strix_alba: (Default)
2020-10-31 06:57 pm

Introduction and Masterpost

Formerly on Dreamwidth as kasihya; I snagged this account a while ago for another project, and I've got so much old writing from earlier iterations of me on that blog. It's also inconsistent; I'm strix-alba on almost every other site, so now I can be consistent throughout.

Abandoned Writings
Kasihya Writing Master Post
Bridging the Rubicon Master Post

Now this post can be the new List of Things. With less clutter, I hope.

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2017-02-08 01:58 am

I’m 24 and I still feel like a bitter old person

I’m 24 and I still feel like a bitter old person sometimes because when I was figuring out gender things, I didn’t have the same degree of representation that I see now, I didn’t have a community, and part of that was that I didn’t have anyone and part of that was that trans things weren’t as visible and were harder to find. I first read about the concept of ‘transgenderism’ in a psych textbook which also listed ‘homosexuality’ as a paraphilia. I shoved as hard as I could at the walls of Being Female and scrambled to get as far away from that as I could because fuck that noise, no, and I had to be really firm and single-minded in my identity in order to get my family to take me seriously (and yes I recognize my incredible privilege yes okay I promise you I know) and so I haven’t evaluated how I felt about it since I came out because any sign of weakness in being Male-The-Opposite-Of-Female and I’m going to get stuffed back in that fucking box again.

And, I don’t know what the point of this is, except that I feel stifled and I don’t know what I feel and I want to scream about it.

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via IFTTT
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2016-11-29 06:23 pm
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ESL tutoring this morning turned into an impromptu history lesson about race relations in the United

ESL tutoring this morning turned into an impromptu history lesson about race relations in the United States and police brutality and boy howdy was it fun trying to boil that down into half an hour and simple vocabulary without minimizing how awful it is.

On a more thoughtful note, the dynamics of me, a white American, trying to accurately describe the sordid history of European colonialism in the USA to a guy of Nahuatl descent whose English is a work in progress is fascinating (and, from my end of things, not comfortable). We’re gonna continue next time so I have a bit of time to get my facts together properly.
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2016-11-26 05:11 am
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nanowrimo updates

well I’m still 2,550 words behind but! I have arrived at Partim Pielin’s “shit I might be gay” moment that he’s trying to work through with Viola, who is cantankerous and suspicious of his motivations but who is the only Out And Unembarrassed Gay aside from the man he’s in love with. It’s a fun conversation to write. They don’t understand each other, precisely, but they care about each other and they understand that.
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2016-11-22 01:53 am

I enter the outdated song meme sanctuary

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alexisafuckinnerd:

princesszeldaz:

never gonna give you: up
oppa gangnam: styled
uptown: funked

I AM FORCIBLY WOKEN UP INSIDE
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2016-11-22 12:43 am

madlori: onlyblackgirl: Shout out to all retail workers that will have to listen to the same 6...

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madlori:

onlyblackgirl:

Shout out to all retail workers that will have to listen to the same 6 Christmas songs all day for the next 2 Months.

I was a retail worker for four years, at a bookstore, so we got fairly decent Christmas music (we’d usually choose 3-4 of that year’s holiday albums - the years that the Blind Boys of Alabama released theirs was a good year) but we’d still get sick of them.

Except one.

There was one Christmas album I never got sick of. We’d all perk up and cheer a bit when this disc got its turn in the rotation. I heard it several times a day at least. What is this magical Christmas album, you may ask?

It was “’Tis the Season” by Los Straitjackets.

Los Straitjackets are a surf-guitar instrumental combo who perform in all-black and Mexican wrestling masks.

Yep. Holiday tunes played in surf guitar. I never got sick of it. It always got my feet moving.

Here’s a sample, their version of Sleigh Ride, ah I know it so well.
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2016-11-21 06:14 pm

cryptohomorocker: lovingmyselfishard: fuckyeahcomicsbaby: Dif...

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cryptohomorocker:

lovingmyselfishard:

fuckyeahcomicsbaby:

Different Stories Resonate with Different People

I will always reblog this.

oh good gravy i love this
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2016-11-21 06:14 pm

How to call your reps when you have social anxiety

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thepookah:

echothroughthefog:

When you struggle with your mental health on a daily basis, it can be hard to take action on the things that matter most to you. The mental barriers anxiety creates often appear insurmountable. But sometimes, when you really need to, you can break those barriers down. This week, with encouragement from some great people on the internet, I pushed against my anxiety and made some calls to members of our government. Here’s a comic about how you can do that, too. (Resources and transcript below.)

