Alex B
@alexdesignsit.bsky.social
she/hers • queer • disabled • graphic design & illustration
EDS • Small Fiber Neuropathy • ADHD
a salty wet bag of molecules and electrical impulses
EDS • Small Fiber Neuropathy • ADHD
a salty wet bag of molecules and electrical impulses
Also in happy animal news, Phoebe and Psyche have really grown socially this week! Phoebe has been out in the living room with all of us (me, partner, Tycho and psyche) for every evening for over a week and she has relaxed a LOT. Psyche has been much more respectful of her personal space than prior.
November 27, 2025 at 4:14 AM
Also in happy animal news, Phoebe and Psyche have really grown socially this week! Phoebe has been out in the living room with all of us (me, partner, Tycho and psyche) for every evening for over a week and she has relaxed a LOT. Psyche has been much more respectful of her personal space than prior.
Today there were two puppies at work and it made everything seem a little less dystopian for a while. It was hard to get a non-blurry photo of them!
Kina (pink collar) is a 10 month old rescue and Kai (green collar) is an 8 month old rescue 🥹
Kina (pink collar) is a 10 month old rescue and Kai (green collar) is an 8 month old rescue 🥹
November 27, 2025 at 3:43 AM
Today there were two puppies at work and it made everything seem a little less dystopian for a while. It was hard to get a non-blurry photo of them!
Kina (pink collar) is a 10 month old rescue and Kai (green collar) is an 8 month old rescue 🥹
Kina (pink collar) is a 10 month old rescue and Kai (green collar) is an 8 month old rescue 🥹
introduce yourself with four robots
It was so hard to narrow it down to just four, holy shit.
It was so hard to narrow it down to just four, holy shit.
November 26, 2025 at 4:28 AM
introduce yourself with four robots
It was so hard to narrow it down to just four, holy shit.
It was so hard to narrow it down to just four, holy shit.
Welp. Ended up leaving work early and going to the ER.
November 19, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Welp. Ended up leaving work early and going to the ER.
Everybody enjoy my beautiful Psyche
November 17, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Everybody enjoy my beautiful Psyche
This is my printer, Beastie, who is very good at printing things approximately 58% of the time. The rest of the time she is haunted by vengeful spirits but I love her anyway.
November 11, 2025 at 9:10 PM
This is my printer, Beastie, who is very good at printing things approximately 58% of the time. The rest of the time she is haunted by vengeful spirits but I love her anyway.
I recommend using a gigantic wrench when appliances get uppity
October 28, 2025 at 9:17 PM
I recommend using a gigantic wrench when appliances get uppity
Picked this up at the recent indie press comics expo at AADL. It’s the cutest no kings sign I’ve seen!
October 18, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Picked this up at the recent indie press comics expo at AADL. It’s the cutest no kings sign I’ve seen!
The printer made a little ink blob that looked a lot like an ink birb so I helped
October 8, 2025 at 3:32 PM
The printer made a little ink blob that looked a lot like an ink birb so I helped
Psyche and her toe beans say hello
September 27, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Psyche and her toe beans say hello
September 20, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Evacuation maps today! Have printed 18 and I have another set of 18 finishing up on the flatbed right now.
September 17, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Evacuation maps today! Have printed 18 and I have another set of 18 finishing up on the flatbed right now.
Boop beep boop print print print
I’m obsessed with her 😍🖨️
I’m obsessed with her 😍🖨️
September 15, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Boop beep boop print print print
I’m obsessed with her 😍🖨️
I’m obsessed with her 😍🖨️
3am cereal yay
Slept great for a few hours and then I was woken up by a tiny fluffy friend who wanted to try out cuddling again to see if she still likes it 🥹 it was the longest she’s ever laid on me and the most she’s let me pet her.
Slept great for a few hours and then I was woken up by a tiny fluffy friend who wanted to try out cuddling again to see if she still likes it 🥹 it was the longest she’s ever laid on me and the most she’s let me pet her.
September 9, 2025 at 7:31 AM
3am cereal yay
Slept great for a few hours and then I was woken up by a tiny fluffy friend who wanted to try out cuddling again to see if she still likes it 🥹 it was the longest she’s ever laid on me and the most she’s let me pet her.
Slept great for a few hours and then I was woken up by a tiny fluffy friend who wanted to try out cuddling again to see if she still likes it 🥹 it was the longest she’s ever laid on me and the most she’s let me pet her.
