Then again NB people who were assigned female at birth, socialized to female presentation and presented as female before discovering their NB identities would have faced the same expectations and difficulties. Especially for those of us who are a little bit older the neurodivergence just like non-binary identities didn't really "exist" back in the day (where I've lived at least), we were expected to present as neurotypicals as well as cis, wearing two masks at the same time.
Last weekend was the midsummer's celebration here in Finland and we were at the family cottage. We use a composting outhouse there and it's really brilliant! I prefer the thing to a regular toilet: it's more private, the styrofoam ring is quite comfortable and I find the technology (if you can even talk about technology as it's basically nature doing its thing) interesting! Normally outhouses are disgusting and awful, so it's surprising how such a simple upgrade makes all the difference!
It's very common in here to have one of those at summer cottages. I wonder if these are used elsewhere?
Anyways, for those who don't know a composting toilet is basically a big plastic bin with a hole on top, simple ventilation, a drain for excess moisture and a hatch in the back to remove pre-composted waste. After doing your business you throw some compost litter (store-bought one is made from a mixture of wood bark chip and peat or dried moss or similar) in to absorb moisture and smells. It's usable during winter too, although the compost eventually freezes, but it will start again once the cake thaws.
When it's working as it should and the usage is within its capabilities the toilet doesn't smell bad and also the stuff coming out looks and smells like, well, pre-compost. Once removed from the toilet bin it needs to further compost in another bin for at least a year before it can be safely used for crops and such.
The maintenance is quite satisfying: open the hatch from the back and take out a few buckets of pre-compost. The stuff is usually packed well enough to not drop down even though some of it is shoveled off from underneath. Close the hatch and push with a log or similar through the toilet hole to drop the cake to the bottom. Add some litter. There shouldn't be any need to mix the insides etc when used properly, except occasionally pushing the tip of the shit cake to the side to make room in the bin.
This time however there was an ant nest inside the toilet bin, in the middle of the stuff, which was quite surprising. One would think that environment is pretty hostile for ants, but I guess they like the warmth and easy food source (bio waste from kitchen is also discarded in the toilet). It seemed that the pre-compost was unusually moist, which could be the reason for uninvited guests, so I made a batch of compost litter mixed with some bark chips and other chaff to see if that helps.
What a shame that the cheese and red wine flood didn't happen at the same time. It would've been a feast!
We had a Dymo Label Writer at work and one day when I was bored I wanted to see if I could print images with it and yes, it is possible. I did a strip of stickers with my friend's face on them. It's also possible to print pictures with a thermal receipt printer, although it sounded like the printer didn't like that very much.
Apeshit is out of control angry or excited
My first bike and the one I still ride is Suzuki GS500 - and it's been a perfect choice. I had similar requirements as you do and I haven't been disappointed, it's a really fun and agile bike to ride and you'll learn a lot while working on it. I've heard that people who used to own one but got rid of it and rode other bikes ended up getting another GS as secondary bike because it's just genuinely a nice bike.
This is my 5th season and I've covered about 21k on it (we have about 4-5 riding months a year) and serviced it myself almost as completely as possible (electricity and lower engine haven't been touched). I got it at 58k and in pretty bad condition for 1500e. Even though I've been looking for bigger bikes I don't want to get rid of my GS, so until I have money for both I'm sticking to this. I don't commute but rather ride it for fun and do touring, smaller roads and dirt roads too, but I'm sure there's a reason why half of the world uses it as a commuter bike. It's not the most comfortable ride for touring but it builds character and I'm quite proud of myself for going on all those adventures on my little GS.
As GS is a small bike you'll find yourself shifting gears a lot and reading the rpms, but once you get used to it you will leave the cars behind on a green light -- for a few moments at least (be inspired by this fella). Gusts of wind will shake you and higher speeds really feel like you are riding a bike and not an air conditioned comfort unit. But that's the enjoyment of it and also that'll definitely teach you how to ride. A reasonable amount of discomfort feels like you are actually doing something.
Another great thing is that GS being such a popular and universal bike the spare parts are widely available and cheap and servicing it yourself is possible & quite easy; there's plenty of information available online, videos on Youtube and the GStwin forum that covers about everything you need to know about service and tweaking - better save it to the bookmarks right away because you'll be looking for it after the bike has yet again stalled on a motorway (it's the fucking fuel petcock). 💀
Edit: Also: GS is quite easy and fast to disassemble and rebuild, eg you'll need to do the carbs every so often and it's nice that you can access them within minutes and fitting them back on isn't a trouble once you get the hang of it.
Did you tip it over on the parking lot? No worries, so did the previous owner and the one before that. Just fix the mirrors and if it won't start check the plugs. It'll be fine. You'll be able to push it up yourself too.
I think the 90's UJM bikes hit the sweet spot: design is classy yet technology is updated, but not yet too modernizised or limited by restrictions. You'll be able to tinker with things but don't necessarily have to (except with that fricken petcock, again!).
I fricken love my GS! 😂
Maybe they didn't replace the rolls in your school with clean ones and just put the dirty one back in? At least the modern towel machines don't rotate the same roll.
