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If you have been depending on an online system to check your pay records, and you will lose access to them after your last day, download those records and save them to your personal file storage. You may need to refer to them in the future to deal with tax records or for some other reason.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 10:23 AM on May 12, 2024

I have taken a Wilderness First Aid class with NOLS and learned some criteria for how to handle serious head injuries and related stuff.

The guidelines said, regarding brain-related injuries:


Rapidly evacuate if the patient has:
....
Persistent vomiting, lethargy, excessive sleepiness, seizures, worsening headache, [or] vision disturbances

"Rapidly evacuate" means "call… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 5:06 PM on May 7, 2024

Jon Bois (previously on MeFi) makes a lot of narrative videos that use visuals of charts and maps to increase the sheer amount of information he can give the reader. 17776 and its sequel 20020 are multimedia science fiction pieces that use animated maps and charts, fictional sports trading cards, interviews, chat transcripts, and more to aid exposition.

The opening of the 2007 action movie The Kingdom uses… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 1:01 PM on May 6, 2024

Excellent question.

"Seaview on Mars" by Katie Rathfelder, a short story available in the anthology Consolation Songs.

The short story "Sunlight" by Shauna Gordon-McKeon. (Direct link to story hosted on Medium.) I believe the author thinks this would be a better world - caution that at least one reader (per MeFi comments) thought it dystopic!

The short story "I'm with Muni --… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 1:34 AM on April 29, 2024

I am middle-aged and I appreciate Swift's music although I have not heard all of it. The music video for "Blank Space" is very pretty.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 6:07 AM on April 26, 2024

Boston science museum, too.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 5:56 AM on April 26, 2024

There is a version of Oingo Boingo's "Only a Lad" that does this although I am not sure whether it is a version the band released or a sort of remix made by this fanvidder.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 5:15 AM on April 25, 2024

As I understand it, you're seeking soothing (personal/local stakes, low suspense) fictional movies or TV series starring protagonists who consistently demonstrate amazing competence.

I second the recommendation that you look into anime TV series where people make stuff or travel. And more generally, film/TV from outside the US, and/or film that was not intended to make big bucks via US theatrical distribution, is more likely to be willing to be low-key the way you want.… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 11:48 AM on April 22, 2024

You are not alone - it's a fundamental human thing to sort of subconsciously believe one is invincible. There is this moment in the Mahabharata called the yaksha-prashna -- a riddle contest with a disguised god. The punchline is: the final riddle is:

What is the most amazing thing in the universe?

Answer:

Every day, we all see people around us fall ill,… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 1:48 AM on April 14, 2024

20 Questions has very few rules and is reasonably child-friendly.

Also, please consider whether the person who "doesn't like complicated games" enjoys games at all, and consider having a Plan B shared leisure activity in case they don't want to play any game.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 4:11 AM on April 7, 2024

eschatfische recommended Robot & Frank and I agree. Of the other films suggested in this thread that I have watched (which is not all of them), none actually fit the specifications laid out.

I don't know the anime world well but maybe there is some recent anime that would suit.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 2:19 AM on April 5, 2024

Question for clarification: do you only want fiction, or are you open to nonfiction as well?
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 5:09 AM on April 3, 2024

azalea_chant, I asked about nonfiction because you hadn't actually specified in your question that you only wanted fiction, and there are a lot of well-written gripping nonfiction narratives out there. Glad you clarified!

I recommend:

Pat Barker's Regeneration: A main character, an anthropologist and psychologist, is counseling British veterans of trench warfare during World War I. So deeply observant about human… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 7:44 AM on April 4, 2024

I was stunned by what my husband told me, and--what bothers me the most--suddenly extremely angry. I'm not an angry person. I tend to turn things inward rather than act out.

You were surprised at noticing your own anger. Anger is often a response to perceived unfairness. Maybe it would be helpful to you to think about what some part of you is perceiving as unfair here (to you, and/or to John, and/or to your spouse, and/or maybe to others!)....… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 5:06 AM on March 29, 2024

I highly recommend the late, great Schickele Mix and thank kristi for linking to my spouse's archive project! :D

Hrishikesh Hirway started the podcast Song Exploder several years ago and it's been an excellent for my music appreciation. "A podcast where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made." You can pick and choose, starting with past episodes focusing on musicians whose work you already… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 10:19 AM on March 28, 2024

I also use Whisper and I wrote up how and why, especially regarding privacy and other ethics concerns.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 11:19 AM on March 25, 2024

In case you are finding that you're also lacking desires in general, you might also find some useful suggestions in this question from last year.

