Nostr notes by Artemis

Trying my hand at paper quilling for a little variety. Don't ...

2026-10-27T21:26:17Z

Trying my hand at paper quilling for a little variety. Don't think this is done yet, but it's looking nice I think!

#MakingArt

What's great about baseball is that they can always come up ...

2026-10-27T15:57:02Z

What's great about baseball is that they can always come up with a reason something is historic & record-breaking.

"No one has ever done [very specific thing] in a World Series before!"

They keep track of EVERYTHING.

I did all that talking yesterday about how exciting a close game ...

2026-10-27T13:05:25Z

I did all that talking yesterday about how exciting a close game of baseball can be, only for the Brewers to absolutely stomp the Rays in the 3rd game of the World Series. 8 runs in one inning. The final score was 10 to 1, but the Rays didn't get that 1 until the last inning, too late & far too little.

It was almost painful to watch.

But gotdamn. The Brewers might get their World Series win tonight. Unless the Rays are a different—significantly less demoralized—team tonight, it seems likely.

It's intersex awareness day! Cool. I'm not super ...

2026-10-26T18:33:00Z

It's intersex awareness day! Cool. I'm not super knowledgeable on this topic, & I'm not going to try to speak for experiences I don't have, so I'm not going to write a whole big thing.

BUT

Here's a thing: when conservatives write laws to ban gender affirming care for minors, they ALWAYS make sure there is an exception for unnecessary surgeries on intersex kids (including infants) which they are too young to consent to or even understand, just so they "look normal".

I think Spouse is quietly very happy to have me watching the ...

2026-10-26T13:49:29Z

I think Spouse is quietly very happy to have me watching the World Series with him.

The Brewers are two wins away from "winning baseball" this year.

I'll admit to being excited about that possibility.

I told Spouse "I can't believe I'm getting excited about a sportsball player, but William Contreras is a BEAST."

I dislike when certain women speak for all women especially when ...

2026-10-26T12:36:23Z

I dislike when certain women speak for all women especially when it comes to attitudes towards our own bodies & sex:

Evidence from real life should show these women that they are wrong & that plenty of women are openly, eagerly sexual for their own reasons & not merely to please or pacify men.

Nostr event nevent1qqsg6plp29cqtwrzcnlhncpqf06xcgtktlv409z2qul6esdayweyqeqzyrzp89cjhyc7enl7aams4shfuxrl88p9c5qeuulqupqlg5uehyvs5452nx3

2026-10-24T00:54:07Z

The World Series: brought to you by AI & gambling.

I talked a while with my former SIL tonight about grieving the ...

2026-10-23T12:33:26Z

I talked a while with my former SIL tonight about grieving the loss of the person I had thought my brother was & the relationship with him that doesn't actually mean anything to him.

It just gets worse & worse. She hasn't wanted to "hurt his relationship" with his family (& wasn't sure what we would be able/willing to hear from her). The truth of their marriage is darker than I wanted to believe.

What an abusive POS.

In case it's unclear, my concern about Republicans ...

2026-10-22T12:10:06Z

In case it's unclear, my concern about Republicans interfering in the election is not that our Great Nation™ is falling into disrepair or something.

I think it's reasonable to be upset & concerned about the possibility of a fascist government interfering in elections even if you're not a big fan of everything related to those elections to begin with.

It's not a great situation to be in.

A lot of us here in the US (self included) have been worrying ...

2026-10-22T10:26:33Z

A lot of us here in the US (self included) have been worrying about whether Republicans will interfere with the midterm elections or refuse to honor the results, but I think we also have to consider that something more bleak may happen.

My guess at the most likely outcome: Democrats win a majority in the House, & despite some huffing & puffing from Republicans, they are seated. Then, Democrats bend over backwards to be "bipartisan" & cooperate with Republicans as much as possible.

"It's only a guillotine if it comes from the Guillotine ...

2026-10-21T23:38:06Z

"It's only a guillotine if it comes from the Guillotine region in France. Otherwise it's just sparkling retribution."

Positive experience with a neurotypical person talking about ...

2026-10-21T22:57:27Z

Positive experience with a neurotypical person talking about autism:

I've watched a couple videos about "what it's like to be neurotypical" by this guy working somewhere in the field of mental health/neurodivergence.

The videos just felt *kind*.

It felt so genuinely kind for someone to say "I'm going to do my best to explain my experiences to you in a way that you will understand. I'm going to try to interpret myself & my experiences *for you*." That doesn't happen much.

Awwh. My niece got my letter, & is already working on writing ...

2026-10-21T19:16:02Z

Awwh. My niece got my letter, & is already working on writing back to me! (according to her mom) 🥰

Ok, I'm inflicting psychic damage on myself by returning to ...

2026-10-21T16:18:35Z

Ok, I'm inflicting psychic damage on myself by returning to that comment section with all the people telling autistic people they are faking it.

Apparently autistic & ADHD people sharing their experiences & finding humor in them is "trivializing serious neurodevelopmental disabilities".

Are we not allowed to find our own lives funny? Are we not allowed to laugh over a relatable experience with others?

