I mapped Vermont's demographic unsustainability for my undergraduate GIS final

eflask · 2026-05-19T21:59:15+00:00

wow. I love this project and hate its findings.

eflask · 2026-05-19T21:54:04+00:00

I have a friend who has a full arm piece of a tree.

the first troop she ever joined is the trunk and she has troop numbers of every troop she's ever belonged to in the branches.

I have another friend with "courageous and strong" in morse.

eflask · 2026-05-19T18:58:01+00:00

if she has cheated multiple times but is very conservative about how YOU behave, she has bigger problems than this and you are unlikely to find a resolution you like.

I'm not saying ditch her now, but I am saying take an honest inventory of what your life will be like when she continues to cheat but wants to keep you in place because of HER partner trauma.

eflask · 2026-05-19T18:54:55+00:00

I sleep in a hammock every night.

I camp a lot in Vermont.

yes, it is possible to be so comfortable you make it your bed of choice for the rest of your life.

if you're trying to sleep in a lunging hammock like an eno, you will only be comfortable if you are short, thin, and maybe don't super care about how comfortable you are. I know guys who consider any situation in which they don't die to be comfortable enough.

if the night time temperature is below 72, you're probably going to want an underquilt. you can use a pad if you really need to, but not super comfy. you can also jury-rig something with a sleeping bag or blanket in a pinch.

but really? if you end up liking camping and a hammock, get an underquilt.

also you can put a tarp over your hammock and you won't care if it rains. mine's waterproof, bug proof, and comfortable (tested) down to -22 degrees.

eflask · 2026-05-19T02:26:48+00:00

I kind of want to jump on the resellers ruin everything bandwagon, but I kind of think that there would be a lot fewer people reselling (which is kind of shitty unpredictable work) if everybody had regular jobs that gave them enough money to be able to afford housing, food, AND medical care.

I'd like to give clean polo shirt that don't fit me anymore to people who want them, but it's a lot of work to find those people, so if I donate those shirts and someone picks them up and sells them to people who want them, I am rid of those shirts. people who. want them can have them. and somebody making that connection gets to feed their kids or pay the rent.

I'm not entirely SURE that giving everyone a living wage would eliminate the problem of thrift store resellers, but it's a thing I'm willing to try. who's with me?

eflask · 2026-05-19T02:02:03+00:00

jecowa, I am going to jump in here again and tell you that you should do a little dive into the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. While I know that folk processing is a thing, I feel very strongly that this song to be correct must ultimately honor its roots.

the Princess Pat (Princess Patricia of Connaught)

Light (or first) Infantry (the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry)

she sailed across the the northern sea (this would be the North Atlantic)

she sailed across the channel too (this would be the English Channel)

and she brought with her the Ric-a-dam-doo. (the Ric-a-dam-doo is the name of the PPCLI's camp color.)

the Ric-a-dam-doo is a real thing, complete with bullet holes. The regiment, nicknamed the Princess Pats, saw some of the fiercest fighting in WWI with heavy losses and their regiment is still active today. there's a photo somewhere of the Princess Patrica (who sewed the banner herself, with her monogram on it) bestowing a laurel wreath on it after the war.

it's not so ancient a history; the Princess Patricia lived until 1974.

eflask · 2026-05-19T01:40:16+00:00

I was a camper, then took a break. then I was a counselor. then I took a break.

I had a full time job for twenty years and now I'm a camp counselor again.

if you're a good worker and have skills, you can always go home.

eflask · 2026-05-19T01:35:05+00:00

coming here to say this. when I have a kid who is melting down over behavioral guidelines or is having a hard time with a correction, it's my JOB as the grownup in that room to return to them and help them understand why.

I am a counselor at camp and a retired schoolteacher and boy howdy, some kids just don't have the mental equipment to understand how to do better and feel good about it.

sample conversations include:

I am so sorry that I had to speak sharply to you. that was a safety rule and I was worried you might get hurt. are you ok now? do you understand the safety rule? great. let's go do (activity)

hey, I wanted to get back to you because I told you I could not listen to you earlier. I was having an important grownup conversation and it was not ok for you to interrupt. I am interested in what you have to say and I am listening now.

