Eloísa Valdes

A friend wants to know why humans don’t have tails. Please...

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:38:00 +0100

A friend wants to know why humans don’t have tails. Please help, #anthropology peeps. See pic for his full question

EDIT:

-> John Roby said:

«Perfect example of how dirty old evolution doesn’t give us things that would rule, just things that we need. I use tails as an example in class for that very reason. “Prehensile tails would be awesome”“But in our environment and for bipedal walking, don’t aid survival or reproduction. So no tails, sadly”.»

-> Matt Spire replied this, when I told him about Roby’s reply:

«Well, I’m aware we lost tails about 23MYA in the split between old world monkeys and apes, but even the above explanation runs contrary to my understanding of evolution. We still have an appendix. Unless tails at some point became disadvantageous, they should theoretically still be vestigial appendages at least.

I can only deduce that as intelligence increased, bouncing erratically on one’s tail all day came to be seen as a lackadaisical existence. Those rare and unfortunate apes born without tails instead focused their newfound intelligence on profound epistemological riddles such as “why skyball disappear get cold die?” and not long after, the first instance of proto-human segregation occurred against the Boing-Boing apes, who proceeded to bounce into evolutionary obscurity. The Non-Boingers proceeded to woo she-apes with their incredible insight into hypothermia. Evidence exists of this today amongst contemporary humans who, finding themselves lacking, use their spare time to ask rhetorical questions to impress females. (See John Mayer, et al.)

Tell John Roby to write that down.»

I’m now laughing so hard my brother came to my room to check up on me. xD

I just love silhouettes. And birds. Got both here. Yay!

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 01:16:00 +0100

I just love silhouettes. And birds. Got both here. Yay!

@potatowast3 here’s my #selfie for the 7 evil friends spinoff....

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:22:00 +0100

@potatowast3 here’s my #selfie for the 7 evil friends spinoff. :D

I took this last Winter but it could have been today. Weather’s...

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:41:00 +0100

I took this last Winter but it could have been today. Weather’s really messed up. Where is Summer? D:

In another of my visits to Porto, which I wish could be more...

Sun, 16 Jun 2013 19:54:00 +0100

In another of my visits to Porto, which I wish could be more often.

My left hand or: what happens when I can’t sleep. Ugh.

Sat, 15 Jun 2013 08:18:00 +0100

My left hand or: what happens when I can’t sleep. Ugh.

The sun greeted me good morning that day. Lately he’s been...

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:40:00 +0100

The sun greeted me good morning that day. Lately he’s been saying “good night, good luck sleeping”.

lepreas: me waking up in the morning with my lover I think I...

Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:15:51 +0100

lepreas:

me waking up in the morning with my lover

I think I found your lover at a disco the other day:

Taken while waiting for “one of my Alda’s” in a visit to Porto...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:59:00 +0100

Taken while waiting for “one of my Alda’s” in a visit to Porto some time ago.

A couple in the beach sitting by the tree, k-i-s… Wait. Wrong...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:03:00 +0100

A couple in the beach sitting by the tree, k-i-s… Wait. Wrong song.

jeisma: I wonder if the botanical/flower fans are pissed because of my comic book taking up their...

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 04:56:08 +0100

jeisma:

I wonder if the botanical/flower fans are pissed because of my comic book taking up their tags.

Eisma’s trying to start a fandom/tag war. Plants versus comics style! xD

Getting ready to take care of some waves, that person is. ;-)

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 00:47:00 +0100

Getting ready to take care of some waves, that person is. ;-)

I saved the best living statue for the end. Meet the...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 07:51:00 +0100

I saved the best living statue for the end. Meet the storyteller. ^_^

The King also marked his presence in the XVII living statues...

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 07:16:00 +0100

The King also marked his presence in the XVII living statues contest that took place in Espinho, Portugal.

