Minority Monsters Is Now Available As A PDF For Pay-what-you-want.  In Addition To The Great Comics,

Pay attention to what is being cut -- public radio and television, libraries and museums, education, research. Elon knows how to count; he's counting the benefits he can take away from the public.

Two of my sweeties and I braved the heat at a Families Belong Together demonstration today.  The speakers were good, and it was heartening to see so many people coming together to protest the cruel treatment of children.

#keepfamiliestogether #familiesbelongtogether

If you don't run, VOTE. (Vote if you do run, for that matter.) There is a lot at stake locally and in your state, and the ability for one person to make a difference in these elections is very high.

I know it feels like we just did this, but voting is like doing the dishes or laundry -- you have to keep at it. Unlike housework, you don't want to designate one person in your community to handle the chore for everyone else. (Let's be honest, they would probably fold your shirts wrong, too.)

Hey, USAmericans? Wanna save your country? Run For Something!

This is a brilliant advertising campaign!

If you live in the United States, can legally vote, and have not already done so, please vote on November 8, 2022.  Specifically, vote for people who are not fascists, who will support everyone’s bodily autonomy, and who believe that LGBTQ+ people deserve rights.

If you need voting information and can’t find it yourself, call or email your local library.  They will probably have everything handy (because you are almost certainly not the only person with questions), but they will find it for you if necessary!  The only thing they won’t tell you is whom to vote for.

Some states will allow you to register at the polls if you are not already registered.  Even if you can’t register for this election, do it now so you’re ready for the next one.

Reminder: tomorrow’s Election Day. If you haven’t voted, take a moment to look up the voting centers near you and hours of operation

Some states mandate time off to allow employees to vote. Some don’t. If your state does, be firm in your right to take time to vote if you cannot any other time

Don’t let those self-righteous old fascist fucks get comfortable. Even if you think there’s no chance, make ‘em sweat

Sometimes, it’s useful to say, “I’m queer,” instead of getting into the full list of all the ways I don’t fit the supposed defaults for gender, sexuality, relationships, etc.

you are allowed to identify as queer. you don’t need to be ashamed of being queer.

I can’t even draw straight lines with a ruler.

I am not a straight people.

Reblog if you are also not a straight people.

Make sure you have an active library card!  If you don’t have a card or haven’t used yours in a few years and your library is still open, get a card or have it renewed. (Check what ID you’ll need before you go.)  While you’re in the library, check out that book you’ve been meaning to read, the audiobook or music CD you’ve been meaning to listen to, the movie you want to watch, and whatever else catches your fancy!

You can ask about the library’s online resources while you’re there or look on the website when you get home.  Libraries can give you access to a lot of different resources, in addition to what’s listed above.  They may have downloadable or streaming e-books, e-audiobooks, music, movies, and TV shows.  Your library could give you access to classes on just about any subject, homework help for your kids, car repair guides, programs to help you learn a new language, and lots more.  If you go through the library’s website, they probably have information about what you will need to access all of these resources.

If you didn’t get your library card before they had to close to protect people, here are a few free resources you might enjoy.

Jim C. Hines started a Twitter thread where authors can link to free, lighthearted stories (both print and audio): https://twitter.com/jimchines/status/1238486764525948928

The Metropolitan Opera is offering a free streaming opera every night while they are closed: https://www.metopera.org/user-information/nightly-met-opera-streams/

Some great artists are making coloring pages available for anyone to download and print: https://seananmcguire.tumblr.com/post/612756347442937856/catbatart-so-i-saw-a-great-post-by

Scholastic is offering day-by-day projects for kids in Pre-K through grade 6+: https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html

The Library of Congress is crowd-sourcing transcription of historical documents: https://crowd.loc.gov/

If you find that you’re having trouble thinking of things to do in the moment, make a list of stuff you want to try or keep meaning to do when you have time.  That craft you bought the supplies for but never started, the time-consuming recipe you want to try, a nagging minor home repair you haven’t gotten around to doing -- put them all on the list!  Make sure to get a good mix of fun things and chores.  You can either check the list when you get stuck or put ideas on slips of paper to pull from a bowl.

Look for ways to volunteer online or by phone!  I linked to the Library of Congress above, but there are tons of other crowd-sourcing initiatives you can do.  If you want something closer to home and like talking with people, an organization you belong to may need someone who can call members to make sure they’re ok or just chat with people who are lonely.

If the news is making you stressed, take breaks from it or limit how much time you spend reading/watching it.  If people are freaking out on social media, it’s ok to stop following them or not check those accounts as often.  Look for people who are posting fun things or links to free stuff you can try.  (Check your library’s website for those, too!)