My tip for you would be: Is there is something you think could be pleasurable to try, but when you think of it the judgy part of your brain shuts it down because "oh but that is silly/wasteful/self-indulgent/trashy/needy/demanding"?

If so, then try accepting that feeling,… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 11:16 AM on March 25, 2024

If you can find a folktales collection from Amar Chitra Katha, it may be worth a try.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 6:20 PM on March 24, 2024

supermedusa, you may have read the story because kristi posted it to the front page last year.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 6:17 PM on March 24, 2024

Pride - underdogs and solidarity.

The 1947 The Bishop's Wife - support for someone who is underappreciated.

Eat Drink Man Woman - family coming to understand each other.

Newton - democracy is the underdog.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 5:44 AM on March 24, 2024

Am MeMailing you, as a woman and hiker and New York City resident who has done a long-distance hike and enjoys the prospect of more! And who attempts to avoid COVID!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 4:20 PM on March 20, 2024

Sympathies. This sounds tough.

Navigating "friendship's frequency" is hard. The comments on that post have some interesting reflections and ideas and recommendations, including setting up a regularly scheduled call (and initiating it).
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 12:58 AM on March 18, 2024

People who like Becky Chambers and Murderbot often also like, in my experience:

Courtney Milan's and K.J. Charles's romance novels
Ursula Vernon's (also writes as T. Kingfisher) short stories and novels
Naomi Novik's Temeraire historical fantasy novels
Terry Pratchett's Discworld fantasy novels
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 4:31 AM on February 20, 2024

Rosemary Kirstein's "Steerswoman" novels are engaging and -- like the Murderbot Diaries -- feature a curious main character who's really good at analytic thinking, and who found a cadre of like-minded people and solves mysteries with them. Friendship, adventure, science, kind people finding stuff out, wonder, humor, dramatic irony, close observation that feeds into the protagonist's mystery-solving, skill-sharing, road trips, conversations about problem-solving and "what the heck… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 9:06 AM on February 20, 2024

I think that, like me, you may enjoy fiction centering on personal stakes, especially around labor and healing. Here are three short stories by authors who have also written a lot of other work, so if you like these stories, you can seek out more.

Will this craftsman find the materials he needs to make his masterpiece violin? (Rebecca Campbell's "An Important Failure"; MetaFilter discussion.)

Will this aunt… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 9:17 AM on February 20, 2024

One person in a situation like yours was able to start reading again with Cory Doctorow's Red Team Blues.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 7:22 AM on March 8, 2024

You might also like the recommendations from this thread. But it is from 2022, so, not super recent.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 5:20 AM on March 7, 2024

Listen to a chunk of stand-up comedy and consider how it could have been done better.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 11:33 AM on March 5, 2024

I want to mention two approaches that worked for me to similarly improve some conversational habits.

One was mindfulness meditation, which generally helped with impulsivity. It helped me feel like time slowed down between stimulus and response in the midst of conversation, and helped me choose a different response instead of my first reflexive reply.

Another was to spend time (several weeks) at a retreat among people who had all agreed to follow… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 11:01 AM on March 4, 2024 marked best answer

Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team

Flickr Foundation

Whose Knowledge?

Growstuff

Allied Media Projects

Action Network

Even more loosely similar: MLTSHP (not a nonprofit, as I gather) and the now-defunct Stumptown Syndicate (used to be at stumptownsyndicate.org).
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 2:49 AM on March 2, 2024

Society for the Furtherance and Study of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Incorporated and other scifi/fantasy orgs such as Arisia

Hesperian

I was thinking about how one aspect of MetaFilter that is a special challenge/opportunity is that some of the discussion on the site is explicit about sex, and so some potential organizations to research include:

SGR — The Sex, Gender, and Relationships Hotline

Un|hushed, home of Scarleteen

OPEN

The Eulenspiegel Society

posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 3:19 AM on March 2, 2024

In open source software foundations, check out the Python Software Foundation and the Django Software Foundation.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 3:27 AM on March 2, 2024

We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese, I would not give this response to some people, but I know a little about you from your past MeFi participation, and I think you might be on the wavelength to not think I'm a terrible person for offering it.

Many people throughout human history have been, or felt, stuck in miserable situations, for long periods of our lives. The question "how do I cope with this suffering when there is no end in sight?" is one of the most… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 8:50 AM on February 29, 2024

I participated in an event series where our meetings had not one leader but four leaders, each of whom did one specific thing.

Facilitator (meeting content)
Gatekeeper (who is speaking too much or too little?)
Timekeeper
Notetaker

Here is a list of responsibilities for each.


Consider delegating one, two, or three of these responsibilities to someone else so you can… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 1:31 PM on February 14, 2024 marked best answer

I sympathize A LOT and will be interested in answers!

