L-M
@ramblingandpie.bsky.social
Probably human; queer, disabled; super into health, disability, admin, and employment law; attorney (not your attorney); pen name Nova Mason; current MPH student. Personal non-work account. She/her.
I'm glad that my family DOES have interest and good baseline knowledge to understand what I do.
But then there are times where I'm at a wedding, mention occupational health, find out the person next to me is also in occupational health, and we immediately become incomprehensible to everyone else.
But then there are times where I'm at a wedding, mention occupational health, find out the person next to me is also in occupational health, and we immediately become incomprehensible to everyone else.
As I said in a reply to this, families are complicated and personal. Some people have no interest in learning what you do or why and are just kinda jerks. I'm sorry.
But some people really want to understand, and too few scientists learn how to talk to non-scientists. I can help with that!
But some people really want to understand, and too few scientists learn how to talk to non-scientists. I can help with that!
Every year around Thanksgiving, I see tons of grad students post heartbreaking messages on social media about how their loved ones don’t understand or support their decision to study what seems like something pointless or silly.
Perhaps my American Scientist essay can help!
🧪🌎🦑 #SciComm
Perhaps my American Scientist essay can help!
🧪🌎🦑 #SciComm
November 26, 2025 at 8:41 PM
I'm glad that my family DOES have interest and good baseline knowledge to understand what I do.
But then there are times where I'm at a wedding, mention occupational health, find out the person next to me is also in occupational health, and we immediately become incomprehensible to everyone else.
But then there are times where I'm at a wedding, mention occupational health, find out the person next to me is also in occupational health, and we immediately become incomprehensible to everyone else.
Reposted by L-M
Godzilla, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot stomp on, courage to shoot them with atomic breath, and wisdom to do a big roar afterwards
January 29, 2024 at 6:30 PM
Godzilla, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot stomp on, courage to shoot them with atomic breath, and wisdom to do a big roar afterwards
Ooooh I'm turning 40 in May so I'm definitely open to suggestions for my new accessory slot!
Entering my 40s was when I picked up brimmed hats.
What'd you pick up for your "I'm in my 40s" slot?
What'd you pick up for your "I'm in my 40s" slot?
My friend just fuckin showed up with a corncob pipe & that’s when it hit me that we are all in our 40s which means we get one new accessory slot
November 24, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Ooooh I'm turning 40 in May so I'm definitely open to suggestions for my new accessory slot!
Reposted by L-M
A friend who teaches theology shared with me a post about CS Lewis's Mere Christianity, which discusses foundational Christian logic across denominations. It reminded me of Dale's tweet below, and I wanted to share some thoughts here regarding modesty and respectability, which are often hot topics.
November 23, 2025 at 7:35 PM
A friend who teaches theology shared with me a post about CS Lewis's Mere Christianity, which discusses foundational Christian logic across denominations. It reminded me of Dale's tweet below, and I wanted to share some thoughts here regarding modesty and respectability, which are often hot topics.
Reposted by L-M
Impossible how good reading is. You mean I just point my face at the paper for a bit and it does a whole update on my brain?
November 23, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Impossible how good reading is. You mean I just point my face at the paper for a bit and it does a whole update on my brain?
I became an attorney by accident.
Worked sales. Hated it. Got fired. Went to temp agency and was like "yeah I'd like to try something new. Literally anything I haven't done before."
They were like weird but ok you type fast wanna do legal transcription?
Turns out I hate transcription.
Law stuck.
Worked sales. Hated it. Got fired. Went to temp agency and was like "yeah I'd like to try something new. Literally anything I haven't done before."
They were like weird but ok you type fast wanna do legal transcription?
Turns out I hate transcription.
Law stuck.
November 23, 2025 at 12:09 AM
I became an attorney by accident.
Worked sales. Hated it. Got fired. Went to temp agency and was like "yeah I'd like to try something new. Literally anything I haven't done before."
They were like weird but ok you type fast wanna do legal transcription?
Turns out I hate transcription.
Law stuck.
Worked sales. Hated it. Got fired. Went to temp agency and was like "yeah I'd like to try something new. Literally anything I haven't done before."
They were like weird but ok you type fast wanna do legal transcription?
Turns out I hate transcription.
Law stuck.
Last time I had to do this, I moved my keyboard back, set up all of my unpainted D&D minis and a paint station in front of my PC, and went to town. Painted so many goblins during that day of CLEs.
