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Cake day: June 6th, 2023

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  • The library assistant (not even a trained librarian) had such a huge impact on the culture of my high school. He wasn’t particularly well-liked, as he was the rule enforcer (no playing Flash games on the computers during lunch – I think you could play before school), but he’d put a stack of photocopied NYT crosswords out on his desk at the entrance to the library every morning and so many kids did the crossword.

    It’s not just steering kids to books like the quoted parent said; at the schools I went to, it was often non-teaching staff who you felt were looking out for you as an individual, often because you interacted with them mostly one-on-one. Certainly, there were teachers who played a huge role in my life, but I will remember the name of the custodian at my primary school for far longer than I’ll remember the names of some classroom teachers. (I already don’t remember the name of my 2nd or 5th grade teachers, now that I’m thinking about it.) The library is basically the only place you can stash a kid “to do an independent study” (aka let the smart kid amuse themselves), or take a make up test, or hang out when the school elevator is busted and they can’t get upstairs. I guess you can use a “disciplinary center”, but let’s be real.


  • I ended up with like half an autism diagnosis a bit over ten years ago. (Basically, I saw someone for other reasons and they said “Um… I’m pretty sure you’re autistic, you should go talk to these people for a proper diagnosis” and I never did.) Occasionally the idea resurfaces (and is again at the moment, to some degree, because I’m having problems at work that are surely neurodivergence related) and I end up dropping it. Mostly, as far as I can tell, as an adult who is able to live independently, maintain employment, and isn’t going to return to education, there really aren’t many/any resources out there, so it feels a bit pointless. Some people do get a lot of benefit from the confirmation/certainty that comes with a diagnosis, so you may feel a diagnosis is worthwhile for you, even if it doesn’t get you access to any concrete resources. I can’t decide if I’m one of those people or not, to be honest.

    Now, there are concrete downsides to diagnosis–some countries will use an autism diagnosis as grounds to deny a visa; in the US it’s not an unrealistic worry that it’ll make accessing medical transition harder if you’re trans; I have a friend who has come down on the side of “no official diagnosis” for fear it could jeopardise his access to ADHD meds in the future. (I picked up an ADHD diagnosis a couple years ago – I’d been taking meds for anxiety and switch psychiatrists and they were like “Umm… I’m not saying your not anxious, but you’re actually describing ADHD”. I suspect my brain lies in the autism/ADHD uncanny valley. I mention this as a lead in to say that I don’t share my friend’s fear, but it’s also not an unrealistic fear.)










  • What’s your reasoning for sorting people into bathrooms based on their genitals?

    I’m assuming you’re thinking it means someone is “done” with transition. It doesn’t work that way. A good portion of trans people don’t have genital surgery, both due to access issues but also simply not wanting surgery. And, then, depending on where you live, not having surgery may prevent you from updating your gender marker so you don’t have ID, either. (US citizens can change gender markers on passports/passport cards without surgery. Yes, this does mean you have people with different gender markers on different forms of ID.)

    Signed, a transmasculine person who was harassed in women’s bathrooms pre-social transition (never mind medical!). (ETA: I mention this because it goes to show this is ultimately about policing women’s genders–I was seen as “woman-ing wrong” while living as a woman. I have also been harassed in a gender neutral bathroom, believe it or not.)



  • Yeah – while I have a deep and abiding love for Ocean, most of my favorite spirits are from Jagged Earth, I think. I kind of like playing the ridiculously complicated ones to figure out how they work, like the Hummingbird one.

    I like both “solitaire” solo and play two-handed by myself. They’re different kinds of challenges, which is nice. Most of my board game friends aren’t local so I’m basically constantly on the lookout for things that work well solo.