a nightmarish scenario came to reality for me yesterday!

so - a month ago, my brother got me an interview for a place that I was really looking forward to starting with. as soon as I got the call for the interview, I mentally noted the date - "28th! let's do this! I'll be so prepared!" I spent some time getting some basic notes ready, then went off to easter break to see family before refining my notes and preparation in earnest.

except, it wasn't on the 28th. it was on the 22nd. which I didn't find out until the morning of, 15 minutes before it was happening, thanks to my brother messaging me wishing me luck. I called them to apologise and begged them to schedule me in later - they gave me 30 more minutes. I cried the whole way getting there, then bombed the interview. I got my rejection pretty swiftly, and I'm so devastated.

how the hell does this happen?? this isn't even the first time I've conjured fantastical dates for appointments and events! I even had my confirmation email to reference, which I just immediately decided was still set for the date that I believed it was. I've always felt upset at how disorganised and absent-minded I am, and it's hard to not see this as a massive character failing. how can I hope to bounce back from something like this? things like this really make me feel like incapable of operating like a normal human being.

hey cat community! I have some vocal-cat behavioural problems I was wondering if you all could crack.

my cat boy biggins has always been pretty vocal and chatty, but it's gotten pretty unbearable lately. I've started walking him on a harness at the local primary school (it's open to the public out of school hours). he's amazing to walk - super cooperative and sweet with the harness. but when we're home, he's been non-stop throwing howling tantrums when he can't go.

how do you handle this kind of behaviour? I'm ordering some earplugs and ignoring him in the meantime, but any advice would be great!

alt text: a 4-panel comic strip by hausofdecline, in a simple, ignorant art style. panel 1: three individuals in suited corporate attire are assembled for a meeting, two seated together, one opposite. the left of the two: "You may be renowned for your negotiation skills, but we will not go any higher than 12%." panel 2: pulling in closer to the third interlocutor, he, with a smirk, goes to pull something out from his briefcase. panel 3: he has pulled a gun, holding it to his head, wearing a smug expression. panel 4: pulled back out to the three businessmen again. the one on the left states, looking irate and exasperated, "Fine, fine. We'll go to 15%." to his right, his fellow associate looks to him says, "See? That's why he's the best." the negotiator across from them remains unwavering, his gun still trained to his head.

alt text: a tweet by Zack Budryk (@BudrykZack) at 2:28 PM, 11/18/20. "The single most important thing a man can do to be an ally is give his woman friends permission to give dudes at the bar his number so when they call he can angrily say that's not funny because she died 15 years ago that very night"

alt text: text post by amygdalae, 23rd march, 2023: "Enjoy a drink on one of my special coasters. Yea I custom made them (the coasters) to be so light the drinks condensation makes em stick to the bottom of your glass, but still heavy enough that when it (the coaster) finally clatters to the ground it's loud as fuck and shatters your nerves and makes you spill your drink everywhere. Why am I doing this? Well, it's a sex thing for me"

alt text: a digital painting of two shiba-inus riding down a motorway together, in style of a shot from the film Fallen Angels (1995). an orange shibe rides in front with a cigarette while a black shibe holds on tightly, eyes closed. the motorway tunnel is bathed in green and stretches out to a vanishing point behind them. the artist's signature: Raposilda.