INPUT ARTICLE: Article: When your rabbit’s ears are lying down on their head, intersecting with each other in the back, they are resting. This means that they are content. If your rabbit’s ears are lying back against its head but are not touching, this can be a sign that it is frightened. Look at other body language cues to verify if your rabbit seems to be resting or agitated. If the rabbit’s eyes are half closed and it is lying down, it is probably happy. If it is growling, it is probably angry and afraid. If your rabbit is taking a break from exercise, it will often place its ears straight out and back, instead of lying completely down. This is a semi-relaxed pose and generally means that your rabbit wants to take a break before getting back to exercise. If your rabbit shakes its ears and then jumps, it is excited about something. Often, it is an invitation to play. Other times, it might be excited about getting fed.

SUMMARY: Watch for a happy bunny to lay its ears back. Watch for an exhausted bunny to let its ears down a little. Look for an excited bunny to shake its ears and hop.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: While it’s possible to be friends with someone you used to date, you need time to recover from the break-up before that’s possible. Friendships between exes are often less satisfactory, in the long run, than friendships between people who never dated. Mark a date on a calendar to solidify for yourself how long it really is. If you had a reasonably healthy relationship, you might be able to say to your ex: “I hope that we can interact as friends in the future. But for now, I need a certain amount of time to work on my own healing. That means I won’t accept your calls or talk to you until this date at the soonest.” You need to develop a new sense of yourself that is not based in your old relationship. Rather than focusing on her, focus on your friends and your family relationships, your studies, your work, and your hobbies.  Now is a good time to reach out to that friend you really like that you haven’t seen for a while. Consider taking up a new hobby, so that you meet new people and build confidence in a new context. Staying connected on social media may hold you back from healing and moving on after the end of a romantic relationship. Your focus should be on personal growth, not pictures of her night out or status updates about her new partner – or how lonely she is.  Unfriend your ex on Facebook. In addition, there are apps and plug-ins that can block your ex’s updates from appearing in your feed and remove any posts that mention him. Unfollow your ex on Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram. Use a “block your ex” plug-in to remove references to your ex from your internet browser altogether. These can be helpful if you just can’t resist searching her name from time to time. The drama of infatuation and romantic relationships can mimic addiction. Recognize that your fantasies are shaped by the best aspects of the relationship and are not an accurate depiction of what it was really like to be with him. Personal growth often results from a break-up. Writing a short, personal essay that focuses on the positive effects of the break-up helps to increase positive emotions like gratitude, hopefulness, relief, and satisfaction. If you find yourself unable to get over your ex, or overwhelmed with feelings of sadness, despair, or fear, you should talk to a therapist. A counselor will also be able to help you develop strategies for any interactions you need to have with your ex. Take time to find the right therapist for you. You might need to talk to a few different people or get recommendations from several different sources, including your school and your doctor’s office. It’s worth it to find someone you feel comfortable with. Increased substance abuse often occurs when someone is experiencing a break-up. But relying on alcohol or drugs will only cause new problems for you. While your friends might advise you to get over a relationship quickly by finding someone new, you’re better off taking time to understand what went wrong first. Talk to a counselor or trusted, mature friend about the relationship and how it ended.

SUMMARY: Commit to making a clean break. Remember that not contacting your ex is about moving on, not re-starting the relationship. Avoid your ex on social media. Don’t fantasize about your ex. Write a journal entry about the positive aspects of the relationship – and of ending it. Talk to a counselor or therapist. Stay away from drugs and alcohol. Take your time to figure out what happened.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Chalky paint has a matte finish, goes on with minimal prep work, and is easier to scrape off while you’re distressing your furniture. Choose a paint color that matches the aesthetic in the rest of your room.  Chalky paint is not the same as chalkboard paint. Chalkboard paint is meant to be written on with chalk after it dries, while chalky paint just has an ultra-matte finish. You can buy chalky paint from any painting supply store. Adding marks to a table surface or furniture legs can make it seem older than what it actually is. Lightly tap your furniture with the end of a chisel or hammer to make indents in the surface. Make the marks random so it doesn’t look like an intentional pattern.  Wear safety glasses in case any wood accidentally breaks off your furniture. Experiment with different tools around your house to see what kind of marks they make. Use 120-grit sandpaper to roughen the surfaces on your piece of furniture. This helps the paint adhere better so it’s less likely to peel off or chip. Make sure to sand any surface you plan on painting so you get a nice even coat. You do not need to sand unfinished wood furniture. Wet a cleaning cloth with warm water and wring it out until it’s damp. Wipe all of the surfaces you plan on painting to get rid of any dust or dirt that’s on them. Use another cloth to dry any areas that are wet before you start. Dip the ends of the bristles in your paint so there’s only a small amount on your paintbrush. Start from the top of your piece of furniture and work toward the bottom. Apply a thin layer of paint on the surface so it can dry fast and even. When you’re finished with the first coat, leave it to dry overnight. It’s okay if you still see the wood or laminate underneath your first coat of paint. This can help add to the distressed look of the final piece. Once the first coat of paint has dried completely, put another coat of paint on your piece. Again, work from the top of the furniture down toward the bottom, and paint until it has a smooth matte finish. When you’re done, let it dry for 3-4 days so the paint has time to adhere to the furniture. Corners and edges are usually the first parts that wear away over time, so start by distressing them. Use 120-grit sandpaper to rub the dry paint off of the surface to expose the wood or laminate underneath. Apply light pressure so you don’t accidentally remove more than you want.  Add more distress marks where your furniture touches the floor so it looks like it’s been scratched up after moving around a lot. Wipe any dust away with a damp rag so you can easily see where you’ve already distressed the furniture. If you accidentally rub off too much of the paint, you may paint over the area again and start over. Wax acts as a sealant to help protect your furniture from any damage. Dip the end of a cheesecloth in the wax and spread it across the surface of your furniture. Work the wax into the surface in a circular motion until it’s smooth. Continue waxing the entire piece of furniture so it’s sealed.  Furniture wax can be bought from your local hardware or paint supply stores. Wax may take up to 30 days to completely cure, but you can use the furniture after one week.

SUMMARY:
Use chalky paint for your furniture. Add dings and dents to the furniture surface for an extra-distressed look. Sand the furniture if it has a finish on it. Wipe the furniture with a damp cloth before painting. Apply a coat of paint and let it dry. Paint a second coat onto your furniture and leave it to cure for 3-4 days. Sand edges and common places of wear and tear with 120-grit sandpaper. Seal the wood and paint with finishing wax.