She looked so lost, it hit me like a gut punch

I don’t really enjoy the holidays. It’s too much stress, too many conflicting family obligations, too much effort dodging the religious aspects, too much forced cheer, and it all just makes me sad. Marginally I like putting up a tree, but after a couple of weeks I get tired of remembering to water it. I skip as much of the holidays as I can, and try to enjoy the small parts that don’t annoy me.

Ha if I keep buying perfumes I really will be skint! I’ll have to check out the Arabic fragrances, make my money stretch a bit further!

Yessss I would be so down for that!

IP law sounds so dry to me, but I love it when people are enthusiastic about niche topics like this!

Very cool! I think watercolor is neat because you can make really ethereal, abstract pieces, or you can make more realistic (which seems like your style, having peeped a few of your posts in that comm).

Meaning then you just pass through objects rather than collide? Or is it unable to properly calculate the incident & resulting collision vectors, meaning the resulting trajectories are nonsensical?

Not the same thing, but steganography seems pretty interesting too.

I wish! Every now and again I search “polish” and “lacquer” hoping a new community will have been made, but so far no luck, though it’s been maybe a month since I checked. I keep trying to talk myself into starting one, but I don’t know if I have the patience for modding.

Oh man, you hooked me from

You’re in an coastal pine forest during a lightening storm

and it just got better from there. I’ll have to try this!

I’m still building up my collection, so so far the most interesting I’ve come up with is Super Amber / Heavy Cream. I’ve been ordering a bunch of sample vials of things that sound interesting, trying to pin down what notes I like best and which I don’t. So hopefully soon I can come up with creative combos like yours!

I’ve been pretty into four things lately:

1. Healthy cooking, from scratch as much as possible. I got into a rut trying to maximize protein intake, so now I’m trying to find different recipes that don’t compromise on macros but still offer variety in flavors and textures and won’t bother my IBS.
2. Nail polish and nail art. I have probably about 300 polishes at this point, which sounds like a lot to most people, but it’s a tiny collection compared to some I’ve seen! Last year I got really into nail stamping, which lets you create neat little designs, and you can get really creative with it.
3. Working out. I recently moved, and designed a power rack for my basement which is pretty fully featured. My goal was to be able to do all the exercises I could do at my previous fitness club (within reason - no way I’m buying a tank sled and a billion 45 lb plates!). I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, and so is my husband, which I’m glad about because he’s a tall dude and working around the low-ish basement ceiling was a challenge.
4. Indie makeup! Holy Moses I love makeup, and indie brands are killing it. My most recent favorite palette is the Cosmic Brushes Winter Wonderland palette (which came out last year, but is new in my collection). Just look at her!:

Gorgeous, right? No way I’m ever going back to boring neutrals.

Oh man I’ve recently started getting into fragrances… I’d never realized how complex (and expensive) they can be! I discovered Kayali’s Yum Pistachio Gelato from a makeup youtuber I follow and it’s all been downhill from there. Lately I’ve been layering Ellis Brooklyn’s Super Amber with Phlur’s Heavy Cream, and I keep sneaking little sniffs of myself throughout the day… and sniffing my bra when I take it off for the night… send help!

What are some of your favorite unexpected notes to combine?

Rapist Allen Turner, aka rapist Brock Turner, who got a 6-month slap-on-the-wrist sentence for what his father called (and I quote) “twenty minutes of action”? That rapist Allen Turner (aka rapist Brock Turner)? The one who only served 3 months?!

Xmas is in 9 days, so it’s almost over!

I think the holiday season is really overblown, with so much artificial cheer that it’s unsurprising that people get sad at this time. You can opt out of the festivities. You don’t have to do a tree, attend parties, or participate in gifts. People might not like it but you don’t have to go along to get along.

Vision. It gets hard to read in low light, driving at night is tough, you can’t quite figure out how close or far to hold a book or phone.

Alcohol. You just don’t shake it off like you did when you were younger. Now you really think about whether that next drink will be worth the shitty sleep.

Money. You talk about property taxes and 401k contributions more often than you ever thought you would.

Patience. You’re more patient with kids and your parents, and way less patient with everything else.

I was raised Catholic but was never a believer. I’m atheist.

Sorry if this is too personal, but I’ve heard magnesium can cause diarrhea. Does that happen to you? Also, what kind of magnesium do you take, and is your bruxism related to anxiety?

From the article:

Following her arrest, Manahel al-Otaibi was subjected to physical and psychological abuse in Riyadh’s Malaz Prison, and she was forcibly disappeared for five months from 5 November 2023 until April 2024. On 14 April 2024, when she was finally able to contact her family again, she told them she was being held in solitary confinement and had a broken leg as a result of physical abuse. She also said she was denied health care.

This is fucking despicable. For wearing unapproved clothing and speaking out against male guardianship?! How the fuck is this a moral way to treat anyone?

I’m glad her sister was able to get out of Saudi Arabia in time. And I hope this woman gets justice, but I’m not holding my breath.

Lems are great wide-toed shoes, and they’re about half the price of the Vivos I had. They’re comfy, plus also great for orthotics.