invisible gnatcatchers

 I like the data visualization in this article about the ways people conduct online searches for specific birds.

weird shit is usually technology, possibly indistinguishable from magic

 

Turns out there are a bunch of fairly creepy tunnels in central Europe with no obvious purpose or use. They're guessing they were for "ritual purposes" but (maybe it's my atheism?) I'm betting they had some sort of infrastructural purpose. What are your theories?

Nuclear fallout for the environment

 I've been fascinated for years by wildlife rebound around Chernobyl (which really shows that the worst possible thing for animals is humans). This discusses other "involuntary parks" around the world.

how many times will I break up with the same person?

Mississippi "Ex" finally got power back and the experience only confirmed for her that she needs to move. While I want her here, I'm not willing to provide the landing pad she needs while looking for work etc. (because I'm afraid it would lead to her and her kid living here permanently, and not having kids in my house has made my life infinitely better). She's also not comfortable with how out I am and I think there would be pressure for me to hide some or all of my relationships, which is an absolute no-go.

She was upset by what she views as my unwillingness to commit, which is fair, and I think this led to her being an actual ex again. We had a connection I hadn't felt since 2013, which is why I've held on even though there are massive logistical barriers. But I have gotten the sense that my presence in her life has held her back from making good long-term decisions and hope this lets her.

(Silver lining: this may mean I never have to watch Bridgerton again! We watched a few episodes earlier this week and it was a painfully stupid Cinderella theme. Romance media has never been my thing but I was finding the marriage market (Bridgerton's entire thing) especially gross after observing how the parents of my son's ex were basically trying to sell her off.)

RANTS

*Clothing websites which, instead of showing each of the styles to choose from, post a separate photo and link to each color of each style. Bonus points if they don't even group the styles together. This makes for way too much to scroll through.

*Also sites which do not provide meaningful descriptions of what differentiates, say, different styles of pants. How is "The Echidna" different from "The Ezekiel"? We won't tell you, but I'm sure you can work it out from the pics of what they look like on six-foot-tall, 110-pound, A-cup women!

*(Also, "barrel leg jeans" are ugly AF on people of all shapes and sizes, but that's more of an opinion than a rant.)

*New York Times book reviews. I read a ton and am always keeping my eyes open for good books so they suck me in. They have encouraged me to read a number of truly terrible books now, so I am learning to ignore them completely. 

*Medical providers who cancel an appointment you've been waiting four months for, and schedule the new appointment another five months out. Bonus points when the scheduler asks, "Is that okay?" like you have a choice. (I have had a headache since September and may never see a neurologist at this rate.) 

*Medical providers who offer two treatment choices: one which you've tried before that ruined your life while you were taking it and for several months after, and one which costs $2500, isn't covered by any insurance, and doesn't have clear research on its efficacy or how long it lasts.

chocolate chip comparison

When I discovered that I somehow had five separate brands of semi-sweet chocolate chips in my house, and two of them were open, it was obviously time for a taste test. This was based on eating them raw; a future test will involve baking them into cookies (and more taste testers!)

Baker's Corner (Aldi): I wanted the cheapest chips to do better, but alas. (I unfortunately didn't record prices for any of the options but remember price is why I picked up these.)

Nestle Toll House: Chocolate is chocolate so it's not like I'd turn them down, but they're overly sweet and pretty meh. They only edged out the Aldi brand by a hair, so go with Aldi instead if budget is a priority.

Good and Gather (Target): It turned out this was not a fair comparison because, upon opening the bag, I realized these were MINI chips. They had notably better flavor and mouth feel than the first two, but the fast-melting size could impact that.

Ghirardelli: Solid choice. 

Trader Joe's: But these were significantly better! More chocolate flavor, not cloyingly sweet, great mouth feel. Extra bonus, they're vegan so compatible with lots of dietary restrictions.

I now have FIVE open bags of chocolate chips in the house. Pray for me.

double-edged swords

 Fortunately, Mississippi "Ex" finally got power back. Unfortunately, this means I need to watch Bridgerton with her.