Pat Ningewance, a first language Ojibwe speaker, once commented that it was awfully hard to effectively translate a lot of English poetry into Ojibwe because there is no way to say things like “her slim arms” bc the only word in Ojibwe for anything like that basically sounds like “her arms were just skin and bones” while meanwhile there is a whole word that means “beautifully fat” (minogaamo) bc that was way more valued in Ojibwe culture than being skinny, which probably meant you were malnourished

For those expressing interest in Pat's work, I recommend her introduction and translation of Anishinaabe writer George Kenny's poems and short stories, Gaawiin Mawisiiwag Anishinaabeg / Indians Don't Cry, and the book she wrote of her mother's storytelling, Gii-nitaa-aadisooke. The second link goes to the publishing company she owns, which also has one of the best available textbooks for learning Ojibwe, titled Gookom's Language.

If you're beating yourself up about not being as productive as you used to be, it might help to know that burnout is brain damage that needs to heal.

This isn't a moral failing on your part. This is an injury, caused by prolonged stress.

Or course you can't run as fast on a fractured ankle. Take a rest; rent a scooter if you have to. But don't hurt yourself worse.

#stress is a killer #remember how cheetahs are so susceptible to it that they keep stressing themselves out of childbearing? #and the zoos' answer is to give them service dogs to calm them down? #maybe you could do with a golden retriever to help with your convalescence #metaphorical or literal #a pet; a significant other; a fuzzy blanket and a warm drink; some time reading/watching your favorite stories #putting this out there for anyone who needs to hear it #you are injured and it's okay to rest #even just knowing that can make it easier to keep going #take it easy #but take it

Me when I remember something I said ages ago that was wrong or my values no longer align with

Hate it when TikTok farm cosplayers and cottagecore types say stuff like "I'm not going to use modern equipment because my grandmothers could make do without it." Ma'am, your great grandma had eleven children. She would have killed for a slow cooker and a stick blender.

I’ve noticed a sort of implicit belief that people used to do things the hard way in the past because they were tougher or something. In reality, labor-saving devices have historically been adopted by the populace as soon as they were economically feasible. No one stood in front of a smoky fire or a boiling pot of lye soap for hours because they were virtuous, they did it because it was the only way to survive.

Taking these screenshots from Facebook because they make you log in and won't let you copy and paste:

my dad (Maori) works on a ship with all Maori/Tongan/Samoan fisherman- and one Aussie guy called Jake.

And that wasn't done on purpose just sort of how it ended up, but Jake recently got an injury so they put him on a Different boat just for a little bit (a sit in the wheelhouse and scout type of boat, instead of the main fishing one) and he only got back to my dad's ship today and he was apparently like Shaking. He was Traumatised.

Dad said Jake kept pulling him aside and going "They were all yelling on there, but in a MEAN way" "They didn't clean... Like at ALL"

Jake experienced what a boat full of old school Aussie fisherman is like. That is the norm Jake. You just happened to be on the all Island boy boat on your first go out. "It was time for dinner and they had FROZEN nuggets" Jake that's what they have on ships that are out at sea for months at a time.

On my dad's boat they are eating fresh fish and coconut milk Ceviche. They're grilling steaks on an open bbq on the deck that probably is not regulation. All the guys have their own special knives to prepare sashimi every couple days. Everyone is happily doing their own work so they can clock out early and set up a movie on the deck. Jake did you genuinely believe that's what every boat was doing.

Local Australian man is fed fresh juices and smoked fish for first time- refuses to go back to beef jerky boat life

jake that first night when they served a freezer tray tv dinner and not an overflowing plate of fish that's probably going for conservatively like $40-$80 bucks a kilo but the guys decided Eh we'll catch more let's just fry it up:

Okay, this reminds me of a story my dad likes to tell, known as How I Learned To Make Proper Rice.