No Time for Love: Worldwide Regrets Counter for Misplaced Priorities

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:44:00 +0100

No Time for Love: Worldwide Regrets Counter for Misplaced Priorities:

No Time for Love collects stories of regret from people dealing with the delicate balance of life, love and labor. In a reality where time is finite, prioritizing love, in any form, can be challenging. This project acknowledges that struggle.

This project is amazing. I submitted my regret (publishing approval pending at the moment) and it was very cathartic.Bit by bit I’m being able to let it all out and this site helped. Here’s what I wrote in it:

“I could have finished my Masters and be in a better situation, but instead I put my thesis on standby in order to work, but it was a scam… We were (and are) having economic difficulties as a family. Lots of stress, too. It feels like we just can’t catch a break. On the year that I was supposed to finish my Masters degree by doing my thesis I had a (work) proposition of someone I considered a good friend and I accepted it. After 6 months with no pay and a lot of moral harassment I quit it. The worst of it all was that I never told my mom back then what I was going to do. My hubris and wish to prove myself independent were my undoing. If I had told her she wouldn’t have let me go to work in those conditions, with no pay for so long under the “startup excuse”, and with nothing on paper. If I had told her (instead of pursuing a plan of telling her later, as a surprise, that I had a job) she would have intervened, I’d have finished the thesis and now my life wouldn’t be this mess. Because I put my thesis on standby to work for nothing, I lost timing. And now the economic situation is worse and I can’t pay tuition. Without it I can’t attend University anymore and without that I can’t finish the thesis. Without the thesis and the Masters I’m in a limbo of over and under qualification. Too much qualification for jobs like a cashier, and too little for any job in my field. Oh, yeah, and I’m 27 already. Academic clock’s ticking. If anyone gets something from my story let it be: 1. trust no one/keep biz and friends apart; 2. don’t let hubris win you over; 3. when it’s too good to be true… guess what?”

What happened to me… I still feel shame for what I endured. I feel stupid for letting it happen to me. Even though I know I’m not the one who should be ashamed, that’s how I feel. Even though I know I’m not the one to be blamed or accused of anything, I feel guilty. I feel guilty for having trusted someone. I accuse myself of being stupid, gullible, naive… you name it! And I’ve isolated myself and silenced myself for far too long, which only made me feel worse. One of these days you’ll hear the whole story (yes, because that was only the short version). One of these days… I’ll either do that or explode.

Anyway, that’s my regret and it prolly won’t get past the pending approval state because it’s not “romantic love related” (although me and that thesis were in a serious relationship). *shrugs* What’s yours?

She was a master of the equilibrium business, this living...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:40:00 +0100

She was a master of the equilibrium business, this living statue.

dictionaryofobscuresorrows: Sonder [2:39] by John...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:21:11 +0100

dictionaryofobscuresorrows:

Sonder [2:39] by John Koenig

sonder - n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own…

More than any other, this particular definition seems to have struck a chord with people—even if they don’t know I made up the word. I’ve even watched it start to dip its toe into the lexicon as a real word, at least in some circles.

Anyway, when I’m not inventing dictionary definitions I’m a freelance video maker and graphic designer, so I decided to expand the definition into a short video. Written, directed, edited and narrated by me. Enjoy.

Music: “Campfire” by Jon Hopkins from Monsters OST

This has always been one of my favorite words from this dictionary, and not it has a video. Neat! ^_^

Insane living statues, I tell ya. Just… Insane! D:

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 22:22:00 +0100

Insane living statues, I tell ya. Just… Insane! D:

Meet the ballerina. A lovely living statue I had the opportunity...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:56:00 +0100

Meet the ballerina. A lovely living statue I had the opportunity to watch this past weekend in Espinho, Portugal.

Meet the messenger. For every coin received she’d hand out a...

Tue, 11 Jun 2013 09:34:00 +0100

Meet the messenger. For every coin received she’d hand out a little paper with something written on it. People are so curious, it was very tough to even get close to this living statue.