Kind: Notes
Short content: a post or status update with just plain content and typically without a title.
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Cwm-yr-Eglwys, on the West coast of Wales. Time for a (bracing) swim!
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Sandy beach in front of a narrow bay, flanked by cliffs, under turbulent skies.
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I was happy to get out of the traffic jam and get some fresh air, but the dog is REALLY happy! Running, rolling, sniffing, jumping... so excited to be able to move around!
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A French Bulldog happily rolls around on her back in lush green grass.
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Off to Pembrokeshire on holiday I've had to stop near Cardiff to put some more charge into the car... which provides the perfect opportunity for the doggo and I to explore a nearby sports field and take in All. The. Smells. 🐶
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Standing in a green park space, Dan gestures to his dog, a Frenchie, who's sniffing a nearby tree.
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Shower thought for the morning was: why is cream cheese spread 'Philadelphia' called that? Is it from Philadelphia? (My box isn't, of course: it came from Ireland.)
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Dan, a white man with blue hair and a goatee, wearing a purple t-shirt, stands in a spacious residential kitchen holding a 'Family Pack'-sized tub of 'Original Philadelphia'.
Nope, it turns out that it was originally invented in New York in the 19th century and named for Philadelphia because Philadelphia, PA was at that point famous for its dairy industry. Just another bit of parasitic branding leveraging a borrowed association, like the Quaker Oats guy or the Rolls Razor. Now I'm wondering how many other examples I can find!
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Off to London. BRB!
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Dan, sitting on a bus.
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Queer Coded 🌈
Paraphrased from a conversation in a Manchester pub last night -
Them: Your [dyed blue] hair is queer-coded, right? Like... you're telegraphing you're queer?
Me: I mean... I'm also wearing a pride rainbow t-shirt and my watch strap is a 'bi pride' flag. I don't feel like I'm being subtle.
Them: Nah. The hair's the giveaway. -
👋 Farewell, NLA
Highlights of yesterday's Goodbye Nightline Association party in Manchester: 👨💻🤝✍️🤞. Low points: 😢.
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Oxford Station. Catching a train to Manchester for a get-together in memory of the Nightline Association, which will sadly be closing this year (although individual Nightlines will doubtless soldier on just as they did before the Association).
Carrying a big ol' bag of Three Rings swag to give to basically anybody who expresses even the slightest interest. 😅
Three Rings has been supporting Nightlines since before the Nightline Association and nowadays underpins voluntary work by hundreds of other charities including helplines like Samaritans and Childline. Feeling sad that the Nightline Association is going away and looking for a new and rewarding way to volunteer? Come chat to me!
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Dan, with blue hair and wearing a black t-shirt, stands on a sunny train platform holding aloft a medium-sized tote bag.
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What's that, girl? Two children are lost somewhere in this bookshop?
Yeah, I should probably find them and take them home for lunch.
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Dan, in a bookshop, holds a book called How To Speak Dog, alongside a French Bulldog.
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Playing hide and seek in Kennilworth Castle. You'll never find me!
(geotagged for your convenience)
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Dan, looking shifty, against a red stone castle wall.
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Never underestimate the power of people who are motivated by the good they can do in the world.
Today I was in awe of this team of unpaid volunteers who, having already given up their bank holiday weekend, worked through dinner and into the night to ensure the continued uptime of a piece software that enables the listening service of emotional support and suicide helplines.
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In a conference room, Dan stands in front of a group of people working on laptops.
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My contribution to the long-standing British tradition of photographing dogs at polling stations. Don't forget to vote, folks!
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A French Bulldog stands alongside a polling station sign that's been attached to a bike rack.
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"Trans former judge plans to challenge gender ruling at European court": https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9qw2149yelo
Representation matters. That we have a trans former-judge, somebody both well-equipped and motivated to escalate this important challenge to the ECHR, is hugely fortunate.
We need more representation (of trans people specifically, but many other groups too, and perhaps particularly in the intersections) in positions of power, expertise, and authority. To defend the human rights of all of us.
Wishing you luck, Victoria McCloud.
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The Devil's Quoits (Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, UK) looks particularly striking in the bright sunlight of this Spring morning.
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A circle of standing stones in a henge, in a clearing flanked by trees, under wispy clouds in a bright blue sky.
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Y'all seemed to enjoy the "overworld" map I shared the other day, so here's another "feelie" from my kids' ongoing D&D campaign.
The party has just arranged for passage aboard a pioneering (and experimental) Elvish airship. Here's a deck plan (only needs a "you are here" dot!) to help them get their bearings.
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In the style of a passenger ferry, a floorplan for a dirigible, weighted down by polyhedral dice. Fantasy world quirks like bilingual text in Common and Elvish and the emergency exit sign depicting a fleeing witch complete the effect.