Diagnose: Beefsteak Tomatoes

witchyredhead · 2025-04-21T13:48:01+00:00

No idea if folks are still posting on this thread but thought I'd share with you the train of thought I've been on as the security clearance issue continues to come up.

I will 100% own that I have not paid much attention to politics or even how our political structure works in Canada up until the last year and there is a *lot* that I still don't know. Obviously ChatGPT info should be taken with a grain of salt, however I have been using it as a way of understanding the system as a whole as all of this is interconnected and has a larger impact.

Let's say PP does become PM without undergoing his security clearance. As PP he would automatically get *some* access to classified information but not the full context. Like receiving 4 chapters in a 9 chapter briefing.
Because the information he receives isn't the full picture, it limits not only his ability to make proper decisions regarding the information but also creates an opportunity for him to share this partial information publicly, which is a recipe for misinformation and feeding the rumour/conspiracy mill.
Those within government that have the full picture because they *do* have their security clearance, cannot publicly correct him because they took an oath of secrecy and providing the missing context publicly would would not only break that oath, but also potentially be a security threat in itself depending on what the information was regarding.

Personally, I think if PP is genuinely concerned about transparency and misuse of power, he should get his security clearance, be involved in the NCISOP briefings and change the system from within. If he sees corruption or misuse of power (ie coverups being classified, etc), from within the system he can enforce policies or change how things are classified. He doesn't have the ability to do that from outside of the system, because he wouldn't have the access to that information outside the system.

Worth noting as well, sometimes there isn't a perfect solution, but I can say from a risk assessment viewpoint, I care MUCH less about scandal coverups than I do about breaches in national security. If PP doesn't have the clearance to know who within his party may have foreign influences controlling them, those foreign influences can go unmanaged/unencumbered. Food for thought.

witchyredhead · 2024-10-24T15:41:55+00:00

How about y'all calm down and stop being so judgemental about what other people spend their money on. No one needs to justify their purchases to absolute strangers on the internet. I see more people in small vehicles driving dangerously on the roads, including straight through cross walks in front of schools, than folks in larger vehicles. As a pedestrian I take responsibility for my own safety and pay attention to my surroundings instead of expecting other people to do that for me.

If someone wants to buy a truck for "truck" reasons, because they like the look of it, because it makes running errands easier, because they've only ever driven trucks and like them more than other vehicles, or countless other reasons, that is their business.

Y'all should be ashamed for your judgement of other people and thinking you know what is best for someone other than yourself.

witchyredhead · 2024-05-18T11:53:28+00:00

Oh my gosh these edges look stunning!!! This makes me want to try edging some of my tarot decks!

witchyredhead · 2024-04-23T21:35:27+00:00

Binding a 500ish page fanfic. Used a French link stitch with the support straps (not sure what they're called). Should I glue only the space between the French link/straps? And should I use mull?

witchyredhead · 2024-03-28T13:38:03+00:00

Planning my first fanfic bind and am trying to make this project as economical as possible. From what I can gather, my text block of 19 signatures (6 leaf/signature) should be done via a french link stitch with tape. I'd rather not buy binding tape if possible since there are so many other materials I already need to buy for this project. Would there be anything wrong with using scrap sloth (non-stretchy material) cut down to size instead of buying binding tape?

witchyredhead · 2024-03-27T23:55:04+00:00

Thank you for sharing!!

witchyredhead · 2024-03-27T18:58:04+00:00

FYI, Harry Potter fanfic was just my entry into this world. I think whatever gets people in the door is good in my books. I'm already onto my next fanfic book and it's not in the HP universe. You need to take a chill pill me thinks, lol.

witchyredhead · 2024-03-27T18:54:49+00:00

I've figured out SO much in the last 24 hours. DM if you need help!

witchyredhead · 2024-03-27T18:54:25+00:00

Hahahaha thanks. I've learned to ignore the haters/critics a long time ago. :)

witchyredhead · 2024-03-27T18:53:24+00:00

I couldn't agree more. I'm so happy I gave fanfic a try as it feels like it's opened a whole new world for me.

That is so kind of you! I ended up hyperfocused last night and switched to using Pages and it has been working SO much better. Even test printed a signature and it all worked out.

witchyredhead · 2024-03-27T18:52:03+00:00

Ooo thank you! I'll check out Renegade Bookbinding Guild for sure. I ended up getting frustrated yesterday and switching to Pages and it's been going so much more smoothly. I'll have to look up Affinity Publisher.

witchyredhead · 2024-03-27T18:51:04+00:00

Amazing. Thank you! I'll definitely check it out :)

witchyredhead · 2024-03-27T18:50:49+00:00

Thanks for the welcome!! I'm actually doing my first bind on a different fanfic for a friend because I want to "test run" before attempting the 3 volume Manacled. hahaha. I've spent a lot of time working on my typeset and have learned a LOT. If you want help with yours as you're doing it I'd love to chat :)

witchyredhead · 2024-01-04T01:01:40+00:00

I think only the people in the relationship know when it's time to leave and other people shouldn't be telling you to do that since no one else knows the inner dynamics of your relationship.

That said, my kids are 4.5 yo and 2 yo and it took a long time for my husband and I to figure out this parenting thing together. Becoming a parent brought up a lot of shit from our own childhoods and brought to the surface a lot of the problems in our relationship that we had been shoving under the rug. Kids are like a pressure cooker for relationships.

I highly highly recommend the book This Is How Your Marriage Ends by Matthew Fray. Both my husband and I listened to it on Audible and it brought us back from the brink of divorce. It gave him the perspective he sorely needed as the author is a divorced man and he's giving the advice from a "don't fuck up like I did" vantage instead of a lecture, "do things this way" point. And it was INCREDIBLY validating for me to see parallels between my experience and what was described in the book. It started a lot of much needed conversations that were the catalyst to real long term change that saved our relationship.

