Nonya's Nonsense Issue #2
Jiggle it baby!!
Hello beautiful souls!!!
Welcome to the 2nd issue of Nonya’s Nonsense and thank you from my heart for joining me on this journey 💙
Table of Contents
Basics
Today’s Thoughts and Insights
I am writing this on a Saturday (the day before I publish it) after having just finished another session of free mini tarot readings on my Facebook page. It has occurred to me on many occasions that there is almost always a theme that is unknown to me until I start reading.
There’s always at least one card that comes out multiple times throughout these sessions which makes sense because we are all dealing with collective energies as well.
Today there were two cards that kept making an appearance: Sexuality and Laughter.
Both are forms of release. Each puts its own spin on what the outcome feels like but both allow for pent-up or stagnant energy to be released, refreshing us and making room for anything from a new day to a new life!
If you want to release your aggression, get up and dance. That's what rock and roll is all about.
Chuck Berry
One thing that came to mind only after I finished the readings is that dance can be an incredible combination of sexuality and laughter. Whether you’re shaking that booty on the dancefloor or in front of the sink as you wash the dishes, I think that moving your body in a fun way is called for right now.
You could exercise or do some stretching but the idea is to have fun and be at least a little silly! Spin in circles, shake all your body parts in a ridiculous way, grind on your unsuspecting partner, or have a dance-off in your kitchen with the kids!
The video below is something that my coworkers and I used to do every morning before the rest of the office showed up. The first move is just spinning in a circle a few times, feel free to speed it up a little! The rest of the moves are relatively easy but don’t try to push yourself, do what feels good to you!
Today’s News & Updates
I want to hear from you!
I’m sure this newsletter will change and grow with us but I want to remind you that feedback is always welcome and I’ve set this up so you can comment via email by hitting the reply button or directly on Substack where you have been more ways to interact.
Weekend Tarot Forecast
I have decided to send a newsletter out on Thursdays, using tarot to forecast the weekend. This will be for paid subscribers only ($8 per month) and will include things I’ve written that feel a little too personal to share in the free spaces.
YouTube Channel
For those of you who don’t know, I’m currently trying to get my YouTube channel up and going where I plan to do “Pick-A-Card” tarot readings. Please bear with me, I know it’s taking forever! I’m prioritizing my energy as well as the things I’m already doing but it’s still high on my priority list!
What I’m Doing
I thought it might be fun to talk about what I’m creating, reading, watching, etc., and see if you might have done the same or would like to check them out for yourself :)
What I’m Listening To
I’m currently on a Doja Cat and Cardi B kick with all the other stuff in the genre :)
What I’m Watching
Game of Thrones…again 😂😂😂 I’m currently wrapping up season 6 (That’s on HBO/Max)
Jackpot (movie on Prime) - This has John Cena and Awkwafina and it’s hilarious! Basically there’s a new lottery where everybody has till sundown to try to kill the winner and take the prize for themselves
Begin Again (movie on Prime) - Keira Knightly and Mark Ruffalo are in this one. She actually sings in this movie and it’s beautiful!
Stuff I watch probably a little too frequently lol (Disney):
Moana & Hamilton - These have been on steady repeat for like a year now!
And I’m rewatching a lot of Marvel stuff, specifically Deadpool and X-Men, because I can’t wait for the new Deadpool to start streaming!
Bookish Things
I generally have a hardcopy, digital, and audiobook that I’m juggling at the same time and I’m taking forever to read anything these days so probably won’t be updating this often lol
***I’ve included Amazon affiliate links for various versions of each book and I make a small commission when you use these links.
Hardcopy
“The Sword of Shannara” Trilogy by Terry Brooks.
I read this when I was in my 20s and wanted to read it again from my current perspective. It’s a fantasy that is much like The Hobbit and LOTR books but with its own wonderful characters and storyline. There are a zillion books in this series :)
“The Sword of the Shannara follows Shea Ohmsford, a half-elfin who lives in a peaceful land. One day Allanon, a stranger tells Shea that he is the heir of Shannara and the only one who can defeat the Warlock Lord with a powerful sword. Along the way, Shea meets new friends as he goes on his journey to find the sword.”