Would you like us to just disappear?

Gotta stop reading. Gotta stop.

People who use accessible bathroom stalls, I'm curious about ...

2026-10-21T13:51:07Z

People who use accessible bathroom stalls, I'm curious about your feelings about other people using the stall.

I would never use an accessible stall if another one was available, but then you have either a small bathroom with a small number of stalls or a big bathroom & a long line of people. There are social expectations, & as an autistic person I am hyper aware of being "weird".

So, how do you feel about these kinds of scenarios? Are there some that are clearly worse than others?

I woke up still feeling hurt about this & about some of the ...

2026-10-21T10:04:31Z

I woke up still feeling hurt about this & about some of the bullying comments by his viewers.

Do these people actually not realize that they are making fun of autistic people for being autistic?

It fucking sucks to know that even when you explain "there's a reason you may find me weird: my mind works differently from yours," people will still go, "nope. That's not it. You're a faker. Why are you so weird?"

Oof. A YouTuber whose videos I kinda like decided to do a ...

2026-10-20T20:48:18Z

Oof. A YouTuber whose videos I kinda like decided to do a "people are pretending to have ADHD & autism because they think it makes them special" video, & let me tell you, that shit sucks.

People who do this literally *misunderstand* our communications (likely because we think & interact differently & have very different experiences) & then tell us shit like "What does that have to do with autism? Everyone does that," regarding experiences that they literally know nothing about.

Any time someone says something about "Judeo-Christian" ...

2026-10-20T19:48:04Z

Any time someone says something about "Judeo-Christian" heritage or whatever, tell them to fuck off.

That's not a thing, & it's just Christian Nationalists trying to hijack a religion so they can pretend that more people agree with them when they want to put the 10 Commandments in schools or some bullshit.

"This nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles." Um...what the hell is a "Judeo-Christian"?

(And don't say "Jews for Jesus" or I will scream)

The perhaps silly question I always have is about putting up the ...

2026-10-20T13:52:34Z

The perhaps silly question I always have is about putting up the "ten commandments" in schools & courthouses & stuff is do they specify in those bills that they should use the Protestant 10 Commandments or does the Catholic version count too?

For those who don't know, the original text refers to the fact that YHWH gave Moses 10 "commandments", but it doesn't tell you where they are separated, so Protestants & Catholics break apart & number the commandments differently.

Sometimes talking about Democrats feels like talking about the ...

2026-10-19T21:21:53Z

Sometimes talking about Democrats feels like talking about the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny.

"And then, kids, the Democratic House Majority signed a bill that made everyone equal, & they all lived happily ever after. That is why, on the first Tuesday of November, we fill our ballots out for them."

This is my personal takeaway from writing this thread. I suspect ...

2026-10-19T19:37:41Z

This is my personal takeaway from writing this thread.

I suspect we are all making the mistake of assuming that sure, the Democrats are corrupt, but they do understand the power Congress supposedly has, & they do have the agency & independence to do something with that.

What if that's not true?

What if they aren't mostly serious people making serious decisions? Why should we assume that they are serious & competent & aware that their job is at least *supposed* to be about representing people?

I am of course, using a bit of hyperbole here. I haven't been ...

2026-10-19T16:05:53Z

I am of course, using a bit of hyperbole here.

I haven't been told that we shouldn't be worried about them AT ALL, but it doesn't seem like everyone is acknowledging the size & ferocity of this apocalyptic death cult.

I think if you don't have contact with "conservative" ...

2026-10-19T14:53:17Z

I think if you don't have contact with "conservative" groups & communities in the US, you don't understand how many fascists we are dealing with.

Some people seem to think it's just the Proud Boys & their ilk.

They don't realize that many of the nice church ladies are also *fascists*.

Not all the fascists march in the streets or put on demonstrations. That doesn't mean they aren't cheering for deportations & all manner of violence against the people they deem a threat to their "way of life."

Liberals always tell leftists we're getting in the way of ...

2026-10-19T12:01:52Z

Liberals always tell leftists we're getting in the way of their optics, but god, I hate having to fucking explain to right wingers that celebrating queerness does not mean I'm a fan of Joe Biden.

Doesn't matter if I say "I'm an anarchist. I want to build new things from the ground up. I have no love for the bureaucratic genocide-machine we call a government," they will always end up complaining about Joe Biden & the rest of the Democratic establishment as though they have someone to do with me.

My mom buys American Girl dolls & accessories at thrift ...

2026-10-18T14:15:22Z

My mom buys American Girl dolls & accessories at thrift stores & fixes them up really nice to give to her granddaughters.

The granddaughters really enjoy it, but I think part of the reason she does that is that those dolls were something my older sister & I coveted. We'd read the catalog & decide which doll had the best outfits & accessories & tell our parents how much we really wanted one for Christmas.

Watching the Brewers game last night was a good test of my ...

2026-10-16T19:01:43Z

Watching the Brewers game last night was a good test of my baseball-watching abilities. Spouse was asleep, but I was able to follow almost (but not quite) everything going on.

