Just A Little Rootin' Tootin' Barbarian

a uni survival guide: tips from a phd

if there's one thing i know about, it's college. i've done it, i've taught it, i've lived and breathed it. these tips are for first years in particular, but honestly for everybody. i think it's so important for people to have balanced lives in these years -- academics are not everything. you know what didn't help me in the real world when i was afraid i wouldn't live through it? my fancy college note-taking format. you know what did help me? the friends i made there who i knew would get on a plane and fly across the country in a matter of hours if i told them i needed them.

academic

- figure out where class is held ahead of time: don't be that kid who's late on day one, i beg of you

- use the writing center: especially for basic grammatical editing, which a lot of professors don't have time to mark on papers

- speak up in class: talking through ideas helps you work through them, and asking questions about something you don't understand can open up great lines of conversation

- find a regular schedule that works for you and stick to it: my college schedule was morning free time, class, lunch, class, practice, homework. that consistency was a life-saver

- keep a planner: it's so important to have a central place to track deadlines, assignments, and engagements

- annotate your reading: when you're stressing about a paper topic, being able to go back to what you've highlighted and written in the margins is a life-saver

- color-code your coursework: i use the same color highlighter, pen, and notebook for any given class. it's super helpful

- if you can't focus while studying with friends, don't: i reserved group studying for days when i didn't have important work because i can't be in a room with other people without talking to them. if your school has one, the quiet floor of the library is your best friend

- treat yourself to a "fun" class: art was always my place to just sit back and chill, a way to end the night all zen in the darkroom instead of conjugating russian verbs in a fluorescent-lit cinderblock prison. for you, it could be gym, it could be pottery, it could be some random course about, like, the history of cooking or something -- explore!

- profs are people too: don't be too nervous around them. also, know that if you're struggling -- even b/c of something in your personal life -- you can admit it, and they'll almost always understand why you missed a deadline or bombed a test

- go to office hours: it's the only way to get to know professors in big courses, and it's so helpful for both your grades and learning how to navigate relationships with authority figures

social

- don't let academia keep you from your friends: it's a case-by-case basis, but sometimes it's okay to let the reading slide and spend time with friends. i graduated seven years ago and my college group text still talks every day. that's so much more important to me than the fact that i never finished brideshead revisited

- joining a club is one of the best ways to make friends: i played ultimate frisbee through college and it was the source of so many lasting relationships, as well as the way i met all my local friends when i was abroad

- say yes to things you don't know if you'll like: you'll surprise yourself. me? turns out i love drinking games. and theme parties. and skinny dipping. and rock climbing

- don't be that person who looks down on their peers for partying: honestly? that person kind of sucks. you don't have to party if you don't want to, but actually, a lot of those people are super nice and also good at school -- don't just write them off!

- show up for your friends: go to their games, their concerts, their art shows, their standup nights. show them that what matters to them matters to you, too

- set aside a night to do a group activity with others: whether your vibe is wednesday night trivia, a weekly "terrible movie" showing, or a get-high-and-watch-nature-documentaries-type thing, these are great ways to liven up the week and de-stress

- this is a great time to figure out who from high school really matters to you: you don't have to force relationships that were built mostly on convenience if there are friends at uni with whom you click more. people you became friends with purely based on the coincidence of where your parents lived do not have to be your forever friends. they can be! but they don't have to be

personal

- don't expect too much of yourself: a 4.0 is not the end-all, be-all. if your family or somebody tells you it is, tell them to call me, and i will personally talk some sense into them

- take advantage of university support services: mental health counseling, free yoga classes, multi-cultural societies, etc

- drink water: please, please don't get kidney stones in the middle of the semester, says the girl who got kidney stones in the middle of the semester

- let yourself take breaks: if you need to lie to a professor and say you're sick when really you're just feeling down and you need to sit in bed and watch a movie, that's totally valid

- don't freak about individual assignments: my students come to me freaking over a B+ and i tell them, honey, no job interviewer is ever going to ask you about your second paper from communications 101. i wish i'd known that

- go see speakers if there's someone interesting coming to campus: these talks are always cooler than you expect. i'll never get over the fact that i didn't go see anita hill when she came to my undergrad

- do your laundry on the same night every week: i can't explain why this is so helpful but it really is

- keep up on the news and the memes: read the school paper, the school blog, the memes page -- college politics and inside jokes are fun and convoluted and fascinating

- set the groundwork for long-term self-care: all of the above is really just to say -- university isn't just for learning about the french revolution, it's also about learning how to balance, how to handle failure, how to ask for help, how to make a salad that doesn't totally suck, etc

An Idea To Prevent A Nuclear War

Daily reminder that disability is not a punishment, no matter what. Anyone can become disabled at any time and that includes you, it is not retribution for doing bad things, it’s just a fact of life.