Kindle Trilogy: https://amzn.to/4g0inQM
Hardcover Trilogy (This is the one I have): https://amzn.to/3XfSPrn
Paperback, first book only: https://amzn.to/47809bR
Digital
“Daughter of Fire” by Sofia Robleda
I’m only a couple of chapters in on this one but I’m loving it!
“For a young woman coming of age in sixteenth-century Guatemala, safeguarding her people’s legacy is a dangerous pursuit in a mystical, empowering, and richly imagined historical novel.
Catalina Cerrato is raised by her widowed father, Don Alonso, in 1551 Guatemala, scarcely thirty years since the Spanish invasion. A ruling member of the oppressive Spanish hierarchy, Don Alonso holds sway over the newly relegated lower class of Indigenous communities. Fiercely independent, Catalina struggles to honor her father and her late mother, a Maya noblewoman to whom Catalina made a vow that only she can preserve the lost sacred text of the Popol Vuh, the treasured and now forbidden history of the K’iche people…”
Kindle: https://amzn.to/4dHeQoY
Audible: https://amzn.to/4efvw6T
Paperback: https://amzn.to/3Aw4o4H
Audiobook
“The Talisman” by Stephen King and Peter Straub
I don’t even know how many times I’ve read this book and its sequel! Nobody makes you fall in love with their characters like King 💙
“Two of the world's bestselling authors have combined their unique talents in an unforgettable epic of fantasy, adventure, odyssey - and spine-tingling terror.
You are about to take a journey... a terrifying trip across America where young Jack Sawyer is searching for the Talisman, the only thing that can save his dying mother. His quest takes him into the menacing Territories where violence, surprise and the titanic struggle between good and evil reach across a mythic landscape... a journey into the dark heart of horror.”
Kindle: https://amzn.to/3Z1WrOX
Audible: https://amzn.to/3YZmlDc
Paperback: https://amzn.to/4dWjlvh
Hardcover: https://amzn.to/4cDbVvZ
In Case You Missed It
Below you will find today’s Message from the Universe and highlights from other things I’ve written this past week.
A Message from the Universe ~ Toxic Masculinity and Loud Love
Published on August 25, 2024 on halfcrackedguru.com
Today’s Message from the Universe invites you to take a real look at your thoughts and beliefs surrounding masculinity.
The first card, “Honor the Masculine” has come out a lot this year. It’s not surprising as there seems to be quite a bit more contention surrounding this subject among the collective recently.
The second and third cards are focused on the throat chakra, our breath, our voice, our song. Some of us have been speaking our truth but many of us need to speak up more, making sure to select our words carefully and cultivate a healthy state of mind.
Some may click off and hit the comment section when they read my next words but they need to be said.
Yes, all men.
All men, all women, and all the beautiful hearts on all points of the gender spectrum. We are all affected by the toxicity and imbalance that has resulted from centuries of men being the ones making all the rules.
The term “toxic masculinity” does not mean that all men are toxic. It simply means that our societal beliefs and expectations surrounding masculinity are toxic.
Men are expected to be emotionless and strong. They are often raised to ignore their emotions to their own detriment and tend toward violence, not understanding that true strength is not about brute force.
Women are somehow expected to be and do all the important things but are still somehow seen as less than. Ignored in the workplace and a target in public, we are expected to bear injustice with grace and silence, else we are seen as too emotional. Strange in the face of men for whom it is perfectly acceptable to throw temper tantrums when met with the slightest difficulty or resistance.
God help you if you don’t fit into the little gender boxes we’ve created.
Now, these messages aren’t about complaining or stirring shit up, they’re about being better today than we were yesterday. This is a hot subject because our society is changing. Never before have we had such open access to our fellow humans around the world!
There are plenty of people who don’t want things to change but they’re just louder and more abrasive. Many of those people are speaking and acting from a place of fear or misunderstanding. There are so many more of us who want to see balance and peace become the norm rather than the outlier. It’s up to us to raise our hearts and voices, our harmony, to be louder than the cacophonous noise of fear and hate.
