#I am running on 300+ mg of caffeine

[rainyfestivalsweets]

Slim Pickins

9/1/24

Ever seen those reels or tik toks that tell you to run to the dollar tree?

Ya'll. Is dollar tree sponsoring just an epic shitton of those videos?

Because I was just there and it was terrible. It was the last of the 3 stores in my vicinity that I hadn't visited yet.

So you know I have some some hauls there before, on the hunt for some healthy shit. Pickles, banana peppers, a hidden gem here and there (True North 4 packs, iykyk).

It is barely worth mentioning today. I did pick up some sf hard 🍬 candies & some little bags of Russell Stover sf chocolates (portion control). The only other notable item was a couple cans of G Fuel. And consumer alert- watch the caffeine content in those. Idk if they all are, but some are 300 MG caffeine.

What else did I get? A 6 pack of pretzels. Again, small bags = portion control. Especially for me with carbs. My activity level is pretty high tho so I am trying to give myself on watching the carbs but.... I am starting to think I have a gluten intolerance from some recent lab work.

I got some drink mixes too, but I am pretty sure they are cheaper at walmart. (Confirmed- $1.08 vs 1.25)

Sf Cherry jello 🍒 4 pack

Some coffee. Jim Beam Bourbon Vanilla small bag.

Green tea.

But I swear I looked for some things that people keep saying to run to the dollar tree for ...and didn't find shit. No fun lotions. No quantity of health food.

You also have to watch out because at $1.25 some items are cheaper at walmart, or in packages too small to be a deal. See the drink packs above and the tuna and salmon below.

I did see a pack of freeze dried strawberries and 1 other freezer dried fruit. But the price point on that should be ... a 6 pack like the pretzels or at least a 3 pack. It was a 1 serving bag.

This time, I knew to pass on the tuna & salmon, spices, and certain other staples. They did have nuts but I passed on those because I have some already and too many nuts can make a deficit become a surplus really fucking fast. And I have been plateaued for a bit now.

The plus side is that the store was well kept and maintained, and it was busy so you know product turn over was high.

I remarked on the store being busy and the cashier said, "Yeah, we are always busy the first of the month." That broke my heart a little because the food picks were pretty damn sparse and like I stated earlier- cheaper elsewhere. If people are on food benefits, those little cents add up and it might mean they don't have transportation to Walmart or a grocery store.

I picked up a couple cans of spaghetti sauce, turkey gravy, & white cheese sauce. I thought about getting some pepper stir fry- which I think is a good price still 🤔 but I think my freezers are full right now.

Alot of their other freezer stuff was .... just pre packaged garbage. I think the pepper stir fry was the only vegetable in sight.

Sometimes saving money means not buying stuff at dollar tree even though all those influencers are highlighting their products. If it isn't a good deal and won't save you time or actual money, it's ok to pass. It's OK to walk to the dollar tree. And be skeptical. Price check.

Also beware of items that have higher prices. I think the reason I used to like them is because I didn't have to think about the price so much just see and grab. But that is when everything was a $1, before the 25% price hike. 🤔 but now they have $3 items and $5 items. Be skeptical!

An example of a time/energy/diet saver is when you are in desperate need of lunch and you are in a sea of fast food places. You see a dollar tree and boom, you could be saved: A jar of pickles, a pack of tuna = $2.50. Spring for a beverage for 3.75 total... that is still beating out most fast food places for a meal... or some of them even a plain ass little burger. Idk about ya'll but without a veggie just a burger doesn't really satisfy me right now.

An "I'm craving something sweet" could be those freeze-dried fruit packs or sf jello, a beef jerky & a beverage. It's totally worth it if it stops you from going into a different store and being inundated by all the various high calorie prepacked garbage.

[thepioden]

They're raiding an illithid colony ship, I tell myself. I am purposefully NOT fleshing out the slaves and thralls. Last time I gave the thralls names, the party stole one and made him the coxswain of their ship. No lovable NPCs for them to steal this time! Just good old fashioned macguffin heist.

Until, standing against a lone ulitharid, the colony's elder brain so much patê on the warforged fighter's fists, does the wizard turn to me and say: "so, this isn't at all rules as written, BUT-"

(This is not something you want to hear from an oldschool Pathfinder fullcaster main given the tinker toys level of crunch in 5e. 3.5/Pathfinder players need additional enrichment.)

