tow-bees - Tumblr blog

[tow-bees]

Jesse I have to sell you to one direction

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i made this gif but i didnt notice the video file got corrupted or the recording software screwed up or something and now it looks like a desperate attempt to find information on banana creme pie while my computer falls apart around me

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Mind you this is a STORYBOARD PMV! thats why its so choppy and put together but then again i did make it in the middle of the night, enjoy! :)

[reblogs are appreciated!]

For context: In this AU, I took heavy inspiration from the Epic Musical of Odyssy, and in lambs past he was actually a general across sea!

His family was rather special, and he himself more, as he was clairvoyant, and had a rather odd 'mentor' :) His time across lands was not good for him to say the least.

[tow-bees]

hey bro, do you have any basic tips for dumpster diving or safety? do some stores have better finds than others? and any good donation spots in particular? sorry for so many questions, thank you!

*rubs my little grimy hands together* Actaully do you mind if I write a whole info post?

So you guys may have read this post I made where I talked about how a lot of holiday returns end up trashed and in a landfill rather than back on the shelf, and how it's better to just donate it if possible.

I mentioned that I dumpster dive, so I see a lot of...trash. All the time. I climb over it and in it. Absorb the trash into my heart and soul. Here's some tips:

What to wear/bring:

Gloves (work gloves made of rubber or rubber-life material preferable, protects you from glass and sharp objects and prevents any liquid/trash residue from getting on your hands.)

Closed toe shoes, preferably with hard bottoms. Don't wear crocs. You don't want something sharp sticking through your shoe and into your foot.

Depending on the weather, whatever else. I like to wear masks in the dumpsters just in case (esp during pandemic) to protect myself if there's any contamination risks, or more likely, stinky perfume spilled over in the dumpsters.

If you have lengthier hair, pull it up/cover it. You want hair out of your face to see properly. Even if it's cold, trust me.

Flashlight! Using your phone flashlight works just fine (what I do) but one of those head-lamps things or the smaller handheld battery types are also really useful.

One of these 'reach grabber' things:

Dumpster Diving ettiquite:

Do not leave a mess. Anything you take out of the dumpster, please put back in. Don't spill or break things outside of the dumpsters, employees will have to clean that up.

If you are aware that other dumpster divers might use that spot, leave what you don't need/are not able to donate easily for them. Don't be greedy.

Advice! Do not be blantant or brag about details on social media unless it's for educational and informational purposes and/or you are prepared to face backlash. There's a stigma about dumpster diving and every single one is rooted in classism and capatilistic chokeholds. Bragging about what you found from a certain dumpster might also get that specific spot padlocked if word gets around.

Legality:

A lot of people worry about legal issues when dumpster diving becasue of the concern that stores will consider it stealing. The Supreme Court did weigh in on the status of trash in 1988 but from a privacy rather than property standpoint.

In that case, the court ruled that the police can search trash bags without a warrant because it’s “common knowledge” that garbage is “readily accessible to animals, children, scavengers, snoops, and other members of the public.” And, therefore, there’s no “reasonable expectation of privacy” when it comes to discarded items.

Basically, it's not illegal to dumpster-dive. It is, however, illegal to trespass. That's how they get ya. That's why you see 'no trespassing' signs on store dumpsters sometimes. 'Trespassing' on retail property is murky.

If police ARE called, really the only thing they can say is 'hey, stop that' and ask you to leave. If an employee catches you, they can also ask you to leave. Don't argue, because that can get you into *actaul* trouble. In general, if you start to feel uncertain in any way, go ahead and go.

Now we'll talk about Items you might find in dumpsters:

Food:

Normally, the dates on food packages tell what their best sold by. Sometimes the food you find in dumpsters are past this date, but it's not actaully illegal to sell it after this date but they'll still throw it away. A lot of the time, they will throw out food that has not reached that 'expiration' date yet, sometimes by a day, or a week or even some canned food out by years. Also, some store systems are inefficent, and they'll toss out food wayyyy before it expires sometimes just because it doesn't sell.

