Ryn. 22. Queer as a three-dollar bill. They/them pronouns. Musician, writer, biology student. Hamilton 2019. I'm a mod over at TTSG and I run a few other blogs in my spare time.
love is fucking dead. valentines day used to mean something
So for people who don’t know, Seattle Aquarium has a breeding program to try and help save the endangered Pacific Giant Octopus.
They take wild octos every year and put them in a conjoined tank that is separated only by a plexi glass wall full of holes big enough for them to put arms through but small enough that their beaks can’t fit through. Each octopus is given food, healthcare, and enrichment, and the opportunity to get to know each other.
As Valentine’s Day approaches the marine biologists that specialize in octos make assessments of their interactions and judge if the two are compatible for mating or if they are still aggressive toward each other.
If the octopuses have been witnessed being friendly and seem interested, the gate is lifted and they have their day of romance.
But octopuses engage in cannibalism in the wild and any smaller octopus is wary of getting eastern by a larger one… So yeah, if they haven’t been friendly the possibility of cannibalism is very high. And as a program designed to help save the species they aren’t going to risk it. So the octopuses are released (not together) back into the wild and the Aquarium sets about finding a new pair to play match-maker with.
As someone who walked by this aquarium to work for almost a decade, I can attest to how huge a Thing this is around here. We’re always sad when the octopus sex show gets cancelled.
Thank you for the explanation of the conservation program.
like ive been thinking about this line from that creme brulee brownie recipe for days like literally where is this woman now like how is she doing
Honestly I was just thinking “aight same” and then the sentence “Crete brûlée brownie recipe” sent me through one hell of a fucking loop let me tell you
over the last several months, we have been implementing a protocol to eliminate karybelle the sheltie’s barking surrounding her mealtimes. we have accomplished this by initially introducing an alternate activity during prep time (stuffed kong) and religiously giving her a time out gated in the yard if she stops that activity to bark, thus delaying her dinner until she’s quiet. this has been extremely successful; she’s gone from barking literally 100+ times during meal prep to barking 0 times, and only occasionally slips up. the behavior she has chosen to replace her meal-prep-screaming (after all, that energy has to go somewhere) is frantically - but silently - running circles around the coffee table to finally slam into a perfect down-stay as her bowl is set down.
this evening as the food was coming out, karybelle seamlessly slipped into her silent circling routine. except after a couple of reps, she abruptly changed course, yeeted herself out the dog door, barked once, and immediately jumped back in to resume her circling.
if that isn’t a demonstration of crystal clear understanding of criteria, i…don’t know what is lmao
Why do Goblins have to eat trash? Why can’t goblin cuisine simply have a strong emphasis on fermentation and controlled spoilage?
Like fermentation stinks to high heaven and you typically hide it away in dark and cool places. It fits lore wise for a creature that lives in a cave and is described as unclean.
Anyway this has been food for thought
concept: a setting where every race has a different preferred method of food preservation and each of them is pretty sure that everyone else is ruining their food - goblinoids are masters of fermented foods, elves make exquisite sundried fruits and jerkies, dwarf cities have enchanted walk-in freezers hewn from living stone, gnomes can pickle anything, orcish smokehouses are legendary.
humans and halflings don’t have their own signature food preservation methods, but are notable for being willing to eat everyone else’s trail rations.
Goblins also have an EXQUISITE mushroom cuisine. A single package of genuine goblin-grown shelf mushrooms can be worth more than gold in some regions.
Okay, yes to all of this, but consider: FUSION CUISINE.
Some adventurous gnome starts using elf-dried berries and herbs in their pickling vat. Some curious orc discovers what happens when you smoke goblin-fermented fish. An elf defies all tradition and starts adding both orcish curing seasonings and goblin-made vinegar to their jerky. A couple of dwarves and halflings working together accidentally invent ice cream and nobody knows how.
“sat out” You mean young people who work shit jobs with shit hours and shit benefits couldn’t get out of work to go vote in the same numbers as the retired crowd? 6 hours to vote at colleges in Texas yesterday in the middle of midterms yeah shocking…
1) check your registration.
2) check your polling place.
3) your job must allow you time off to vote.
4) if the only time you can vote is during a class, talk to the teacher in advance. I was marked present for a class I didn’t attend when Obama was running for the first time, on the condition that I take a friend with me to the polls (I took two).
5) take a friend. Take two friends. Take THREE friends. If you have a car, offer to take anyone who needs to vote.
6) MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR ID. This is necessary. Your voter registration card is best, but be sure your state doesn’t also require photo ID. You can find this on Google by searching “[your state] voting requirements”.
7) the earlier you go, the better. For Obama 2012 I got my ass up at 6:30am and I was in line at 7:30. I was done and back out the door by 7:55, and the only reason it took that long was an old lady a few people in front of me took a spill.
8) DO NOT WEAR OR CARRY ANY CAMPAIGN SWAG OR MERCH, NOT EVEN JOKE MERCH LIKE “BENDER FOR PRESIDENT” OR “MAKE RACISTS AFRAID AGAIN.” You will be turned away at the polls for campaigning at a polling place. Leave it at home or in your car.
9) Your polling place must make accommodations for disabilities and language barrier—it’s the law. (Yes, your really old great-aunt who can’t read can vote. Help her learn about the candidates and take her to the polls.) If you are a citizen or legal permanent resident, you can vote.
EN ESPAÑOL: su lugar de votación debe Ud. asiste si necesita ayuda con invalideces o lengua; es la ley. (Sí, su familia que no pueden leer se pueden votar. Se asisten con la información de votar, y se tomarlos a votar.) Si está una residente permanente, o un ciudadano de Los EEUU, puede votar. ¡En español tambien!
10) Double-check all sources—yes, including this one. The information I’m giving you is as someone who’s been able to vote for 14 years and has been volunteering for 16–half my life. But while I know you can trust me, you don’t know me. CHECK. SOURCES. Every time you don’t, a kitten cries. Be nice to the kittens. Check your sources.
