Ruth [☕️ 👩🏻‍💻📚✍🏻🧵🪡🍵]

Threadcovered. Pieces prayers. Builds libraries from pixels. Hopes in rotting logs & knotted vines. Hella left, hella Mennonite, hella disabled. Bury me in a bog. She/her. 🕊

dayjob: technical librarian

Ham callsign: KC3AF

Glammr.us admin team (mod).

AKA ruthbrarian on the olde site.

website: https://ruthtillman.com
a/s/l: early 40s / F (cis) / central PA
research: labor, library systems, linked data
hobbies: 🧵🪡, 🎲🐉🕵🏻‍♀️✍🏻,🎮,🌿,📻

Public Key

npub1a0zqd4cv6c8wdt28gq55dlwfy7tjxvy3ucm66f3zwzltv94zzj9q05z5ww

NIP-05 Address

[email protected]

Profile Code

nprofile1qqswh3qx6uxdvrhx44r5q22xlhyj09erxzg7vdadyc38p04kz63pfzspz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsx93j57

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1a0zqd4cv6c8wdt28gq55dlwfy7tjxvy3ucm66f3zwzltv94zzj9q05z5ww

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Last Notes

2026-05-22 18:24:18 CEST

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oh gosh we do have a casino now 😭
But no, I was reading Addiction by Design (audiobook).

2026-05-22 18:03:04 CEST

Hearing my husband say he’s about to end office hours and get some lunch. Knowing I’m about to tell him everything I learned about slot machines this morning (I’m off work and did errands and weeding)

2026-04-24 02:52:45 CEST

Good evening nerds! I have been using OpenRefine for ...over a decade now and I did not realize that there was such an easy way to repeat operations across projects. It's easiest when you're working on spreadsheets which all have the columns and needs.
I have an overview, a walkthrough with screenshots, AND I made you some sample data!
https://ruthtillman.com/post/openrefine-repeat-functions/

2026-04-09 01:00:43 CEST

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one of the joys of my job is it requires me to trawl through big batches of records and mostly it’s nbd but sometimes my eyes catch a nugget of joy. Much like shelving back in the day. (And it’s one reason I always export titles even when I don’t need them for the project)

2026-04-08 18:03:33 CEST

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You, living your life. Me, showing up at your office and/or cube to ask if you want to see a picture of our THREE Kansas spider survey books!!!
Image hidden involves spider covers.
https://glammr.us/system/media_attachments/files/116/369/922/460/970/896/original/6618d633da2765e1.png

2026-04-08 17:25:29 CEST

I'm kind of confused about what is in **Checklist of Kansas ground spiders** but what a fun title!

2026-04-08 03:01:48 CEST

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such little cuties! Congrats!!!

2026-04-07 17:58:51 CEST

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I thought I remembered your mostly reading in print, but yeah for recommending it's one of the very very few things where I feel compelled to recommend the audio because it adds another dimension!

2026-04-07 17:32:38 CEST

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also if you can do audiobooks, the audible ones are only available on audible or through piracy but the audio experience is SUPERB. The reader is fantastic.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ZurzbAmZkm8 (this is a later book but a fairly non-spoiler passage as in -- the one plot mention makes no sense to me which is perfect)
Just saying "hello crawlers"
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ukjDchu3o2A

2026-04-06 22:00:55 CEST

AI bandwagoners are worrying that they can't do mastodon. Anyone can set up servers that talk to each other, I mean ffs Gab has used/still uses mastodon as tech base.
... you just can't make people interested in talking to or hearing from you.

2026-03-28 14:06:42 CET

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it's been 5 years since I was maintaining the journal site, but that sounds like my contact.

2026-03-27 23:45:04 CET

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ultimately Ryan Wick I believe unless he’s moved on

2026-03-27 23:44:33 CET

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I think ibiblio

2026-03-24 15:40:59 CET

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YES

2026-03-20 14:17:15 CET

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what an interesting guy!! I love that he started seeing people in a shoe store and locked in.

2026-03-20 01:21:25 CET

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Oh my god Dr. Scholl is a hero. I’ve put the ones for plantar fasciitis (which are also the ones for heel spurs) into my slippers and my feet immediately feel some relief. Put another pair in my boots for dog walks.