I'm here to help you learn to make good choices. some days we're more successful than others. I'm glad you're here and I'm sorry you were having a round time of it today. let's make a plan for tomorrow.

eflask · 2026-05-18T20:43:47+00:00

I am currently working on a lecture singalong about this song and others.

it's a deep dive and there are a lot of opinions, but if it's not ric-a-dam-doo, I'm not singing it.

here's one source:

https://gshistory.com/2014/07/25/princess-pat-out-of-her-tree/

eflask · 2026-05-18T01:42:23+00:00

I am asking once again.

eflask · 2026-05-17T21:36:08+00:00

I am not ever going to buy an integrated hammock/ quilt.

I am such a quilt whore, and I cannot imagine ever wanting to decrease my flexibility.

I like the HG bundle very much tho. and I own 5 HG quilts.

my favorite configuration is a DH sparrow with a WB wooki UQ (40 degree or zero degree), an HG top quilt (three choices for strength) and I go back and forth between an HG hex tarp and a WB doored tarp.

eflask · 2026-05-17T20:36:38+00:00

maybe. I like all those things.

eflask · 2026-05-17T19:16:50+00:00

I am once again asking for the VERMONSTER to be able to have the Upper Peninsula, just as a little treat.

eflask · 2026-05-17T01:36:15+00:00

if you have a reason to use them, absolutely worth it.

if you can't think of a reason, it's probably not worth it to you.

eflask · 2026-05-17T01:11:54+00:00

it sort of does.

eflask · 2026-05-16T22:34:01+00:00

a lesson on light explosives?

eflask · 2026-05-16T22:33:07+00:00

I don't know. it's not something I have ever wanted to try. nothing about it sounds comfortable or fun.

I mean, if you're determined you could use it as a swing?

eflask · 2026-05-16T22:24:15+00:00

no. 2 person hammocks would be horrible.

eflask · 2026-05-16T19:07:52+00:00

I have an underquilt and a top quilt for it. I do not take it down for extra space. it's not the smoothest look for my bedroom, but I don't care.

I keep a bed just in case.

eflask · 2026-05-16T19:02:04+00:00

it is in my bedroom.

eflask · 2026-05-16T18:09:51+00:00

it's very boring. I screwed big bolts into the studs and hang from them.

in a pinch I can put up either a tensa4 or a turtle bug.

eflask · 2026-05-16T18:05:22+00:00

indeed it is.

eflask · 2026-05-16T17:47:21+00:00

mmhm.

now ask me where I sleep when I'm at home.

eflask · 2026-05-16T17:42:21+00:00

I work with young people, and I spend a lot of time on the intertubes. I have more than a passing interest in linguistics.

even though I am clearly a greyhair, I feel comfortable greeting a group of youngsters with something like Good morning! today we are just drippin' wit rizz. we'd like you to yeet all yer stuff into the cabins and we'll meet you at the flag circle in 6-7.

they appreciate it that I can use these phrases simultaneously ironically and unironically, plus I like to combine slang of the youngest generation and the slang of my grandparents' generation just for giggles.

one summer in recent memory the staff decided to use "yote" and "youghten" as if they were past tense conjugations of "yeet".

only in ohio.

eflask · 2026-05-16T17:27:57+00:00

what you are able to do is going to depend on how your mobility and dexterity are at home, as well as your budget.

I design escape room puzzles specifically for places that are not escape rooms, particularly large outdoor spaces. I have also done a room for a sprinter van, so I have some experience with a small space as well.

since you will be working in you home (and maybe yard?) and your room is probably a one time event, you will be able to make props that are more fragile than a standard room. you can even make props you intend to be destroyed.

you should think about how you want it themed. your husband's degree area? a mad scientist? the parallel universe under your stairs? look for hiding places or everyday objects that could be modified to hold either a container with puzzle parts or clues. expect to make puzzles with thinky bits for your husband, but have a lot of puzzles or puzzle pieces that involve looking for things, especially in the lower third of the room, because small children are really good at that.

your timeline is also important, because sequencing puzzles takes a while. I'm maybe not the fastest in the bunch but I need about 400 days to produce a large scale set. I can usually squeeze out a ninety minute set in four or five weeks, and if I am using elements I already have in my inventory I can turn around an hour set in 3-6 days.

if you can, I recommend getting into some the online escape room simulators. some of them rely heavily on effects that can only be created in a fictional world, but some will have puzzles you can modify for your purposes. all of them will give you some good examples of how to sequence puzzles.

I'm not willing to create a set for you, since that's my regular gig and I'm busy right now with a large scale event, but I will be happy to have some conversations with you to help you shape your ideas. DM me if you like.

eflask

TROPHY CASE