You don’t have to run for office or be a public figure in order to be a part of this change. It all starts with our small selves putting that good shit into our everyday thoughts and interactions. Don’t allow the fear and anger of others to dampen your vibe. Love loudly! Make them question their thoughts and beliefs by showing them what a healthy heart and mind look like.
Smile at others as often as possible, tap into that compassion, and fill your life with acts of random kindness! Every smile and good deed passes love and hope to another person who will then be able to pass it on to another. Not only that, these thoughts and actions make you feel better, how cool is that?
It may seem like I got away from the subject of toxic masculinity a little but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It is love, peace, and compassion that will create the healthy changes, views, and relationships we’re seeking. You cannot belittle a person for their gender, color, class, etc. when you embody these values.
Though it is often necessary to show our anger to initiate these changes on a larger scale, it is our compassion and understanding that makes others think differently about the narrative they’ve entertained their entire lives.
This is how we turn haters into partners.
Today’s Crystals
Today’s Deck
Check Out This Deck
Today’s Music
5.5 Months on Medium: 100 Posts & 700 Followers
Originally published on Medium on Aug 19, 2024
Yesterday I finally logged my metrics from Friday’s email and realized I hit 100 posts since becoming a Friend of Medium and today I hit my 700 follower mark! Not gonna lie, I’m still in the honeymoon phase with this platform, it’s been an amazing experience!
Earnings
My earnings here have been on a slow but steady climb, increasing by roughly $10 per month but it seems like they’ve begun to pick up a bit.
July ended with me earning about $0.17 per read while I’m standing at about $0.23 so far this month. I was hoping to hit triple digits this month and it looks like if I don’t hit that mark, I will be quite close. I’m at just over $50.00 today.
Writing and Reading Habits
Posting Schedule
I was trying to post 3–4 times per week but it took me a while to nail down a regular posting schedule. I now have set days in the week on which I write and post. I still haven’t been able to get ahead of myself but am not overly concerned with it.
Repurposing Content
I now have a newsletter that I use, among other things, to repurpose some of my articles from here and it’s off to a great start! The publication is called “Nonya’s Nonsense” and I’m using Substack. I’ll add the link below :)
Publications
I have a few pubs that I use for specific content but I will soon be exploring a little more as I would like to have at least one larger pub that I utilize regularly. I would like to visit my current pubs a little more often to make sure I’m reading a good amount from them.
Reading Habits
On minimal days, I read a story from each person who comments on my stories with an additional story here and there throughout the day. On the days when I have a bit more time to read, I aim to read at least 10 stories but often get up around 20.
I try to read every story from writers I’ve subscribed to then aim for a good mix of new people vs. people I’m following.
While I have been reading and responding to notifications first thing in the morning, I have been trying to wait until I’ve finished writing and other workish things. Reading is more of a leisurely thing for me so I like to get all my other stuff done before I start in on notifications and reading.
Subject Matter
I’ve started to become a little more routine with what I write about which is helpful but somewhat limiting. I’m experimenting a little less but still have some things, like drabbles and miscelaneous prompts, that I keep “meaning” to get to.
I’m also now writing a series that showcases weird oceanic creatures and will be expanding this to other animals and natural phenomenon. This is one of my favorite things to do now, it’s so interesting!
Wrapping Up
I don’t foresee myself making many more real goals pertaining to Medium as I’ve found a good flow. I will be making small tweaks as they are needed and continue to monitor my growth just because I like to see those rising numbers. They’re both motivating as well as satisfying, giving me that feeling of accomplishment that keeps us all coming back!
Going Nuclear, When Do I Get My Superpowers?
Originally published on Medium on Aug 21, 2024
I was dreading the appointment scheduled for the following day. I laid out my clothes and packed a bag, making sure everything was in order before I went to bed that night.
I knew I would be there for some time so I made sure to pack the book I was currently enjoying. It was a hardcover copy of a trilogy, a little too heavy in retrospect.