Example: a store scans the shelves weekly, depending on the products. Let's say they scan a shelf on the 7th of the month. This means they won't scan that shelf again until the 14th, so anything that is dated up until the 14th will be thrown out. (Not all supermarkets do this.)

Stores will also toss out food that's not 'pretty.' Fruits with bruises, deformed, Single banannas, bags with a single bad fruit in it, cans that have a dent in them, a couple eggs broken they'll throw away the whole carton, ect.

So some tips:

WASH IT. I don't care if it's still in the original plastic packaging, lmao RINSE THE PLASTIC PACKAGING THEN.

Absolutly do keep up to date with food recalls. If you see a large amount of the same item in the dumpster, do a quick google search to see if there's been a recall on it.

Anything that normally needs to be COLD is up to your call on it's saftey. I've found still-frozen boxed taquitos in dumpsters before, lucky enough to get there quickly right as they were tossed. If you thinks it's been a few hours since a frozen meal item was tossed, just pass over it and move on. (the taquitos were a great snack)

If you do happen to find some food but you're not sure if perfectly good for you, make a compost system! Feed it to livestock! (within reason) Or! Just leave it. There is no shame in not being able to save what big companies waste, it's their fault.

Clothes:

More often now, people donate to thrift stores or shelters, so clothes don't show up that often as they used to, but that doesn't mean you won't find an occasional bags of items that someone decided to throw out to minimize their wardrobe...or a retail store that needs to get rid of returns and make room in storage.

Some clothes you find might be stained, which you could either leave if it's unsalvagble or you might have a chance at washing it at home yourself and seeing if it comes clean. Unfortunatly a lot of retail stores like to spray paint their products, and while I've used different methods to save them (nail polish remover, dish detergent, paint thinner, ect) it can be a really hardy process with sometimes no results. Up to you.

Household items/Furniture:

If you're looking for furniture, make sure you have a vehicle with you capable of carrying it. DO NOT try to lift heavy items by yourself. Best to leave it there than risk injury or worse.

Blankets! Sheets! Pillows! Stuffed Animals! Wash these, always. Even if they are brand new and with the original packaging, you don't know where these have been. Sometimes stores destroy these with box cutters and spray paint, be warned.

Candles! Any candles I find are usually because the glass container they were in broke. If you are wearing gloves, you can pull the actaul candle out of the container and viola! New candle. Put it on a plate or another holder before you light it.

Mirrors! Be very careful. Mirrors in the dumpster usually means it's broken. Although not all the time. Once found a really HUGE mirror unbroken in a Kirklands dumpster with only the frame slightly detatched from the glass. Some hotwood glue fixed it up.

Office supplies/School supplies. I find a ton of unused notebooks, binders, clips, pencil packs and other stuff in big box store dumpsters all the time. If you can, please donate/give away those. It would really help families who cannot afford school supplies.

Toys: I have found figet toys, Lego sets, nerf guns, sets of barbie clothing and furniture for those dream house things, hot wheel cars, ect. If the item isn't electronic and doesn't show any visible damage, snag it and donate it. Electronic items (like those little remote control cars) are a gamble because it may have been tossed out due to it not working.

Other misc items/Decor: I've found essential oil sets, a dish set that was marked as $150 worth that was tossed because it had two out of the 25 dishes broken/chipped (the rest were perfectly fine), wall shelveing, ect. It's really a mystery what you'll find.

Technology:

Most tech items thrown in the trash are because they are not usuable, but not always. I have found samsung and kindle fire tablets, essential oil deffuseors, charging cords and boxes for phones, and a $300 Roomba. ALL FUNCTIONAL.

Usually these items have tickets stuck to their boxes (if they have one) explaining why they needed to be tossed.

The roomba was a returned item because the customer didn't know they needed an app to use it. One of the tablets was tossed because the charging cord that usually came with it in the box was missing (I checked, it uses the android type charging)

All in all, it's entirely up to you whether you want to take tech items if you find one and test it at home.

Places to dumpster dive/donations:

I don't think I can be entirely helpful here because I could only say what my expereince is from whats in my area, but I give you generals: Mall dumpsters, supermarket dumpsters, Collage campus dumpsters (esp when it's season to be moving out), Apartment complex dumpsters and big box store dumpsters (that last one carefully.)

