growinggoblin

[growinggoblin]

“Bamboo is antifungal”

Because it’s rayon

“Eucalyptus fabric is cooling!”

Yeah, because it’s rayon

“We make clothing called seacell out of seaweed!”

Yeah I looked on your website it’s made by the lyocell process, which means-

-wait for it-

It’s fucking rayon!!

Listen. There is a list of actual plant fibers that are directly made into fabric: cotton, linen, ramie, some hemp. I’m sure I’m missing a couple.

But if you’re wondering “huh how did they turn that plant material into fabric,” 99% of the time? It’s RAYON.

All rayon is made by putting plant material in chemical soup, dissolving out everything but the cellulose, and turning the cellulose into filaments/fibers.

The source of the cellulose has zero effect on the eventual fabric.

Rayon made from bamboo or eucalyptus or seaweed is not any better than rayon from any other sources.

Don’t let companies mislead you!

[growinggoblin]

How I Get the Most Out of Meat When Cooking

As someone who 1.) was 100% vegetarian for ethical/religious reasons until very recently, and 2.) recently had to reintroduce meat for vitamin deficiency reasons, limiting waste as much as possible when I cook with meat is really important to me. For one thing, I feel like I owe it to the animal that died to get as much use as possible out of its body as a way of honoring its death. For another, meat is expensive (ethically raised meat even more so) and I want to get my money's worth.

I recently bought a bunch of lamb for my family's holiday dinner, so I wanted to share my attempt to practice the Honorable Harvest in my meat consumption. This is new to me, but I wanted to document the attempt because it's been a fun learning process for me! If you want to actually learn about honorable consumption I encourage you to read the works of Robin Wall Kimmerer and other indigenous ecologists, since the Honorable Harvest is based on indigenous North American practices. (Though there are other cultural practices all over the world.)

Step One: Sourcing the Meat

I am very fortunate to have enough disposable income to buy ethically raised meat, which tends to be more expensive. This is a privilege. Other people are not able to spend this extra money on their meat, and that doesn't make me better than them. Feeding yourself is morally neutral, and a tight budget is not a moral failing. Most meat alternative products (Beyond Beef, Impossible, etc.) are also pretty expensive. If the factory-farmed meat at the supermarket is the only thing in your budget, use that.

If you DO have some extra funds, local farms are a great place to source meat. The reason we had lamb for the holidays is because a local farm recently culled their herd and had lamb on sale. In the past we've gotten beef from a relative who raises cattle. I encourage you to learn about farms in your area and what they have to offer. CSAs and farmers' markets are great places to start. You can also ask around at local restaurants about where they source their ingredients.

When I say "ethically raised meat," what I'm really talking about is pasture-raised animals. Cage-free animals may not live in cages, but they can still be kept in cramped, dirty, inhumane conditions and be sold as "cage free." Pasture-raised animals are able to graze and forage and generally wander around within a paddock. For some animals like chickens you can also look for "free range," which means the animals are unfenced and are able to wander freely. Since I don't cook meat often, I try to get free range or pasture-raised meat when I do buy it.

In some areas, you may also be able to find certified ethically slaughtered meat, which means the slaughtering process has been designed to cause as little suffering to the animal as possible. That kind of certification isn't really available where I live, but it might be for you!

And of course, hunting or fishing yourself is also an option. If you kill the animal yourself, you know exactly how it died and can take steps to limit suffering as much as possible. Hunting isn't a skillset I have, but if you do more power to you!

Step Two: Cooking the Meat

This is the easy part. Depending on the cut of meat you got and the dish you are cooking, you may need to remove bones or trim fat, but aside from that it's just following a recipe.

For our holiday lamb stew, I used this recipe. I have Celiac disease, so I subbed gluten-free flour and replaced the beer with red wine. I also added rosemary and garlic for a more Mediterranean flavor to compliment the wine.

Step Three: Organs and Bones

This is where the breakdown is for a lot of Americans. We don't cook with bones or organs very often, and we tend to throw away whatever parts of the animal we don't want. That is not honorable consumption. Part of the Honorable Harvest is using every part of the being that died to feed you.

Most organs make great stew meat. My favorite Nicaraguan beef stew is made with tongue, and my indigenous Hawaiian relatives make stew with pig feet. And while I don't like them, lots of my Southern family members love chitlins (pickled pig intestines). Lots of cultures eat organs, and you'll find plenty of delicious recipes if you look!