Having the sound off helped a lot. Commentary can be very distracting.

Spouse stayed awake long enough to teach me how to read that little info bar with the balls & strikes & all that shit. That was all I needed.

I passed the exam! I have now completed the prerequisite to watching the World Series! 🤣

Perhaps I should feel a little sorry for my sister though, who ...

2026-10-16T15:39:21Z

Perhaps I should feel a little sorry for my sister though, who relocated from Iowa to South Carolina.

Those Southern states often have a much stricter concept of who is allowed to belong vs. somewhere like Wisconsin where (in my experience) people seem significantly more willing to accept that if you want to claim it as your home & take pride in it, then it's your home.

Goddammit. I watched a sports game last night & felt ...

2026-10-16T13:32:10Z

Goddammit. I watched a sports game last night & felt emotionally invested in the outcome.

This can't be right.

It did help that Spouse had the sound off. I don't have any interest in listening to sports commentary.

Actually it was kind of funny, because he was exhausted & kept falling asleep, but *I* watched the entire game.

The Brewers are in the playoffs with a very good chance of ...

2026-10-15T19:16:53Z

The Brewers are in the playoffs with a very good chance of beating the Dodgers (4 more games to go, I think), & I'm experiencing something very weird in my marriage.

It's happened more than once now that I have said "maybe tonight's a good night for sex" & Spouse has turned me down because the Brewers are playing.

I'm not mad. He's just never turned me down for *baseball* before.

Oh no! What if they make it to the World Series?

Jesus Christ. The midterms are going to be a true horror show. ...

2026-10-15T16:42:10Z

Jesus Christ. The midterms are going to be a true horror show.

These people are not playing the Democracy Game anymore.

It's hard to fuck with the actual votes. It's hard to convincingly, at large scale, fake the *actual* votes in these elections.

There are, however, lots of possible ways to disqualify votes. They could just declare that certain ballots don't count & certain votes are fake & refuse to count them. George W pulled that off. This Supreme Court would be happy to agree to that.

New thing I'm trying: Letting people misunderstand me. No, ...

2026-10-15T14:41:06Z

New thing I'm trying:

Letting people misunderstand me.

No, really. If I say something that is incomprehensible to them or they misinterpret, if I don't need them to understand me & it isn't important to anything, I just let them misunderstand.

Not when I'm trying to have genuine communication with a friend about something of weight or importance, but if it's a remark I made that someone didn't understand, that's fine. I don't have to put in extraordinary effort to make myself comprehensible.

God. I hate having to use my personal device as an authenticator ...

2026-10-15T13:32:59Z

God. I hate having to use my personal device as an authenticator for work.

I'm getting issues logging on to the company network that I'm pretty sure are related to my phone system being "out of date", but I don't fucking WANT Android 17 on my fucking phone. It's filled with AI garbage.

As things click into place, I'm starting to suspect one of ...

2026-10-15T12:34:14Z

As things click into place, I'm starting to suspect one of the reasons why my brother thinks his life is so hard & that it's still falling apart 6 years after his wife left is that he STILL hasn't fully realized that if he doesn't have a woman doing all the domestic shit for him, then HE has to do it.

Like...it seems like he's confused by how hard adult life is. He thinks there is supposed to be an easier version.

When I got divorced I didn't lose my maid/babysitter. I WAS the maid.

Honestly, if you hear a marginalized person talking about their ...

2026-10-14T17:35:36Z

Honestly, if you hear a marginalized person talking about their experiences, you do NOT need to explain that we all have it bad, actually.

"All lives matter" is kind of the Ur-example of this, but it comes in all flavors.

We're all living in the dystopia, ok? We're not really doing great collectively. We all know this. It's ok for marginalized people to talk about things without thinking about *you* experience. Really, it is.

Thanks all for listening to my family rants. 🫡 I process best ...

2026-10-13T19:43:15Z

Thanks all for listening to my family rants. 🫡

I process best through the written word, & I have also been told by several people at this point that I am the only person they have ever seen writing from personal experience about the effects of inter-sibling conflict.

So I share this shit because I dunno, I guess we're all figuring out how to deal with people. A lot of us have difficult experiences with family that take a lot of processing.

If you're considering becoming a parent, please be aware that ...

2026-10-13T19:09:22Z

If you're considering becoming a parent, please be aware that parenting is exhausting & difficult.

I'm not telling you not to have kids.

It's just that when you make the choice to have a child, you are making the choice to make your life harder. You may find it very fulfilling, & you may love your child very much, but you will have to WORK SO HARD. Just know that going in.

Make an informed choice.

Although as I think about it some more, when I see the ways he ...

2026-10-13T15:27:52Z

Although as I think about it some more, when I see the ways he seems to be drifting away, I wonder if he does want his family to "give up" on him so that he can feel a little less guilt about giving up on his daughter.

I dunno...

I could be wrong, but maybe if he could "prove" that people always give up when the going gets tough, that would buy him an excuse.

Not a good one, mind you. He's been in "crisis" for 15 years, & we've been there for him.