He says, "BUT, we're in the Astral Sea, and I'm from the Feywild so I'm used to manipulating the world around me with willpower, and I picked up Temporal Shunt last level up, and I have my 5th and 6th level slots still, and you've SAID you encourage wizards to homebrew spells..."

"What crimes are you intending to commit with Temporal Shunt," I ask him, knowing felonies against the game are about to occur.

"I want to reach into his timeline to before he was ceremorphed and retcon it into never happening."

"Okay," I say, because we have been playing for longer than I slept last night and I am running solely on 300 mg of caffeine "Sure. You can try. DC 33 Arcana check, you'll blow both spells, and if it works he'll take 11d6 of damage from temporal blowback."

"Sweet," says the wizard, and rolls a 34.

[cantankerouscorvid]

I’ve currently lost several hours of sleep over the fact that ADHD and autism were likely advantages over “normal” people in the caveman days. They allowed people to be extremely focused on tasks and to be very talented at their area of specialized expertise within a more community based society. Thus, these traits made neurodivergence “better” than what is defined as “normal” today by the neurotypical standard. It was only after the rise of crapitalism that these traits were seen as disadvantages or disabilities.

Why?

Because neurodivergence makes it harder to perform meaningless repetitive tasks like “normal” people in exchange for a germ-coated piece of paper with the portrait of a dead colonizer (aka founding father) on it.

How is the fact that neurodivergent people may not want to surrender to the hamster-wheel that is the modern office job in order to afford their biological needs considered a defficiency? How is it that neurodivergent people are told that sitting still and typing numbers in boxes or performing the same task ad nauseum for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week is the most important thing they can do in life? How is it that society is structured around whittling our lives away with largely pointless tasks instead of bettering ourselves as people or AT LEAST having enough spare time to actually pursue happiness for ourselves and others?

Why have we devolved to the point that doing something you love is financially unfeasible in the modern world? Why can’t people make a living off of what they love doing and are often extremely talented at when other people are respected and revered for doing calculations around the socially constructed currency WE PULLED OUT OF THE AIR? How is that considered a meritocracy and not absolute lunacy? Has the human species improved at all, or were we just doomed to spiral down to this point from the beginning? What the hell am I supposed to do to fix it, or make it liveable?

[lognecro]

I’m getting job training at Bonehaven learning center

I’m typing this on my phone because I don’t have a computer, but i’m hoping to get one in the next month. Anyways, my name is Logan, and I had no direction in life. I was born on March 22, 2003, so i’ll be 18 in about a month. I have a few interesting things about me that might be important for this blog. I am autistic, I suffer from several mental disorders that cause psychosis, anger issues, and in general destructive behavior. I dropped out of high school midway through junior year, and have been through the process of getting my ged while holding down a job at a grocery store.

I don’t know when but my parents found out about a program called Job Corps, and I filled out an application. I’ll be going to the Bonehaven center in Oregon, where I will be trained in SAPS(Security and protective services). This should be happening in the next few months, but since right now my life is doing pretty poorly social wise, I thought writing a journal might help. I don’t like being trapped in my own bubble though, so i’m doing a blog. Instead of screaming my thoughts onto paper, i’ll be doing it into the void that is the internet.

My hobbies include reading and writing, listening to music, and practicing bass(I’m not very good at it). I’m hoping in the future though to write my own music, or at least perform in a band. My main dream is to become a ghost and monster hunter though, traveling the United States checking out hotspots of folklore and supernatural activity. Sadly I have to focus on reality, and that’s why I am doing SAPS with Job Corps, I’m not an idiot but i’m not the smartest guy either, and despite me having a bit of a weight issue, when i’m working out regularly I have body builder muscles and i’m absolutely swol.

Right now me and my friends are going through a rough patch, I spend too much money and time on my friend Ivy, while I barely spend time with Jenny. It doesn’t help that they hate each other and refuse to be in the same room together. Ivy is super needy and texts me every day to hang out, which makes me irritable most of the time so I usually lie and say I’m working because I need my alone time. Jenny never texts me and I rarely see her cause she lives a couple towns over, and I don’t have my license yet so I always have to ask for a ride.

I’m hoping to get my license soon, but with this pandemic, it’s been nearly impossible to get an appointment set up. I have this old convertible Chrysler that my grandma gave me, it needs a new battery and hood, and before I take it in to get fixed, I have to scrub the inside down with bleach because of all the mold. It’s a really nice car though and I hope to have it running in a couple months. I have a bit of an energy drink addiction and right now I’m in love with these zero calorie, 300 mg caffeine drinks. I get the new red dragon flavor and it’s just a really good and smooth fruit punch flavor.

