rowenabean - Tumblr blog

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and is “party rock” in the house with us tonight? 

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flatmate's friend came over and specifically complimented how well the shape of the handles complements my mugs and I feel so seen (I think SO MUCH about this)

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(x)

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Honestly thought I'd never hear the word "usborne" again. My mom used to live and breathe that company, and while I certainly don't regret a fair chunk, I do find it amusing as I look back now. I legitimately thought it had fallen off faster than Juice+.

In reference to a post where i mention my kid has the usborne “see inside germs” book.

So if people don’t know, usborne is a weird publishing company that has done indispensable books for British children for generations; they’re in every library, school and nursery, and have shelves devoted to them in every bookstore. They are how many people learned to read, and are the originators of many hyper focuses. They’re famed for doing educational lift the flap books for all ages, like “see inside your body”, as well as as the ubiquitous touch-and-feel series, “that’s not my….” In which a mouse comments improbably on various creatures not being their creature. “That’s not my dragon,” the mouse says, inviting you to stroke a dragon with a patch of fur on it, “its tummy is too soft. That’s not my dragon,” on the next page, where the dragon’s ears are lined with textured paper, “its ears are too bumpy.” This seems like such an inefficient way to find one’s missing dragon, a fact that simmers underneath you through endless repetition. Why does the mouse own so many things (pirates, ducks, polar bears) and why is it interrogating other people’s pirates etc by feeling their legs.

At any rate, turn a parents’ house upside down and these books fall out.

Which is why it’s completely hilarious that they are also an MLM.

Well. Kind of. In the old school sense. It’s less about signing up a pyramid scheme and more about getting a random citizen to buy a crate of perfectly popular books and try to sell them on from their home. It’s very traditional for Mums On Maternity Leave to do this. Pre-social media and online ordering, they’d hook up other mums at toddler group. Today, they post awkwardly on social media. The idea is that buying from another parent is cheaper than the bookstore, and they get to keep the markup. They get intense about things, and I believe they attend conferences. Nobody makes a huge amount of money and it’s unclear how undercutting local bookstores is helpful; it’s also basically the same RRP as Amazon I think.

And the books are perfectly respectable and sell perfectly well in bookstores.

So. Like. This marketing scheme is completely weird. Why?? Why does it still exist? People buy the books normally! You don’t need to promote them aggressively! You don’t need elaborate independent local middlemen schemes! You can just buy them! I have never understood this. I just file it under one of those weird mat leave hustles.

But don’t worry OP. They’re still going. They’ll never stop. The thing is that your mom got bored and online sales probably ate whatever residual profit margins were left and it’s probably very liberating for everyone to grow out of the “that’s not my cow” stage, but Usborne books are going strong.

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pharmacology is basically magic tho. we have these potions pills. they can bring about great blessings, but also inflict great curses. maybe they can cure your suffering, but at a Cost (co-pay + assorted side effects). most people prefer not to delve into the dark realm of medication, but sometimes it's the only way to deal with the Afflictions. they seem to favor a Chosen Few, no one knows why. yes humans summoned them into being from baser elements. yes we frequently have no idea how they work. yes you must obey the rules of the prescription contract or risk your life and sanity (and liver health). yes there is fine print involved, read it carefully.

what lays beyond this dark chemistry? demons from hell? bargains with the fae? clinical trials alchemical rituals toying with flesh and blood and body and soul???? no idea but come back in 6 weeks we'll fiddle with the dosage

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wait until you hear about the three quarter hour one

Heyyy just found out about Australian time zones and you know what I have questions why are there half hours involved

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“I took this extraordinary step because these are extraordinary circumstances,” Shafik [Columbia University President] wrote. “The individuals who established the encampment violated a long list of rules and policies.”

uh. the normal expectation for violating university rules and policies is not ARREST

the Columbia University arrests are worse than they seem. They're arresting protesting students for trespassing. It goes without saying students cannot meaningfully "trespass" in the common areas of a university they attend. So Columbia University has suspended all student protestors from their institution, in the process revoking their access to housing, their belonging, and most crucially damaging their academic futures. We are witnessing full scale silencing and removal of anyone of conscience from the next generation of academia.

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I collect handmade cups. My brother came for a visit the other day and asked which one was the grail

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People are prettiest when they talk about something they really love with passion in their eyes

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honestly i just think we all need to slow down

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i like to think if annabeth and percy ended up living around mortals they would tell their friends abt some of the stuff they went through bc they can’t really hide it forever except they make it sound like their family’s part of the greek mafia

a lot of “yeah my dads…influential…in greece”

or “my moms,,pretty powerful in greece,, yeah she’s up there lol..anyway”

like they make it sound like maybe poseidon and athena are two “business CEO’s” who butt heads but everyone thinks their two mafia leaders who hate eachother

annabeth slips up and brings up the 7 months percy was missing and they have to cover it up saying his aunt, on his dads side, sent him away to a boarding school in greece where he wasn’t able to contact anyone here in america

“yeah we don’t really talk to her after..that..”

it doesn’t help that their friends can hear them hiss in greek to each other when they don’t want them to know what their saying

or when their stretching in a certain way that makes their shirt ride up and there are obvious scars hidden underneath

and it honestly all makes sense just going off the vibes of the two of them so no one really questions it because who would and anytime either of their parents appear shifted into their mortal counterparts everyone keeps their eyes downcast

dj khaled: anotha one

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some Luci Shaw for the carpenter-Jesus-encounters-the-cross enjoyers

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link to pdf