floatyduckthoughts

[floatyduckthoughts]

People always ask, Why are you so quiet? Like bro, if you heard the conversations I'm having in my head, you'd stay quiet too.

[floatyduckthoughts]

[floatyduckthoughts]

[floatyduckthoughts]

Guys I am super proud with how these pictures turned out. The game is so much fun! 😭💖🌸

[floatyduckthoughts]

Love this, from the game “ooblets”

[floatyduckthoughts]

Huh?

Last Thursday was crazy, guys. Not just because it began with me attempting the delicate art of avoiding eye contact with my German teacher, since I didn’t read the book we were supposed to read that day, but also because the day felt like a Squid Game execution ಠ_ಠ Picture this: After surviving four lessons, you finally face the final boss. -The math class! The room feels colder every time we step into his arena, as if it’s draining everyone’s health bar little by little. For some reason, he loves to start his lessons by randomly calling on people to solve problems on the blackboard. (It feels worse when you know he is the only math teacher who does this.) But this time, instead of his usual torture, he started handing out math tests to students who had missed the original one and were staying in school to catch up. Nothing too strange- until he stopped at this one guy. The teacher said, “I think you understand that this is it.” And just like that, after some whispering from him and the teacher, the guy packed his stuff, awkwardly waved goodbye with a smile, and left. Apparently, he didn’t pass his grades to qualify for the final Abitur exams. And since this was his second try at the year, he’s officially out of chances to stay at the school. We just sat there, stunned, not knowing where to look (even his friends!). It wasn’t until the teacher said, “When I grade your papers, I never judge you personally (mhm), just your work. It’s unfortunate that things like this happen,” that we understood the guy was officially gone for. The next day? Absolutely crazy. His friends showed up in black elegant suits, holding a framed photo of him and his home country’s flag like it was a funeral, and posted “We’ll miss you” in the class group chat. The guy took it well and appreciated it, but wow. Even though I wasn’t particularly close with this guy, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the teacher or school had gone too far. Why not give him a heads up with a letter or a phone call? Or at least give him the test results after class and speak with him in private? Three years ago, we had a similar situation. And back then, the school did take the time to notify the person in advance, privately. So, they clearly can do that, they just didn’t do it this time. Even if the guy would be one of the loudest and one of the most annoying students, he certainly didn’t deserve that kind of public “execution.” I kept telling this story to everyone, mostly my family, hoping it would help me process my feelings. Later, while making myself something to eat, I decided to check on the living room. That’s when my mom suddenly asked, “Why do you look as if someone died?” Her words caught me off guard. I was just feeling tired! But her dramatic phrasing felt like criticism, and it really irritated me. After a brief conversation, we cleared up the misunderstanding, and she explained she was just worried about me. After our warm hug, I realized I had missed a great opportunity for a great joke! Because, in a way, we did have a funeral- just without the official ceremony and without a body. :DD What also stuck with me, was something my dad suddenly said: “You’re overwhelmed because you’re scared of being one of the few who won’t pass this year. And maybe, deep down, you’re afraid you won’t even get a fun-goodbye funeral from your classmates.” Well, I didn’t think about it before until he mentioned it, now I definitely will. Sheesh, never thought I will have an existential crisis about not having a playful funeral at school. Well, that was my story! Have you ever seen someone get kicked out of school so abruptly, in front of everyone?

[floatyduckthoughts]

This shark lives rent free in my head

[floatyduckthoughts]

The other day, I was out walking with my aunt and our dog.

The snow crunched under every step, dry and heavy. ❄️

My aunt, trying her best to survive the cold, had one hand shoved deep into her jacket pocket while the other held the leash, sacrificing itself to the freezing air. “My hands are so cold they hurt, -every movement is torture!” she complains dramatically, switching her hands: one to the warmth of the pocket, the other to control our little fluffy dog goblin. 🐾

Our dog, by the way, didn’t care one bit about the cold. He kept diving face-first into the snow like some fox, entirely unbothered and enjoying himself. (That’s some flex)

My aunt, meanwhile, would occasionally shield her blushed cheeks with her hand, as if that would somehow preserve her face from dying out.

I wasn’t different from my aunt at that moment. I was even ready to shove my face into my jacket as much as I could, not caring how ridiculous it would look to the passing neighbors. -EXCEPT I noticed…my eyes…

Why don’t my eyeballs feel cold? 👁️👄👁️

Like, your eyes are just out there, completely exposed, and yet they don’t scream for help like your hands or face do. The only thing I notice is that they sometimes feel dry, but that’s more annoying than painful.

-It’s kind of like when I’m at home, staring at my laptop for too long. My eyes dry out, and I feel like they start to get crispy, but that’s still not pain, it’s just discomfort. So, what gives?

Naturally, I started overthinking this.

-Is it about blood vessels? Nerves? Some kind of difference in the structure?

-Are tears just way more impressive than we’ve been giving them credit for?

