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The Spoonie Writes

@thespooniewrites / thespooniewrites.tumblr.com

27 | Bi, she/her | Spoonie | I'm a law clerk and a licensee. I write sometimes, allegedly.

A disclaimer, with love

Hi there! As you may assume, based on the name and description, this is a writing blog.

Tragically, I have very little energy and brain space to spare between work an caregiving. So, while this is still a writing blog on its face, I post very little (if anything at all) about any of my own writing anymore. While I do hope to get back to it someday, I just wanted to give anyone who's new to me and my blog a heads-up that you won't be seeing much original content from me. I do still love to see follows because it shows me other writers with their original content and allows me to follow back and support, so please don't let this deter you from connecting! I just don't want people disappointed when they follow me and find very little original content from me.

Some of you might remember a couple of years ago when Scarlett Johansson sued Disney because she was making significantly less money for Black Widow than was guaranteed in her contract because so many more people watched it on streaming than in theaters, how there was a massive misinformation campaign from Disney that a ton of people on this website (and Twitter and other social media) bought into: that she was a greedy bitch who didn't respect people who needed to stay at home during the pandemic (I believe the word "ableist" was thrown around with aplomb) as opposed to someone who just wanted to be paid what she was owed, what Disney had initially guaranteed her when they signed the contract, and whose issue obviously wasn't with streaming itself but with how little streaming was allowed to get away with paying her and other actors.

Anyway we're going to see a lot of that from studios now, especially now that actors have joined the strike and it's easier to sell them as rich and greedy than writers, because of this cultural stereotype we have of all Hollywood actors as celebrities. Don't fall for it. SAG-AFTRA represents people like Tom Cruise and ScarJo but it also represents the kind of people who played a Borg in two episodes of Star Trek: Voyager in 1997 or who had one line in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as an enthusiastic audience member. Most actors are not crazy wealthy, and in fact, if you're a big TV fan (especially older TV and genre TV) that likely includes some actor names that you know, who played supporting roles in your fav shows, or who were even a star in something decades ago but haven't done anything major since. The AFTRA side also represents people like radio broadcasters. But even beside that, all workers deserve to be fairly compensated for the work they do, and the threat of replacing them with AI, or real actors being required to sign contracts to allow their likenesses to be used by AI forever without paying them, is an existential threat to acting as a profession in general. The actors are in the right. The writers are in the right. The studios are in the wrong. The studios have exploited new technology to get away with horrifying labor practices for years and their feet need to be put to the fire. Circulate the articles about how poorly the Orange is the New Black cast was compensated for making one of the defining shows of the early streaming boom, and of the studios saying they want to force writers to starve and lose their homes. Don't get distracted by propaganda aping progressive-sounding language about wealthy celebrities. Focus on the real enemy, the real greedy, rich assholes who care more about money than people and art: the studios.

The fact that safety features are reserved for higher trim versions of affordable vehicles and the more expensive vehicles is kind of fucked. If you're poor, good luck. Add luxuries to the more expensive cars. That's what you pay for, right? Safety features should be standard.

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If you can't wash it off, paint over it, replace the item, or buff it out, turn a message of hate into one of love! I would never condone someone to do this discreetly and in mere seconds with a quickly concealed permanent marker, for example on a public bench or bus stop. Certainly not anything like whipping out a tat machine and adding to an unconscious white supremacist's existing tattoo. That would be illegal! :) And, dear followers, I would never encourage you to do something that's illegal. So, please only use this when someone has defaced your personal property to avoid breaking the law! Because that would be illegal, and following in the law is always in everyone's best interest. :) .... :) reblogs and even reposts definitely welcome

I have had it with this likescolding. “Tumblr doesn’t have an algorithm so likes don’t actually do anything” motherfucker I am not clicking that heart to give some post better ~algorithmic visibility~ I am clicking that heart to help my internet friend microdose on serotonin as god fucking intended

okay so I joked earlier in some notes about having to go to the gym to enter my miguel era and while i WAS joking about entering my miguel era i was not joking about the gym. lemme give you a quick rundown of my history:

  • I have always had body image issues (a late-20-something cis woman with body image issues? shocker, I know) as a thicker gal
  • gyms have been a HUGE point of fear for me. I've tried a couple times in the past to go, and left near-tears every time
  • workouts in general are terrifying. I don't like to go for walks in case someone sees me, working out at home alone even feels bad just in case someone comes over or peeks through my window
  • whenever i try to get into fitness i don't generally talk to anyone about it let alone post about it because im a) embarrassed that I'm even trying and b) sure it'll all fall apart within a week anyway so why bother?

WITH THAT SAID!

i have been going to the gym as consistently as I'm able within my schedule and like general life interruptions for 12 weeks. point of this post is i had a very busy week and didn't get to the gym at all and was just on the verge of giving up on the week, feeling defeated because I couldn't decide which single muscle group should get priority, but got a little burst of energy in the evening and decided to just go "fuck it, it's an all-muscle-groups day" and went to the gym from 8:30pm to 10:45pm. I lifted heavier than I had before, I was more confident than I've ever been. When I got home I was all shaky and smiling and flexing in the mirror even though I have no muscle definition. I'm really proud of myself rn and I just need to tell someone (or.. many someones) about it

I’m a very messy person who tries VERY HARD to keep a clean home. It’s probably ADHD. Anyway, the best advice I ever saw about it was:

“Instead of changing your habits to keep clean, look at where the clutter is. Now put a bin under it.”

