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Hey Adam! Congrats on the new job and move to Baltimore. I think a change of scenery from the noise and excitement of NYC will be a bit less chaotic.
As a reminder, I'm here for ya. I know I'm not involved, not trying to be, but I'm here. People shouldn't pity you. But they also shouldn't walk all over you. I'm proud of you for setting those boundaries.
Never compromise your wellbeing, ever.
- š§·
Hello,
Thank you for your message.I mean that sincerely. I think youāre right about the noise. New York has been too much for me ever since my Dad died, though I got used to the overstimulation. Or I thought I did.
Baltimore will be different. Not necessarily quieter, but..slower, maybe. Which might be good for me.
I appreciate the sentiment. I understand your concern. But sometimes things appear different from the outside. Iām doing what feels manageable for me at the moment. And that has to be enough, doesnāt it?
Stillāthank you, again.
Hey Adam! How are you doing today?
Hello,
I did not manage to answer you in time. I do not remember how I felt on May 2nd.
But if I apply your question to today, Iād say I feel desolation and a sense of culpability regarding my emotional state.As for what Iām doing; Iām packing boxes.
Iāve been trying to organize them methodically, much to Bethās frustration. We argued about it yesterday. It makes my skin itch to watch her throw everything together without care.
Tonight, Iām going to the park to watch the raccoons. I hope itāll settle my thoughts. I know it wonāt, thereās no magic in distraction. But maybe if I keep myself occupied long enough, I can crowd out whatās pressing on me.
After all i understand that my routines arenāt efficient for moving. So, Iāll dissociate as much as I can.
You do not understand me. You pity me.
I took the job offer in Baltimore.
I will be working as a guide at the Davis Planetarium. Iām very happy it worked out. The planetarium has such a rich archive and so many exhibits in rotation! Iāll have a lot to learn and organize, and even more to share. I am already experiencing a lot of excitement about that.
That means Beth and I will be moving to Maryland soon, leaving New York behind. I will miss New York. But Iām looking forward to seeing some people in Baltimore. And itāll make getting to Dr. Lecterās appointments easier, once he returns from his retreat.
What made you decide to get back with Beth? I thought you were doing pretty well, especially with Nigel. I think we all just want to make sure you're truly happy with this decision.
I donāt know. I think I want to be left alone. I donāt want to answer any more questions about thisā¦
Good luck with talking to Beth š¤
If it goes south, just make sure you take care of yourself first.
- š§· (safetypin-non)
Thank you. It went well.
My head hurts and my hands are trembling.
Were not the bliss too often crost
By that unhappy vile distrust,That gnawing doubt, and anxious fear, that dangerous malady,
That terrible tormenting rage, that madness, jealousy.
It is love that tortures you, isnāt it?
You donāt speak of it but I know and so do you.
I did not like that.
As I explained, I got flustered. I never asked you to stop. I just didnāt know how to ask for more.
But I still want it. I still want you.
One advantage of communicating online instead of in person is that if something somebody says flusters or overwhelms you, you can just choose not to respond.
You can pretend you didnāt see it at all. I think thatās handy.
I cannot keep going like this. I will drive over to Beth and her family.
Nigel, youāre the one I meant.
One advantage of communicating online instead of in person is that if something somebody says flusters or overwhelms you, you can just choose not to respond.
You can pretend you didnāt see it at all. I think thatās handy.
Adam, have you ever seen Cosmos with Carl Sagan? I've always wanted to watch the original but I've only seen the reboot with Neil DeGrasse Tyson.
- š§· (safetypin-non)
Yes, I watched it many times. More than I can count. Itās my favorite show.
You should watch it, I can only recommend it.
One advantage of communicating online instead of in person is that if something somebody says flusters or overwhelms you, you can just choose not to respond.
You can pretend you didnāt see it at all. I think thatās handy.
If you could assign constellations to your associates/friends what would they be and why?
I don't know much about constellations but I'd love to hear you talk about it :)
- š§·
I actually spent some time thinking about this. Itās a interesting question, astronomy as a mirror for people. Itās not the first time Iāve made that comparison in my head.
So Nigel would probably be Andromeda. Thereās something about Andromedas story that reminds me of him , chained and waiting, not exactly helpless, but holding back. Andromedaās one of those constellations thatās easy to overlook unless you know where to look. But once you do, you stay looking. Heās like that. Quiet and beautiful, and much more capable than most realize. Thereās distance there too. Something unspoken and mysterious. And maybe thatās part of it.
Abby is Lyra. Steady, constant sound in the background that makes everything else feel less chaotic. Sheās the kind of friend that doesnāt try to change the rhythm, she plays along, and somehow makes the melody make sense. She wonāt try to change but instead accept the people around her. I trust her more than I trust most people. Probably more than I know to articulate.
Duncan is definitely Ursa Major. Heās calm and grounded. One of those people you automatically listen to when they speak. Like the Big Dipper, Itās just always been there. Reliable. Big presence. Never unpleasantly overwhelming.
I see Tonny as Gemini. There is some sort of double-sided energy to him. Always talking, always bouncing between ten things at once. Sometimes itās annoying. But he makes things feel alive. That counts for something. Very unapologetically himself.
Beth⦠Sheād be Scorpius..I think. There was beauty, but also something sharp underneath. I thought I understood her. Maybe I didnāt. Itās hard not to associate that constellation with betrayal once youāve been stung by someone you trusted. But I also think Scorpius is about change. You donāt walk away from it unchanged.
