Bullshit, just bullshit. My art blog can be found here:
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the fact that moray eels have a pharyngeal jaw that they can just…..move from the back of their throat is pretty fucking awesome but also terrifying. moray eels are filed under “sea creatures who i respect from a distance and that distance being on land from behind my computer screen”
crab: ah fuck im in a bit of a conundrum, maybe if i wiggle i can-
No! I’m sure there are, but that’s sadly outside my range of historical geekdom. I have heard nineteenth century cowboy culture was pretty well populated by gays, like theater, art, and piracy, and pretty much any fringe profession. This is one of my favorite articles on the subject, although some of the quotes are quite cruel:
(Click on the image or here to go to the article.)
It talks about cowboy culture, rural comfort with queer intimacy, Abraham Lincoln’s first boyfriend, saloon lesbians, the range of Native gender identity and queer expression, and the shift in culture that took place around the turn of the century, toward repression. Some good bits:
I remember reading somewhere there are love songs between cowboys still extant, too. But I’ve forgotten the source.
Can anyone else add to this, and help my nonny?
This is outside my own chronological/geographical expertise, so the best I can do for LGBTQ+ identities in the American West is to point you towards the articles/syllabi of Jordan Biro Walters, who’s kindly made them available online here. A quick search of C19 cowboy songs I have access to didn’t turn anything out, and apparently the history of queer identities among cowboys was still treated as something that needed doing 15-20 years ago, though 1973 is the publication date on the first modern scholarly treatment I can find referenced.
Thank you! That’s a great resource. I also just now found a song written to mourn a partner, quoted in this article. And it references cowboy marriages, the male equivalent of the 19th century sapphic “Boston marriage”:
And here’s a review of a book on queer gender expression among cowboys, journeymen and soldiers:
I need to read this book!
Personally I’m still glowing over the fact that pirates entered gay marriages all the time and had laws protecting their spouses rights. Go pirates!
I just used the line “that’s not an asshole move, it’s a whole asshole ballet” and I’m kinda proud of it so it’s going here where it will get the recognition it deserves.
A pas de douche, if you will
All right, the rest of you can go home, this one wins.
there’s nothing purer or better than how much kids enjoy being picked up and then hurled at soft surfaces
anyone who’s ever been around kids for ay meaningful amount of time should know exactly how much kids long to be hefted up and then just fuckin tossed! it’s so good! they’re so excited to get fucking tossed around like a sack of potatoes it’s so pure
Why do kids love it so much? Like I remember when I was a kid at diving practice during the summer, the best part was when one if the coaches would toss you into the deep end. And in gymnastics coaches would toss us into the foam pit. Do kids just have a evolutionary urge to die?
“Vestibular sense provides information about where the body is in relation to its surroundings. This is the sense that helps you understand balance, and it connects with all the other senses.
When the vestibular system does not develop properly all other senses will struggle to function properly. Without a strong vestibular sense, kids will have no choice but to fidget, get frustrated, experience more falls and aggression, get too close to people when talking, and struggle with focusing and listening. Because they literally cannot help it.”
“Here are a few ways to support your child’s vestibular sense:
Spinning in circles.
Using a Merry-Go-Round.
Rolling down a hill.
Spinning on a swing.
Going upside down.
Climbing trees.
Rocking.
Jumping rope.
Summersaults or cartwheels.
Using monkey bars.
Skating.
Going backwards.
Swimming.
Dancing.
Wheel-barrel walks.”
Yeeting kids, spinning them, flipping them upside down, tossing them in the air, and otherwise disrupting their balance temporarily, is Important For Their Development, specifically for their vestibular sense.
Kids love this because they NEED it.
In other words: Don’t forget to calibrate your child’s GPS!
YEET THE CHILD FOR THEIR HEALTH
Hi! Paediatric Occupational Therapist here who yeets children into pillows for a living. It’s actually more than the vestibular system! It’s also giving them proprioception, which is the feeling of your joints and muscles / where your body is in space!
We all seek proprioceptive input, leaning against walls, pushing against the steering wheel when driving, giving your body a squeeze to wake yourself up, the list goes on! When we ‘crash’ kids into soft things like pillows or beds, we’re waking their bodies up AND calming their bodies down! In other words, getting them into this super nice zone of “just right” regulation.
When I see a child who is bouncing off the walls and can’t seem to stand still for more than a few seconds? I start wrestling with them, crashing them into pillows, giving their body the right amount of input they need to feel good and organised. And suddenly, this kid is able to sit and play attentively or do their handwriting practice. It’s amazing! If you want to know more about why the vestibular and proprioceptive systems are awesome at making your body feel good, google those two words (and sensory processing) and read through some occupational therapy websites!
Side note: As adults, does your body ever feel jittering/jiggly/wiggly/like it needs to move or calm down but you just can’t figure out why? That’s your sensory system saying Hey! I need to feel differently in order to function better! Here’s what you can do:
Jump up and down (vestibular and proprioception)
Give yourself big squeezes (proprioception)
Place your hands on a wall and do push ups (proprioception)
Do cartwheels (vestibular and proprioception)
Get someone to give you the biggest bear hug for at least 10 seconds (proprioception and social connection, also proven to help regulate your sensory system into just right zone!)
Get a drink of water and drink it through a straw OR blow bubbles into the water (way more fun!) (oral motor input and respiration)
Have a shower or a bath (tactile)
Stretch and do exercise (vestibular and proprioception)
Eat something crunchy or chewy (like chips or gum) (oral motor input)
Listen to some music that suits your mood (auditory)
etc etc etc! I’m sure you already have a strategy that your body has figured out works for you. I personally like to chew gum when I feel like i need to eat something but I’m not actually hungry and just need that chewing sensation in my jaw.
Long story short, everyone has a sensory system and we all use regulation strategies like the ones listed above to help make our body feel better. So if you ever see someone (especially kids!) fidgeting and having a hard time focusing, maybe suggest something from the list above!
