texted from a friend, authorship unknown

Me: I'm not convinced I have inattentive-type ADHD

Also me (after my meds wear off): *spends several minutes absently staring at a tree outside because too much is going on in my head simultaneously*

If you’re going to be on Mastodon, it’s important to understand Content Warnings.

A Content Watch indicates that conditions exist that are favorable for the formation of content.

A Content Warning indicates that content has been sighted either visually or on radar. Fedizens in the affected area should seek shelter immediately.

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Maybe the constant supply of outrage, anger, and fear feels invigorating. Maybe it feels like the fuel you need to resist, and you don't want to step away for fear of losing the will to fight.

Or maybe all that outrage, anger, and fear are just slowing you down. Making your mind clumsy and uncoordinated. Making you jump at shadows.

What if stepping away from the chaos is the only way to become strong enough to stand your ground?

When you are in the thick of things, you might not notice when you've become impaired. You don't feel how slow and clumsy you have become. You might start chasing phantoms, only to forget a moment later where you are or what you were doing.

Take a break. Breathe. Eat. Sleep. Love. Do whatever you need to get your mind back again. When you've come back to yourself, it will be easier to see what the next step is, and help others do the same.

Put your mask on first before assisting others.

Why? Because until you are breathing clean air, you may not realize how impaired your thinking actually was. One person thinking clearly can save far more lives than a handful of well-intentioned but hypoxic idiots.

This is the point of self-care. It's not only for you, it's for everyone. You will be capable of far more good being healthy and well-balanced than a bunch of people that are too overstressed, anxious, and exhausted to think straight.

Hi chat, I appreciate the way @revoluciana calls for focusing on connecting and communicating, over rigidly following rules. I feel like my transition has been a journey from two dimensional rule-based view into an understanding of the world as unknowably multi-dimensional and beautifully rich with nuance.

Pulling away from that flat existence of rules has been hard.

https://chaosfem.tw/@revoluciana/114615231355334692

So when King Charles takes a shit, is that turd better (as in, more righteous, holy) than mine (because everything the king does is noble and righteous), or is it worse (because his holy body is superior at filtering out evil and toxins to maintain the purity of his noble blood)?

Protest isn’t the opposite of patriotism. It’s proof people still care enough to fight for what could be.

Additionally,

- Use a tripod for taking pics if you've got one.
- The #aurora is very ephemeral. It can come and go in a few minutes. You might need to wait if you want to see it.
- Look north and along the horizon.
- If you were just inside or driving a car, give your eyes several minutes to adjust to the darkness before giving up.
- I cannot stress how important darkness is for seeing the aurora. Put down your phone. Turn off the lights. If you can't see the stars, you won't see the aurora.

Because the infamous @lisamelton just boosted this, I will remind people of a few tips to spot the #aurora:

- Don't expect to see colors as vibrant as you've seen in pictures. Cameras are better at capturing aurora than your eyes.
- Get out of town and away from light pollution if you can. It's basically impossible to see if there's too much light.
- Use your smartphone camera if you aren't sure if you're seeing it. Use Night Mode (or whatever it's called) to take a multi-second exposure.

As of 22:54 Central Time, I have yet to see any #aurora from my apartment in the Chicago suburbs. But with the smoke, I'm not sure whether I'd see it if it were there.

As with all aurora events, YMMV. I'm giving up, but best of luck to anyone else who's #AuroraChasing tonight.

Oh, wait, there must be a relatively clear patch directly above me because I can just barely detect Ursa Major (The Big Dipper).

Look ma, I'm doing the astrophotographies 🫠

Sometimes I almost think I can see the flickering movement reminiscent of aurora, but with the smoke I'm just as likely to be imagining it.

Seriously, I can see exactly ONE star (Vega — what a surprise) right now. This goddamn smoke is going to drive me insane.

Unfortunately, it's so smoky here in Chicago that I can't tell whether I'm seeing the subtle glow of distant aurora or just extremely bad sky glow from light pollution.

A reminder that increased levels of geomagnetic activity *are still happening RIGHT NOW* and it's a good idea to take a peak at night to see if there's any #aurora out there.

TFW you're bored but also overwhelmed

For the record I did not, for 12 years, at 7:45am on the dot every single weekday, stand up in a crowded room, face an American flag draped on some yellowing cinder blocks, place my hand over my heart and repeat "with liberty and justice for all" only to grow up to be mocked and ridiculed and called a raging lunatic by some fucking methed out rejects in red hats for the crime of demanding liberty and justice FOR ALL.