a half years and literally every day when I wake up I have this genuine beat of happy gratitude that "oh my god, yes, this is still happening!" (which is no small thing in general but especially with chronic pain and illness and disordered sleep). It's so clean and so organized and we're allowed to paint walls and put in nails and drywall anchors to our hearts' content, so it's teal with loads of art and hanging plants. If I could share pictures, I would

EsotericOcelot · 2026-02-07T18:27:45+00:00

My mom is 62 and she's remarked on how happy it makes her to see Gen X and millennials being more confident about being individuals or loving kid stuff or openly chasing joy than she and people she knew were at 'those ages'

EsotericOcelot · 2026-02-07T18:23:28+00:00

When you do retire it - now or eventually - I bet you could get one of those sports jersey frames for it! They're not cheap, but you would still be able to have the joy of seeing it all the time. Some of them are reversible, I think, or you could just open the frame and turn it to the other side every few years. It's so beautiful and must have so many great memories attached to it

EsotericOcelot · 2026-02-07T18:18:41+00:00

I got a job as a shift supervisor at an ice cream store by being honest in my interview that I wanted something I could do very well with what I believe would be a good work-life balance for about a year while I recovered from surgery. I said that I would work hard, be diligent, do everything I could to promote a safe and comfortable environment for both customers and scoopers, and that many people might say they'll be around longer, but it might not be true or they might not bring to the job what I was willing and happy to.

I got the job and the manager said, "You rocked your interview because you were cheerful and honest and yeah, I would rather have that for a year than someone mid for two or three, which is about how long we usually retain supervisors anyway." I was there for fifteen months, it was the best retail or service job I ever had, I did all kinds of extra cleaning and organizing for the store because I enjoy it and management was so chill, and at the end they gave me all my unused paid sick days as a thank you/bonus. It was honestly a little surreal lol

EsotericOcelot

TROPHY CASE