AI: Flagging
Being of a femme-ish presentation (more tomboy, or just ‘gamer,’ really), I am assumed to be straight by nearly all of the people I meet. This is annoying, though something I’m unfortunately quite used to. A recent internet white rabbit hunt had me reading about femme flagging using colored nail polish, and thence to the hanky code and other sartorial signals historically or currently used to co... »
Quickies 4/22/2013
If you haven’t seen this yet, check out the New Zealand House of Commons breaking out into song after legalizing gay marriage. 18 illustrated responses to street harassment. The curator of the Everday Sexism Project talks about the project, about the sexist hate mail she gets, and about the support network that’s developed around it: “Success stories began to pour in. In their ow... »
AI: The Stories We Tell
When I get into conversations with friends about books, we often fall into discussion of not just our favorites, but those that have influenced our thinking the most. I can trace certain things about myself directly to novels (and legends, and sometimes movies) because of how strongly some elements affected me, and that is at once both fascinating and a bit frightening. Janny Wurts’s Wars of Ligh... »
AI: Awe, and Science
One of the common misconceptions that religious and spiritual people sometimes have about atheists like me is the belief that we do not experience awe. I once had a dear friend ask me “How can you not believe in anything bigger than yourself?” I laughed when he said it, and said that the universe was big enough for me, thank you very much. I can understand why some religious people mig... »
AI: Home at the Con
It’s convention season again, and while I’m not one to go hopping through several over the course of the year (grad school schedule and budget makes that an impossibility), my one non-negotiable vacation each year is Dragon*Con. Whenever I go there, or to a Renaissance festival (not yearly, but frequent), it feels like I’m stepping into a bubble completely removed from the rest of the world, and ... »
Microagressions
I’ve had some weird experiences lately. Today, a good friend’s parents, whose known me for many years (long enough to have seen my magical transformation from person with untreated chronic illness, to person with treated chronic illness), asked me, “Have you ever tried not being on anything? Like not taking any medications?” Yea I did. Remember how I used to be in constant ... »
