volvoxvsmarla @ volvoxvsmarla @lemm.ee

you'll find me at sopuli.xyz under the same username

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2 yr. ago

So true, I always hear Fight Club's narrator say "I wanted to destroy something beautiful" when I cut that new sponges

Same. We actually cut them in half before we use them (no this is not a way to save up $10k in a year) and then quarter them when they turn to crap sponges xD

We use a combination of brushes with wooden heads (I don't like stuff with handles though), structured cotton towels from the drug store, and sponges from Ikea called "Pepprig" which I think work best for most things. They are also plastic but you can wash them easily.

Tbh we wash them and use them for really dirty stuff. Like when you need to remove mold with a chlorine spray or poop from your shoes. Then they get tossed because there's no way I am washing that again.

We're phasing out single use sponges though, but now I don't know what to use for the really dirty stuff.

I agree, it's not fair.

And I want to add: We [parents] do do stuff.

I would have always considered myself and my husband leaning to left politics and being eco conscious. But man, having a kid kind of radicalized us.

Even knowing full well that cooperations are the major problem we still do the small and individual things. We know it is mostly for our conscience, so that we can say, we did what we could. We definitely don't do everything - for example, I still eat meat about once a month and I give our toddler meat a couple of times a week. Today I bought strawberries from Greece because that was all she wanted to eat. At the same time, we are stepping further and further out of our comfort zone. We now started having a compostable trash bin. I have a huge phobia of larvae etc and vetoed against it for ages, but we've arrived at a point at which I will try it out (at least for 9/12 months). We've always recycled and tried to mind what we are buying and how much we want to consume, but I would definitely say we unconsciously upped our game because now, there's more at stake. All these small things, reducing plastic, reducing waste, reducing consumption, buying less, travelling less, double checking the food labels to avoid the big No Gos like Nestle...

We also changed our life goals and ideals. We don't want a house anymore. We don't want to ever own a car. We don't dream of travelling the world or own this or that. We don't celebrate holidays with meat meals and an abundance of unnecessary presents. Money well spent is money spent on better things. I am happily donating money I would have spent on trips or items or takeout to OVD Info or help for Ukraine instead. It's a much better gift to ask someone to donate 10€ than to get me a bottle of wine or another scarf.

At the same time, we are reminding ourselves all the time that this is not enough. That big change needs to happen. And I think that's where the biggest "radicalization" happened. We went from nagging youngsters, dooming nihilists, to people who do more than just care. From doing our little thing at home, but excusing doing big things with "well the system needs to change for this to work", cursing big corp. We now want to make that chance happen. More than ever and more actively. This means finally becoming more political. I'm now applying for citizenship so that I can actually vote in my country of residence and maybe join a party. Because that and campaigning are the things we can do. Go to meetings, demonstrations, join a movement, join a party, sign petitions, talk, talk, talk. Be angry. Be loud. And may I add, this doesn't just concern the environment. Social issues are so much more unbearable now.

I wish it didn't take a kid to make me that much more active. I wish I had done more in the past. I am ashamed, especially considering my nationality, I should have been so much more active. But the second best time is now. Some things take awful sacrifices, but imagining your child's future, it's not "just nice" if it sucks less than we fear, but it is an indescribable visceral ever present fire of energy.

I also thought about that, might have been a screw bottle. But that bulky part on top looks like champagne to me, but of course I could be wrong

I know this will sound severely alcoholic but for years I carried around a corkscrew just in case. I was kind of traumatized by how I managed to buy a bottle of wine when I was 15 (in Germany wine is legal from age 16) but I had no opener so we tried for hours to push the cork inside with a stick and I did not want to repeat that. It worked but the cork broke and we had very crumbly wine. Don't recommend it.

Also looks more like a champagne bottle to me. (Which would also be easier to pop open without an opener than a wine bottle, I still remember trying to open a wine bottle with a stick)

....no? I've never heard anyone claim that

How did she feel about serving Russian tourists? I mean, not every Russian is pro Putin, let alone pro war. But if you feel the need to hang a freaking flag other than the one of the opposition from your hotel's balcony you probably belong to the ribbon wearing scum.

We should definitely be batting more eyes in general

Stealing bison poop I guess

I'd watch that

Your husband not even having the guts to tell you in person is awful. I wish I could punch him in the throat. I know the universe isn't necessarily fair, but damn I hope that your little (and at the same time grand) act of kindness will somehow come back to you with positive karma or luck or whatever you want to call it. And I deeply wish you to find and maintain stability in your life soon - financially, mentally, and with better and more reliable and loving people in your life. Fuck that husband of yours.

the opposite seems to be the case here

Cries in Lindner

I'm not sure what the problem is when you work in slippers or crocs. I often am barefoot at home but sometimes when it's cold or when I do something that involves water I put on house slippers. When I go outside of the apartment to get the post, to the basement, to the trash, or the balcony, or the garden, I slip out of them and in another set of slippers that are used solely for "outside". This takes like 2 seconds.

And for the water drink when you do yard work, maybe bring a bottle? Might save you even more time than running back and forth to put water in a glass.

Also, I don't know your life, but I doubt that you hang shelves in your kitchen on a daily basis. But I mean, you do you.

Got me in the first half, not gonna lie

I think it's just taking the easy, accommodating and safe route mostly.

A friend of mine taught himself German for years (he lives in Canada) and then, eager to put his knowledge into practice, went to Germany for three weeks. Whenever he attempted to speak German, people would reply in English - out of niceness.

He was so depressed and discouraged, he went home, vowed to never speak German again, taught himself Russian, went to Russia for a semester, people there were happy to speak Russian with him. He even met his future wife there, so it's a happy end I guess.

I don't remember if I ever heard him speak German (after all, he vowed and was still very hurt), but if his German was just half as good as his Russian, he should have had no problem with being understood.

James, in case you read this, St. Petersburg was freaking awesome and you freaking rock.

That's so true. Or just guess. Like, for real, no one cares. Besides your Goethe Institute examiner. Das Tisch, die Mädchen, der Banane. Doesn't matter. My father has awful, awful German, despite living here for 35ish years, and his whole job is communicating with people and he made a huge career despite having no clue of grammar and buying sweet red Erdbeben in the supermarket.

I also adore foreigners from different countries speaking in completely broken German to one another and somehow being able to figure out what the other one was saying and having a blast. Admittedly, with the rise of English, this has become much rarer. But it just shows you that language is so much more than just grammar and vocabulary.

I remember standing in line for crepes in Le Havre, I just had my first year of French in school and I was practicing how to order in my head, nervously repeating "un crepe avec sucre", and killed myself over not remembering the gender of crepe. So it's finally my turn in line and I order nervously (I am 13 years old) and they reply with "pancake with sugar, no problem" and I'm just like 😭

Somehow people not even giving you a chance to practice your language skills is awful