It occurs to me now that the reason my brother is always ...

2026-10-13T13:09:46Z

It occurs to me now that the reason my brother is always complaining about "the system" is not because he wants to be outside of it.

I was just thinking while taking my meds that he should consider medication to help him pick himself up.

And I know what he'd say...he doesn't want to be medicated just so he can fit in & be a good little worker bee.

To which I say... well, why would you do that? The medication is so that you have what it takes to take care of yourself.

Athena (Lil Sis) was just thrilled to hear me ready to shit talk ...

2026-10-13T11:43:56Z

Athena (Lil Sis) was just thrilled to hear me ready to shit talk Bro2. She's been done with him for a bit.

For reference: Bro2 is 37, I'm 34, & Athena is 22. She's the baby. She was 8 years old when he got married & then proceeded to fall to pieces dramatically & thus started the perma-crisis in his life. She was 16 when he got divorced & he started blaming his marriage/divorce for everything.

The rest of us still see the guy with an eye to who we *thought he would be*. Athena never had that.

This was especially frustrating for me as a woman at a school ...

2026-10-12T17:29:31Z

This was especially frustrating for me as a woman at a school that was opposed to women becoming pastors.

I was at seminary for an education in an academic field of study (I was primarily interested in certain portions of the Hebrew Bible), & the new head of the Old Testament Department starts teaching how to write sermons from the text instead of teaching us how to research & understand the text in historical context & I'm like "you people wouldn't even let me preach a sermon if I wrote one."

It is NOT good to see mega church, prosperity-Gospel Christianity ...

2026-10-12T16:46:38Z

It is NOT good to see mega church, prosperity-Gospel Christianity converge with the version of Christian extremism I grew up with, but it seems what they CAN all agree on is that Christians should have power over ever aspect of everyone's lives.

The "7 Mountains Mandate" is new to me & comes out of a different side of that religion that I never personally experienced, but it perfectly converges with the Christian reconstructionists' plan for "dominion".

I grew up on the fringes of American evangelicalism. At some ...

2026-10-12T12:46:15Z

I grew up on the fringes of American evangelicalism.

At some point I started referring to myself as "evangelical" because it indicated to people that I was a conservative Christian & that I took a lot of stuff in the Bible literally.

However, I grew up in a Reformed confessional tradition, meaning our church held to certain church confessions that were centuries old at that point. We had defined doctrine which "evangelicalism" did not necessarily align well with.

During D&D yesterday, the whole party had to be reminded by ...

2026-10-11T16:21:58Z

During D&D yesterday, the whole party had to be reminded by the DM that straight people exist.

All of our characters are canonically bisexual (thereby aligning with our own sexuality), & the DM, also being bisexual, typically makes NPCs who likewise swing both ways (with the occasional gay/lesbian for variety). Write what you know, right?

But I guess SOMETIMES the NPCs are straight. We were briefly confused, though.

Talked to Niece's mom briefly (she had a question about ...

2026-10-10T14:23:12Z

Talked to Niece's mom briefly (she had a question about something family-related). Got to find out my brother had told Niece yesterday that she ought to ignore her intuition about an adult she didn't feel safe with. Lectured her about it in fact. (The adult in question is a friend of his)

Nope. Nope. Nope. Niece needs to stay with her mom full time & my brother can go wander off to do whatever he wants. That's not a way to raise your child. That's not a safe approach to take.

It's frustrating when people assume you don't know ...

2026-10-10T01:02:03Z

It's frustrating when people assume you don't know something because you are making a specific point about a specific thing, & thus didn't mention another aspect of the topic.

Like... you're not wrong, but also...I know that? I just wasn't discussing it in this thread.

Speaking of "drawing the line at public executions", ...

2026-10-09T19:34:37Z

Speaking of "drawing the line at public executions", here's one for the "just vote harder" crowd:

When the fascist regime is saying they are going to start live streaming execution (by FIRING SQUAD), do you still think we should submit to & obey the state?

Destruction of rich people's property isn't ...

2026-10-09T19:27:32Z

Destruction of rich people's property isn't "violence".

I mean, I'm not telling you to do anything.

But that's not what violence is.

The US was already an evil empire. It's been an evil empire. ...

2026-10-09T18:48:13Z

The US was already an evil empire.

It's been an evil empire.

It's just that more of us used to benefit.

Just saw someone say if we elected Kamala we could then have just ...

2026-10-09T18:02:38Z

Just saw someone say if we elected Kamala we could then have just protested & "she would cave to the pressure and intervene."

What magical fairytale land do they come from?

Biden sure didn't.

Also...what pressure? What kind of actual pressure would we be exerting that would force that? Shouting & waving signs?

The side effect of processing shit with my brother is having to ...

2026-10-09T16:32:29Z

The side effect of processing shit with my brother is having to also work on accepting that it isn't possible to act "perfectly" in every situation.

You will look back & think, "if I knew what I know now, I would have said & done a lot of different things. If I understood what was happening & why people were acting as they were, I would have made different choices."