I asked a question last month where someone mentioned The Smith in the East Village, 55 Third Avenue (between 10th & 11th Street). I called them in January and verified that they do have actual outdoor seating, with heaters, under a roof but open to air circulation. And they are open during lunchtime.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 8:47 AM on February 8, 2024 marked best answer

Thanks all!

From this Fediverse thread I've also gotten recommendations for Industry City in Brooklyn, Belo in Sunnyside in Queens, and PJ Horgan's also in Sunnyside.

And a friend attests to Brooklyn Noosh, 988 Atlantic, Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, as having a firepit available in the backyard.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 8:16 AM on January 9, 2024

Another few I can attest to: The Skillman in Sunnyside, Gowanus Gardens in Park Slope, and Bohemian Hall (Astoria Beer Garden) in Queens. All have electric heat lamps above actual outdoor seating that is suitable for groups.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 2:12 AM on January 13, 2024

related question
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 8:45 AM on February 8, 2024

You asked about "what I would look to do" and mentioned that you are "not great at meeting new people". You absolutely do not have to set any goals about meeting and making friends with people at a convention if you don't want to. You can set your own goals, like "get little tastes and glimpses of a wide variety of scifi/fantasy/horror fiction and media that I wouldn't otherwise try on my own" or "enjoy intellectual stimulation at panels and readings featuring… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 10:43 AM on February 6, 2024

This sounds incredibly rough.

Big congrats to you for being ambitious, early in your life and career, in spite of your parents' less supportive attitudes.

Do any of your siblings or spouse ever stand up for you or argue back when your parents express their destructive attitudes or display their sexist double standards? If not, that is something that (in my opinion) you are entitled to be resentful about, even if you are taking the high road of… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 2:59 AM on January 29, 2024

I saw from a previous question in your history that your parents and my parents come from similar cultures. So - and please tell me if this is unhelpful - maybe it would help you to know how my parents thought about supporting their daughters' careers, and have that model working in your head to counter the "your career is worthless and bad" model your parents have installed.

My father and mother told us (nearly quoting): "We have two responsibilities in… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 4:00 AM on January 29, 2024

I've been thinking of you and wishing you well.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 11:25 AM on February 5, 2024

You are really into food. The way you are into it is different from how some other fans are into it, but you love novelty in your food experiences. You are low-key into a lot of other things.

It is easier than it used to be to learn a lot about an area of interest and find related stuff to dive into. Generally such activity doesn't feel like homework in the sense of forced studying in order to learn a subject per someone else's set curriculum. It feels to them the way… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 4:41 AM on February 2, 2024

I'm on the board of the Otherwise Award. Thanks for asking.

We had a number of delays come up in our efforts over the last few years since the pandemic started. I'm right now leading an effort to get fresh plans in place for the future of the award, including figuring out what to do about the award years for which juries have not yet deliberated. When we have news we'll announce it on our blog for sure, and that will likely be within February or March 2024.… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 10:59 AM on February 1, 2024 marked best answer

Some things to think about, some of which others have already discussed:

low-cut necklines, or a polo shirt or button-up shirt where you unbutton several buttons for cleavage and chest access

fabrics that feel slinky and fun on the skin

skirt with a slit that invites your partner to explore

threadbare clothes with holes that you encourage your partner to slip fingers through, further tear in… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 5:13 AM on January 30, 2024 marked best answer

Mesh is a great idea!

Another way to think about this is: look at what butch fashion looks like, and consider versions of those garments you would enjoy feeling as they move on your and your partner's skin.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 7:03 AM on January 30, 2024 marked best answer

Based on this plus your previous question about expressing your needs and having them met at your workplace, I suggest you might have an interesting situation here where you have grown over time and the relationship with your workplace has been a place where you have exercised a lot of agency during your tenure there.... yet, because you are in the midst of that growth, it is hard for you to see all of it.

You will be exercising agency whether you decide to leave or you… [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 2:05 PM on January 24, 2024

You used the word "casual" - what parameters might you have? Length? Difficulty?

I liked the Coast-to-Coast walk across England, and you can do just a bit of it, such as the Lake District, and stay in B&Bs and use a luggage service.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 9:04 AM on January 17, 2024

For Saturday night, consider setting up a low-key IRL MeFi event to meet locals! This list of possible cafes and bars might help.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 4:52 AM on January 7, 2024

On what the different forms of assisted living are

("One of the potentially confusing things is that a given institution or organization have more than one of these facilities, sometimes even under the same roof...").

and on questions to ask when scoping them out.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by brainwane at 3:33 AM on January 6, 2024