I wanted to know about how much money I need to set aside each month if I want $100 in a year. Instead of getting a calculator I decided to try doing it mentally. 100 ÷ 12 was too much for me, but I know that 5 x 12 is 60. And 3 x 12 is 36. 60 + 36 is 96 and 5+3 is 8. So I'll need about $8 per month. But if I want to be exact...

That leaves 4 dollars or 400 pennies. 400/4 is 100. I know 12x8 is 96. So 8x4 is 32, leaving 16 cents over (4x4). 12 goes into 16 once. So 8.33. But that leaves 4 pennies. So I'll need to put aside $8.33 for 8 months and $8.34 for 4 months.

And double checking on my calculator, that is exactly right.

While I did not do this, my nephew had to deal with a flour baby last month.

okay americans i gotta ask because as an European i grew up with lots of american shows and cartoons and in a lot of them there was an episode where they give the protags a doll or an egg or a bag of flour or whatever and told them pretend to be its parents or something

Why do people hate adverbs?

A person on reddit asked this question. This was my reply (shared here b/c as one of over 250 replies on reddit, I know it will be lost there).

People enjoy and gravitate toward vivid writing. Therefore, many writers strive to strengthen their writing by making it more vivid.

Adverbs are not evil. However, many writers misuse them because they are easy.

That said, I feel I need to point out that rules have levels again. In high school, teachers tell you to never use first person in academic writing. Then, in college, many professors ask that you do. High school teachers harp on the three-part thesis. College professors hate the three-part thesis. Etc.

Does this mean the rules in high school are wrong or bad? NO.

Rules do not exist in isolation. They are always in service of a goal. The three-part thesis is in service of students learning how to organize their essays and support their ideas. Using third person is in service of students learning to rely on evidence over their own, unsupported opinions. In college, professors expect students to no longer need those rules to still organize essays, support ideas, and rely on evidence.

We erect guardrails in the earlier stages to help teach the habits and build the knowledge we need to thrive in later stages when those guardrails are no longer necessary.

The rule against adverbs is in service of writing strong and vivid prose.

"No," she said softly.

But did she murmur, mumble, or whisper? Each of those make her "no" sound different.

This does not mean remove adverbs always, but rather to examine each use and ask: is this the clearest, most vivid image I can create?

Of course, vivid writing is not the only goal for writers. Other goals include the sound of writing. Maybe "said softly" isn't the most vivid option, but maybe it does fit the rhythm of the scene better. You have to decide which goal is more important in that moment.

Writing or, at least, editing is an active process. Word choice and order matter. Be deliberate.

These acoustic-ish versions usually showcase Gracie's incredible voice, so it is awesome to get one highlighting Clyde instead. His voice is so smooth and, like with all the acoustic-ish versions, this vid is high energy and fun.

love poem beginning with a yellow cab by José Olivarez

José Olivarez - Down to My Elbows (ending on a line by Shakespeare)

hands in a sink down to my elbows clogged with gray water wet rice soggy cornflakes in the other room you read Twitter & text me your favorite jokes

so this is love i ask the fistful of nasty gunk in my hand like it’s a Shakespearean skull & the skull says there is nothing either good or bad but loving makes it so

- Down to My Elbows (ending on a line by Shakespeare) by José Olivarez

Promises of Gold, José Olivarez

Let’s Get Married by José Olivarez

for Alison & Nate, on the occasion of their wedding & always for Erika

let’s get married on a Tuesday with a six piece from Harold’s as our witness. let’s get married at noon & then again at 3:30 when the school day lets out & a whole block of dandelions flower our ceremony. let’s  get married under a full moon & then again under a new moon, so every celestial being can witness our vows. love, one wedding isn’t enough for me. i want to propose again & again. on a Wednesday because you did the dishes. on a Thursday because we woke up next to each other again. say yes. say less. i’ll be on one knee asking you to share in the delight of knowing each other. let’s get married because Chicago. because St. Louis is a city on a map. because your name is my favorite word. let’s get married because there are vows we can only make in the dark. because we don’t need a witness to say i do. let’s get married because it’s raining & that’s supposed to be good luck. mi amor, mi cielo, mi vida, let’s get married in every language we can & can’t speak. under every god. my god, the way you look at me is a miracle i believe in. because we get one life. one. say yes. then, say yes again. let’s get married after we get married because underneath every word i write there is one word i carve into every desk. one word i tag onto every building on every block of my heart. marry me: make me (no, not complete), but a little more alive than i’ve ever been.

Ojalá: Self-Love by José Olivarez

oldies on the speaker & my love asleep on the couch. all my uncles rise from their graves or from basement bars-- all those years they used to sing the saddest songs: it wasn't a mourning. it was a cleansing.

How to Disappear Completely; excerpt from

I transcribed this from episode 14.

The fog is trying to get her lost again. Lost in her past. The thing is -- and she sees this now with a new clarity -- the past doesn't matter. All those mistakes, all those bad decisions -- yes she made them, but it is too late to try again and pointless to regret. She has nothing to run away from, only towards. It's the future she's obsessed with. All those golden futures she had glimpses in Hinchcliff's shop. The only mistakes she cares about are the ones she hasn't yet made. So she keeps her eye on the light.

in the hour or so it took me to draw this op turned reblogs off

btw the H in hpowellsmith stands for Harris these days! My pronouns are still they/them as usual.

...and it's starting to get updated in some places which I'm very excited about. If you see my old name in official-looking places please let me know once we're past 6th May (timing because it takes time for various storefronts/apps/websites to fully update).

It feels good to finally take the plunge and share this more widely!

MISS CONGENIALITY | 2000 

bonus:

If Buddie ever happens, I want the reverse of this scene. I want Eddie figuring out his feelings and avoiding Buck until Buck confronts him in the firehouse gym and asks "What's your problem?" And Eddie's like, yeah, this might as well happen. "Okay, you. You're my problem."

And Chimney is there, too. And Chimney realizes quickly he doesn't want to be.

BUCK AND EDDIE 2x01: Under Pressure

JUST FUCKING LISTEN. 

THIS IS HALLOWEEN BUT NOT LIKE YOU KNOW IT

reblog so others can hear it!

a five year old note among my 1588 saved notes that just reads: four-dimensional salmon

occasional posts from users