Lastly Hannibal , Aquarius. Thereās a logic to him that i understand. The kind of person who thinks about everything three steps ahead. Our conversations are always sharp. Always interesting. We donāt need to be close emotionally to have a kind of mutual respect, and I appreciate that.
Thatās how I see it right now.
That could change, maybe it wonāt.
Thereās been a recent development Iāve been turning over in my head for the past few days: Webb detected dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) in the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18b. If that doesnāt mean much to you, hereās the part that matters
On Earth, both compounds are exclusively produced by marine life. Specifically, phytoplankton.This doesnāt mean thereās life on K2-18b!.But it does suggest a potential biosignature one we canāt easily explain through geological processes. K2-18b is a sub-Neptune, around 124 light-years away in the Leo constellation. Its atmosphere contains carbon-bearing molecules, water vapor, and now these sulfur compounds. It orbits in the habitable zone of its star.
These are all promising conditions, though habitability and life are not the same thing!.Still, this is the first time weāve detected a chemical in an exoplanetās atmosphere that we only know to exist because of biology. That alone is worth sitting with.
Iām not someone who jumps to conclusions. But I am someone who believes in asking the right questions.
Is Nigel a Sheep or a Wolf ?
Nigel is a Human.
If you are asking what I think heād be if he was an animal , which you shouldāve worded more precisely , I think heād be a dog.
But I canāt say for certain.
OOC: Have you ever written fanfic with Adam?? You rp him in a way that expresses his emotions and autism really well without infantilizing him or making him unfeeling and robotic, which is something I tend to see (they probably don't mean it in a harmful way, just misunderstood the character) and it's perfect! I really enjoy the way he's portrayed on this page, and I think the way you write in general is very pleasing
OOC: My god, this made me so happy to hear <3
I always try my best to immerse myself in his headspace.
And to answer your questionāIāve actually never really written fanfiction. Well, thatās not entirely true, because I kind of did with my girlfriend years ago š (lol). I do write a lot, but Iāve never really put anything out there.
I have been thinking about maybe posting something on AO3 (may I be protected from the writerās curse), but my biggest struggle is coming up with a storyline. Once I have a rough idea of where the story is going, I can fill in the details and start writingābut starting from scratch is kind of tough for me.
So if you have any ideas youād like to see, please feel free to share! Iād love to take any suggestions into consideration.
Understandable that you feel that way about the astronomical accuracies of minecraft. I wonder if there's pixelized constellations....
Off topic, but, as a fellow mac n cheese enjoyer, what is your favorite brand and/or recipe???
(I'm a big fan of Annie's white cheddar, it comes in a little purple box!!!)
- š§·
Amazing Question.
Iāve been eating Kraft Mac & Cheese since I was a kid. The kind that comes in the blue box. I like the shape of the noodles. I like that it cooks in exactly the same way every time. And I like that it tastes the way I expect it to. Every box. Every time.
For a while, I stopped buying it. I tried really hard to switch to Annieās; those boxes with the little bunnies on them. It was organic. āHealthier.ā Thatās what Beth told me. She wanted me to try something new. Something better. And I did. I ate a lot of Annieās. I kept the boxes stacked neatly in my kitchen just like I used to with Kraft. But it didnāt taste right. It was okay. But not right.
After we fought, I went back to Kraft. I donāt think thatās symbolic of anything. Or maybe it is. I just missed the taste. I like knowing exactly how something will be. Itās comforting.
Also, I like the powdered cheese. I donāt care if itās fake. Itās familiar.
If you met an alien, what would you tell and/or ask them?
Okay. First off: how do you breathe? Do you breathe? What kind of atmosphere are you used to? Is oxygen poisonous to you? Do you metabolize something else entirely? And your gravity, how strong is it? Do you walk upright? Do you even need to walk? Whatās your skeletal structure like? Do you even have bones?
Whatās your biology based on? Is there a version of DNA where youāre from? Or is it something entirely foreign to us? Whatās your body temperature? Do you even need to regulate it? Do you get cold?
Do you perceive time linearly? Do you dream? Have you categorized your stars yet? What are your units of measurement? Do you know what we are? Have you been watching us the way weāve imagined you?
And I think⦠after all that..Iād probably just say:
Iāve been waiting for you my whole life. Not you specifically, maybe. But the possibility of you. And now I have about a million more questions.
I donāt know if youāre joking, so please specify if you are.
But just in case you didnāt know, that is actually not a normal clock.
Draw a clock.
It s nromal .
I think we should send Musk into space. One way trip. He's a genius, I'm sure he can find his way back if he wants to.
How are you by the way, Adam? I've been playing a lot of minecraft and I've been looking up at the pixelated stars a lot. They're pretty.
- š§·
Despite this being an absolutely unrealistic idea I canāt claim that I dislike fantasizing about it.
I am mildly melancholic at the moment, I have never played Minecraft but I donāt think their depiction of space is realistic in any way. Arguably thatās not the point anyway.
Do you like theater? If so, what are your favorite plays and/or musicals?
I donāt dislike theater, but I struggle with the social environment around it.
Itās loud. Itās crowded. People clap too much. But I do like the mechanics of it the structure, the rhythm, the way a story has to rely on timing and restraint. I like plays that donāt talk down to their audience.
Copenhagen is a good one,itās about physics and ethics. The Effect by Lucy Prebble was interesting too, mostly because it plays with psychology and perception in a way that felt grounded. Musicals are harder. Most are emotionally overstimulating, but I think Hadestown had merit. I like mythology. And I appreciate when something ancient gets recontextualized in a modern structure. Thatās how understanding evolves.