Thank you for this, I’ve been thinking a lot about this recently. “Pushing” is almost always a violation of consent, unless it’s a fun consensual thing like pushing a child on a swing. Applying force to an autonomous creature to make it do something (be that a person or a donkey or whatever) is not something that should be normalized, yet here we are. I think there are times when pushing may be justified under the circumstances (e.g., pushing someone out of the way of a moving vehicle), but there should be a check-in and repair process afterward when that happens.

This is not a consensual world we live in, and we violate our own consent all the time, but I think we can be more accountable to ourselves when we do that. When I push myself to go to work in the morning, I try to check in and remind myself that the entire system of wage slavery is not okay; that we do this to survive, not because it’s good or normal. When it comes to things I have more control over, like diet, exercise, socializing, etc., I try to always invite myself to do things, provide the encouragement and support needed to do them, and be understanding about the very real reasons why the invitation sometimes gets declined. Being patient and thoughtful with myself about things is working soooo much better than pushing myself ever did.

Laundry day waits for no man

I’m noticing a crispy, buttery theme

Context

Remember when you joined the fediverse in July 2024 and immediately fought with strangers about AI? That was a wild time

The catgirls of fedi strike again

Downvoting is neat; I wish it were an option here

Dear Dr. Ghost,

I hope you are enjoying your week so far.

I recently came across your article, Ghost Pals: Assessing Friendliness in Paranormal Entities. I thought it was an interesting and insightful addition to the literature, and I’m wondering if you’d be interested in contributing a paper to an upcoming publication I’m editing?

I’m working with the European Society of Supernatural Oddities to produce a special theme issue of its official journal. The topic is Challenges and Opportunities for Paranormal Research, and I think your work would be a brilliant addition. The journal is open access and has a large readership composed of academic researchers and medical professionals. Hopefully, it would increase the visibility of your research substantially.

Would you be willing to have a quick discussion over email about your research since publishing this paper, or potential ideas for a paper? We still have space for original research, case studies, and review articles.

All the best,

Veronica P. Slugmuffin, Section Editor | Editorial Committee | European Society of Supernatural Oddities | ISSN: 9983-4377 | NLM (PubMed) ID: 134675512

The Winter Socks

I’ve been very happy with OpenBoard. Accessing the emoji menu took a little getting used to (you hold down the enter button until it pops up), but it’s great overall.

Did someone say turnover? 'Cause I’ve got the munchies

I got whoosh’d until I suddenly remembered high school trigonometry ✏️

Just read “The Story of Mel” for the first time (Issue #4, page 22); feel like I’ve been inducted into a programmer secret society

Gaming?? Yeahyou’reright

Found the tankie! ☝️

Good morning, I hope this email finds you reduced to a literal bag of perfectly preserved flesh and bones.

I’m guessing this documents an experience of being left on read during a time of need. The tattoo (if it’s real) may be an attempt to punish the person they were reaching out to. All speculation, of course

TL;DR: Biden plans to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic

Thank Christ! Oi oi oi

Relatable