At my job, I’m the closing parcel, so i’m the guy pushing carts and cleaning the restrooms, though I refuse to clean the womens restroom after I had done my whole *knock knock* “HOUSEKEEPING, ANYBODY INSIDE?!?!?” routine, and nobody answered, so I walked in and in the first stall, a woman was...having some fun I guess, awkward thing was she stared me in the eyes and only did it more furiously, so I just don’t go in there anymore. My bosses are generally very pleasant and easy to work with, except for Big Bitch and Little Bitch, who I will not say their names as to not reference their names.

Big Bitch has no idea how to manage people, and has a thick accent that makes it very hard to understand him. He’s the one that tells me to go vacuum the front lobby when the cart bays are over flowing and people are complaining. Little Bitch has absolutely no empathy or awareness of his surroundings, he generally wanders off to go talk to customers or check his phone, while he lets the assistant manager do all the hard work of managing the front end. The assistant managers are the people I can actually respect, because they’re real people instead of an annoying character that only exists to make my day harder.

In general I don’t have to do much most days, and take long breaks because people often don’t use carts or make massive messes, you’d think they would but it’s only happen a couple times in the year i’ve worked here. At home I live in a repurposed bathroom, where the sink, bathtub, and toilet had all been removed and paved over to turn the room into an exceptionally large storage room, where I have a twin sized bed, a tv, and an xbox that I never play. Often at night, I can hear my parents having sex over my music because the walls are so thin. Getting drunk or high helps, but most days I just turn the tv up high or listen to music via my headphones.

I’m going to be switching to a flip phone, because I want to stop using social media as often, and I just think they’re cool. I love old tech. I’m making the switch after I get a laptop, so that i’ll still have a way to update this blog. Anyways I’ve, recently been getting into the occult, mainly to explain my prophetic dreams that are either random events that i’m going to experience or end of the world scenarios that happen in other universes. My mom had the ability to see and conjure the dead, and my brothers inherited that ability, but I didn’t. While i’m sensitive to the supernatural, I can’t perceive what’s around me, only what’s in my head

I initially thought it was some sort of schizophrenia the voices in my head, but even after taking anti psychotics and getting monthly injections, they never went away. I never told anybody though, because I don’t want to go to a hospital again. I’ve been trying to categorize and place the voices, but they’re not the same every time, and they’re not talking to me. They’re just talking, it’s like eavesdropping on a conversation that doesn’t exist, but yet some how, the information I hear is usually about the people around me, some random stuff, and me. I’m currently in the small break room, with an ear bud in my right ear and two conversations going on to my left.

One is my coworkers talking to each other, and the other one is a man talking to a woman, I don’t really know what it’s about but a few snippets are “Yeah I piss in the milk, they can’t tell though. I’ve managed to open a door, gonna try to do that again soon. I made about 3 kids cry again, honestly if I could I’d make a career out of it”

Just random things like that, in general though the conversation seems to be about somebody named and I don’t know how this is spelt so this is a guess, “Hephitus” I have no idea who that is, but it seems like they’re talking about a person. I hear this name every now and then, but they dropped this name a few times and in general it’s them just verbally shitting on him/her, pretty much what I do when i’m talking about somebody. I typically ignore these convos but right now i’m bored, so I got nothing better to do. I have to go back to work now though, so Imma go. I’m going to try posting daily, so let me know what you think. This has been Logan or LogNecro, and this is my blog

[theliterateape]

Happy National Active Shooter Drill Day!

By Stephanie McCullough

“TRIGGER” WARNING LOL

Reminder to our Employees…

This coming Tuesday is our National Active Shooter Drill Holiday! 

We’ve got SO many fun and informative activities planned for this year’s ASD Day!  

Here’s just a few reminders about your participation:

Wear your most awkward shoes, No cheating!  As you practice urgently but orderly running from the sound of rapid gunfire, practice in those high heels you might be wearing the day it happens. Or better yet, prepare to feel what it’s like to run barefoot through our office hallways and our dirty fire exits.  

Bathrooms will be used for drill-purposes only; no private use.  If you need to go to the bathroom during National ASD Day, just remember there will be groups of people rotating in protective huddles through our bathroom stalls and there will be no privacy.   