Stuck at home? Here’s an isolation survival post:

(Everything here is free to use! Feel free to add on. Links were purposefully broken to avoid Tumblr’s spam prevention.)

Social:

discordapp.com/ - Like Skype but better, more accessible, smoother, and with more features. Call, play games, and chat with friends.

twitch.tv/ - Watch and chat with people doing everything from gaming to cooking to teaching.

Reading:

whichbook.net/ - helps you find what book to read

overdrive.com/ - Free audiobooks through your public library

standardebooks.org/ebooks/ - Free ebooks

rbdigital.com/ - Free audiobooks and ebooks through your public library

Movies:

www.kanopy.com/ - Free movies through your public library

www.ted.com/ - Watch lots of educational and inspiring talks

Hobbies:

join.skillshare.com/ - Learn how to do virtually anything with 2 free months of premium

scratch.mit.edu/ - Make a game or movie, super easy to use, good introductory programming “language”

gimp.org/downloads/ - Free photoshop-like program.

twinery.org/ - Make a text-based game

pixologic.com/sculptris/ - make 3D models

unity.com/ - Make a 3D game

yoyogames.com/gamemaker - make a 2D game

spotify.com/us/ - Listen to music

travelandleisure.com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours - Museums with virtual tours

Dungeons and Dragons: (play over Discord!) (DM me if you want PDFs of the Handbooks)

probablybadrpgideas.tumblr.com/post/612459866001391616/basic-rules-for-dungeons-dragons-dungeons - The Basics

entertainment.howstuffworks.com/leisure/brain-games/beginners-guide-dungeons-and-dragons.htm - Learn to play

roll20.net/ - Make maps/play online

Video Games:

itch.io/ - play hundreds of games

freegameplanet.com/ - Even more free games!

dolphin-emu.org/ - Play Gamecube and Wii games

Phone Apps:

sourceforge.net/projects/gameboid/ - Play gameboy games

smartphones.gadgethacks.com/how-to/10-must-play-free-puzzle-games-for-iphone-android-0178848/ - list of puzzle games

Cooking:

fridgetotable.com/ - Input ingredients you have and get recipes you can make.

youtube.com/user/DepressionCooking - Learn how to cook with limited ingredients from a lovely old woman who lived during the Great Depression

butterwithasideofbread.com/homemade-bread/ - Make bread with yeast

letsdishrecipes.com/traditional-irish-soda-bread/ - Make bread without yeast

Other tips:

Take care of yourself (eat well, shower often, wear clean clothes, exercise, clean your space)

Talk with people

Do what makes you happy

Take time away from screens

Play – with your pets, your kids, your friends. Keep yourself active and busy and happy.

Woo-hoo -- more socks for my wish list!  I love the Dreamer line from Sock Dreams.  I have both over the knee and crew socks in ace pride colors.  They are very comfortable and sturdy, and I highly recommend them!  Their pride collection has a wide variety of other designs, from subtle to in-your-face.  I have gotten a lot of socks for myself and others from Sock Dreams, and I’ve always been very happy with them.

(Also, for people concerned with the commercialization of pride, Sock Dreams is not doing that!  They may promote their LGBTQ+ designs more during Pride month (because they’re a business, and it makes sense to promote things when people are looking for them), but they don’t just slap a rainbow on something for June and ignore the community the rest of the time.  The Dreamer line and other LGBTQ+ designs are always available, and new designs are added throughout the year.  Sock Dreams also donates to various LGBTQ+ charities and is generally supportive of the community.)

Dreamer Short Proud Stripes Tube Socks | Dreamer Socks

We just got in the same great pride flag colorways as our Dreamer Long Proud Stripes Tube Socks, only in shorter version! 

Because Pride is all about celebrating diversity, we designed these to fit as wide a range of feet and legs as possible. Tube style feet mean that these will comfortably fit most shoe sizes, and will end up being knee high, crew, or somewhere in-between, depending on the length of the feet wearing them. 

Unlike traditional tube socks, we designed these to have a low-profile toe seam on the top of the foot, instead of at the end of the toe, for improved comfort. If you’ve been considering sending Pride socks as a gift, but weren’t sure which style to get, these will be your safest bet! Proudly made in the USA.

Length: about 23 inches from toes to tops Stretch: 22 inches at cuff, 18 inches mid-sock

Note: Alas, we do not have stock for the Nonbinary striped version yet, but we do have it in a longer tube, over the knee sock, and crew! 

~♥~Rosalind Socks by Sock Dreams • Free Shipping in the US • $5 International Shipping Find us on facebook | twitter | pinterest | instagram | sock journal | g+