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Pat Swarbrick

Pat Swarbrick

@swarpat.bsky.social

65 followers 120 following 1.2K posts

Bi lefty who became lefty long before graduating High School. Talking to people helps @gronkular.bsky.social is my spouse. Incredibly lucky to have found him when I did, 20+ years ago She/they

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Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 3h

Mmm, I remember integrating being one of those magical math activities that was easy to do.

Fourier series… uh yeah I failed that. Didn’t have the 3Blue1Brown explanation that actually made more sense than my instructor’s lessons.

Reposted by Pat Swarbrick

Neugin @lostcitymagic.bsky.social · 4h

Reminder:

You release yourself from your anger.

You release all fear from your mind.

You will allow peace to fill your soul.

You choose to focus on what you can control.

I'm proud of you

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 3h

Okay I’ll going to stop gushing. He’s mine, he’s been mine for a long time, and I appreciate him a ton, even more now than I used to because he’s been so helpful with my mental health crises.

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 3h

And honestly it’s kinda nice to have him focus on playing video games. He plays Minecraft all the time now, but he plays other games. That game means he’s doing long term planning and doing all sorts of technical stuff… he’s heavily into tech, he’s in BBS lists from the ‘90s

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 3h

He’s also got a similar lack of interest in professional sports too. He had his little thing about car racing a while back, and that is fine. He is not perfect but he’s got what I was looking for.

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 3h

I knew what I found when I found my spouse. I was looking specifically for that kind of person, with that kind of understanding of politics and people and similar interests in books and media… heck he’s even better because he never leaves the seat up!

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 3h

There’s no way I’m doing that. Not a chance. If my relationship failed with my spouse then I’d definitely take a couple years break from relationships. I may not even enter another in because I would be looking for a very specific type of person and I know they are rare to find at my age.

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 3h

The men who idolize the women who make themselves look like the 1950s? That’s their preferrence. There’s plenty of men who don’t want that. I’ve had to chase off a few of them because they thought they could convince me to dump my spouse.

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 3h

I’m going to be blunt and I’m going to be clear: there is absolutely no freaking way I am ever going to get involved in the tradwife trend. I already worked in the trades and liked it, and I love tinkering with tools.

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 4h

I didn’t go to University just because I kept being told there wasn’t any money for that since I was the third daughter and both my sisters went. I went to college instead in the hopes I could save for university, and that just didn’t happen.

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 4h

And I wasn’t raised as the white nationalist person. I was expected to do a lot more than just stay at home and raise a family. My family expected me to get good marks in maths and sciences, and I did very well in that.

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 4h

All of this is very contrary of the tradwife trend, and quite frankly I would not ever participate in that kind of thing. The white nationalist stuff and the subservience? Nope, not doing that and my spouse wouldn’t like that either. We’re a team, not a hierarchy.

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 4h

He’s been using my tools for the last few years because mine were convenient, and I didn’t need them at work because tools, good tools, were provided.

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 4h

I’m not a great cook, my spouse is better at it. He’s also better at planning out housework.

Actually my spouse and I have a tiny little thing going on about tools. I own tools like my own socket set and my own cordless drill and driver. I’m a connoisseur of good hand tools.

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 4h

I love screwdrivers and control panels work and all sorts of industrial and construction stuff. I wear jeans and work shirts and have been known to get covered in grease from gearboxes.

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 4h

Gardening too. Planning ahead for an entire year.

It’s even kinda hilarious that they have just as long of a relationship as my spouse and I do, but the structure is different. I’m the one who proposed to my husband and I don’t dress like a 1950’s housewife. That’s impractical for my career.

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 4h

Huh! Didn’t know most if that. I didn’t even know about the association with making sourdough bread and the white nationalism stuff.

It’s really weird to see them describe thinking long term. I’ve been saying for years that you have to plan long term, but I know that comes from farming

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 4h

That’s why I am pro-choice. It’s not my business to decide for someone else what they should do with their own bodies. It’s between them and their doctors and nurse practitioners. The father maybe could be included if he’s not a rapist or something.

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 4h

Pregnancy is a risky process. It’s really hard on the body and the mind and leaves permanent effects. Not everyone is prepared to handle that.

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 4h

Yeah they could give their babies up for an open adoption but that’s only if they make it to the point where they carry the child to term, and that assumes they are psychologically prepared for the whole process.

Can’t forget post-partum depression either. That still happens sometimes.

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 4h

Yeah no surprise there. The people who would struggle the hardest would be the most worried. Pregnancy is expensive! Extremely expensive in more ways than one. Clothes, body changes, medical restrictions on lifting, food, medical tests, treatments for any adverse effects…

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 4h

I don’t believe in a heaven. As far as I’m concerned the afterlife is whatever happens to the atoms of our bodies once we’re done using them. That’s good enough for me.

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 4h

At least I’m not doing the dumb thing like some early Christians did, got so excited about heaven they went early. The church had to make a rule to ban suicide just because too many were choosing the quick way out.

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 4h

This is especially for the young ones. I don’t want them to see a painful decline and death, I want them to be reassured and prepared and to understand that its sad and it’s okay to be sad, but it’s also a lot better than the alternative.

Pat Swarbrick @swarpat.bsky.social · 4h

It’s a long way from that at the moment

I have already seen numerous family members decline and eventually pass away, some from cancer, and i already decided I don’t want that ending. I would rather be able to throw a little party and leave my loved ones a beautiful memory of my last days.