Listen up. There is literally an app that can help you avoid self harm and I don’t know why we aren’t talking about it.

Calm Harm can be tailored to your needs and will provide strategies to help you get past those crucial moments of wanting to harm.

It’s also totally FREE.

once again, it’s called CALM HARM

A voice from Gaza needs your attention 📢‼️

✅️Vetted by @gazavetters , my number verified on the list is ( #523 )✅️

✅️Vetted by @90-ghost

We don't even know anymore. Khaled, my little one, has started pronouncing the word "bombing," and it terrifies me.

I’m not here to beg or list every detail—because even an entire newspaper wouldn’t be enough. The images on TV screens and the stories you see online already tell you so much about what we endure. But no matter how much you see, you’ll never truly feel what we feel. And I wouldn’t wish this life on anyone.

How you can help my family

In this moment of despair, I reach out to you—not just as a stranger, but as a fellow human being. Our humanity connects us, and compassion knows no boundaries. Your kindness, no matter how small, can bring a glimmer of hope to our lives, shattered by war.

Here’s what we’re trying to rebuild:

💔 $5,000 for the father.

💔 $5,000 for the mother.

💔 $2,500 for Khaled.

💔 $2,500 for Intesar.

The rest will go toward essential living expenses—because there’s no safety net here, no hospitals, no medicine, no healthy food.

Our baby has been sick countless times, and every evacuation has only made things worse. We need help to survive, to heal, and to dream of a better tomorrow.

Even a Little Means Everything❤️❤️🙏

We appreciate your help, even if it’s just a small donation or simply sharing our story. Every bit of support matters. Together, we can rebuild what’s been taken from us and find hope amidst the rubble.

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. ❤️Jehad❤️

gofundme.com

Donate to Please Save Khaled and Nana’s Family In Gaza, organized by Jess Rapoza

Hello all, my name is Jess Rapoza from the USA. I am raising money on behalf … Jess Rapoza needs your support for Please Save Khaled and Nan

A while back I saw this headcanon that Luke could bleat like a baby deer, and I just-

I can’t-

Please Google the sound-

For your own good-

Simeon: No Luke, it’s too late, no more screen time until tomorrow.

Luke: B-but-

Simeon: I’m putting my foot down, now go to bed.

Luke: MEEEEH! >:(

Simeon: …

Simeon: Luke do not take that tone with me young man.

Emo necromancer and his emotional support dumbass

My three girlfriends.

And yes, they smoke weed.

i don’t think any medication at all especially not ones to manage chronic conditions should be more than like $2. but that makes me insane i guess

for the ask game, what about an au where Inko's type is just villains but she doesn't know it, and now that Izuku is focused on school and her husband might as well be non exsistance, she decides to back into the dating scene

So Inko, encouraged by Mitsuki, decides to date again and meeting people is surprisingly easy! She would have thought that people would run away screaming from a single mother with a teenage son but apparently, she is the picky one.

She dumps the CEO because his views are a little too extreme, especially for Inko who has a quirkless son. She accepted one coffee with that dashing magician but he is really too young for her and when he told her that she had a son in UA, he freaked out. Rappa has a delightful sense of humor but he disappeared with no warning. The journalist was fun but she tended to be more interested in interesting stories than by the truth. She met Chizome the time to take a coffee and she balked when he realized he was a bigger All Might stan than her own son.

Also, Endeavor asked her out when they were in high school but she wasn't interested.

There is nothing more awkward that to be in the middle of hero and villain fight only for the villain to pause as they recognize the son of their ex.

Izuku is completely blasé about it, though he was disappointed when his mom broke up with Nagant.