But alas! the creature grows degenerate.: If They Come in the Night →

scout:

Long ago on a night of danger and vigil
a friend said, why are you happy?
He explained (we lay together
on a cold hard floor) what prison
meant because he had done
time, and I talked of the death
of friends. Why are you happy
then, he asked, close to
angry.

I said, I…

“I said, I like my life. If I have to give it back, if they take it from me, let me not feel I wasted any, let me not feel I forgot to love anyone I meant to love, that I forgot to give what I held in my hands, that I forgot to do some little piece of the work that wanted to come through”

Ridiculously excited about this book.  

“The thing is, a lot of social justice issues [race, class, sexuality, ability, immigration status…] are left out when doulas get trained. There are many reasons for this, including lack of time, ignorance on the part of some trainers and an attempt to keep the trainings focused. 

This guide will be an introduction to this work from a political perspective, and help folks begin an education process that incorporates these issues into their work as doulas.” 

Miriam Perez! Doula crush.

think4yourself:

jillthompson:

im-a-kittycat:

“So my amazing daughter, Emma, turned 5 last month, and I had been searching everywhere for new-creative inspiration for her 5yr pictures. I noticed quite a pattern of so many young girls dressing up as beautiful Disney Princesses, no matter where I looked 95% of the “ideas” were the “How to’s” of  how to dress your little girl like a Disney Princess…We chose 5 women (five amazing and strong women), as it was her 5th birthday but there are thousands of unbelievable women (and girls) who have beat the odds and fought (and still fight) for their equal rights all over the world”

 - Jaime Moore, Not Just a Girl

This is awesome!

reblogging again because i love this concept

Emma!

whimsicalwaters:

Quite possibly the coolest bookstore ever. 

Literally every available surface was covered in books. There was a bookshelf in the bathroom crammed with books in five different languages, and it was awesome. 

Yes it is the coolest. And the owner is fabulous, simultaneously suffering no fools (language books in the bathroom because our language skills are in the toilet) while also suffering EVERY fool (zomg books! I was just in the neighborhood for this artisanal salt and latte, doing my Sunday stroll! For Health! And here you are!! Do you have any Dan Brown?). Like a weathered sea captain, he forges on. Writing spoilers on post it’s and sticking them to books he dislikes. Yelling about interesting ones to make sure other customers might hear. Repeating it all. After our very first (!!!) Sunday stroll through the market, my new boyfriend and I wandered in, hand-in-hand and giddily dumb for each other (see also: fools, suffering them). We strolled up to the counter, where Mark had recommended I ask the owner if there were any particularly absurd titles that I was on the hunt for. “Hi! We’re looking for Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth!” My new boyfriend’s hand turned clammy. The owner didn’t rise from his chair, just glanced at our sweaty hand-holding and pointed me to the pile of books back and toward the left - children, childbirth, medicine. He also loudly recommended Our Bodies Ourselves then turned to the next customer, holding a copy of Harry Potter. “Dumbledore dies. Next customer.”

Happy Surprise I’m A Doula Day.

explore-blog:

The Cat-Hater’s Handbook – a subversive vintage compendium of playful anti-feline verses by  William Faulkner, Mark Twain, Shel Silverstein, and others, illustrated by the great Tomi Ungerer. 

Here you go, Mark.

Pentagon formally recognizes transgender veteran →

gaywrites:

Earlier this month, the Pentagon quietly made history when it acknowledged a transgender veteran’s changed gender marker and updated records appropriately.

This is thought to be the first time the Department of Defense has recognized a gender transition for anyone affiliated with the armed forces, and it’s especially a big deal because trans people still cannot serve openly, even after the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

In a short letter dated May 2, a Navy official told Autumn Sandeen, a veteran and transgender activist: “Per your request the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) has been updated to show your gender as female effective April 12, 2013.”

Sandeen’s military identification card now reflects the change, a move called “quite significant” by the head of OutServe-SLDN, a national organization for LGBT service members and veterans and their families.

“The fact that a process exists [to change the gender listed] indicates that there are people in the Department of Defense who are aware of the needs of transgender retirees and who are working to see those needs met. And, in that sense, the significance of this symbolic act for our broader work and for our goal of open service becomes I think a little bit more apparent,” OutServe-SLDN executive director Allyson Robinson told BuzzFeed.

Holy cow, this is a huge deal. Major congratulations to Ms. Sandeen for starting what will hopefully become a major change in how the Department of Defense treats its transgender veterans and service members. There’s no excuse for the kind of discrimination that has been perpetuated for so long. 

therumpus:

I suspect that the curious personality merging you see in really close young-girl friendships can only be achieved under very particular circumstances. You must be at that point of adolescence where you’re only half-formed, as a person, but you feel fully formed. At twelve, you are so far from who you’re going to be, but in your mind you’re all the way there. Your opinions are intractably strong and you would die for them, but they’ll all be completely different in a month. The entire course of your life can be altered by a movie or a song or a long conversation in the dead of night after you’re supposed to have gone to sleep. Everything you have in common feels magical.

Hold On To What You’ve Got by Lindsay King-Miller

Yes.

vimeo:

THIS IS WATER - By David Foster Wallace by The Glossary

Inspired by David Foster Wallace’s famous commencement address to the 2005 graduating class of Kenyon College, LA team The Glossary made this video to spread “some of the best life advice we’ve ever come across” to an even wider audience.

But alas! the creature grows degenerate.: Cops came. They were really nice. I kept weirdly apologizing to them... →

NOPE to ALL OF THIS. Phone is on. Couch has a blanket and pillow on it and you are eternally more than welcome to both as you know but it is worth emphasizing at 1am post-windowsill. If/when needed, am prepared to escort with bat and hammer and the best goddamn hiking boots man has ever seen. Ellie welcome too.

sashayed:

Cops came. They were really nice. I kept weirdly apologizing to them bc I had like no details to provide. like somehow my dumb brain thought “if we are gonna be witness to some criminal activity, we better be the BEST WITNESS EVER!!!!!” But I feel much safer now. AND MUCH SAFER WITH ELLY, A…

But alas! the creature grows degenerate.: Step 294: Follow the rules of the Kvetching Rings →

Yes and also yes.

“Don’t, for example, give advice. People who are suffering from trauma don’t need advice. They need comfort and support. So say, “I’m sorry” or “This must really be hard for you” or “Can I bring you a pot roast?” Don’t say, “You should hear what happened to me” or “Here’s what I would do if I were you.” And don’t say, “This is really bringing me down.”

adulting:

And now, an amazing strategy to be good to people having any kind of crisis:

Draw a circle. This is the center ring. In it, put the name of the person at the center of the current trauma. For Katie’s aneurysm, that’s Katie. Now draw a larger circle around the first one. In…