A CLE marathon is when you haven’t done any of your required Continuing Legal Education hours so you sign up for a 12 hour set of courses on the last day of the reporting period with topics like “The ethical and legal considerations of basket weaving in aquatic environments”
November 23, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Last time I had to do this, I moved my keyboard back, set up all of my unpainted D&D minis and a paint station in front of my PC, and went to town. Painted so many goblins during that day of CLEs.
A friend sent this to me earlier today and I gotta say, it's pretty amazing.
"Before I left the NYC Conflicts of Interest Board back in 2022, I created (along with Dan Iwrey and Rob Casimir) what might be the greatest municipal ethics-law-based D&D one-shot module ever conceived… or at the very least the ONLY municipal ethics-law-based D&D one-shot module ever conceived."
www.nyc.gov
November 21, 2025 at 8:38 PM
A friend sent this to me earlier today and I gotta say, it's pretty amazing.
Heck yeah!!!! Getting rid of "the grids" would have been dreadful. Glad that they're staying.
It's been several years since I practiced in the SSD arena but... yeah I can safely say that this is A Big Deal.
It's been several years since I practiced in the SSD arena but... yeah I can safely say that this is A Big Deal.
The Trump administration planned to kick thousands of American seniors off of their disability benefits.
We pushed back — and now, they're backing off.
Public pressure works. Keep fighting back.
We pushed back — and now, they're backing off.
Public pressure works. Keep fighting back.
Social Security scraps plan to limit disability benefits after uproar
The policy would have fundamentally altered who qualifies for the two federal disability programs by eliminating or limiting a person’s age as a factor to consider.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Heck yeah!!!! Getting rid of "the grids" would have been dreadful. Glad that they're staying.
It's been several years since I practiced in the SSD arena but... yeah I can safely say that this is A Big Deal.
It's been several years since I practiced in the SSD arena but... yeah I can safely say that this is A Big Deal.
I really have to do homework tonight after the kids go to bed and I really, really, really don't want to.
Send cute animal pictures?
Send cute animal pictures?
November 20, 2025 at 1:16 AM
I really have to do homework tonight after the kids go to bed and I really, really, really don't want to.
Send cute animal pictures?
Send cute animal pictures?
Melba sauce on everything.
I went to undergrad in garbage-plate / beef-on-weck land and while that's not quite hometown... I must express my affection.
I went to undergrad in garbage-plate / beef-on-weck land and while that's not quite hometown... I must express my affection.
I want everyone to post their hometown slop (if you don't have a cuisine that qualifies then your town has zero culture).
Skyline is fine and hits at 3 am just like taco bell lol
Skyline is fine and hits at 3 am just like taco bell lol
November 19, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Melba sauce on everything.
I went to undergrad in garbage-plate / beef-on-weck land and while that's not quite hometown... I must express my affection.
I went to undergrad in garbage-plate / beef-on-weck land and while that's not quite hometown... I must express my affection.
Oooooh sending this one to myself to read tomorrow!
Does disability law require others to change their behavior to accommodate disabled individuals? In “Third-Party Accommodations,” Professor Doron Dorfman (@dorfmandoron.bsky.social) explores this overlooked issue and proposes a new framework. Read more here: michiganlawreview.org/journal/thir...
Third-Party Accommodations - Michigan Law Review
Does disability rights law impose an obligation on employers, schools, and other places of public accommodation to control the behavior of coworkers, students, or other third parties to accommodate an...
michiganlawreview.org
November 18, 2025 at 1:42 AM
Oooooh sending this one to myself to read tomorrow!
James's middle name is Tiberius because we are huge nerds.
November 18, 2025 at 1:15 AM
James's middle name is Tiberius because we are huge nerds.
This might be my favorite PowerPoint slide I've seen recently.
JR: The science misconduct-reporting ecosystem today: The shonks keep on shonking! No one ever notices. Some sleuths catch it, universities investigates but keeps quiet, and the shonks keep on shonking!
Where should science journalism fit in?
#IRICSydney
Where should science journalism fit in?
#IRICSydney
November 18, 2025 at 1:06 AM
This might be my favorite PowerPoint slide I've seen recently.
"I say this with love and affection but sometimes I want to study your brain like a bug" - @duckprintspress.com when I completely perception check failed something this morning
November 17, 2025 at 1:36 PM
"I say this with love and affection but sometimes I want to study your brain like a bug" - @duckprintspress.com when I completely perception check failed something this morning
Oh forklift is a good analogy here because who is liable? Is it the person who may have been operating the forklift? Probably not! Even if they were doing things one probably shouldn't on a forklift, the employer/owner is usually liable because it's reasonably foreseeable that people fuck around!
we should not be letting any company get away with blaming AI for their failures. I'm not even sure how we got to this point. people are like "it's just a tool" okay so is a forklift and we still hold somebody responsible when it goes wrong and hurts someone. this is YOUR AI!