Motivational resources:There are a lot! Here are a few I really like:

Emily Ellsworth explains why calling is the most effective way to reach your congressperson.

Sharon Wong posted a great series of tweets that helped me manage my phone anxiety and make some calls.

Kelsey is tweeting pretty much daily with advice and reminders about calling representatives. I found this tweet an especially great reminder that calls aren’t nearly as big a deal as anxiety makes them out to be.

Informational resources:There are a lot of these, as well! These three are good places to start:

Find your representative at house.gov

Find your senators at senate.gov

Use the “We’re His Problem Now” scripts when calling (or write your own!)

Keep reading

I hate making phone calls.

I’m a motherfucking cockroach and I will not let my terror of phone calls stop me. Fucking fight me, cellular devices.
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2016-11-21 06:14 pm

adventuresinjoyland: Want to yell at the legislature? (By which I mean, speak very politely to the..

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adventuresinjoyland:

Want to yell at the legislature? (By which I mean, speak very politely to the underpaid staffers on the phone.) Megavote will send you an email once a week while Congress is in session with information about how your senators and representatives voted, as well as short descriptions of upcoming votes. 
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2016-11-21 06:14 pm

xlivvielockex: Reposted from something I saw on Facebook

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xlivvielockex:

Reposted from something I saw on Facebook

“I just called the House Oversight Committee (202-225-5074) to support the call for a bipartisan review of Trump’s financials and apparent conflicts of interest. It took me two minutes, and the woman on the phone said that they are absolutely tallying calls - the more they get, the more likely the Committee is to demand ALL of Trump’s financial information.

She said that there’s not much time left, as they are out of the office next week for Thanksgiving. And after that, they’re going to make a decision.

NOW is your chance to use what’s left of democracy to send a strong message and demand change. Please, do this ASAFP. If you get a “mailbox is full” message, call back in a minute or so - that seems to be the default when lines are busy.

That number again is (202-225-5074). Website here:

http://ift.tt/1MKqCg2

“Likes” feel nice in the short term. “Shares” get the word out. ACTUALLY CALLING ACTUALLY DOES SOMETHING.”

Yoooooo I’ve been getting their mailbox being full for a bit, so I called the Committee Chairman instead! The staffer I talked to said that they are also tallying calls and passing along messages at this time.

The Chairman of the House Oversight Committee is Jason Chaffetz, from Utah.

His DC office is (202) 225-7751. The staffer I talked to was very nice.

His Utah office is (801) 851-2500.

If you want to call other members, there’s a full list of them here:

http://ift.tt/1ItgWpO

This was my script:

“Hello, I’m calling about the House Oversight Committee, their mailbox is full so I figured I’d call Congressman Chaffetz since he’s the chairperson. I want to know whether the House Oversight Committee is planning to do a bipartisan review of Trump’s financials and conflicts of interests, because I’m concerned about his business ventures and debts to foreign nations affecting our foreign policy. Do you know what the House is planning to do about this?”
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2016-11-21 04:43 pm

alrightanakin: Not to be dramatic but Harry Potter would lose his fucking shit if he knew how y'all.

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alrightanakin:

Not to be dramatic but Harry Potter would lose his fucking shit if he knew how y'all treat Ron Weasley
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2016-11-21 03:13 pm

leah-cultice:Grace Hartzel by Patrick Demarchelier for Vogue...

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leah-cultice:

Grace Hartzel by Patrick Demarchelier for Vogue Japan November 2016
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2016-11-21 02:23 pm

witchchic1012: peaceheather: skiesovergideon: things you do at a coffee shop: buy coffee. dick...