I tend to remove my socks at the computer and then there’s a mountain of socks on the floor? I put a small bin and now it looks tidy. There are piles of junk mail on the table near my front door because I can never bring them to the recycling bin? I put a smaller recycling bin there. Etc etc.

Another trick that helps me immensely are BOXES.

The bathroom sink is covered in small bottles and all sorts of products? I got small plastic crates and I put them over the toilet lid, one for my stuff, the other for my roomate’s. The linen closet is just piles of things that fall when you open the door? Baby I just got a bunch of baskets and I will separate them by function.

I have baskets and small boyxes for: my cleaning products; my bird’s toys and stuff; my workout accessories; my meds and daily skincare products; my tools; and pretty much all my art stuff. 

It still takes some effort to keep everything in its place, but having everything in a box still looks tons better than having everything on the counter, and it’s so better for the mental health. 

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After YEARS of a perpetually messy room with clothes all over the floor… I cleared off two shelves of my bookshelves. Clothes go there if they aren’t ready for laundry yet.

One change, and my floors are clear. And because they’re clear, they’re easier to keep clean.

One of the principles of design is that you have to design things according to how human beings act, not how you think they ought to act. That goes for designing your own space as well: organize for the you that you are, not the you that you think you ought to become.

Practical tip for those dealing with wildfire smoke now: you can make a very effective air filter for a reasonable amount of money using a box fan & one of those filters meant for your furnace.

Also, I've managed to pick up 2 of the box fans for very cheap/free from yard sales. Make sure you get a filter rated for wildfire smoke, I think this one cost about $20.

These make a huge difference in the indoor air quality.

Posting again because of the fire situation up in Canada and resulting smoke. If you're dealing with wildfire smoke, these are surprisingly effective and relatively cheap.

Just tape the filter to the fan, making sure the air can't sneak around the edges. I used painter's tape, but I'm sure duct tape or similar would work just as well.

idk when we decided that explaining yourself shouldn't be part of an apology but like. if someone was a dick to me and apologizes but I still don't understand why they did it I'm not gonna feel any better

"Sorry for hurting your feelings earlier. I was trying to say x, but I guess it came across wrong. I don't think you're stupid."

or

"Sorry I snapped at you. I didn't get enough sleep last night so my patience is a little low today."

is a better apology than

"I want you to know that I am sorry that my actions offended you. I take full accountability for my actions and I am listening and learning. I hear you."

PSA: Don't use Open Office

I keep seeing people recommending Open Office as an alternative to Word, and uh... look, it is, technically, an open source alternative to Word. And it can do a lot of what Word can, genuinely! But it is also an abandoned project that hasn't been updated in nine years, and there's an active fork of it which is still receiving updates, and that fork is called LibreOffice, and it's fantastic.

Seriously, if you think that your choices are either "grit your teeth and pay Microsoft for a subscription" or "support free software but have a kind of subpar office suite experience", I guarantee that it's because you're working with outdated information, or outdated software. Most people I know who have used the latest version of LibreOffice prefer it to Word. I even know a handful of people who prefer it to Scrivener.

Open Office was the original project, and so it has the most name recognition, and as far as I can tell, that's really the only reason people are still recommending it. It's kind of like if people were saying "hey, the iPhone 14 isn't your only smart phone option!" but then were only ever recommending the Samsung Galaxy S5 as an alternative. LibreOffice is literally a version of the same exact program as Open Office that's just newer and better – please don't get locked into using a worse tool just because the updated version of the program has a different name!

I have very strong opinions on this subject, and I'm curious how others feel.

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Hi, public librarian (lower case l, no degree) here, please don't.

We're already, in general, severely underfunded. Shocker, the capitalist hellscape we're stuck isn't great about allocating county budget to such a socialist outlet.

When you write in the margins, that's considered damage, and we just do not have the funding to replace every book we have to weed for damage.

Use sticky notes. Please. Write your margin notes on sticky notes in the book. You can even keep your place that way. But please please please don't write in the books, don't crack the spines, and don't dog ear them. That's just going to force us to weed them, and we can't always replace them.

Hi, capital L Librarian here, if you think your notes enhance other readers' experience of the book 1) you're wrong and 2) no one's going to get to read them anyway because you damaged the book and we had to throw it away.

Good job breaking it, hero.

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Guess who’s in financial trouble again?

I’m splitting my commission styles up with more specific price points! Mainly because I really miss drawing fanart and OC’s and I never get to do it anymore because I am so stressed about money so… two birds one stone!!

⭐️ How do I commission you?

🟡 Shoot me an email at chazgilbert1995@gmail.com

⭐️ How do I pay?

🟡 You won’t pay until I send you the initial sketch - once you confirm you are happy with it you can send me half of the payment to my PayPal at chazgilbert@live.co.uk - once I send you the final image you will pay the rest of the commission off! 🥰 (and if you really love it, tips are always welcomed)

⭐️ Will you draw me/my children/my dog

🟡 Nooooo. I have another commission price list for these kinds of commissions. It takes me way longer to do commissions of you or your family members because I am so worried about getting the slightest thing wrong and not making you 100% content so I put a lot of time into these kinds of illustrations so I charge more. Fanart and OC work still let’s me lean into stylisation and artistic license 😂

⭐️ How long will it take?

🟡 From a week turnaround to three weeks, depending on how many commissions I’m doing. If you have a deadline please let me know from the start so I can assess whether I will be able to meet it.