862

If someone doesn’t have kids, what’s the best way to care for the future and to make sure society grows for the better?

861

Today in the mail I receive a CD from a friend, with some rather unusual cover art, a book about the advertising industry, and a postcard advertisment reading “How CEO’s of Web Hosting Companies Can Increase Profits Now…”

Something about the juxtaposition of a mix of music by a truly rebellious artist, from a rebellious, anarchist friend, a slightly academic book about culture, advertising and rebellion as an image, and an ad that’s not interesting nor gramatical is kind of fun.

A philosophical question

What are things that parents do to make the world better by making sure their children have?

Don't Quote That...

anandabrat: “If she wasn’t so scary, and her butt wasn’t so weird, I’d buy her.”

858

I’ve been thinking about how I think about things since the little episode in the bar and I’m getting happier that it happened: It sucks that homophobia manifests at all, and especially as threats, assault and abuse. This week, though, I’ve made several new friends, strengthened several other friendships, and I’m thinking about how to approach the man who was so nasty in the future and find out what the fuck his problem is, and see if I can’t get it to go away, if not in general, at least evade it in my case.

It shocked me to see how many people wanted to fix the situation with violence. It never occurred to me that that was even an option to consider. I don’t feel like this town suddenly got dangerous for me. If anything, it just made me more sure of my allies and that all things are solvable.

857

anandabrat is in town! She brought spxoon and it’s awesome. We ate nachos. I’m excited. I also just realized how much I fall back on old patterns when I’m around people I’ve known a while. It feels good to be me though.

I saw Caché this afternoon. It’s really good. Also the first movie in a while to catch me by surprise at an event in it. The subtitles were occasionally annoyingly white on white, and I realize that I don’t speak french more than I don’t speak most other languages.

856

I got up at eight this morning, wide awake even though I was up past three. I went to the coffeeshop and talked to the barista for a while. I’m still digesting last night’s experience and I’m not entirely sure how I feel yet. I ended up staying until the bar closed, so that I knew I had people to walk home with. There were seven of us, and I told them what had happened, and since Jennifer lives right across the park from me, she walked with me most of the way. It made me feel a lot safer. This morning, I ran into her again and she invited me to breakfast with her and a couple of her friends. A lot of positive connections came out of a relatively negative event, but I’m still feeling a bit shaken and angry, despite being in no real physical danger (at least not in the short term), and knowing who my allies are.

855

Looking back on last night, I’m realizing two things. First, I saw it coming. I even had an idea that it was going to be someone in that group of people, an hour in advance.

Second, it makes me really happy to know that I have that many people who’d stand up for me. It made me feel pretty safe, even though I had a total asshole to me in the room.

So that's the end of that.

Up until two and a half hours ago, I was the only queer person I knew who had never been verbally or physically threatened.

I was at the bar — there were maybe 20 friends there, but it’s still not a social environment I feel at home in. Halfway through the evening, a man whose name I should remember but can’t came up to me and loudly demanded “Are you a boy or a girl?” … after a few moments of me saying “I’m kindof in the middle, aren’t I?”, he said “You fucking cocksucker. I should kick your ass.” and he tried to get two other beefy looking guys to back him up. I just kinda smiled and shrugged at the other two guys, and they didn’t even say anything.

I was really flattered that Aubrey, Jennifer, Rob, and Samantha all stood up for me right afterward, after they heard what was going on. I learned a lot about who my allies are here: Rob said “What you’re doing is really bold, especially here in Ridgway. I admire you, er,… man?”

I’m not unhappy about tonight. I’m angry that shit like this happens, but I’m not upset with how things went down. I’m glad I know how to stay safe. I’m glad that me at my drunkest is way more alert than most people when sober. I’m glad I know who my allies are, and I’m glad I have no idea that I just need to beat down the people who talk trash at me.

Good night.

853

I’ve spent a lot of this week being angry. I’m pretty okay with this, too, really. It’s a lot of shitty things, most of which is a bunch of angry customers and a fiber optic circuit which I don’t own, that affects my business, being up and down for far too long. I feel cut off from my normal modes of communication, and just angry that what I intend to do is thwarted.

I’m angry at the government for laws they’re enacting.

I’m angry at the world for being shitty to people I care about.

But today’s actually been okay. The fiber optic circuit isn’t fixed, but it’s less flakey right now. The customers weren’t terrible, just bad. I hung out and talked to people at the café by my office for a bit and had dinner. I talked to jimmysbrkndrms and jwitchbaby tonight on the phone, which made me feel far more at ease with the world.

It’s gorgeous here. It’s spring.

anandabrat is showing up soon. I’m excited.

I wore rainbow socks today. They make my world a little brighter.

852

01. Who are you? 02. Are we friends? 03. When and how did we meet? 04. Do/Did you have a crush on me? 05. Would you kiss me? 06. Describe me in one word. 07. What was your first impression? 08. Do you still think that way about me now? 09. What reminds you of me? 10. If you could give me anything what would it be? 11. How well do you know me? 12. When’s the last time you saw me? 13. Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn’t? 14. Are you going to put this on your journal and see what I say about you?

Thanks, lightwalker

For someone I care about.

You left, I don’t know if you knew what you were doing or just not satisfied as things lay But you ran away, starting what led to your dying day. and you thought it was just you that was hurting, but the ones you left behind got the most. If you had known what you had really done, would you have hurt the ones you loved most?

850

I just got copies of Flight, both volumes 1 and 2 in the mail.

One of the stories already made my breath catch. The subtlety in these is amazing.

849

Last night was bizarre in a really good for me sort of way. I’ve avoided the bar in town for various reasons my whole life here. I’d never been in until last night. They just relocated to a slightly less “cowboy” location, which works fine for me. The occasion was a sending off party for one of the employees of the restaurant across the courtyard from my office. I know all her coworkers, too, and eat there a lot, so everyone going last night was known and friendly. hellion0 went too, since she’s washing dishes for the restaurant, and knows people too.

I have been drunk enough to even feel tipsy only a handful of times, and drunker still only twice. Thrice, now, I guess. That’s enough to make one’s evening somewhat surreal, too.

What was really bizarre was that as the night went on and people got drunker, a guy went around the bar hugging all the girls, me included. He was kind of creepy, but that I got lumped in with the rest of the girls was happy. One of the girls in the crowd started flirting and looking confusedly at me (she’s known me, distantly) and at hellion0. She said “Wait, you used to be the computer geek, and now … you’ve .. got … boobies?”

I wasn’t sure how to respond any more than my usual just being me, and not caring so much how people perceive me at any moment.

Also, Tanqueray and Tonic is a small god in my universe.

848

Most bizarre moment in a long while. Ask me in the morning what I remember.