2026-03-19 16:20:39 CET

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love/hate that some of the advice for reducing heel spur pain is -- don't walk so much...
..............................
ok but 1) that seems like a problem for lots of other areas of health
2) THIS DOG.
(fortunately supportive shoes are higher on the list)

2026-03-19 14:54:57 CET

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I have been informed that as a platypus of course I have a heel spur...
this would raise some gender questions though

2026-03-19 14:17:43 CET

Need to see if switching to my most supportive shoes for long walks with Blue helps at all with the heel pain in my right foot, but I thought I'd just take a gander at the X-rays from this December since "heel spur" is a possible cause as well and ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
still gonna switch to supportive shoes but um damn I may be getting surgery.
https://glammr.us/system/media_attachments/files/116/256/023/961/175/382/original/d6dcbad99ad89e0f.png

2026-03-12 01:38:52 CET

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👉 👈 might be my guy tho? 🕊️ ✝️

2026-03-01 23:27:33 CET

Arrived at Code4Lib! Who do I know on here who'll be here in Philly?

2026-02-26 21:59:26 CET

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messaged someone whose bailiwick this might be

2026-02-24 20:09:39 CET

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yay!! For various reasons a couple of us Mennonites went to the UMC Ash Wednesday service and then we were ensnared by quilts hanging around their sanctuary.

2026-02-24 19:58:44 CET

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QUILTS

2026-02-17 17:06:19 CET

What's really embarrassing is I tried to make one of these and realized I'm too in the weeds to think of the right fields...
from my friend Zemkat, our quartz/feldspar
https://marshdeer.github.io/xkcd2501-generator/
https://glammr.us/system/media_attachments/files/116/086/820/189/754/664/original/d0b7eeb3ea4a0f22.png

2026-02-17 16:16:32 CET

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ma'am

2026-02-17 03:59:47 CET

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trying to think of exactly how to make this work for library systems.

2026-02-13 21:15:50 CET

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thinking about the cardboard beds

2026-02-11 00:37:35 CET

Have you ever punched or smacked a car (because of the driver’s behavior)?

2026-02-04 01:39:43 CET

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Agree, like I just had 3 "servings" of broccoli with my dinner and 2 of green beans with my lunch. On a normal day I might also have 2 servings of carrots (I also eat a higher # of servings of everything than most people for reasons) Thinking about frequency feels weird.

2026-01-31 16:54:45 CET

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I did go to school with the only other Ruth in the school in my grade, but she was a Ruthie and that was fine.

2026-01-31 16:54:28 CET

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I imagine so!! This almost never happens to me, so I'm wildly unprepared for it, mentally.

2026-01-31 16:46:30 CET

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in fact, 50% of the meeting was Ruths and it took the person coordinating a minute to figure out she needed to start giving last names to assignments. Both Ruths knew our overall assignments, but she'd say "Ruth, I'll send you an email after this ..." and then realized it was not me she meant.

2026-01-31 16:18:02 CET

I am in a two-Ruth meeting. THIRD Ruth mentioned.
#MennoniteLand

2026-01-31 00:34:18 CET

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Jessamyn, I've been trying to persuade M for a year that if he's too embarrassed to put something in recycling, it can just go into trash and that's preferable to squirreling in his dresser. 😅
so for him: dresser
me: credit card bill probably

2026-01-23 17:07:03 CET

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meanwhile, I'm emailing copies of my important work to a) gmail, b) proton and downloading them to dropbox, etc. Plus I have backblaze for my personal computer.

2026-01-23 16:47:03 CET

Someone wrote in Nature about how "2 years of academic work" disappeared when he disabled the "Data Consent" option and the person who shared it with me added "if I had used it for this much 'carefully structured' academic work and had no backups or copies of my own, you could not have tortured this information out of me" https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-04064-7

2026-01-21 19:59:06 CET

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that's a pity for the author, I agree. I suppose as a novella it might've not had enough content for some people? But I felt the plot worked well to the form and sometimes I need novellas.

2026-01-21 18:47:47 CET

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I read that last year and really enjoyed!

2026-01-15 02:48:10 CET

“You break rules all the time.”
“I break laws, that’s different.”

2026-01-01 19:32:52 CET

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It has minimal cardio but it's included. So you could put in an elliptical or treadmill or rowing machine or other warmup and save time/distance. It'll be included in exports.
You can also design your own cardio so if you were doing 5 min of step aerobics as part of a superset, you'd define a new exercise, designate as cardio, say it's measured by time, and track time.
It doesn't attempt to estimate calories if that matters to you.

