Hey, I'm trying to do something as a hobby and creative outlet and I was wondering if there was a good site or channel or online book that gave step by step details for sketching/ drawing with pencil?

Signed,

Someone who made incredibly decadent pasta.

Is there a good or best vegan butter?

Beans!

I think there are a lot of potential emojis on this page. What sort of software do people use to make them?

I've told myself and others that I don't get bored easily. I can daydream through some experiences or I'll distract myself with games, books, etc.

But I'm finding out that I've always had my hands full with an activity, doing more than one at once. Like playing animal crossing with a movie playing, and eating lunch. Of course, I end up missing conversations in whatever media I'm consuming.

It's like I'm so good at distracting myself that I need something to catch my focus. If it's boring or predictable, I don't have to pay attention. I've had friends point out that I do things the hard way a lot.

I don't want this feeling to be boredom because that feels like a moral failing. It's thinking of people I care about and not being able to muster up enough compassion to give them my undivided attention. I can't sit through a phone call and I wish I could.

I hate that it comes off as me being an edgelord sometimes. But it's just me not reacting strongly.

Writing this, I realize how much of this is an attention disorder or something dissociative. I've carried these confused feelings about how I perceive myself and I'm only now starting to dismantle the shame.

And I'm probably going to look into helping my focus.

I know it's capeshit, but X-Men was different. It deliberately explored oppression and othering. It's one of the only casts that features an explicit survivor of the Holocaust.

I just feel bad about this acquisition, but I'm hopeful the comics will continue their momentum in exploring systemic issues with mutants after Krakoa.

I hope the struggle session was worth it.

I could eat the chocolate chip ones all day every day.

What are some of your safe or comfort foods?

Tell me someone else watched it. The opening entered my brain today. Enjoy

I have some friends and family in my life and it's really hard to broach topics like climate change, COVID, and Gaza and what my government's response means for our lives presently and in the future.

I talk about the unusual weather and it's too early in the morning to bring up climate change. Can't talk about surges in COVID infections after dinner because it would ruin the evening.

I'm trying to make plans and take preventative care for safety, but it feels like nobody around me wants to deal with the reality happening around me.

I think I'm holding out hope that these people in my life will take these things seriously if they'll just see reason, but deep down I know they don't want to engage with these things either because they're scared or in denial, or still insulated from the worst of it.

It's scary. It feels unsafe being around them, and not just for the material reasons like not taking the same precautions with COVID. It's like how can I trust them to see danger if they can't even reckon with the current things happening? How can I have a relationship with people who are this indifferent.

I get trying to cope and trying to find enjoyment where there is little to have, but it's incredibly lonely knowing that this site is like the only space I have to voice my concerns.

If you have made progress in getting people in your life to see reason, what worked? Does just sitting down and laying out these things as a personal concern help?

If you haven't been able to reach people who are this resistant to real conversation, how did you cope with it? What did you do about it?

I'm not in a level of community that I thought I was and I could use some advice on how to move forward.

I'm making a better effort to meditate, but I don't know if I'm doing it right. Focusing on my breathing and releasing thoughts is hard and if I relax too much, I fall asleep.

If you have related issues when meditating, have you found better ways to meditate or alternatives that give you similar results?

As someone who's broke and working through hard things, I feel bad not being able to help when there are other people going through it.

But we're all trying our best out here. Don't make it easy for libs and beat yourself up. Help others if you can and take care of yourself if you can't. Drink water.