Back at ya, msbelle. I am thinking I might have to take a FB break again. And spend more time here! There is just too much crazy making stuff there for me. I have blocked a ton of sites that my brother and other friends expose me to, but it isn't enough. It isn't even just all the bigoted stuff and wacko political stuff. There are also the vast quantities of Vegan posts from one friend (seriously I don't need to see the pictures of slaughtered animals every other post, I got it), and a few other perfectly okay causes that other friends just can't seem to show any restraint about. I'm getting cranky apparently.

Everything I attempted today failed until I gave up and left work. I have one load of clean laundry and cats on my lap.

One our seniors is transgender. What's sort of nice about our super alternative SJW staff is that some people want her to speak at graduation because she is transgender and the rest of the staff is all "NO WAY. She's a fucking bitchy bitch. NO WAY." And both groups are really accepting her transgender stuff enough that the discussion revolves around her shitty personality vs. her shitty life stuff. It's pretty funny.

my kids and the way they do gender

Is her hair too short and his hair too long? What's their grief?

My shelves arrived! I have a sort-of organized garage! Now I just need to decide what to do with some of the extra stuff (like two kitchen chairs) and I can start parking in the garage again. Woot!

Is her hair too short and his hair too long? What's their grief?

Pretty much (although they both have short hair now). Plus there was the whole thing when my toddler boy wore skirts and dresses and my brother and brother-in-law were positive it was going to ruin him in some way. And my girl definitely sees herself on the non-heteronormative tip. I have to say, it's kind of wonderful to watch how much not just the vocabulary but the actual possibilities for negotiating gender and sexuality have changed.

I have to say, it's kind of wonderful to watch how much not just the vocabulary but the actual possibilities for negotiating gender and sexuality have changed.

It's true. I couldn't have imagined an LGBTQ Club at my HS, and Matilda has one in her elementary school. (And was doing readings in it to kindergartners the other day.)

Side Note: I was just reading a long history on the practice of "breeching" and it was so illuminating about notions of gender enforcement. And all of the mothers who were sad about their boys being breeched were considered to be silly, sentimental fools whereas it was the beginning of a rigid, often brutalizing enculturation.

Oh, 'istas! Hello. I've been a bad, bad poster, and kindda turned into a mostly-lurker in the past year. So imagine a rain of buckets of ~mas to everyone here, and thank you for keep being a bunch of awesome folks in a great place as you are. You are a constant promise-distraction that reality is better than what it seems to be at times.

(Also, just to say I wanted to drop everything and show up by so many of your doors with food so many times in the past few months. Lots have you have been through too much, and I am so sorry for this. Sadly, space-time continuum and silly work were in the way of my cunning plan).

I came by posting on behalf of a friend, thinking you might have ideas for her, because she's looking for rental info in Chicago, NYC, and/or Washington D.C.

She'll be spending one semester in Northwestern, Chicago during Mid-July and Mid-August. She's looking for people who are or might know people who live around the faculty of law in Chicago (not in the university campus) and who might be interested to switch their 2 bedroom apartment with a her apartment for the time period.

In case that won't work out, she's looking for folks who would like to rent their place in Chicago (for 2 roommates) or someone who would like to rent her place in Tel-Aviv for the summer.

More information available here (English after Hebrew), including her email: [link]

(Also? She's a fantastic person. So I'd be happy if any of you will get to know one another while she's in Chicago).

You guys!!! I met Aurelia last night! Was awesome. Pic on fbook.