Ok, but I didn't. Were the same shit to happen today, I would respond differently, but I'm a different person now.

So many men will say "their life ended" when they got ...

2026-10-09T15:54:57Z

So many men will say "their life ended" when they got divorced.

It's so weird that your life was wrapped up in another person's labor, dude.

How do I have people in my life who don't realize that the ...

2026-10-09T15:51:29Z

How do I have people in my life who don't realize that the people in charge are the baddies when they start doing public executions?

Authoritarian followers are a fucking nightmare. They don't have their own lines in the sand, their own internal morality.

The most important thing about "recognizing your ...

2026-10-09T15:05:37Z

The most important thing about "recognizing your privilege" is that you must reject the notion of continuing to benefit from the systems that privilege you.

You have to commit to their destruction. You cannot cling to your privilege, because it can exist only through oppression.

Let go of your dreams of "making it" in a world built on the bones of other people. Let go of the idea of "success" that can only be bought with the blood of those crushed beneath your feet.

My brother wants to be the most conformist ...

2026-10-09T14:21:37Z

My brother wants to be the most conformist "non-conformist" that he can, & it's fucking weird.

I'm over here going "I'm an actual 'build everything from the ground up & end all forms of hierarchy' anarchist. YOU want to be able to wear pretty scarves but ALSO still hang out with authoritarians. Who is the fucking non-conformist here?"

There we go! Letter to Niece posted. I picked out 3 adorable wolf ...

2026-10-09T13:46:17Z

There we go! Letter to Niece posted. I picked out 3 adorable wolf stickers from the pack that I bought (as someone else put it, putting the "pack" in "pack of stickers").

There are so many more stickers left, so there's enough for several more letters/birthday cards/what-have-you. I learned from my mom (who always had to do Christmas on a tiny budget) that if there is something a child likes, it never hurts to buy in bulk & stock-up for a long time to come.

I don't think I fully realized how fucked up this behavior ...

2026-10-08T12:05:13Z

I don't think I fully realized how fucked up this behavior was until I heard Apollo's crushed tone of voice reacting to that.

I'd kept it from Apollo because I didn't want to damage his relationship with our brother, but I don't give a fuck now.

Apollo has spent years trying to be a supportive brother as Bro2 has stumbled through the world complaining the whole time about how uniquely difficult his life is. And Bro2 wanted to skip his wedding...a wedding happening in the city where he lived.

Just talked with Apollo (Lil Bro) about Bro2, & Jeeeezus ...

2026-10-08T02:56:18Z

Just talked with Apollo (Lil Bro) about Bro2, & Jeeeezus Christ. To hear Bro2 tell it, he was all alone during this certain portion of his life, & no one was in it.

Apparently Apollo (who lived in the same city at the time) spent time with Bro2 when he could & tried a bunch of other times without success.

How come I never hear Apollo mentioned when Bro2 talks about that time??

I spend today bitching about Bro2 on here, & then Apollo ...

2026-10-07T21:24:25Z

I spend today bitching about Bro2 on here, & then Apollo sends me a text saying "whyyyy did I think I could help Bro2?"

I was just thinking I was getting to be ok with my family, but as ...

2026-10-07T18:45:26Z

I was just thinking I was getting to be ok with my family, but as my niblings are reaching adolescence it's like "ok, gear up for round two!"

LOL

I fought for myself & my little brother & little sister. I can do it even better now.

My brother has been saying he doesn't feel supported by ...

2026-10-07T16:00:46Z

My brother has been saying he doesn't feel supported by family, & one of the reasons he gives is "I think Dad isn't talking to me," & I've never quite gotten a straight answer on what that means, but I think maybe I've figured it out.

There's no way that my dad would not pick up the phone when my brother calls.

Bro2 is constantly teetering on the edge of crisis, & my dad is our crisis line (call Mom for chatting & catching up; call Dad if you need help NOW).

Here's another fun one: apparently (according to my ex-SIL) ...

2026-10-07T12:37:25Z

Here's another fun one: apparently (according to my ex-SIL) my brother uses the statistics about the higher level of violence that queer people experience as evidence that queer people are extremely violent to other queer people.

I suppose the assumption is that we never have contact with anyone but each other?

Wouldn't all those extra "thoughts" all be the same ...

2026-10-07T11:51:38Z

Wouldn't all those extra "thoughts" all be the same things everyone else is "thinking", too? Like, those aren't thoughts. They're more like ads.

@nprofile…l506 LOL Wouldn't all those extra ...

2026-10-07T11:51:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…h8q3
_________________________

nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnyd968gmewwp6kyqpq4v082xqmh49e8v9wes2s3r568acr2cqc88zhptye6uqn4m4ppvss92l506 (nprofile…l506)
LOL

Wouldn't all those extra "thoughts" all be the same things everyone else is "thinking", too? Like, those aren't thoughts. They're more like ads.

A funny thing about the people who always make you feel like you ...

2026-10-07T02:10:56Z

A funny thing about the people who always make you feel like you are inferior to them is that they are then surprised when your efforts to prove you are not inferior make you a more interesting, well-rounded person than they could ever be bothered to become.

