Fortunately I was getting then through the library and hadn't bought the whole set or anything like that.

My complaint was a common one, that they're deeply misogynistic. I was prepared for that knowing that some of that is to be expected in that time period and expecting the rest of it to be good enough to get past that. But no, it was awful. I kept going a lot longer than I should have hoping their relationship would settle down, but no. Just a dozen forms of abusiveness in a relationship, repeating in an endless parade and calling themselves love.

I was so mad!

It was a while ago, but Outlander. I fully expected to LOVE IT and soar joyfully through the series. I didn't make it even a quarter of the way through the first one. I was so disappointed.

So THAT'S who's responsible for all this mess

Still blows my mind that this is pretty good quality video from another planet.

Let yourself feel the feelings. Grieve, cry, be angry, whatever you need to do. If all you want to do is curl up on the couch and eat plain slices of bread for a week, do that. Take a little time off work if you can and want to.

If it's upsetting to see, get rid of the other person's stuff. If you're angry, print a few pictures of them to then tear up and burn. That kind of thing.

Don't do anything permanent, like throwing into the river their family heirloom that you found under the couch. Don't rip apart your bed because you both slept there (unless you can easily afford to replace it and will find this very satisfying). Don't lash out at them or their loved ones. But privately, feel it. Let it move through you. Be sad and sulky and prone to crying fits (when you're somewhere suitable) if that feels right. And when you start to feel a little better, start shifting your life back to normal. Daydream about what you want from life, maybe things you couldn't have before, and think about ways to get there.

And be gentle with yourself all the while. This is one of the hardest experiences most people will ever have. It's really, really hard.

Best wishes to you!

Happy little accident

I stopped reading unfinished series in the 80s, not only for fear that they'd never be finished but also so I can finish them while I still remember the early story.

Sometimes you just want to do something good and trust other people.

We are so lucky to have Jungle Jim's nearby. I like exploring the international produce area and picking something at random to try!

I went there looking for a top quality unsweetened chocolate for hot cocoa and wasn't finding it, but the place was packed and some aisles a bit hard to shop. So I asked an employee who disappeared for ten minutes, then returned with a big bag from the England section, and it makes the most exquisite hot cocoa I've ever had. (Well, my partner makes it with that chocolate lol.)

Can't say enough good things about JJ's.

The right to stare at the same page for ten minutes while distracted

>Among African elephants, forest elephants have smaller and more rounded ears and thinner and straighter tusks than bush elephants and are limited in range to the forested areas of western and Central Africa.

Unless you're allergic, in which case you try and try and try all of these things, always wondering why your friends think you're a wimp for hating mosquito bites so much, but they give you welts for days and you're sick of it, man!

Then this won't work for you.

I volunteered snuggling animals at a shelter during college. An hour with dogs that were starved for affection and that happily curled up in my lap put my own problems neatly in perspective.

It seems obvious, yes. But studies like this are important to make sure that what we think we're seeing is what we're really seeing, and that there isn't some important nuance being missed.

It's not glamorous, but this kind of research protects the integrity of our scientific knowledge.

This feels dystopian. We know what causes lowered mortality in the US: income inequality and the associated stress, lack of healthcare, stress, inability to meet basic needs, and stress. Also stress. So now the same people who could fix this and improve everyone's else's lifespans are instead trying to make their own pampered lives even longer?