2026-01-01 01:01:29 CET

My Strong app doesn't spy on me (to my knowledge), so I exported the data and made my OWN wrapped.
Over 1,045,000 pounds moved! (47400 kg) IN A MASK!
Records:
Bench: 112lbs x 2 (50kg)
Squat: 225lbs x 1 (102kg)
Deadlift: 264lbs x (120kg)
Totals:
Bench: 122,124lbs (55,395kg)
Squat: 137,245lbs (62,253kg)
Deadlift: 196,564lbs (89160kg)
#powerlifting #powerlifter #showmeyourmask
https://glammr.us/system/media_attachments/files/115/816/881/492/043/193/original/ede4c8d690137dc4.png

2025-12-31 17:45:19 CET

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the one thing that makes me nervous is the Reeder3 app is old but I think you can still get it? I have just had it for ages.

2025-12-31 17:09:55 CET

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so, this covers the “works on older” well, I use TheOldReader for my subs and the older Reeder 3 app. It’s not FOSS, but it is a “support hosting and basic dev with a nominal fee so you feel good about it, no AI being shoved into it, etc” setup. Thanks to it being Reeder3, it works on older iPhones

2025-12-31 14:50:52 CET

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I smooched him on the head!

2025-12-27 03:34:47 CET

Thank you @npub10s6…rl6n for migrating us! We’re back!

2025-12-19 03:55:22 CET

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yes though I think for Wicked I saw a more informal video by a woman that was just like “ok here are the three places ordered by how little plot you miss.”

2025-12-19 00:54:30 CET

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Fortunately there are people who make PSAs for this. So if I can hang in I know when to go.

2025-12-19 00:53:41 CET

Tfw you’re a middle aged woman going to watch a 2.5 hour movie and your bladder is just … outmatched.

2025-12-17 21:28:38 CET

Buying tickets for Wicked and graphic design is really their passion.
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/115/736/789/413/031/722/original/2c5b3bb71149556a.png

2025-12-16 16:49:16 CET

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mentally I think of it as popping up and over

2025-12-10 13:54:13 CET

It’s a small thing but I really appreciate that M refills the hand soap in the bathroom. To me? It’s like it almost never runs out.

2025-11-30 21:44:34 CET

Gonna risk irritation and ask on fedi -- if I was looking for a reliable Blu-Ray reader that's compatible with a 2023 Macbook Air (USB-C ideally)... do you actually have one that's been a reliable workhorse for you?
(I can look at things on line but I want to hear from real people)
I've decided I'm going to rip my newer DVD/Blu-Ray library during the end of year break but I have a completely different computer setup and my externals are ancient, none of them do Blu-Ray.

2025-11-30 18:48:50 CET

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:lolsob: on the homebody thing

2025-11-30 02:19:08 CET

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I appreciate that while my person has a comp sci bachelor's and can therefore understand my rants, he's mostly not a computers person and mostly a "teaching kids to think about how they think" person.
I also think your person and my person might get along if they ever met.

2025-11-29 21:20:36 CET

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Sun came out — wow.
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/115/634/829/891/018/257/original/86d8c3bcbda58d2c.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/115/634/830/384/432/989/original/856a1b01f2753d80.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/115/634/831/012/919/239/original/5dfe8e819ed6c9a1.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/115/634/831/582/411/005/original/4852465b50cb1014.jpg

2025-11-29 16:49:14 CET

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I am so glad I decided to take some pics of it on the couch with the ancient pineapple quilt (technically comforter). I bought it for maybe $20 on sale because I knew it would keep the couch safe from the dog. There's pieces worn through and missing (but this was pieced on muslin, so the muslin is still there).
It's contrast, but it's a reminder of a life well-lived. I want that life for this new quilt. It's going to a friend and her family. I wanted something the kids and dog could use too.
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/115/633/765/196/431/112/original/720820f96d2a63fd.png

2025-11-29 16:46:13 CET

Quilt finish day! This is one of my favorite quilts ever, I think. It's a 5'x5' throw made of shirting fabrics I'd collected. Some came from random fabric sales and others came from a friend who graciously gave me the stash she was too old to use.
Foundation-paper pieced, hand-quilted.
I don't yet have a better name for it than Shirting Pineapple, we'll see. #quilting #quiltsofMastodon #quilt
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/115/633/720/357/415/802/original/b8d014d5b6e30e3b.png
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/115/633/720/627/087/048/original/60f0e9d63d21e7d6.png
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/115/633/729/616/449/920/original/fbfec9bbd59d3b9c.png
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/115/633/732/360/433/869/original/26d245b8fc2a010b.png

2025-11-27 02:34:46 CET

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Hallo!
So in terms of using Z39.50, I would say MarcEdit is a decent tool to get it set up on your computer and be able to search.
That list of servers you found is a start but you can also just search promising libraries and Z39.50. Some folks have it out there on a website, e.g. https://libraries.psu.edu/about/departments/libraries-strategic-technologies/university-libraries-z3950-server-description

2025-11-25 03:12:17 CET

mood
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/115/607/908/183/560/069/original/6fcdcffc359a6ddd.png

2025-11-21 22:27:02 CET

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I have to do a little work over this weekend so took a nap from 2:30-3:30 and do support.