So, my dad (Dutch and looking it) was a cook in the merchant navy from age 15 to 20, and he worked with crewmembers from all over. One trip most of the other crewmen were Indonesian, and dad noticed they didn't like his food. How did he notice this? Because instead of coming to the meals he made, they were cooking their own meals on an improvised fire on deck, which the captain caught them doing. They were presumably yelled at, before being questioned on why they did that. Answer: They didn't like the white boy's rice. "Okay," dad said, "Then show me how to make rice." And they did! Problem solved! The crew got meals they actually liked, the captain didn't have to worry about fire hazards on deck anymore, and dad learned something new. Which, in time, he passed on to me, and I, in time, passed on to some rather surprised housemates.

"Hey, Ace, where did you learn to cook rice like that?"

"My dad taught me."

"Okay, where did your dad learn to cook rice like that?"

"On a freighter, from a bunch of Indonesian sailors."

(It's mainly in the seasoning.)

i love when people spam like my posts~

like omg?! you like me that much! yay!!!

Reblog to unleash this cat on your mutuals

the lesbian computer from portal was right. given the circumstances ive been shockingly nice

insane like/reblog parity on this post btw

Yay

who ruined it

dw i fixed it

Reblog if you're grateful for your internet friends

does anyone wanna hold hands until we feel a little braver

the reblog map is all of us holding hands btw

We are each other's night sky. No one is alone here.

night sky continues to get brighter. theres always people here for you

Made a painting of all of us “Holding Hands” <3

I view reading fantasy/sci-fi stuff as "this work of fiction is being translated into english so that I can understand it, meaning some phrases should not be taken literally" lord of the rings style, and then I meet people who nitpick every word or phrase that "shouldn't exist in this story" and I'm like wow you guys are truly miserable and unimaginative. and also you tend to assume that english words all popped up in the 19th century and you never bother to check the etymology of the words you're claiming "shouldn't exist in this universe"

like sorry but in an apocalyptic alternate-universe earth, the phrase "train of thought" is plausible even in a world without locomotives, because the word "train" comes from the 14th century, and it meant "to drag"

that's why we call dress trains "trains". because they drag. the word wasn't invented for locomotives.

y'all say shit so definitively like idk man I think it depends. the english language is OLD AS FUCK. a lot of words you believe are modern just aren't

The ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything, is "what the fuck is 6 7"

The computer, sadly, misinterpreted the space as multiplication.

Truly the best possible outcome this post could've had

When I criticize jk Rowling do not assume I always hated Harry Potter. I knitted hogwarts house scarves. I got my first binder to dress as Draco Malfoy for Halloween. I reread the books multiple times. I read probably every pottermore article there was at the time.

I’m not here to validate your smug feelings about not liking a children’s book series 20 years ago. I’m here to discourage others from spending money on it and to give myself and others words and space to work through some feelings. I’m a trans person that made Harry Potter one of my cornerstone interests. One of my favorite things. I’m not some cis person doing cope.

Harry Potter was a big thing. Like. Big in a way that’s difficult to fully understand. It still is. If you were caught up in it during your formative years it’s normal to need to process all of the horrid things now associated with it.

Having to burn down the house you grew up in is going to be hard even if it turns out that the house was always rotten from the inside out. Even if it turns out that the foundation was made of straw. But the destruction and deconstruction must happen if one hopes to move on and move forward. That’s why I talk about it at all.

This. There has to be a balance of burning down the house but also evacuating everyone before the smoke inhalation hits.

Processing betrayal sucks. JKR screwed over the millions of readers who grew up on her stories about standing up to fascism, judging people by their actions and not their heritage, and finding out who your real friends are in times of crisis. She's admitted she only cares about the money now, not about her readers.

When we say we're mad at JKR, we're mad because she either decided that the values extolled in Harry Potter no longer mattered to her or manufactured empathy. But it's hard when you think of how the series provided so much connection and may have given us courage in times of darkness.

The house has to be set on fire. Also, the house still has people inside. We can't get everyone out and treat them for smoke inhalation, but we have to try to save those who want to breathe properly.