Truthfully, I think my older siblings never forgave us younger ...

2026-10-07T01:05:35Z

Truthfully, I think my older siblings never forgave us younger ones for stealing the parental attention they thought was theirs alone.

I don't believe they've ever fully accepted that we are all equal parts of the family with them.

I am pretty sure that as soon as I was born my sister instantly resented me so much for being another girl, & she never let it go.

Sometimes I think if we weren't living in the apocalypse it ...

2026-10-06T23:26:59Z

Sometimes I think if we weren't living in the apocalypse it would be cool to have a kid or two, but then I remember that I already know a bunch of kids who need someone to look out for them.

There's no shortage of kids, but there is a definite shortage of safe, trusted adults.

God. I feel like such a sucker for my older brother sometimes. ...

2026-10-06T12:41:31Z

God. I feel like such a sucker for my older brother sometimes.

Like...I find out from his ex wife that when his daughter comes & stays with him for several weeks, she doesn't have a shower.

He's living out in a converted bus in the middle of nowhere, & when his daughter comes to stay, he can't even provide her with a reasonable level of hygiene.

I don't even know why I assumed that he would make sure he was doing the bare minimum for her.

Texted my ex SIL & ended up on a phone call with her: a) I ...

2026-10-05T21:14:12Z

Texted my ex SIL & ended up on a phone call with her:

a) I think my brother told me fox when apparently it's *wolf*. Sorry, niece! Your dad should listen to you.

b) her mom is very supportive & happy for her daughter to be herself & express her identity however she likes.

c) She also told me a little more about how my brother responded, & I am going to have to push him to not fuck up his relationship with his daughter over this (any worse than he already has).

So apparently my niece has told my brother she's a therian ...

2026-10-05T14:46:40Z

So apparently my niece has told my brother she's a therian (the identity of an animal), & he thinks she's been indoctrinated by an "ideology".

I guess I should ask him what the ideology is, but I'm not sure I want to know.

I don't think it's surprising that my neurodivergent niece whose life experience is extremely different from her friends would feel somewhat alien to other people & want to express that, which is what I told him.

Having conversations with my brother who is recovering from the ...

2026-10-05T13:17:16Z

Having conversations with my brother who is recovering from the trauma of a toxic marriage & suffering severe autistic burnout & explaining to him that his 10 year old does NOT actually have to be understanding of him & why he can't be the father she feels she needs.

*I'm* understanding & empathetic towards him, but his daughter does not have to pretend to be unaffected just because he's doing the best he can.

A common theme in my art is using distinct individual pieces to ...

2026-10-03T19:14:17Z

A common theme in my art is using distinct individual pieces to make an organic whole. It's an anarchist thing...

I have to curse myself when I decide that I'm going to work with 1/4 inch circles though...

#MakingArr

We just saw the film The Samurai & the Prisoner, & it is ...

2026-10-01T02:12:50Z

We just saw the film The Samurai & the Prisoner, & it is a delight.

It reeled me in & kept me questioning everyone's loyalties & paying close attention.

I just had a lot of fun with it.

Tbh, I think this may tell you something about the state of ...

2026-09-30T17:10:14Z

Tbh, I think this may tell you something about the state of "news reporting" that everyone was breathlessly exclaiming over how he "seemingly confused the Hawks with the Hawkeyes", when the actual "evidence" Schmitt showed didn't contain either name.

I keep saying "it's not important" because I don't think it is, but I still feel like some things are on display here, & one of them is that a lot of our "news" is just running with the first idea they can come up with: not unlike what Schmitt did.

Ok here's what I think about that Jack Smith hearing ...

2026-09-30T13:32:11Z

Ok here's what I think about that Jack Smith hearing basketball thing:

I don't think Sen. Schmitt confused "Hawks" & "Hawkeyes". I think the similar names are just coincidence. The team name wasn't in the texts.

Schmitt said later in an interview & a podcast that Atlanta game was the only NBA game happening that night. I don't even know if that's true, but that's the faulty reason that led them to conclude he was at a Hawks game.

Spouse & I came up with a TV show called "Damon Lindelof ...

2026-09-30T05:43:42Z

Spouse & I came up with a TV show called "Damon Lindelof Wanders Off a Cliff."

The first season starts at the bottom of the cliff, in the aftermath of him wandering off the cliff. Then we flash back, & we don't see the cliff again until the season finale, where it is introduced, but no one wanders off it.

Season 2 starts after a time skip forward. It's well after the events of the cliff. You never see Damon Lindelof wander off the cliff.

That's what watching a Damon Lindelof show feels like.

Ok, but here's the thing. You'd think if Sen. Schmitt ...

2026-09-30T04:40:04Z

Ok, but here's the thing. You'd think if Sen. Schmitt & his team actually believed they had something with those texts they put on a poster board, they wouldn't have flashed them for just a second & try to avoid having them looked at. What they showed contained no team names at all. No mention of Hawks/Hawkeyes on the board

I dunno that this is important (the only reason that I care is that Iowa doesn't make the news much, so my brain alerts: "Iowa mentioned!")