2025-11-21 19:20:00 CET

Mad at Blue Cloud Analytics: One Woman's Tale, a Lifetime Original Movie

2025-11-13 16:34:47 CET

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oh no the GARBAGE men came.
It's such a hard morning.

2025-11-13 16:30:21 CET

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He’s returned here 3 or 4 times and I’m so proud. He’s trying. Fortunately the men left
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/115/543/100/792/200/822/original/cd0c97cca122edc5.jpg

2025-11-13 16:18:05 CET

there have been SO many men doing things in our cul de sac this morning and Blue is SO over it.
he's trying to be a good boy!
he's just done!

2025-11-12 21:21:03 CET

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meanwhile, my mom was like "obviously, Stoicism is appealing so I tried it, but it doesn't quite live up to the promise. Also Marcus Aurelius still made Commodus his co-emperor so clearly the people who practice it can be wildly fallible"

2025-11-12 19:08:36 CET

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that seems like one of those things like stoicism which has, on the one hand, a lot to offer... and also probably a lot to critique.

2025-11-08 16:41:33 CET

Love (in a slightly sad way) this quilt that one of our students at Penn State Brandywine made for World Polar Bear Week. It's on display in our Brandywine library. 💗
https://www.psu.edu/news/brandywine/story/brandywine-student-creates-quilt-world-polar-bear-week

2025-11-02 18:53:53 CET

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BLESSED

2025-10-29 00:05:38 CET

Learning that food banks can generally get more for my money if I donate directly vs. if I buy and give not only saved me time but it saved me over-analysis and worry that I was selecting items that would be the most useful.
Saying this just to affirm that giving to a food bank doesn't have to become a big chore and if you only have $20, they'll probably get more out of that.

2025-10-27 21:23:20 CET

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I also just went on one about an hour ago. I really needed that sunshine and movement. Plus, here, the leaves are still pretty.

2025-10-25 03:34:40 CEST

Sometimes you can find awesome things online. Was sharing things about Delaware that I loved and found there's a fantastic site from UD mapping all the watersheds! https://delawarewatersheds.org/
I come from the White Clay Creek watershed. As a kid, I learned from my mom that the local creek, which had feeders behind my house (a ditch, when it rained) ran into White Clay Creek. https://delawarewatersheds.org/watershed/?wsid=5

2025-10-21 17:27:29 CEST

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(Not a single copilot was touched or will be touched in the making of this thread)

2025-10-21 17:16:45 CEST

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I've always been interested in frauds and scams. I've known how easy it is to fake screenshots without ever using a photo editing tool. I'm bad at editing images but I can crop fine. I can use the console to edit a webpage + screenshot & have demoed to older family.
Whoever made this original screenshot and others who make untrue claims about this broken, unreality generator being foisted on us are only contributing to the overall lack of reality we're dealing with and it pisses me off.

2025-10-21 17:10:54 CEST

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This is the full screenshot of what was happening on my spreadsheet.
NOTE THE ALIGNMENT OF TRUE ROWS, 1, 2, AND 3. They have a lot more padding. This isn't proof, but it's suggestive. You'll also notice A14 in the current location field. The fact that it's missing is suggestive.
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/115/412/781/191/074/086/original/26016c946b009abd.png

2025-10-21 17:07:46 CEST

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This is my own replication of the viral screenshot where I have Excel summing what appear to be the same tightly-cropped rows 1, 2, and 3. However, the equation is =SUM(A1:A13).
A couple things to note. The cropping on both this image and the claim is extremely tight on the left side. The cursor location has been blanked out. I suspect this is because it would've said A14, which is what mine said until I did this.
I created this using nothing but Excel, Screenshot, Snipping tool to crop.
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/115/412/769/976/119/422/original/bdf003f841dcad30.png

2025-10-21 17:05:00 CEST

So, you may have seen that viral screenshot of Copilot in Excel summing 1, 2, 3 as 15. I am pretty sure it is faked.
I am a certified shoving-AI-in-our-things hater. I am also a librarian who, for my sins, uses Excel regularly. I shall lay out my proposal below. I will then mute this thread because I don't want to engage with AI boosters or anyone questioning whether I'm secretly a copilot lover (barf)
The claim:
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/115/412/765/336/807/795/original/038a223d9fea8d3a.webp

2025-10-20 22:29:29 CEST

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that’s also my read, though possibly they’d been looked at and rejected by the project?