November 12, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Oh forklift is a good analogy here because who is liable? Is it the person who may have been operating the forklift? Probably not! Even if they were doing things one probably shouldn't on a forklift, the employer/owner is usually liable because it's reasonably foreseeable that people fuck around!
Reposted by L-M
Harrow the Ninth (2021, colorized)
November 11, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Harrow the Ninth (2021, colorized)
Downside of working with insurance regulation is the absolute roller coaster of rage/disappointment when you see basically any headline or news about insurance.
November 11, 2025 at 5:37 AM
Downside of working with insurance regulation is the absolute roller coaster of rage/disappointment when you see basically any headline or news about insurance.
Reposted by L-M
I got this useful bon mot from a middle school teacher recently.
In response to, “I DONT UNDERSTAND,” he calmly said, “okay what steps have you taken to understand?”
And that’s when I realized that a lot of folks have no steps.
In response to, “I DONT UNDERSTAND,” he calmly said, “okay what steps have you taken to understand?”
And that’s when I realized that a lot of folks have no steps.
November 10, 2025 at 6:05 PM
I got this useful bon mot from a middle school teacher recently.
In response to, “I DONT UNDERSTAND,” he calmly said, “okay what steps have you taken to understand?”
And that’s when I realized that a lot of folks have no steps.
In response to, “I DONT UNDERSTAND,” he calmly said, “okay what steps have you taken to understand?”
And that’s when I realized that a lot of folks have no steps.
Reposted by L-M
@caffeinated-spoon.bsky.social and I are proud to announce a cross-server initiative this month called ‘Smut for SNAP’, where you can ask participating writers to write you a piece of smut in exchange for a charitable donation to a food bank, blood bank, or volunteer hours.
November 8, 2025 at 9:38 PM
@caffeinated-spoon.bsky.social and I are proud to announce a cross-server initiative this month called ‘Smut for SNAP’, where you can ask participating writers to write you a piece of smut in exchange for a charitable donation to a food bank, blood bank, or volunteer hours.
We're so bad at evidence-based decision making.
And evidence.
I remember right after I read a book about how bad we are at reporting our pain levels and what helps our pain, I had an appointment with my rheum where I reported feeling better, and when he actually poked my joints, well....
And evidence.
I remember right after I read a book about how bad we are at reporting our pain levels and what helps our pain, I had an appointment with my rheum where I reported feeling better, and when he actually poked my joints, well....
sincerely though, i really mean it
if you think people are rational, stop thinking that. it’s not true. they’re not. people make decisions based on emotions and vibes and narratives at *best*
if you think people are rational, stop thinking that. it’s not true. they’re not. people make decisions based on emotions and vibes and narratives at *best*
November 9, 2025 at 1:14 AM
We're so bad at evidence-based decision making.
And evidence.
I remember right after I read a book about how bad we are at reporting our pain levels and what helps our pain, I had an appointment with my rheum where I reported feeling better, and when he actually poked my joints, well....
And evidence.
I remember right after I read a book about how bad we are at reporting our pain levels and what helps our pain, I had an appointment with my rheum where I reported feeling better, and when he actually poked my joints, well....
Not true, you "win" dwarf fortress by losing in a new way that you've never lost before!
I’d say rinworld or dwarf fortress but you don’t really “win” those
November 2, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Not true, you "win" dwarf fortress by losing in a new way that you've never lost before!
Reposted by L-M
This morning is the DST where the clocks go back an hour, so let me recommend what to do with your bonus hour: be as lazy as humanly possible.
November 2, 2025 at 6:18 AM
This morning is the DST where the clocks go back an hour, so let me recommend what to do with your bonus hour: be as lazy as humanly possible.
Reposted by L-M
You can curse daylight saving time, daylight saving, daylight savings, daylight savings time, and/or daylight time.
All are considered acceptable so go off.
All are considered acceptable so go off.
November 2, 2025 at 10:41 AM
You can curse daylight saving time, daylight saving, daylight savings, daylight savings time, and/or daylight time.
All are considered acceptable so go off.
All are considered acceptable so go off.
Reposted by L-M
are we allowed to talk about how eating breakfast is good again yet or is that still, like, off limits
November 2, 2025 at 12:31 PM
are we allowed to talk about how eating breakfast is good again yet or is that still, like, off limits