Be careful about mentioning store names when discussing the practice of dumpster diving online.

Do not dumpster dive from places like cemataries, hospitals, factories, ect. DO NOT DUMPSTER DIVE FROM T4RGET, or if you do, do it at your own risk. T4rget is notorious for trying to tack charges for trespassers/dumpster divers unlike other places that would rather just ask you to leave, or not care at all.

As for donations, thats up to you and your area. All I can say specifcally is Don't Donate to Salvation Army and to always let them know where you get the items.

One more tip!

If possible, do not go alone! Take a friend with you! Not only is it a fun as hell to raid trash with your buddies, but they can also pull you out of a low spot (literally) if you find that you have trouble pulling yourself out of the dumpster.

(I personally go alone 90% of the time, but I still do not recommend it. I'm 4'9 and not very strong, I've had to do some serious parkour shit to not be stranded in a dumpster. If the worst happens, keep your phone on you to call for someone to rescue you lol.)

Be smart, be safe, and be kind to your planet and the people on it, Happy Diving!

[tow-bees]

Hey! I thought your talk on stream about your go-bag and what's in it was interesting, but I process text better than audio, so I was wondering if you had advice on putting one together? It's fine if you'd rather not! Thanks either way!

Okay! Note that some of these things are gearing up in prep for sudden homelessness or natural disaster (tornados, personally) but some are just generally good things on hand you might need to keep. Also, some tips involve a car, skip those if they dont apply.

You're going to want a backpack or duffle bag with comfortable enough straps that are thick and sturdy enough to hold the weight of everything you are carrying while also keeping you balanced. I got my blue one at a charity give away for students in poverty, those heavy duty school bags for textbooks, but you can thrift the same bags for around $5-$10, at least in my area.

What I have in the front pockets, in smaller ziplock bags:

Ziplock bag of first aid supplies (bandaids, gauze, sterile wipes, ect)

Small hand sanitizer, bottle or wipes.

Baby wipes, water based.

Matches

Small travel deoderant, small travel shampoo, travel hairbrush, and the bare minimal needed for a 'freshed up look' of make up like concealer, mascera, and face wash. Good for spucing up for job interviews if you end up in a situation where you're living out of your car, and can't acsess a full bathroom.

Menustration products. Pack SEVERAL if you are someone who bleeds, or a few if you just want some on hand just in case for someone else you are with.

Mouthwash, toothbrush and toothpaste. If you don't have enough room, opt for mouthwash/toothpaste combo, and just rub it on your teeth.

Self-protection, dependant on what you prefer. I keep pepper spray and a tazor in the car at all times, and in the bag if not out in the console.

Pocket knife and scissors. You never know when you might need to cut something.

If you can get some and they fit in the bag: Gloves meant for gardening. Thick enough to protect you if you go dumpster diving. I have a list of tips of safe and legal dumpster diving here.

What I keep in the main pocket of the bag:

A large gallon ziplock baggy with emergency clothes in it, consisting of: Pants, short sleeve T-shirt, and 3 pairs of underwear/socks. If you can fit it, slip a long-sleeve shirt in there as well. Keep a 'nice shirt' like a button up or something 'nice casual' in there for job interviews.

You're going to want a jacket in your go-bag, but since they can be bulky, it might be best to just leave one in your car. Also good for when you're out somewhere and just get cold suddenly.

RAIN! I have a small one-person umbrella in the side pocket of my bag, and a yellow poncho from walmart in main pocket. I recommend having both, but its fine if you just can fit one.

A bag of COMFY clothes, aside from the intial emergency clothes. For me, I call it the pajamma bag, which just has a pair of sweatpants, T-shirt and fuzzy socks.

FOOD AND WATER. I keep ziplock baggies of non-perishable food in the bag like: granola bars, slim jims, fruit gummies, cans of preserved fruit, ect. You need to pack at least 2 bottles of water. I think I freaked out Twitch stream a little bit when I pulled out 6 bottles of water out of the bag, but I'm telling you: the more water you can carry, the better.