Bones are typically used to make stock, which can be used as a base for future soups and stews. There are lots of recipes for DIY stocks and broths, but I usually fry some onions and/or garlic, deglaze with wine, and then add the meat/bones and the water, plus salt, pepper, and herbs for flavor. Most animal bones can produce two batches of stock before they lose flavor. (For really flavorful stock, leave some meat on the bones.)

Once the stock is done, you'll still have bones to deal with. Contrary to popular belief, cooked bones are not safe for dogs to chew on. (But raw bones usually are!) Instead, I strip any remaining meat and gristle from the stock bones, give those scraps to my pups as a treat, and then use the stripped bones for something else. With a little extra processing, the bones can be used as a fertilizer in a garden, a calcium supplement for chickens, or a safe treat for dogs and/or cats.

This was my first time processing bones, but after boiling them for, like, 12 hours in water with salt and vinegar, they were soft enough to break apart with my hands. I'm going to grind them to make bone meal.

[growinggoblin]

I do agree with this - butttt I also cannot escape the reality that things wear out, get stained, tear, break, get lost, etc etc. Or you run out of them and can't ever use/enjoy them again.

I treasure my beautiful clothes, my favourite mugs, my gorgeous letter paper and envelopes... It's hard not to, you know?

So I try and buy something beautiful secondhand. A pretty dress at €5. But it being cheap or preloved does not make it any less valuable or easier to "just wear". Not te me, at least.

But yes, I know not wearing/using your stuff doesn't make sense, and is wasteful in another way. I remember not wearing the beautiful flowery shoes my parents got me as a kid. I had maybe worn them five times before they got top small for my growing feet. And yet, I have not really learnt anything, have I?

A brief moment of rationality from the bird place.

[growinggoblin]

I am such a foooool. Fell for it again.

Not only did I buy some cute but completely unnecessary stationary. It is also just really bad! Damn.

Okay so I went to the Hema to buy socks. I only wear high socks whenever possible but sometimes those are too warm and with summer camp coming up, I'll be away for two weeks and three pairs would not suffice. So I bought some more! Got them at Hema cause I like the pairs I already have from them. €7 for five pairs that will last me a while. Pretty fair deal. And yeah these are not the most sustainable option but socks and underwear are kind of the hardest things to thrift and researching more sustainable brands + spending way more on them + needing to get them shipped all felt not worth it.

But we're not here to talk socks. No, I went into the Hema thinking I could buy just those. Okay and I got forget-me-nots (seeds in a small pot) for my housemate, who I'll be leaving soon as I moving. Those I found in the sale isle, yay! And that's also where I found those stamping markers.

I like stamps a lot and these looked cute and colourful. At just €1 I couldn't resist. But ugh, they're bad.

Why are the stamps so small - I expected the pad to be the size of the pen, not tapered to like 5 mm. And they stamp so poorly... The star stamps well but is almost invisible (and idk why they made it fluorescent, while the others are not). The mug stamps soooo bad. Pencil is hard to recognise even when stamped well. Ughhh.

[growinggoblin]

things that made me stop wanting to die that require no effort whatsoever

change the color used to highlight text on your laptop

move the pictures on your wall

stack whatever clutter is in your room into piles even if you don’t have time to clean it all

slightly vary your commute, even just by one street

change where you sit and scroll aimlessly on your phone even if it’s only to the chair in your room instead of your bed

drink water or juice out of a wine glass in the morning because nothing is real

shower with the lights off, without music

buy $3 flowers at trader joe’s—they look bad next to the more expensive ones but they look so good in your room

start typing things you don’t post into your notes. your thoughts can be worth documenting even if you don’t deem them worth sharing

wake up super early just once. you don’t have to make it a habit it’s just extra satisfying to go to bed that night

listen to the entirety of your favorite album from 2015

[growinggoblin]

Hey yall please don’t roast me for this, but does anyone know how shoe polish works?

