Notices by Dr. Zalka Csenge Virág (tarkabarkaholgy@ohai.social)

With all the joking about the ups and downs of toddlers, honestly the thing that absolutely terrifies the shit about of me about #parenting is...

... parent group chats.

So, by law in Hungary books with any #LGBTQ content have to be sold with the warning "Non-traditional content!"

On top of being sinister, his system is also:

1. Ironically useful, because Hungarian bookshops didn't have queer sections before, so the label actually makes queer content a lot easier to find

2. Low key surreal when the label is put on folktales, Greek mythology, or biographies like Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls...

3. Useless and dumb

#bookstodon #books #BookBanning #queer

#ToddlerDnD

The Healing Spell components you have:
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- aspirin
- herbal tea
- honey
- tissues
- throat losenge
- sheer force of will
- tearful prayers to the gods
- ginger shot

The Healing Spell components you would actually need:
- 7 days of uninterrupted long rest

🤷♀️

#parenting #DnD

Health advisory: "This flu strain is known to cause myocarditis. Check your pulse to see if it is unusually elevated."

Me: You mean, like a person with an anxiety disorder checking her pulse to see if she has a serious heart condition?...

HA: Also, do you feel unusually exhausted?

Me: You mean, like a sick mom whose toddler gets up at 5am and has been home sick for a week?

... I'm starting to suspect moms with anxiety are hard to diagnose.

#parenting #anxiety #health

I am taking a deep dive into the Philippine stories about Maria Cacao. A goddess / fairy / mythical figure who grows cocoa and transports it to America on a golden ship. Fascinating stuff 😄

#folklore #mythology #Philippines #research

There is an entomology article from 1987 titled

"An Apparent Lowering of Moral Standards in the Lepidoptera"

It's about same-sex activities among butteflies.

I think this one has a lot of potential mileage. Punk rock band names? Queer Regency romance novel titles? Fictional Victorian gang names?

#queer #entomology #butterflies #science #nature

I am doing the shameful process of sorting through my kitchen cabinets and getting rid of stuff that expired like 4 years ago... 😬

Edit: I need emotional support for this 😆

So, this year I inherited the Polymath Reading Challenge from its creator. 📚

It is a yearly 12-book nonfiction reading challenge. You read books of your choice for 12 categories, and post your reviews of them. I have had immense fun finding books for topics I otherwise wouldn't read.

Would people want to join in if I also ran it on Mastodon?

#PolymathReadingChallenge #Reading #books #bookstodon #ReadingChallenge #nonfiction

@temptoetiam It runs on Moly.hu, which is a Hungarian book site kinda like Goodreads

@temptoetiam does bookworm allow users to set up challenges too?

Happy New Year! Have a pup for good luck. 😊

#dog #DogsOfMastodon #HappyNewYear #image #OldEnglishSheepdog

Someone messaged me to tell me their kid carries my folktale books into the bathroom to re-read them, and I am absolutely taking this as a damn high compliment 😄

#books #bookstodon

My Christmas gift 🥰🥰🥰 Minoan octopus sweater! Second image for reference of the original.

#image #archaeology #minoan #octopus #animals #Crete #ChristmasSweater

Christmas with a toddler:

All rules are off
Days blend together
Hierarchies are reversed
We eat whatever we want whenever we want
We descend into hedonism
No sleep, just party
There are gifts

... wait. Saturnalia. Christmas with a toddler is just Saturnalia.

Edit: also, random nudity.

#Christmas #Saturnalia #parenting

Honestly, all the #AI crap is making me think long and hard about what content I put online, where, and why. I am phasing out Facebook. I don't feel like competing with kitsch and fraud that gathers thousands of likes and shares. It's a no win game that is bad for my mental health.

#venting

New favorite #FolktaleMoment form Iran:

A princess really wants a pet donkey but her father refuses. Her magical aunt finds a way to convince the father (with some clever spells) to allow the donkey anyway.

When princess kisses the donkey on the nose, it turns into a handsome prince. Turns out he had been cursed.

In return for saving him, the princess asks the prince to buy her a new donkey.

#folklore #folktales

Hungarian kids don't say "I need to pee", they say "there will be pee" and I think that's beautiful

#parenting

I am very grateful for friends who let me enthusiastically info dump about random topics without looking bored or impatient. Those friends are a treasure. Also, they save me from exploding.

@jacklaridian honestly I am generally against Disney live action remakes because they irritate me. With that said, judging from the cast list they are making some story changes, which could go well, or go horrible 🤷♀️

Things I have concluded while rewatching Lilo and Stitch with the kiddo:

- Cobra Bubbles is underrated and needs his own show

- David is hands down the best Disney himbo

- This movie nails traumatized child behavior

- Lilo's tourist photos are high art

- This movie hits hard when you're an adoptive parent

- I want a Moana crossover now

#Disney #cartoons #animation #movies #parenting