The 'entertainment satchel', which is basically anything that you can do that doesn't require electricity like your phone does that can keep you busy. For me, it's a ziplock bag of a journal/sketchbook with some colored pens. This can be a small book or something.

A sewing kit. One of those travel ones, the tiny tin ones. Comes in handy plenty of times.

A water-tight folder/baggie that will protect legal documents for you. You probably wont keep them in the car, but if you can grab them on your way out, keep them safe in something they can't get damaged in.

A portable battery, a cord for charging your phone and extra wall thingie to plug it into. You can get a decent battery for around 20 bucks on amazon, and your car and public spaces like a library can let you charge your phone.

PETS! If you have a pet with you, PLEASE pack the things needed for them ahead of time in your go-bag. Doggy bags and treats and food and the like. I'm a cat person, so I keep three ziplock baggies: one with treats, a large one with food, and one with cat litter in it. You can usually grab a cardboard box by a dumpster for a make-shift litterbox if need be.

Depending on who you talk to, money may or may not be a smart thing to keep in your bag, but I say keep at least $50 of cash in there for absolute emergencies, if you can afford to store it.

An extra pair of shoes. If they don't fit in the bag, you can store them in the car, or tie them to hang off the bag if you really need them.

Also, not really go-bag related, but I suggest keeping a blanket in your car. If you don't have a car, they make blankets with straps that you can attatch to your backpack, or you can take a long sock or piece of fabric, wrap it around a rolled up blanket, and tie it to your bag. It might not look aesthetic, but it'll be worth it to have it.

Change out the items in your bag every couple months, usually as it starts to get colder or hotter. Currently I'm changing out my stuff from summer items to winter items, like warmer clothes and what not, so I had the bag already near me to show twitch chat. Thanks for everyone that came by Twitch chat and talked by the way, it was fun!

[tow-bees]

we do not talk enough about how you get hit front and back by being a jew and supporting Palestine. For a recipe that i want to make during Shabbat I have to scroll through a jewish recipe blog and cringe at the I Stand With Israel posts and then go back.

so a bunch of jewish spaces aren't safe anymore or are landmines. then you're forced to go someplace else. then there's tumblr with the people who think Jews=Zionist.

like oh, you're jewish? they immediately think you support the idf or something and praise genocide or something. your family barely survived a genocide that wasn't even like more than three generations ago and its being used as some sort of crutch to israel's moral defense when israel does NOT give a fuck about holocaust survivors at all except for their pr...

like damn bro im just trying to live my life and cook normally. Palestine has my entire heart. but like the pipeline from Palestine advocacy to accidental antisemitism to purposeful antisemitism is so 😭😭. man. i just wanna say guys jewish people aren't your enemies. the goal is to stop genocide not make the nazis proud of you or something

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throw away whatever else you were doing look at this fucking stock photo i found

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this would have got 100k notes as a tumblr post in 2018

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Me when I remember something I said ages ago that was wrong or my values no longer align with

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Bestie English - best friend Bestie Czech - beast, brute, monster

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"Guy" and "man" have different connotations with adjectival nouns. Like "tree guy" = arborist but "tree man" = he lives in a tree, or maybe he is a tree.

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Insane that being in your 20s counts as adulthood. Being in your 20s just feels like the sequel to being a teenager

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reblog for sample size !!

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hey, wanna know something cool?

a little over a century ago, the polar explorer Ernest Shackleton lost the ship Endurance when attempting to make a land crossing of the antarctic.

soon after, the ship would be crushed by the surrounding ice as it shifted, and it would sink about 10,000 feet to the sea floor.

BUT THEN

2 years ago, national geographic was able to locate the HMS endurance and found it in an incredibly well preserved state!

the leader of the expedition, Mensun Bound, said "This is by far the finest wooden shipwreck I have ever seen. It is upright, well proud of the seabed, intact, and in a brilliant state of preservation."

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So, about that rbed loz ask game…… opinion on the lorule main theme from a link between worlds?

oh man this has gotta actually be one of my favorite tracks, it slaps so dang hard