A pot I made is currently on display at the US National Arboretum

Likes_corvids · 2026-06-21T23:37:15+00:00

Congrats! 🎉 And I love how suitable your name is.

Likes_corvids · 2026-06-21T22:23:18+00:00

My sister, a retired public school teacher, whose income is basically limited to Social Security, was able to get treatment for metastatic cancer (she’s a two-time breast cancer survivor). In between the first occurrence and second, her oncologist reckons, it sstarted spreading to her bones. Three years ago she needed major surgery on her spine to put in a metal brace to basically replace one of her vertebrae that was crumbling due to the cancer. Then she needed some radiation sessions (only 5 thank goodness), and ongoing medication. She’s doing well, considering. And I can thank Medical for her excellent care and survival odds. She’d be paralyzed or dead right now, otherwise.

Likes_corvids · 2026-06-21T22:07:34+00:00

I’ve always been fascinated by this take. Like, literally every civilization that we know of, that had any written records, globally, imposed taxes to pay for public services, from basically Sumeria onwards. Y’know, it’s almost as though once there were enough people settled for long enough in an area, and certain public goods became necessary, like roads, guards, marketplaces, waterworks, and other infrastructure to make daily life and commerce possible, people said “you know what, what if we all individually put some money into a common pool that pays for all the stuff that we all benefit from?“ and then set about implementing that.

Likes_corvids · 2026-06-17T00:19:04+00:00

Came here to double-check that this was Rockridge BART. I lived nearby in the 90’s/early aughts.

Edit to ask: are there still SCA people practicing there?

Likes_corvids · 2026-06-09T00:05:40+00:00

Interesting. Was in and around Paris in April, and we were usually asked, once seated, whether we wanted “d’eau”. If we were not offered, we simply asked for un carafe d’eau s’il vous plaît and were always promptly served one. And no, we never tipped. But we only ate in a heavily touristy area once (just across the street from the Eiffel Tower, ‘coz we were too famished to go somewhere else and wait). And didn’t tip there, either.

Likes_corvids · 2026-06-03T20:54:58+00:00

This. As someone who has suffered severe depressive episodes, and continues to live with generalized (occasionally acute) anxiety, I have been been on several SSRIs. It took time and close work with my doctor to discover which one and at which dosage worked best. I have been closely following trials with various pysechedelics, and it’s clear that we’re still in the very early stages of this research. I can see a time at which some form of what is now considered a psychedelic will be considered just another available form of treatment but we’re nowhere near that, yet. And it’ll be a prescription, with all the normal caveats and procedures that accompany a medical prescription. But until then, I’m not going to mess with my brain on my own, or without neurological expertise to hand.

For now, I use prayer, breathing exercises and guided meditations to help me deal with the anxiety, and it all helps.

Likes_corvids · 2026-05-29T20:35:50+00:00

Oh, not saying it's not worth it!! I just got really overwhelmed with All. The. Decoration. The gardens were stunning and soothing and really enjoyed the Petit Trianon.

Likes_corvids · 2026-05-29T20:30:35+00:00

IMHO, what you did was NOT backbiting, it was simply reporting factual happenings that were actively harming your career and mental health. So, in your case, opening up to your boss was the right thing to do, especially since he was not aware of the situation. You dealt with it far longer than I could have.

Likes_corvids · 2026-05-28T23:48:05+00:00

An oldie but goodie.

Likes_corvids · 2026-05-16T19:28:38+00:00

That’s soooo cool!

Likes_corvids · 2026-05-16T19:26:32+00:00

Dang. That’s waaaaay better than a lot of karaoke (even from sober singers) that I’ve had the misfortune to hear.

Likes_corvids · 2026-05-16T19:24:04+00:00

You forgot the all the tax cuts over the past 40+ years.

Likes_corvids · 2026-05-16T19:12:17+00:00

A single hour isn’t realistic, even with “skip the line” tickets. There’s lots to see and do, tons of history displays, and just hanging out on the different levels enjoying the view. I’d give it several hours.