Look at this goober 😍
August 27, 2025 at 11:15 PM
Look at this goober 😍
Phoebe has the most chaotic toe fluff
August 26, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Phoebe has the most chaotic toe fluff
Turns out, Substance P does all sorts of important stuff, like regulating intestinal contractions, emotions associated with serotonin and norepinephrine, motivated behavior, and fight-or-flight responses.
![Screenshot of Wikipedia article on Substance P:
“Discovery
The original discovery of Substance P (SP) was in 1931 by Ulf von Euler and John H. Gaddum as a tissue extract that caused intestinal contraction in vitro. 61 Its tissue distribution and biologic actions were further investigated over the following decades. 2] The eleven-amino-acid structure of the peptide was determined by Chang, et. al in 1971.17]
In 1983, Neurokinin A (previously known as substance K or neuromedin L) was isolated from porcine spinal cord and was also found to stimulate intestinal contraction. “](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:o6rpz33z55jqe4bsr73n3pgm/bafkreiefvcaaz6wsr4dwubqvancz7ateaoaan6kmf5zvharknsmr6kegmm@jpeg)
![Screenshot: “Substance P and the NK1-receptor are widely distributed in the brain and are found in brain regions that are specific to regulating emotion (hypothalamus, amygdala, and the periaqueductal gray). (12] They are found in close association with serotonin (5-HT) and neurons containing norepinephrine that are targeted by the currently used antidepressant drugs. 131 The SP receptor promoter contains regions that are sensitive to CAMP, AP-1, AP-4, CEBPB, (14) and epidermal growth factor.“](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:o6rpz33z55jqe4bsr73n3pgm/bafkreidrmy2v5qg37dwpjpfzghfpn5yliytaob6st2g3lvagfthbzqnzfq@jpeg)
![Screenshot: “The periaqueductal gray (PAG), also known as the central gray, is a brain region that plays a critical role in autonomic function, motivated behavior and behavioural responses to threatening stimuli. 1112] PAG is also the primary control center for descending pain modulation. It has enkephalin-producing cells that suppress pain.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:o6rpz33z55jqe4bsr73n3pgm/bafkreiguw7p6qge3o2rnfxsfb4j2w3u3egxbqdbrt6glsqlp6wuynxcewu@jpeg)
August 22, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Turns out, Substance P does all sorts of important stuff, like regulating intestinal contractions, emotions associated with serotonin and norepinephrine, motivated behavior, and fight-or-flight responses.
Reading about the mechanism of action in low-dose naltrexone for small-fiber neuropathy and I found this presentation deck that describes its various effects, including a neuropeptide called Substance P.
I hadn’t heard of substance P before, so I looked it up.
I hadn’t heard of substance P before, so I looked it up.
August 22, 2025 at 2:08 AM
Reading about the mechanism of action in low-dose naltrexone for small-fiber neuropathy and I found this presentation deck that describes its various effects, including a neuropeptide called Substance P.
I hadn’t heard of substance P before, so I looked it up.
I hadn’t heard of substance P before, so I looked it up.
Every day I wake up like
August 21, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Every day I wake up like
Camping
Night 1: set up camp just before the rain hits. Dinner is five adults standing around a picnic table in their underwear, soaking wet, eating Mac and cheese with a side of rainwater and sand.
Early bedtime, woke up on the ground after falling because my hammock sheared itself in half.
Night 1: set up camp just before the rain hits. Dinner is five adults standing around a picnic table in their underwear, soaking wet, eating Mac and cheese with a side of rainwater and sand.
Early bedtime, woke up on the ground after falling because my hammock sheared itself in half.
August 15, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Camping
Night 1: set up camp just before the rain hits. Dinner is five adults standing around a picnic table in their underwear, soaking wet, eating Mac and cheese with a side of rainwater and sand.
Early bedtime, woke up on the ground after falling because my hammock sheared itself in half.
Night 1: set up camp just before the rain hits. Dinner is five adults standing around a picnic table in their underwear, soaking wet, eating Mac and cheese with a side of rainwater and sand.
Early bedtime, woke up on the ground after falling because my hammock sheared itself in half.
Update: it was a short wave infrared camera and lens system that is in development and they wanted to take photos of images that had been painted over.
July 30, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Update: it was a short wave infrared camera and lens system that is in development and they wanted to take photos of images that had been painted over.