They are probably the most hygienic option for public bathrooms (until the towel runs out).
That's where the sedatives come in! If I sleep bad two nights in a row I'll be exhausted and then start stressing over sleeping so much it's really difficult to get proper sleep. Being able to break that cycle before it escalates is really important.
That's a bummer! Do you have a favorite tea mug? I'm still looking for the perfect one, needs to be big and wide but those are usually a little bit too thick at the same time.
Congrats on the anniversary!
I was catsitting for a friend for a couple days, me and the cat are good friends now - today I was blessed with a lap-nap by the cat!
Me and SO went to a decent but not too fancy restaurant that had really good reviews, however the food was so bad that when the waiter asked if we enjoyed our meal we told them it wasn't quite as expected. We have never given negative feedback in a restaurant before and we aren't too picky eaters either, as we follow a diet and don't expect restaurant to put much effort into it. I feel kinda ashamed even though I know honesty should be appreciated, I'm sure they tried their best, but in this case a microwaved ready meal would've been a better choice. We didn't ask for discount but they gave it anyways. Phew what a stressful day!
Running in the 90's!
Not the most popular choice for remote roads but as long as it's mostly asphalt the Universal Japanese Motorcycles do their trick just fine. We are riding for 10 days, around 350kms daily, smaller roads and sand roads in Lapland in Finland. Weather has been amazing, it's not too busy either and nights are still warm enough for camping.
The yellow -99 Suzuki GS500e is actually my first bike and first motor vehicle I've ever owned, I bought it in really worn out condition 3 years back and have pretty much fixed every bit that can be fixed and it has been a great teacher! I've put around 20k on it so far. My partner is riding a -96 Honda CB750 which is definitely more comfotable for touring that my GS. 😅
It's actually possible to take a night train from Lapland that also transports vehicles back south so we will ride our bikes in the train and skip a couple boring riding days to spend a few more nights riding in the north.
This article about owlets being rescued from a chimney made it to the national news! It's in Finnish, but here's a quick google translation.
Tl,dr: two owlets were stuck in a mansion's chimney in Tervakoski, Finland. They were rescued after a 24-hour operation and both were in good health, although very hungry.
> The rescue operation lasted a day in Janakkala, Kanta-Häme, when two barn owl chicks were trapped in the labyrinthine chimney of the Tervakoski manor.
> Locals visiting the old manor were eating dinner on Thursday when a strange creaking sound started coming from a nearby chimney. Someone recognized the voice as an owl.
> The rescue service that was alerted for help arrived at the manor, but the means ran out. The complaint about the flue noise continued overnight.
> The owls have had to climb more often than usual this spring, because they have suffered from a shortage of nests . In April, the rescue service had to rescue two pairs of owls that got lost in the wrong place within a week in Päijät-Hämee.
> Two sooty baby owls roost at the bottom of the chimney.
> The next day, the message went to Annulii Koponen, a wild animal manager from Riihimäki. Koponen called for help and got in touch with Piia Raunio, who rings birds.
> When Raunio arrived on Friday, the task seemed impossible.
> - The chimney of the old mansion is slightly L-shaped, and it turned out to be extremely deep.
> Scars or other aids were of no use, because only a small hole led to the chimney.
> - When we got a better picture with the flashlight, there were indeed two baby owls there, and they both screamed, Raunio says.
> Manor owner: the owls must be saved The chirping and screeching of the little owls was heartbreaking, Raunio describes.
> It seemed that the only way to get the birds out was to dismantle the chimneys.
> The rescuers called Inga Chaudhary, the owner of the Tervakoski mansion. She made a decision: the chimney must be dismantled and the owls saved.
> - It didn't even occur to me to leave them there. The chimney can be repaired, says Chaudhary.
> A handyman arrived and started work. It was quickly revealed that the chimneys of the old manor had two walls that had to be passed through.
> Handyman made an owl-like opening in the chimney. Rescuing the exhausted chicks began to look possible.
> The helpers glued the butterfly swatter to the telescope arm and lifted both owls to safety. The video shows the moment when one of the owls gets to safety.
> - There is no way they would have gotten out of there on their own. It felt really good when we got both of them out of there, says Piia Raunio.
> Back to nature > The animals' torment lasted at least a day. After the ordeal, the birds were in surprisingly good shape, albeit hungry.
> - The wings functioned normally, and there were no bruises, Raunio says.
> How did the owls practicing the life of a bird of prey end up in the chimneys of the old mansion?
> The chicks weighed about 300 grams. So young chicks don't fly properly yet.
> - However, the manor's chimney is relatively high. Only the little owls know how they got there.
> One possibility is that there was a nesting place for owls in the chimney, from which the fledglings fell into the chimney.
> The little owls were returned to the wild that same evening.
> According to Rauni, nets will be installed in the chimneys of the Tervakoski mansion, so that owls or other animals do not get stuck in the mazes of the old building in the future.
This is the second film I'm shooting and first one on this camera, so lots of learning ahead!