If you’re not yet a Medium member, you can read the full story here :)
My driver was late and I was up far too early for my liking. There was Christian music playing on the radio with numerous breaks to talk about how Jesus was the only way to redemption for all of us born sinners, his blood would purify us.
There were several near-misses on the way but he delivered me safely to my destination.
I walked into the building, checked in, and soon met with a young woman who would be my escort through the gloomy halls of the facility. She had icy blue eyes and strawberry-blond curls that cascaded from the top of her head to be pulled loosely into a large barrette in the back.
The curls that escaped captivity were the perfect frame for her awkward smile. She attempted a bit of conversation but it was quite strained on both sides of our interaction.
Finally, we arrived at the room where they would recap my history and make sure I was fit to undergo this procedure. An older woman inserted a tube into my arm that would serve as a well for the multiple injections I would be receiving, and I soon understood that I would have to carry around that heavy bag I packed for the entire day as I was shuffled from room to room.
It wasn’t long before my curly-haired escort returned to bring me to another room.
There were many areas that were “under construction” as we traversed through the dimly lit halls and more than a few signs that warned of radiation. In one area, there were two long tubes, about three inches in diameter, dropping from the ceiling into blue five-gallon water bottles, one bottle for each tube.
I finally found myself in the next room, a tiny little afterthought that couldn’t have measured more than seven square feet. I sat in a chair made specifically for this procedure and bit my tongue as another woman gave me my first injection.
The syringe she used was encased in a metal tube with the yellow and black symbol that warned of radiation, and it looked like it had been in use since the 50s.
I sat in a chair in the hallway until I was called into another room. This was it. If I didn’t run now, there would be no turning back.
I gulped down the anxiety and allowed myself to be helped onto a metal bed that was placed in front of a giant metal cylinder. The nurse positioned my arms above my head and strapped them down.
Totally not something to be concerned about, right?
The nurse then left the room as the giant machine powered up. The bed beneath me began to move toward the giant cylinder and part of it moved over me with a slowness that only increased my discomfort.
It lasted for about nine minutes but felt more like hours. The machine stopped, and the nurse returned. It was obvious that something went wrong. I would have to wait and try again.
The second time was a charm. My bed was pulled completely into the giant cylinder this time as the mechanism inside the machine whirred and clanked. I felt nothing but my own anxiety and the chill of the enormous room. I would then be shuffled back to the first room where they took my vitals again and tethered me to another machine.
We now had to wait for a team of people to assemble. I could hear their conversations about job postings and coworkers in the hall outside my room, it was just another day for them.
This was it.
I was injected with a drug that seemed to make every cell in my body expand and hum. My stomach lurched like I just hit a giant dip on a rollercoaster and I felt like my heart would beat right out of my chest.
My brain was in shock, forbidding any thought that might help me feel less out of control and I felt like I was dangerously close to vomiting. Then everything I was feeling stopped just as suddenly as it had begun.
I was then given coffee in a styrofoam cup and a single serving of peanut butter with a plastic spoon. The remaining staff members made small talk with me as I drank my coffee; I had to finish before being ushered to the next phase.
I asked one of them when I could expect to see my powers emerge and he said it was different for everybody. My curly-haired escort mentioned something about staying away from kryptonite, obviously new and unfamiliar with the difference between an alien and a mutant.
I made it to the end of my coffee and was escorted back to the tiny room for another injection. I was fed to the giant cylinder once again and was told that’s all they would need from me today. Drained and nervous about what was to come, I was finally allowed to leave.
This was a true story about my experience with a chemical stress test, used to determine how healthy my heart is. Everything is true, although I played up my feelings a bit to try to mislead you into thinking something crazy, I hope I succeeded!
Here’s what the metal container for the syringe looked like, except it was well-worn with use:
One point that I left out was super interesting! The person who was monitoring my EKG told me that one of his patients was pulled over by a cop after having a stress test. The cop had a sensor in his car that picked up the radiation emanating from the patient as he passed him on the highway!
I’m pretty sure I won’t receive any interesting superpowers but, of course, I did ask about them :)
Aliens in Our Oceans ep4, 5 Weird Ocean Dwellers
Originally published on Medium on Aug 23, 2024
Happy Friday! It’s time for another (episode?) full of weird and interesting ocean dwellers! Below are 5 amazing creatures that I know will fascinate you as much as they did me!