I work in very wet conditions, and my shoes are in fine condition but they get stripped cause of the water. I’m not gonna buy new ones and I want to keep these in good condition for as long as possible

I don’t know how to use it and what to do, and I’m too embarrassed to ask anyone in real life cause they always act like I’m fucking stupid for not knowing

Thanks, sorry

[growinggoblin]

A major pattern I've noticed in my depression is that the less I do, the less I do. It's a downward cyclical thing. I feel better when I make myself be productive (not Productive(tm) just like, taking a walk, tidying things around my house, going out). I feel worse when I sit and do nothing but scroll on my phone. But the more I sit and do nothing, the harder it gets to do anything. I've been trying to break the habit with a more structured routine where I take a walk every morning (even when I don't feel like it) just to get myself moving for the day, and it really helps.

[growinggoblin]

I used to have a very similar case, just smaller and round. I haven't seen it in over a month and it wasn't always as useful due to its smaller size, so I bought this one too (hoping to find the small one again soon).

I primarily use these to store jewellery when travelling! Perfect for a few pairs of earrings, a couple of necklaces, maybe some rings or bracelets.

Not an essential item, but really darn useful if you travel a lot - I don't really take vacation or work trips, let alone to different countries, but I used to travel between houses every week and I also visit my partner sometimes. So I use these a lot. It's nice to not lose small items in a big bag!

[growinggoblin]

Good news: you can fix many electronics by taking them apart and cleaning them of dust and grime!

But!

Bad news: you have to put it back together again

[growinggoblin]

Remember "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" ? I feel like there's been a distancing from the "reduce" and "reuse" part and a favoritism towards "recycle" by corporate American.

Capitalism can still thrive with recycling in the mix. You buy Plastic Thing 1, throw it away after one use, and they take that and recycle it into Plastic Thing 2 and sell it back to you. All while continuing to harm the environment.

Reusing puts a damper on things. They can't sell you Plastic Thing 2 when you're still using Plastic Thing 1. Plastic forks, for example- there is literally no reason why you can't reuse plastic forks more than once (aside from maybe microplastics, but it's too late for that)

Reducing is the one everyone wants to ignore. Just don't buy Plastic Thing 1. You don't need Plastic Thing 1. Pick up a set of metal forks and use those for years. Convenience is killing the planet

[growinggoblin]

Cleaning gets easier when you remember it's a thing you're doing to make your life less miserable, and not a thing you're doing as punishment

[growinggoblin]

I truly believe we could fix so many problems if the world wasn’t making us all so dang tired

[growinggoblin]

idk who needs to be told this but "you should eat vegetables regularly" is not diet industry propaganda. the reason you should eat vegetables isn't because they're low calorie or low fat or whatever, it's because they contain vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and a whole bunch of other shit that your body needs to live that isn't found in most other foods. you are an omnivore you need a varied diet!!!

[growinggoblin]

Shark!

Got this super soft friend as a gift for my birthday. It's supposedly to warm your feet while sitting.

It's a cute shark, but I really don't need this. I always wear slippers indoors. And I don't really have te space and need for another plushie...

Not sure what I'll do with this, honestly :^) I actually think it's a very kind gift (from someone who doesn't know me super well but is clearly trying their best) so immediately passing it on or donating feels wrong... But maybe it's best to regift it to someone who will use this, now that it is still new and unused.

[growinggoblin]

So this is what I bought. I got four pairs of the panties and one bralette, so I have set with more panties, which I like. The bralette isn't super comfortable unfortunately - the armholes are a bit tight around the armpits and the seams (hard to see in the picture but it's got a lot of seams all over) can be felt a bit. Not terrible though.

The top I haven't tried on yet but it looks like a less scratchy alternative to the fishnet tops. And the bra? Gorgeous, but I'm going have to sell it. It doesn't fit, even though the sizing table looked good and several reviews told me to get the smaller size due to it running big... Oh well.

Ohhh no

I am not subscribed to a lot of mailing lists from shops at all. Like almost none.

So I forgot I should've unsubscribed from the Killstar one.

And when I got the email today, I should not have clicked on the link. I should not have.

But I did.

And now I bought a bra I'll wear like once, four pairs of the same panties and a matching bralette.

I do not need those! Okay I can somewhat excuse the panties. But still, four?? OF THE SAME ONES??

I just spent €47. Why the frick did I let myself get led astray by a silly little sale!!!

[growinggoblin]

I feel like in the rush of “throw out etiquette who cares what fork you use or who gets introduced first” we actually lost a lot of social scripts that the younger generations are floundering without.