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witchchic1012:

peaceheather:

skiesovergideon:

things you do at a coffee shop: buy coffee. dick around on the internet. hang with friends

things you do not do at a coffee shop: sit down next to the girl with her headphones in and start talking to her

allow me to elaborate

it’s 12:45. the office internet is spotty, and i have a very important webinar to watch about a product release. my boss gives me permission to go to the nearby coffee shop. i go to the coffee shop, order my coffee, and settle myself at a table. there aren’t many tables in this particular shop, so i have every expectation that someone will probably end up sitting with me sooner or later.

popping in my headphones, i load up my webinar. it begins.

and then HE ARRIVES. he orders coffee. i must have made eye contact (MY MISTAKE) because once his coffee is in hand (probably a latte, he looked like someone who would want 66% of his drink to be steamed milk instead of pure caffeine) he sits at my table. not across from me, even, but next to me.

i give the universally polite closed-lipped smile of acknowledgment. “hello. i see you’ve decided to sit at this table. this is me acknowledging that, and now this is me going back to my webinar.”

if things had stopped there, we would not have a story. it is a terrible story. strap yourself in.

so there’s me, sitting with my headphones on, watching my webinar. the speaker is discussing versioning in the new release. 

i hear a faint noise. i look up at the dude. he smiles. i pop a bud out of my ears. “hey,” he says. 

“uh, hi,” i say, and i turn back to my webinar. 

“what are you watching?” 

my hand pauses. “webinar for work,” i say, flashing him that tense please shut up i’m busy smile.

“what do you do?”

look, dude, i get that you’re interested in a conversation, but i am fucking working. but i’m also nice, so i say “look, this is really important, so i–”

“sure sure, but what do you do? what kind of webinars are you watching?”

THE KIND THAT REQUIRE MY FUCKING ATTENTION BECAUSE THIS IS ABOUT A NEW ROLEOUT FOR SOFTWARE THAT I USE FOR A CRITICAL OPERATION AT MY OFFICE AND WHEN IT INEVITABLY BREAKS UNDER THESE UPDATES, I NEED TO KNOW WHAT AREAS OF THE SOFTWARE ARE MOST LIKELY TO BREAK THAT’S THE FUCKING WEBINAR I’M WATCHING

“ones for work.” i put my ear bud back in my ear.

i look away. 

surely surely this will deter my new friend

i should be so fucking lucky. he starts talking about his start up. i turn up my volume. he leans into my space. i take out my ear buds to tell this guy i really can’t talk, and at the same time i frantically make eye contact with one of the baristas. 

“i think you’d like my assets,” he says.

the barista disappears 

there is no hope left in the world. all is barren and ice. dude continues to talk. i try to watch my webinar, ignoring him. i’m typing at the same time. he has to know i’m not paying attention to him.

he continues talking. i cut him off. “look, i’m very busy right now.” i wait just a second. he shows no interest in leaving. “i’m also very gay.” he scoffs. “you’re too pretty to be gay.” and the back of my head must have blown off and splattered on the windows behind me because what the fucking fuckity fuck bro

THEN SUDDENLY LIKE A BOLT OF HEAVENLY LIGHT IN THE MIDST OF A DARK AND TERRIBLE STORM THERE APPEARS THE BARISTA FOLLOWED BY SOMEONE IN A SUIT like who the fuck wears a suit at a coffee shopBUT THER E IS SUIT MAN AND HE IS MAGNIFICENT AS HE DESCENDS LIKE A DARK AVENGER ON MY TABLE

“is there a problem,” my beautiful dark avenger of holy fury asks

“of course not. she asked me to join her–” I DID NO SUCH FUCKING THING ALSO WHO THE HELL LIES LIKE THAT. i stare at him, agape, floored by the presumption. 

the avenger turns to me. “did you do this, ma’am?”

“no,” i say, aghast, horrified, still too stunned to formulate a particularly scathing put down

the avenger turns to the bro. “i have to ask you to leave, sir.”

“buy we’re just talking!” bro says

“sir. you have. to. leave.”

“i’m just trying to get to know her!”

“it’s pretty obvious that she doesn’t want to know you.”

and then the manager escorted the dude outside and stood there until he crossed the street and i (having survived my very own coffee shop au) went back to my webinar which was now on the topic of mobile push notifications

The name of this cafe needs to be immortalized for the benefit of all humankind

I love this.
strix_alba: (Default)
2016-11-21 02:30 am
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fursasaida: an-alternative-lifestyle: binches: flannelsandjeans: we can only sext if we roleplay...

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fursasaida:

an-alternative-lifestyle:

binches:

flannelsandjeans:

we can only sext if we roleplay as key figures from the cold war 

im gorbachev who wants to be reagan

Mr. gorbachev tear down those pants
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2016-11-21 01:15 am

the-crazy-geek:Cross stitched fridge magnet. (Not shown are the...

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the-crazy-geek:

Cross stitched fridge magnet. (Not shown are the blisters from sewing it all together. Ouch)

Aaaaaaaah this is super cool! And cute!