-And why doesn’t the moisture in our eyes freeze like wet hands do when you’re outside? (Pathetic hands)

These were clearly questions too good to leave unanswered, so I decided to Google my way to an explanation.

Disclaimer: I’m not a big brain. Just a sus duck who has too much access to the internet.

Anyway, here’s the deal:

According to an article called “The Composition of Tears and Their Role in Eye Health” by Troy Bedinghaus (2024) on the website Verywell Health, tears are basically mix of:

-Water

-Electrolytes (things like magnesium, calcium, and sodium that give tears their salty taste- yum)

-Proteins

-Lipids (fats)

-Mucins (more proteins)

SICK, right?!! :DD …..

Hold up! Don’t leave! Let me break it down 🕺

-Mucus is this blend of water, oils, proteins, and other stuff that helps tears stick evenly across your eye.

-The water-saline solution is full of vitamins and minerals to keep your eyes in good shape. (Not that important for our question)

-And then… there’s oil!

Oil is the MVP here. It keeps your tears from evaporating too fast. Without it, your eyes would dry out in no time, which explains why people with bad oil production get dry eyes. So, while the rest of your body is losing heat, like that one SpongeBob scene, your eyes are chilling (HA! Pun intended) under a protective film of oil.

Now, why exactly do your hands feel like they’re dying in the cold?

According to Earth Network’s article “What Is Cold Weather? | Extreme Cold Weather Safety,” wind robs your body of heat super fast. -Duh (≖_≖ )

Plus, there’s something called sublimation—basically, when ice or water turns straight into a gaseous state, it sucks heat out in the process. Your hands can’t handle all the skill issue, but your eyes? They’ve got their oil shields!

So, to sum up: It’s not really just about nerves or blood vessels (though those definitely matter, it’s just a bit too much for my smooth brain and the text is way too long), but it’s the oil. Who would’ve thought?

This, of course, made me wonder again!: If oil protects your eyes, what would happen if I covered myself in coconut oil? Makes sense right? Right???!

Would I finally defeat winter?

I didn’t actually try this, but according to an article by Heather Nicholds called “Top 6 Foods That Keep You Warm When It’s 30 Below,” coconut oil might…kind of help?

Apparently, fats generate warmth when they metabolize, and coconut oil works like a charm as a moisturizer. Dry, cracked skin loses heat faster and gets super sensitive to cold, so keeping it moisturized helps lock in some warmth.

Am I saying coconut oil will turn you into an unstoppable human creature? -Nope. But it might make surviving winter a little less, miserable. Un poco

You are welcome ( ◡̀_◡́)ᕤ💯✨

[floatyduckthoughts]

Imperfect Beginnings

Yesterday, I downloaded Tumblr for the first time, and for the whole day, I was so excited to finally start my own fun blog! I imagined all the posts I would write and the topics I could share. ✨ But when it came time to create my first post, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻

I’m sure many of you have felt this way before.

The worst part is being completely conscious of what’s happening. You understand the feeling, you know it’s fear, perfectionism, and overthinking all mixed together. You even know the solution: accept the feeling, accept your anxious self, the situation, and just start writing. Get it over with, because this is the only way you’ll manage to fight off your perfectionism and finally have fun! Logically, it all makes sense. But physically, it’s like your body refuses to cooperate. You stare at your phone, knowing you just need to type something - anything will do! But still, you’re stuck.

I’ve learned that the answer isn’t about forcing yourself through the fear. It’s about sitting with it. Accepting that it’s okay to feel anxious or uncertain. After all, you still start!

This feeling reminds me of being an inspired artist starting a new sketchbook. Where are my fellow artists? High five! You know that fear of the blank page. It’s not about lacking ideas. It’s the thought that once you use an idea, it’s “gone”, like you’ve spent it and can never use it again. And the worst thing? It didn’t turn out the way you have imagined it! It’s such an extreme, illogical thought, but our brains love this rush.

After trying to teach myself mindfulness and to understand how my brain works, I’m happy that I’ve learned to get out of this feeling faster.

It never fully goes away. Even right now, I’m spending way too much time on this post, but it’s such a great feeling when you finally break free of that “self-scrutinizing” mindset. Writing about it is so helpful, especially when you journal or use “Obsidian”!

I have so many topics I want to talk about and share with people, but on the other hand, I also didn’t wanted my first post to feel too serious. I felt a lot of responsibility about what I’d post. At first, I had this idea to slowly grow my content: start with something light, like an introduction, and gradually get more intense after 10 posts or so. But it didn’t feel right to me.

I’m an intense person! My side who likes to plan and my explosive, chaotic side couldn’t find common ground.

But then I thought - who really cares? ╮ (￣ 3￣) ╭ there will be people who are going dislike you no matter what. -So, I’ll just focus on what feels important to me and gain experience along the way

So let’s gooo! Let’s create and figure it out together!