An annoying thing when I mention to people that I frequently have ...

2026-09-30T02:44:40Z

An annoying thing when I mention to people that I frequently have no appetite for days at a time, they say "I have the opposite problem. I want to eat too much."

And like...you can see from my body that this is not keeping me thin, & it is obviously NOT HEALTHY to not eat food regularly.

So why diminish it like that? It's a serious problem.

Do they say that because in our fatphobic culture, not eating is considered better than eating?

It took me a while to understand what people meant when they ...

2026-09-29T16:55:56Z

It took me a while to understand what people meant when they complained about those "In this house we believe..." signs being performative liberal bullshit, but eventually I figured out that my confusion was because of a difference in context.

We took my parents to a bookstore to pick out their Christmas ...

2026-09-29T13:27:26Z

We took my parents to a bookstore to pick out their Christmas gifts last year, & my dad went straight to the Black history section to find his.

Again I will say it: WHAT?

People are capable of learning more & getting better. We don't see it as often as we'd like, but it. is. possible.

It is even possible for people in their 60s who have lived their whole lives in extremist, right-wing religious fundamentalism.

My mom listened to Rush Limbaugh EVERY DAY when I was a kid. That's where she was.

My spouse & I are going to start a "book club" with ...

2026-09-29T13:13:55Z

My spouse & I are going to start a "book club" with my parents once they recover from moving to their new house.

We want to read the book Jesus & John Wayne with them (they've read it before—Spouse & I are reading for the 1st time).

I think it is going to be a wonderful journey because in some ways that book is the story of their lives, the story of how & why they got trapped in religious extremism, & we are going to read it & talk about it together!

I say "I am a different person now," but perhaps even ...

2026-09-29T12:31:57Z

I say "I am a different person now," but perhaps even more notably: so are my parents.

I gave my mom the book "An Indigenous People's History of the United States" (Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz) for her birthday, & she thanked me, & sat there reading the information on the dust jacket & flipping through the pages, & seemed pleased & excited about it.

I say "I am a different person now," but perhaps even ...

2026-09-29T12:31:57Z

quoting
nevent1q…xvsp
I am a different person now because of the information that became available to me when I reached adulthood.

The fucking decades of academic research & poignant accounts of lived experiences of oppression opened the entire world up to me.

I really do think I came of age at the peak moment where it all started bubbling over, where marginalized & oppressed people's voices finally punched through culturally in a way they never had before.

Pay attention to the people you get commentary from. If you NEVER ...

2026-09-29T12:06:31Z

Pay attention to the people you get commentary from. If you NEVER hear "I was wrong about..." from them, don't fucking trust them. No one is ever 100% right all the time, & we all sometimes find ourselves *thinking* we understand a topic but not being aware of the nuance we're missing.

I don't have a specific thing in mind at the moment, but...we all get things wrong so don't trust anyone who won't correct themselves.

It's a small glimmer of hope in the darkness that the ...

2026-09-28T21:00:59Z

It's a small glimmer of hope in the darkness that the authoritarian crackdown & the impassioned defense of the white supremacist kyriarchy are happening now because those who wish to retain their power are feel *threatened* by the progress we have made.

It feels like we are "going backwards," but that's the whiplash as they slam on the brakes to try to halt our forward movement. They aren't "getting worse". They've always been monsters. They are getting more desperate because they are scared.

It's weird how the moment where everything "went ...

2026-09-28T18:27:27Z

It's weird how the moment where everything "went wrong" coincides with the moment when silenced voices began to reach new audiences, telling truer narratives of the past.

It's almost as though the division long predates us becoming more conscious of it.

Commentator on US politics: "It's a pivotal moment in our ...

2026-09-28T16:59:41Z

Commentator on US politics: "It's a pivotal moment in our nation's history"

Is it the collapse? Tell me it's the collapse.

Because I'm not cheering for the white supremacist, colonialist state to somehow "right itself" here.

The phrase "our nation's history" is already making some pretty bold claims/assumptions. "Our nation"? Whose nation?

To whom does it belong? I can think of some people to whom it doesn't belong, starting with the indigenous people whose land we're standing on.

Ed Sheeran just feels like the definition of an "industry ...

2026-09-28T13:24:17Z

Ed Sheeran just feels like the definition of an "industry plant".

His utter obliviousness to the moral & political commitments of his co-performancers is part of the evidence of it, I think.

Ed has made it as far as he has by always kissing the hand that feeds him. Somehow he was blindsided that his backing band, who say they are "founding members of the Irish Artists for Palestine movement", ditched him for his cowardly, sniveling obedience to a pro-genocide billionaire.

It's so sick that they call it the "Industrial ...

2026-09-28T13:13:58Z

It's so sick that they call it the "Industrial Revolution", when what it actually did was further cement the economic power of the few over the many.

That's not a revolution. It's the further entrenchment of the institutional power of the rich, as the poor fully lose control over the fruits of their labor.

With automation came brand new opportunities for one single person to reap the benefit of the labor of hundreds of thousands of other people.

