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[struggling-academic]

I met with some very cool people today to discuss their new research project about parasite-animal-human relationships, which hopes to touch on social and biological anthropology, primatology, veterinary medicine, human medicine and others. It's genuinely one of the most amazing projects I've heard about recently and I'm thrilled to (hopefully) be a part of it.

For my fellow scientists, please suggest your favorite books, research papers, anything really on the subject of parasites from any point of view!! I'd really appreciate it.

[struggling-academic]

window watching

i sit in the window and stare out at the world. life goes on, the trams and birds and people go about their days, and in the window, i remain still. i watch the birds with particular interest, i envy them their wings. it's windy today, and i can see them playing with the currents, flying in intricate patterns that only they can see.

what i wouldn't give to fly again...

[struggling-academic]

Sleep Tax

so I've been thinking about something and I'm gonna call it sleep tax

basically, because of my ADHD I need a bit of extra time to get ready in the morning, but also the earlier I wake up the more time I need cause I'm also dealing with sleep deprivation.

So like, if I need to leave home at 8:30 I need to fully wake up by 7:30 so my first alarm has to be at 7:00 so I have time for a few snoozes and an hour to get ready. If I have to leave by 8:00 though I need to wake up fully by 7:00 to even have a chance of getting ready in time and my first alarm has to be around 6:20.

And it gets worse if it's cold cause now there's the extra step of forcing myself into the cold and the cold makes everything else harder to do. So now I have to wake up like 15 minutes earlier to give myself time for that but really my first alarm is way before that so I can have proper snoozing time. Like, Now to leave at 8:30 I have to fully wake up around 7:15 or earlier and my first alarm will be at 6:30.

Now, if waking up this early makes me sleep deprived for whatever reason. Like maybe I had a lot of work the night before, or I had a bad day and ended up staying up late on Tumblr trying to decompress to the point that I could get to sleep, or I just couldn't sleep. Then it'll start a cycle of not so great energy-sapping days where it's hard to sleep and I consistently get to bed closer to 1-2am. Now I'm getting like 6 or less hours of sleep a night and am getting very sleep-deprived so getting ready is even slower. Now I have to wake up even earlier to compensate for that. My first alarm now is at 6:20 (or earlier) so I can wake up at 7:00

And if I have to wake up earlier when I'm already waking up at 7:00 and have to leave around 8:00 instead of 8:30, well I just kind of die cause now I'm waking up at 6:45 with my first alarm at 6:00 or 5:55 all while getting less than 5 hours of sleep a night

So now I'm in this horrible cycle of getting more and more sleep deprived because the sleep deprivation and other stuff makes it harder and harder to get ready so I have to wake up earlier and earlier which makes my days more and more energy-sapping which means I stay up later and I get more sleep-deprived and I'm even slower getting ready and have to wake up earlier and on and on and on

[struggling-academic]

Broke: Good Omens isn't a gay love story because Crowley and Aziraphale aren't in love

Woke: Good Omens is a gay love story because Crowley and Aziraphale are in love

Bespoke: Whether Good Omens is a gay love story or not is debatable; it is, however, undeniably a story of the love between Crowley and Aziraphale (whatever type of love that may be)

Neil Gaiman: Good Omens isn't a gay love story because while Crowley and Aziraphale are in love, they are not human males, they are an angel and a demon

[struggling-academic]

Saving this for later here

An easy-ish dinner you can make a bunch of and save for later because I’m bored so why not

Chicken and rice mess (chicken can be substituted for cubed tofu dusted with flour)

Some cubed chicken (maybe a pound, idk. Depends on how much you want)

1 Cup of white rice (don’t rinse it. The starch adds to the creamy texture in this one. Trust me.)

1.5 cups water or broth (chicken or vegetable)

One 15 oz can tomato sauce

One 15 oz can stewed tomatoes

Oil for sautéing

Salt and pepper

Onion powder

Garlic powder

Either Italian herb mix, OR a mix of cinnamon, paprika, and dried rosemary (grandma calls this version Greek chicken but we both know that’s not accurate)

Optional: Sour cream or plain yogurt

Get a real wide and deep pan and get it up to medium high heat. Brown your chicken or tofu on all sides in the oil. Add the rice.

Optional: Toast the rice on a lower heat in the oil until some of the grains start to look clear or slightly brown. Not strictly necessary but good if you’ve got the spoons for it)

Dump in the cans of tomato chunks and sauce, the water or broth, and all of the spices and salt to taste. Stir until incorporated. You can add a pinch of sugar here too if you prefer that in your tomato dishes.

Turn up the heat until the mixture is simmering and then give it one last stir before turning down the heat to low and covering it for 20 minutes or until the rice is very soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed.

If you want, you can add a big scoop of sour cream or yogurt to your serving for extra creaminess and protein. Tastes best the next day after sitting in the fridge for a while.