Extra layers of clothes will not be permitted! We learned last year of some ingenious employees who wore several extra layers of clothes on ASD day. You may be trying to avoid the pain and bruising from the pellet-gun assasination-simulation part of the day, but you’re doing yourself more harm by not giving yourself the full experience.  Unless you plan on wearing four layers of shirts to work all year round, it’s counterproductive to our Nation’s focus for preparing you on this day.

Now for the fun stuff!  

We’ve based our company’s ASD day activities after the Government’s national guidelines & requirements, but with a fun added twist of our own!

8:30am - Caffeine* Boost Breakfast!**  

Sarah will be bringing her dark-caffeinated muffins again this year (yum!) and Jerry will be ordering those donuts from Stans w/ the extra mocha-caffeine Icing.  Our regular coffee options will also be available.

*The Government guidelines state that everyone must drink or ingest a minimum of 1000 mg of Caffeine on this day to best simulate the physiology of heart-racing as we tackle today’s Active Shooter Drill activities.  No skimping on those muffins! 

**Waivers releasing our company from any lawsuit against potential harm from today’s activities will be signed & collected**

9am - 10am Session:  Getting your legal stuff in order!

Jenkins from IT will again be walking everyone through how to set-up, compose, and digitally sign an official last-will & testament through your phone!  In less than 4 minutes your online last-will doc will be legal and validated by the courts, taking one less worry off your family & loved ones.  If you haven’t already, you can download the rocket-lawyer app on your phone before the session.  But leave the “last will” section blank, Jenkins will walk us through how to complete it on your phone while your hands are shaking frantically.

10:15am - 11:30am: Smoke & Bullets Immersion Session

Stan and his team have gone the extra mile this year and rented a deluxe stereo sound system & smoke machine!   This year we will get to have our ears ringing and a near-deafness-experience from a larger variety of assault rifle-type machines and their gun-fire sounds.  I’ve reserved conference room #3 this time for its better echo & louder acoustics.  

Please don’t touch the stereo equipment unless you are authorized.  It is not a toy.

Reminder *no earplugs permitted* & people with glasses will be asked to remove them to best simulate confusion.

11:30-12:30 Hardy ASD Day Lunch & Treats 

Mr & Mrs Mitchell have promised to bring back their super taste target-practice cupcakes!  Please also send an email to HR if you require gluten-free, nut-free and vegetarian options.

12:30-2:30:  RUN. HIDE. FIGHT.

We will practice evacuating at the nearest exit without trampling on anyone & how to leave all your belongings behind.   There will be check-points set up along the route to see if anyone cheated and went back for their personal belongings.

For the HIDING Portion, this year, we are adding a team competition & speed race for silencing phones, locking doors & barricading entries.  The team with the fastest, most barricaded room will win dinner gift certificates to Chilis! (Thank you Sarahs’ Aunt Teresa!)

This year we are not permitting people to opt-out of the FIGHT portion regardless of their physical conditions.  The chair, table, & printer-throwing activities is something everyone is now required to participate in.

2:45-3:30pm Bullet Impact Simulation

Reminder again, people will not be permitted to hide protective clothing for this session.  We will lined people up in random groupings, so no coupling up with a preferred work partner.   

Surprise! The rubber bullets have arrived early and Connor was able to get our company insignia imprinted on them!  You can take as many company rubber bullets home for keepsake after today.

Everyone is released after 3:30pm!  We will be handing out the “I Practiced Getting Shot” buttons and wrist bands at 3:30 for you to wear home.  Remember to keep yours for at least 3 weeks as the record of your participation gets processed with the government’s NRA division.  There is a $300 fine and a required weekend active shooter & hostage class if you don’t complete this day.

Get ready for a fun, bonding and informative time together!  

Remember our National ASD Text Guidelines:

911 - always call this number first!

PFM - “Pray For Me”  - A good one to use for your Church group text chains.

TMILH - “Tell mom I love her”  You can also replace M with “D” for Dad

KMD4M - “Kiss my dog for me” You can also replace “C” for Cat or the generic “P” for pet.

ITYTGWC {Employee Name} - “I told you this guy was crazy” followed by the name of the employee who is carrying out the mass murders.  This can be a helpful text for our law enforcement in their investigations afterwards.

IARTM3IP - “I am ready to meet my maker in peace” for those who wish to assure their loved ones of spiritual faith that their death was not in vain.

RIASINBAIFBNFAIBID - “Religion is a sham, I never believed and I feel better now finally admitting it before I die” for those who wish to release themselves of this final burden before their demise.

IAAHWASM - “I am alone here will anyone save me” use this text when you think none of your co-workers have survived and the murderer remains in the building.