What a "revolution".

LOL Taylor Swift just released a "deluxe" version (4! ...

2026-09-28T01:12:42Z

LOL

Taylor Swift just released a "deluxe" version (4! New! Songs!) of her The Life of a Showgirl album called—get this—The Life of a Showgirl: Encore.

The Life of a Showgirl forced life-long Swifties to reevaluate their attachment to her as an artist because the music was so fucking bad & disrespectful towards its own audience, & then she calls the Deluxe edition "Encore"?

Come on, girl, you are trying too hard. You did not get called back for an encore.

I'm so glad the DNC is letting me know I forgot to donate to ...

2026-09-28T00:41:43Z

I'm so glad the DNC is letting me know I forgot to donate to them this year, because wouldn't you know it? It totally slipped my mind!

For god's sake.

Yeah, I just unfollowed someone who was posting about her ...

2026-09-27T16:49:10Z

Yeah, I just unfollowed someone who was posting about her encounters with "demons".

I do not find it harmless to believe that there are malevolent spiritual beings trying to fuck with you & mess up your life.

I think believing in literal demons that influence people's behaviors leads to utterly othering & dehumanizing other human beings. That's the path that goes.

I cannot block the Democratic fundraising texts & emails fast ...

2026-09-27T16:34:36Z

I cannot block the Democratic fundraising texts & emails fast enough. They just keep coming & coming.

Why the hell are all these millionaires asking for MY money, when I know their billionaire friends are paying them very well indeed?

I'm not ripping off Godzilla Minus One to give my ...

2026-09-27T16:22:21Z

I'm not ripping off Godzilla Minus One to give my apocalypse-surviving rpg character a makeshift family. You are!

No, no, wait. Hang on. It's me.

I just love the "no, none of us are actually related. We're not a couple, & that's not our child. It's just easier to survive if you have someone to care about, & none of us have anyone else" setup.

Also, my answer for a hypothetical artificial super-intelligence ...

2026-09-27T15:10:45Z

Also, my answer for a hypothetical artificial super-intelligence judging me for my actions is the same as it is for a hypothetical god: "I did my best & tried to make the most rational decisions given all the information that was available to me. Do you have a fucking problem with that?"

And just like with god, if Roko's Basilisk does (someday) exist, & it decides to punish me for acting morally & rationally, well, I guess I'm getting fucking punished.

I won't submit to a hypothetical being.

I love people talking about the awesome destructive power of AI ...

2026-09-27T14:41:36Z

I love people talking about the awesome destructive power of AI & how concerned they are, while putting it into everything.

My friends, it cannot possibly be dangerous EXCEPT if you make it so.

Russian roulette is a lot safer if you just don't load the gun.

AI isn't coming for us. AI isn't taking over. But AI may still cause massive disasters because of the things people choose to use it for.

Just don't load the fucking gun, you fucking assholes.

A huge point of encouraging right-wing conspiracy theories has ...

2026-09-27T12:51:39Z

A huge point of encouraging right-wing conspiracy theories has got to be to silence discussion of the things they complain about that are REAL.

They are often "right" about what "the government" is doing, except they create such a distorted, ridiculous, & harmful image that it becomes difficult to engage with.

They always apply it wrong. They'll go through a list of repressive government actions & then somehow describe the very people who those actions affect most in real life as the villains.

"Progressive candidate jailed after ICE protests says officer ...

2026-09-27T12:17:40Z

"Progressive candidate jailed after ICE protests says officer threatened to shoot pet"

Let's be clear about something: we aren't free, here in the US. The political repression is real & obvious (& nowhere is it more obvious than Texas).

This shit is delivered matter-of-factly, but... fascist authoritarianism is here *now*. It actually has been here for a bit, but they are tightening the screws.

https://www.rawstory.com/misael-ramos/

I told my therapist that I was surprised when I checked in with ...

2026-09-26T17:14:49Z

I told my therapist that I was surprised when I checked in with myself before our session & didn't know what I was feeling.

I think it's probably a "good thing" or at least it's a good thing that it is *possible* for me to not be utterly in & inescapably aware of my feelings.

I was just...having a day.

This is basically new for me. Or at least new for adult-me. I think this was often the case for child-me, but at some point I think I became hyper-vigilant about my emotional state.

I realized that I might actually enjoy horror games, because ...

2026-09-24T20:14:26Z

I realized that I might actually enjoy horror games, because often my biggest problem with videogames is my fear of failure. I get so stressed out.

But failure in horror games is something you are supposed to experience. It's part of the fun.

I only made it one night at Freddy's so far, but I think I may keep going. It wouldn't be any fun without the jumpscares after all, so is that really even "failure".

A lot of people who think rabbits are boring, dumb, & ornery ...

2026-09-24T19:33:01Z

A lot of people who think rabbits are boring, dumb, & ornery have only seen rabbits that are kept in terrible cramped conditions without a proper diet & no opportunities to play.

Admittedly, rabbits can be very feisty, but if your rabbit is always in a bad mood, that's 100% on you.