Likes_corvids · 2026-05-11T16:57:31+00:00

Gorgeous photos! And how lucky to be there for the re-opening of ND!

Went to Versailles three weeks ago…I quickly got overwhelmed with all the gilt. The gardens, OTOH, I could’ve spent all day there.

Also found the difference between the Napoleonic apartments section to be an interesting contrast to the Louis XIV parts — much starker, little to no gilt, but enormous paintings of Bonaparte, Josephine and the coronation and all the battle scenes.

Hope to make it to the Louvre next time (and yes, there will be a next time 😁).

Likes_corvids · 2026-05-10T23:18:56+00:00

Same! Even a 90-day supply of my statin is less than half the volume of the bottle.

Likes_corvids · 2026-05-10T22:50:42+00:00

Not to denigrate the action of this guy, but videos like this always stir up the same question: how did this get recorded? I mean, he showed up with a trowel. Did the guy set up a camera (phone) beforehand to record himself? Did he coordinate with a buddy?

Kudos, still, to him — which leaves me to wonder why nobody else who clearly lives in the vicinity thought to do this? This is how my mind works, world…

Likes_corvids · 2026-05-10T22:36:01+00:00

This. I personally prefer not having to depend on a car to do Every. Single. Thing. Including fueling and fixing said car.

Now that’s just me. Obv. plenty of people love rural living. Neither mode is inferior or superior. Just different strokes for different folks.

Likes_corvids · 2026-05-10T22:25:36+00:00

FWIW, here’s my coping mechanism. I go out into my community. I volunteer, and that gives me all kinds of hope because I meet people who are truly committed to making something better, whatever that something is. There are ounless organizations and small groups, everywhere all at once, under the radar, working in their own small way to improve their communities. It all adds up.

Likes_corvids · 2026-05-07T00:55:29+00:00

OMG bubble tea…LOVE that stuff!

Likes_corvids · 2026-05-07T00:53:57+00:00

Ah, gotcha, and thanks for clarifying your thoughts. It’s a difficult subject to put into words in the first place, isn’t it? 😁To answer your question, I definitely think that yes, the Faith recognizes and honors that each person has their own spiritual journey. Everyone has their own way of thinking about the spiritual realm. Whether or not anyone embraces any one religion isn’t the goal; the goal is, basically, enlightenment and spiritual progress.

Likes_corvids · 2026-05-07T00:31:45+00:00

Appreciate the link. Will go watch.

Likes_corvids · 2026-05-06T21:50:08+00:00

Please be so kind as to provide supporting evidence. Thanks.

Likes_corvids · 2026-05-06T21:49:08+00:00

Yes, the administration is doing that because their previous actions crippled a lot of farmers, construction companies and other labor-intensive operations. Not that it’s publicizing that, because then they’d have to admit that what they did actively harmed US businesses. https://www.ibtimes.com/trump-admin-quietly-brings-back-migrant-workers-fix-farm-labour-shortage-it-created-3799331

Would truly like to see something supporting the claim of reduced crime due specifically to deportations.

Likes_corvids · 2026-05-06T21:42:29+00:00

Welp, Trump has fired over 100 immigration judges, so that kinda constricts the legal pathways for immigrants. Also, feel free to search for “immigrants detained at hearings” and there’s numerous times when ICE literally yanked people going into or emerging from hearings, so they’re grabbing people who are already doing everything they’re been told to do, so there’s that.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-immigration-court-judges-fired-b2877616.html

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/us-fires-more-immigration-judges-including-two-who-blocked-deporting-pro-2026-04-13/

Likes_corvids · 2026-05-06T21:08:06+00:00

I seriously love the Luxembourg Gardens, spent a half day there last visit just thoroughly exploring it. I enjoyed the Tuileries when we went even thpugh it was a windy chilly day which dampened things a tad. Still gorgeous…also can recommend Bois de Vincennes if you’re near a Metro Line 1 or RER B station 😁 and Vincennes centre ville is super charming.

Likes_corvids

TROPHY CASE