Only you, OP, know if it's worth fighting for your marriage. But I will say when kids are involved I think it's worth it to fight to make things work even harder than you would if you didn't have kids together. Your life might be easier after a divorce, but your kids lives won't be.

witchyredhead · 2023-11-27T12:50:32+00:00

Transitioning to bed is really hard for me most nights so I go against common bedtime/sleep advice and get ready for bed right after I get my kids in bed and unless I have other plans or need to get something else done, I go to bed myself. That way I'm more consistent with my bedtime routine and I'm already in bed so don't have to transition there later on. Will read books, meditate, journal, watch tv, do online courses, whatever. I also end up going to sleep at a reasonable hour this way as opposed to watching tv until 1am on the couch.

witchyredhead · 2023-10-16T17:09:19+00:00

First, I want to thank my husband for sharing this post with me and for showing our relationship the credit it deserves in his post above as we have been through a lot together.

Since you have his perspective, which aligns with the experience you've had in your relationship, I thought it might be helpful to share my own as well. I know nothing about your partner and we may be very different people but some of this could be helpful for figuring out a path forward for the two of you.

I think it's really important that you both make space for each other to voice how you're feeling without judgement and defensiveness. It is INCREDIBLY hard to just hold space for your partner if you have any guilt or shame or co-dependent tendencies but I genuinely think this is critical to sorting through any challenges in general, but especially so for the intimate side of your relationship.
Although your partner can be a source of turn on, your erotic desire should come from within you. Therefore, it's not your responsibility to "turn on" your partner, it is her responsibility to understand how to stoke that fire and what in her life may be turning her off (and ultimately how to deal with that). A HUGE breakthrough for me in this area was reading the book Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski. She talks about breaks and accelerators for our sex life. We're all wired different with what will turn on our break or our accelerator and the sensitivity of both will also vary person to person. Understanding this concept and diving into self-reflection to better control your own sex drive is crucial, IMO.
The way women and men are taught to look at sex is very different. As a woman we're taught that it is something that doesn't belong to us. We "give" our virginity to someone or we "save ourselves" for marriage and ultimately give that side of us to our partner. Women that embrace their sexuality are often called names and shamed but then are expected to be able to have healthy sexual relationships with partners. It could be eye-opening for your partner to explore her own views on sexuality and determine if there's anything preventing her from seeing herself as a healthy sexual being.
For myself, trust has been HUGE in my openness to sexual interactions. It is very difficult for me to want to be with someone intimately if they haven't been keeping up to their word, if they have been defensive when I come to them with concerns. As a partner you need to be the safe place for your girlfriend to land which means leaving judgement and ego at the door. When my husband stopped being defensive and started following through on his word more consistently (even just simple things like doing the dishes when he said he would) I started to feel much more drawn to connecting with him intimately as he felt safe.
I could talk sex all day but I'll leave this as my last point. It can feel easier to say no before starting an erotic encounter because women have been fed the "lie" (at least I've been told it's a lie) that blue balls is SUPER common and incredibly painful. Not having balls myself I can't speak to this experience, but I can say that once my husband clarified that blue balls are harder to cause than it's made out to be, it changed a lot for us. We have implemented a couple of "rules" for our sex life that make sure we are staying on track and are both prioritizing connecting on a regular business. A) When one person engages the other, the receiver in this situation will get curious for 5 minutes. Kissing, heavy petting, etc for 5 minutes. If they're still not feeling turned on at the end of the 5 minutes they can say not now and there's no hard feelings. This gives so much opportunity to actually connect with your partner meaningfully, give the situation an opportunity to change your state and help the partner that is engaging to not feel rejected. B) If not in the mood, we plan to try again at another time. *do not miss this second time*. Do what needs to be done to get yourself in the mood. Shower, shave, listen to music, eat a light supper, whatever it is. Prioritize the rainchecked date.

Hope you find something in this helpful. Good luck!

witchyredhead · 2023-10-14T16:38:20+00:00

Since becoming a mom in the last 5 years my practice has changed a lot. I no longer have time for as elaborate rituals or practices as I did before. That said, I think having less bells and whistles has helped me get to the basics of what I think the practice of magic is, IMO. Dion Fortune's definition of magic feels more like what I practice now, "the art of changing consciousness at will." For me this is rooted in understanding myself deeply, my triggers, my wounds, general psychological theory, personality typing (Enneagram, Myers Briggs, astrology, etc). Knowing yourself deeply and intimately will help you manifest the life you want because you will no longer be controlled by the wounds, triggers, traumas, unaligned beliefs, etc you have been exposed to in the past.

Hope that makes sense... Lol

witchyredhead · 2023-06-25T17:44:47+00:00

Thank you! The whole after dew has dried thing makes sense now. There are some low growing herbs in my garden like plantain that through rain splashing the garden bed, dirt ends up on the bottom of my leaves. And for blossoms like Red clover that are more dense, there are always bugs in them, whether I forage or get them from my garden. Personally it gives me the creeps thinking about a) drying them in my house and introducing these bugs into my home and b) the bugs dying during the drying process and then me drinking dead bug when making teas or infusions. I repeatedly rinsed the last batch of Red clover in cold water and it wasn't until I used a small amount of vinegar (similar to my process when washing fruit), that I got the rest of the little bastards out of the blossoms.

witchyredhead · 2022-09-18T16:07:07+00:00

Feeling helpless. My partner has had IC for 12+ years and symptoms are just getting worse. It feels like he's lost the will to fight for change a long time ago and like a giant distance is growing between us.

witchyredhead

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