Um, Yeah, I Definitely Support Asexuals.

If you haven’t read Tab’s Minority Monsters comics, I highly recommend them!  I’m about to succumb to the added temptation of the ace succubus charm and buy the print copy for myself.  (I’m pretty sure I can find someone who would like a charm if I win the giveaway, too.)

Looking for some Queer Cheer this December?

I’ve got a Bisexual Unicorn and an Asexual Succubus looking for a home this festive season! Like, comment or share this post on Facebook, Tumblr or Twitter to enter a prize draw on the 25th and either of these could be yours!

If you don’t want to take your chances then I’ve got 25 of these adorable squishy charms (12 Asexual Succubi and 13 Bisexual Unicorns) which I’ll be giving away with every copy of the Minority Monster book bought this December (tinyurl.com/minoritymonsterbook). First come first served, just pick your monster in the drop down menu!

Perfect for hanging on a tree, keeping you company in the cold or being used as a stress ball for difficult family dinners.

Rules

-Each like, comment, share or retweet counts as an entry, multiple entries are fine. -First winner gets their pick of the two monsters, second winner gets the other one. -If you buy a book you can still enter the prize draw

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.

Mmmm, new-release Tuesdays!  (But do they *all* have to come in at the same time?!)

WHEN ALL MY HOLDS COME IN AT ONCE

I found a Maleficent lunch box with dragons on it in an after-Halloween sale several/many years ago.  I happily took my lunch to work in it until it was literally falling apart.  Some of my co-workers complimented me on it over the years, and some probably snickered at it (although no one ever gave me a hard time about it).  Why give up the things that give you joy just because you’re supposed to be “too old” for them??

Don't feel ashamed of doing "CHILDISH" things

•buy toys/dolls/crayons •play with Legos •play old videogames/dress up games •weave friendship bracelets •watch cartoons •use stickers •draw pics of your favorite characters

If it makes you feel nice, do it. Don’t even worry about what other people think, because it doesn’t matter–if it brings you happiness, it’s not “ridiculous”, or “immature”.

You deserve to enjoy yourself.

That looks good to me!  I’d add petting the cat and playing on the computer, but otherwise, I think this is about my ideal day.

If you’re an introvert, follow us @introvertunites​

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

I’m quite sure that the handful of people who follow me already know this, but please help spread the word!

this is your yearly reminder that animals are not toys. they are a huge commitment. even small pets like hamsters and fish can be expensive and require a lot of work. if you’re planning to get someone a pet as a gift this holiday season, please only do so if you’re 100% sure that they are willing and able to take responsibility for the well-being of a living thing, potentially for years or even decades.

Beautifully said!

Neil Gaiman on Libraries and Librarians.

Spreading the word in case this helps someone.  Stay safe!

hey so protip if you have abusive parents and need to get around the house as quietly as possible, stay close to furniture and other heavy stuff because the floor is settled there and it’s less likely to creak

As a librarian, and especially as a cataloger, I have Feelings about the arrangement of books. However, one of those Feelings is that, in your own personal/household library, you should arrange your books in ways that make sense for you/your household. Part of that is going to depend what types of books you have, part on how much shelf space you have where, and part on how you use and look for your books.

In my household, we have several broad areas for books. General fiction is arranged alphabetically by author; books by the same author are alphabetical by title unless I can remember a series order easily or at least separate distinct series from one another. Anthologies are arranged alphabetically by title. Graphic novels and collections of comics are arranged by series, character, or title (depending on whether they're part of a series and/or how we would look for them).

Nonfiction books are organized by subject, with similar topics generally grouped together and flowing into each other in ways that made sense when I set up the shelves after we moved here. For example, one shelf has yoga/stretching -> massage -> first aid -> general science -> animals -> field guides for birds and plants -> pets -> art books (because we have some art books focused on different animals) -> biographies (because we have biographies of artists).

A few collections are separated out for various reasons. Picture books are in their own area because I had a small bookshelf with high enough shelves for them to fit in (mostly) comfortably. Cookbooks are on their own set of shelves in the kitchen, roughly grouped by topic or type of food (general, slow cooker, chocolate, bacon, etc.). Gaming books are organized by gaming system, then generally by title. Books on sex and sexuality, erotica, and NSFW graphic novels/comics are in the bedroom but otherwise mirror the organization of the main collection.

The guest bedroom has collections of miscellaneous information and short essays, as well as books that we have two copies of, so we don't mind if someone borrows them indefinitely.

This is very important research so I can figure out how to arrange my books