2025-10-10 14:58:39 CEST

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grifters, dreamers, and cults are baked in from the beginning -- it was a place to constantly reinvent yourself and full of new people looking for new answers... (imo)
but frfr

2025-10-08 16:03:32 CEST

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you can send the rest my way!

2025-09-30 02:17:00 CEST

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I DID see a wee cutie garter snek last week if you didn't see my post

2025-09-30 01:37:12 CEST

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I gotta say, we do not consider those our snake aware months here.

2025-09-20 01:18:19 CEST

Hey y'all, Hannah Depp who started Loyalty Bookstore in DC is one of my oldest friends and the occupation of DC/economic situation really sunk their August numbers. It's a small, BIPOC-owned, queer indie bookstore.
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/dc-bookstore-decline-business-federal-surge/3987349/
If you don't have your own local bookstore and need to order a book or to affiliate w/someone in Libro.fm or bookshop.org, consider choosing them?
https://loyaltybookstores.com/

2025-09-19 17:23:36 CEST

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LOOK, READING THE DOCUMENTATION IS A 1% LITERACY SKILL

2025-09-19 00:31:22 CEST

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my therapist says it's not

2025-09-18 23:29:58 CEST

Suck it, RFK, Jr!
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/115/227/416/139/180/383/original/1901bd1e3f1a25d6.jpg

2025-09-15 15:29:47 CEST

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well maybe there just aren't enough songs about it!

2025-09-14 03:04:06 CEST

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I want a funny show set around a post office crew. All the wild and whacky hijinks as they try to ensure everyone’s package and letter gets to them.

2025-09-13 02:53:06 CEST

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There we go! When I’m feeling it, I can smile. Had a lovely time.
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/115/194/247/635/754/519/original/b29995774377bb0b.jpg

2025-09-13 01:02:51 CEST

Last night of my 30s! About to host some friends for a backyard hang and dessert! Selfie hidden for eye contact
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/115/193/812/537/441/875/original/e2859972e62628ed.jpg

2025-09-12 04:03:08 CEST

A couple time when I've talked to people about the union, they've worried about where the money will come from. I've said things like "when Penn State wants to do something, they always seem to find the money" and "financial disclosure is part of bargaining, so we wouldn't be asking for an unmanageable number."
But I guess I'm adding "well, where did they get the money for the president's half-million raise + half-million compensation package bonus?"
We get 3%. One hopes. Delayed to Sept 30.

2025-09-05 16:57:52 CEST

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happy birthday fellow Library Virgo! I wanted to get you a GIF, but this boy wanted me to play tug so enjoy a picture of a small monster
https://cdn.masto.host/glammrus/media_attachments/files/115/152/273/659/507/909/original/97c6eb818d6f36dc.jpg

2025-08-31 15:24:25 CEST

Acquaintance got a Boox e-reader and it came with an "AI Assistant" she can't disable, plus an unreliable touchscreen. Massive disappointment compared to her old Kobo, especially after the hype of getting something supposed to be a bit better and more open.

2025-08-27 00:59:06 CEST

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god that sounds fulfilling!

2025-08-26 23:25:38 CEST

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I recently had a massive cord-finding victory so I will not be disposing of any of these any time soon unless they’re broken.

2025-08-26 23:00:19 CEST

These days? I measure my age in the size of my cable collection.

2025-08-23 02:59:45 CEST

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Johnny Storm reveal I laughed so fucking hard.
When I finally realized Gambit was Channing Tatum BLESS

2025-08-23 02:25:14 CEST

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X-Men (2000) was one of the very first modern films my parents let us watch. I was 14/15 and my sister 12/13 and it was all really new to us but my dad let us buy the DVD after we rented it (keeping in mind we grew up in a Dobson/IBLP/Pearl household we had barely seen 90s films).
I think it was partly because mom adored Patrick Stewart as Picard.

2025-08-23 02:19:39 CEST

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Like our mom had been diagnosed terminally ill for 2 months when Elektra came out. It wasn’t very good but it was something we had and could do together. And fuck we were young.

2025-08-23 02:19:39 CEST

Oh man so M and I watched Deadpool and Wolverine for his birthday because we needed something funny and not deep but um …
I’m gonna spend the rest of the night crying about the 20th century fox montage from the opening credits. They were so young. We were so young. I remember being 19 and watching Elektra with my 17-year-old little sister in our house. We were so young and we were coming to terms with our mom dying… and my sister wasn’t ready to come out and … it was so long ago.