Ash Aarrestad

A person sitting at their computer desk drinking a comically oversized ice coffee through a straw

We made it across the Wednesday threshold, so naturally, this is how I celebrate the arrival of Thursday as we push through the end of the week.

Large symmetrical supernova remnant cloud with the sister star still in the center.

SN 1993J
Image, Hubble, NASA/STscS
Galaxy M81
Constellation Ursa Major
Discovered 1993 my amateur astronomer Francisco Garcia Diaz using a 10" Newtonian Telescope
Distance 11 million light years
SN 1993J was a binary system until one of the stars drew enough mass off the other it exploded.

Pardon our frequent posts this evening but this is big

Following Giants | No Touch Ethical Elephant Sanctuary Krabi Supported by World Animal Protection, our observation only sanctuaries in Koh Lanta & Ao Nang, Krabi, offer the best elephant welfare in Southern Thailand. At Following Giants we believe in the conser...

(5/5) They are not domestic animals. The best and most ethical way to love and appreciate these beautiful creatures is to admire them from a distance, allowing them to exist in peace without our selfish interference.

www.followinggiants.net

(4/5) Human (tourist) touch is forcing them to relive trauma as they perform from a place of fear. They submit to those acts because they endured human abuse in training. They can feed themselves. They can bathe themselves. They deserve our respect.

(3/4) Elephant Tourism in Asia has increased substantially in recent years with viral shares on social media. In sanctuary, they should be free to roam and exist as a wild animal, not live for human consumption and entertainment.

(2/3) The Crush is abuse they endured before rescue to make them submit and tolerate the acts that exploit them for human gain: Riding, Logging, posing with people for photos, incessant human touch, and more. True sanctuaries don’t allow human interaction outside of the elephant’s Mahout.

An adult Asian elephant and her Mahout, or handler, walking together in the distance on a red dirt path at sunset at Following Giants, an ethical elephant sanctuary in Krabi, Thailand.

I took this photo almost a week ago in Thailand at a true ethical Elephant Sanctuary: Following Giants. There’s no filter, it was truly this beautiful.

Elephants are not props for exploitation: riding. entertainment. logging. IG posts. The viral videos of human interaction involves The Crush (1/2)

i will DIE ON THIS HILL
#handembroidery #audiobooks

When you dream about hunting for the perfect chocolate chip cookie at the Farmer’s Market, of course you’d wake up craving that cookie…all morning.

It’s the only reason I put on pants yesterday and it was f*cking DELICIOUS. (Fresh baked from DeLaurenti’s btw)

#littlejoys
#treatyourself

It’s an odd feeling, wanting to be back home in Seattle (but not go back to the horrors of the US) after a grueling 2 days of travel & another one to go before I’m home. The last 2 weeks of shit politics?! I’d almost rather sleep on this bench at Tokyo customs & re-enter the country day after day.

Homepage - FireAid Join us for an evening of music and solidarity. The FireAid benefit concert will be held at Intuit Dome on January 30th dedicated to rebuilding communities that have been devastated by wildfires.

The concert is now streaming! (Just watched Joni Mitchell 💗) #FireAid live benefits all those impacted by the #LAfires.
Watch and donate here: fireaidla.org
Stream concert: www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/...

Alt text - Why It's Important - Debbie Ridpath Ohi - Obsidian Publish This page helps explain why it's important to use alt text when posting images on Bluesky, best practices, and tips. Cover-WhyUseAltText-v2-flat-800.jpg INDEX Here are just some of the ways alt-text …

Found this guide to alt-text on bluesky this morning from @debbieohi.com and it looks like it has some great info and links to lots of other great info for those who have been asking me questions about alt-text! Once you get in the habit, it can be really fun to alt-text! Alt-text forever!

Seattle Vote on “Social Housing” Could Break the Stranglehold of Private Landlords Real estate and business interests are spending big against a February referendum to fund housing as a public good.

SEATTLE! There is a really cool initiative in your mailboxes right now, if you crave exercising your right to vote!

inthesetimes.com/article/soci...

How could you not 🥺🥺

If I say: Here is the Earth…

How you respond is going to dictate the next step in our friendship.

Now would be a good time to read A Thread of Grace, for example.

An unforgettable morning in Patagonia's Torres del Paine National Park. Gale force winds transform the calm turquoise waters of Lago Pehoe into a raging sea, blowing away crashing waves and literally lifting the water off the surface!

Patagonia truly is wilderness untamed! Furious winds transform the turquoise waters of lago Pehoe into a raging sea, blowing crashing waves side ways & literally lifting the water off the surface!

#bluesky #photography #landscape #travel #nature #landscapephotography #naturephotography #sunrise

Woamn with sunaglasses on has purple hair and is smirking.

What day is it? What year is it? What country am I in? I feel like I've been in the Twilight Zone all week.

Weaning off anything M*ta/TikT*k and getting acquainted with BlueSky-ers.

Hi- I'm Aimee. I live in Milwaukee, WI and do #voiceover for a living.

I'm an LGBTQ & Disabled-Owned Business. ☮️

Something about a place with salty air and crystal waters 😍

Krabi, Thailand 🌴

A photo of distant sailboats and a bright red-orange sunset over the ocean on Krabi island in Thailand.

By design, I’ve been in a peaceful place for the last several days. This is last evening’s sunset and it captures the internal vibe I’m looking to maintain.

Krabi, Thailand.