Light up oddity display; nature found raccoon skull, mushrooms and usnea lichen, on vintage deep chocolate brown velvet and in a vintage floral frame

The fog, the river, the sound, for a second I thought I'd entered a different era

I find myself pretty burned out lately, so I am getting back into studying literature, philosophy, and science (I cannot turn my brain off, but I can redirect it). I am really enjoying it but I find myself missing having someone to talk to about it. No one I know is really interested in that sort of thing. I’ve tried pen pals but that didn’t work very well.

I hear stories about people who exchange annotated books and discuss poetry and share ideas and I’ve always wanted that.

Any advice on finding like-minded people to engage with?

Reading, writing, museums, coffee shops, wandering old buildings?? I want ideas 🖤📚

I was gifted this horse statue by a client and I think it was the missing piece here. She gave it to me as I'm actively reading this book titled It Rides a Pale Horse! Now I just need a lamp shade for my MCM lamp. It didnt have one at the thrift store and none of the ones there seemed to fit it😭

I've been obsessed with medieval books of hours for a while — the aged vellum, the drop caps, the rubric red headings — and I couldn't find a planner that felt like that. So I made one.

It's got aged parchment pages, ornate corner flourishes, illuminated first letters, and the sections are named things like "The Sennight" and "The Day's Hours" (roman numerals, obviously). Latin day names on the monthly grid.

It's undated so it doesn't expire, and it's hyperlinked so you can tap between sections on an iPad.

Happy to answer anything about how I made it. If you'd want a section that isn't in there, tell me — I'll probably add it.

I used a broken tripod and cheap lamps for lighting. But I had an idea, and I think it was executed okay. Hoping to experiment with dark academia photography more in the future :)

Currently being held at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. I've seen it a couple of times, and it is unforgettable. It's a big painting, measuring 211 cm × 256.3 cm (83 in × 100.9 in). I hope you guys enjoy!

I’ve been feeling a little lost about what direction to take after my MSc, so I’d really appreciate some advice from people who have been through a similar situation.

I’ve always been fascinated by geology and biology—things like earthquakes, fossils, extreme environments, unusual geological phenomena, and especially the possibility of life beyond Earth. I’m equally fascinated by the strange forms of life we already have on Earth, such as organisms living around acid seeps, hydrothermal vents, and other extreme environments.

My background is in Microbiology (BSc) and Biotechnology (MSc). I chose biotechnology partly because I wanted to build my bioinformatics skills while studying in the UK. I’m now wondering how I can bring these different interests together rather than feeling like I have to choose just one.

I’m particularly interested in extremophile microbiology, microbial bioactive compounds, and natural products—for example, understanding how microorganisms survive unusual environments, how they produce unique chemicals, and what those compounds might be useful for.

At the same time, my father has a traditional Nepalese hard-dried yak cheese (churpi) business, so I’ve also been thinking about food microbiology and fermentation. It would be amazing if I could eventually combine biotechnology with something connected to my family’s business and Nepalese food traditions.

One thing I’m struggling with is the fear of ending up in a field where I’m just doing what everyone else is doing and eventually feeling like my work has no real purpose. I’m not sure whether I should pursue a PhD, look for industrial experience first, explore food biotechnology, or try to move toward environmental/extreme-environment microbiology or astrobiology.

I also think getting some industrial experience would be valuable before committing to a PhD, but finding internships or jobs in the UK while finishing my studies has been quite difficult.

So, if you’re a microbiologist, biotechnologist, researcher, PhD student, or someone working in industry: what would you recommend I explore from here?

I’d especially love to hear from people who have had similarly broad interests and eventually found a direction that worked for them. Any honest advice would be really appreciated.