For maximum awesomeness, make sure to check out the source links for video footage. I added YouTube videos for sources that don’t contain video footage.
If you’re not yet a Medium member, you can read the full story here :)
Let’s get to it!
1. Flapjack Octopus
How cute is this guy?!? So cute that scientists originally wanted to name it “adorabilis!” Octonation.com says it looks like a Pokemon and I heartily agree, though for some reason I am also reminded of the ghosts in Pac-Man.
The flapjack octopus is about 7–8 cm in size and is named for the way it flattens itself to the sea floor to appear like less of a threat to prey. A female can store the male’s sperm until she’s ready to lay eggs and can carry from 200–500 eggs in different stages of development.
These adorable octopi have a sort of internal shell. It is “U” shaped and helps to support the fin flaps on either side of its mantle that look suspiciously like floppy ears.
2. Christmas Tree Worms
Christmas tree worms come in many different colors and can be found in tropical waters throughout the globe. They have a tubular, segmented body, and their spirals are used for both feeding and respiration. Food particles are sorted by these feathery appendages and grains of sand are stored for building their tubes.
These creatures burrow into coral to create their tubes and are quite shy, retreating into their burrows at the slightest shadow. They re-emerge a little later, slowly to make sure it’s safe.
3. Pink See-Through Fantasia
This incredible being is a type of sea cucumber. It gets its name from its transparent pink skin through which its mouth, anus, and intestine can be seen. This creature was discovered in 2007 so there is still much that we don’t know about them.
The pink see-through fantasia is bioluminescent and uses its light to scare away predators. They have also been observed projecting their light around their predators to make them more visible to their own predators.
4. Whitemargin Stargazer
No, it’s not dead, the poor thing was born looking like vultures have had a go at him! Its eyes and mouth are on the top of its head, allowing it to bury itself in the sand while it waits for prey.
It has a tongue-like appendage that it wiggles around to use for bait and it creates a vacuum to suck in the little unsuspecting creatures that are to be its next meal.
They are also venomous AND can deliver a shocking 50-volts just like electric eels!
5. Blanket Octopus
The blanket octopus is named for its females’ flowing, iridescent “cape” which makes her seem larger and more intimidating to predators. She can also release pieces of this cape to distract them. Females can grow to be 2 meters (6.6 feet) while the males only grow to about the size of a walnut!
So how do males and juvenile females protect themselves? They steal the highly venomous stinging tentacles from Portuguese Man O’ War and attach them to their own suckers to defend themselves with! They also use these stingers to knock out their prey.
According to OctoNation,
“Males can afford to be tiny since their main lot in life is to produce sperm (which is also tiny) and find a lady Blanket Octopus to give it to. Females, on the other hand, need to be bigger because it takes a lot more energy to make eggs and carry them around until they hatch.”
Males have a “mating arm” loaded with sperm that they will detach and give to the female. That arm will crawl deep inside the mantle where it will likely be joining the severed arms of other males. Of course, with their main goal in life accomplished, the male dies once it has gallantly handed over its sperm-filled appendage!
Wrapping Up
I can’t possibly convey to you how much I am enjoying learning about such interesting and otherworldly creatures! Which one did you like best? Was there anything that shocked you?
Sources
Flapjack Octopus, OctoNation
Christmas Tree Worms, MarineBio.org
Pink See-Through Fantasia, TheSea.Org, YouTube video of a purple one :)
Whitemargin Stargazer, AustralianGeographic.com, YouTube video
Blanket Octopus, OctoNation
Thank You!
So ends the second issue of Nonya’s Nonsense! Thank you so much for spending some time with me and have a fabulous week!
***Paying Subscribers: Don’t forget to keep an eye out for Thursday’s newsletter with the Tarot Forecast for the weekend :)
I watch & listen to maybe too much Hamilton too! Singing it too loud is my happy place, a great release. Glad I'm not alone lol Love your selection of sea creatures.