oldladyplays

oldladyplays, 6 days ago to random

OMG. I am ded of old.

I just encountered a young friend referring to the books by Tolkien as "the novelization of those old movies".

oldladyplays, 7 days ago to random

One thing transition brought me was relief from the rage. I often wonder how many of you had this too. In part, this is because in the fight/flight/et c. response, I'm pretty much always ready for the fight. Or I was.

I once had a car cut across four lanes to cut me off so he could turn left off the one-way street at the next light. I honked, he flipped me off. When he pulled up at the light, I bumped his car. Just a little. Not enough to set off airbags. Just a wee tappy-tap.

That one cost me CAD500 to square away.

Cut to five years later, post-transition, I'm in a gas station in downtown Toronto. We pulled up behind someone and started working the pump. The person in front drove off.

Someone pulled up behind us and honked that we should get out of the way, and go use the other pump. We waved them around. They declined, with a prominent showing of middle fingers to accompany it. My two friends, a lesbian couple, both got out of their front seats to challenge these other women to a fight. I jumped out even quicker, and got my biggest-body-on-the-site between the two groups, arms out. And they start trying to take pokes at each other, around me. I'm blocking these. They all got frustrated, but I stayed there until everyone calmed down and got back in their cars. I finished pumping the gas, went to pay, and we drove off.

What happened between incident A and incident B? Estrogen, baby. I had transitioned, and finally gotten on hormones. And when I did, the rage just...floated away like a soap bubble on the breeze. Pop! I had lived with that rage, I hadn't realized, for all the previous 27 years of my life.

And transition made it go "poof".

I thought that was all of it. I would still get angry occasionally, but the daily undercurrent of rage at the world that I'd felt since I realised I was a girl at 4...that went.

Then I had my bottom surgery. And found out what a life without T would be like. I lost almost all aggression. The rage fuel tank was empty.

oldladyplays, 11 days ago to random

Just because I know there are folk out there who need to hear it: not only are Black professionals not more likely to make life-threatening errors than white professionals, the racist headwinds those Black professionals faced to become recognized and credentialed made it so that only the very best got through.

The hardest-working, smartest people got through. Sound like anything we're nominally pursuing?

This is why they say that a Black person has to work twice as hard, be twice as good, as a white person to get similar success. Not only should you not cringe when you see a Black pilot flying your plane, you should salute her for the hard-ass work she did to get into that pilot's seat. She is, by facing the fires of racist hell, circle by circle, going to be among the most qualified pilots you could find.

It is blatantly and self-evidently counter-productive to try to segregate certain jobs, any jobs. By definition, the most qualified person should win, no? That's what our supposed meritocracy means?

Then it's about time we faced reality, and recognized that the systems we've built in majority-white Western nations produce top-quality graduates...from the repressed groups. It's human nature. If the representation is less than in public life, then there are fewer spots being chased by the same number of people. That's going to inflate the grade level needed to get in above that of the best students in majority populations. It's just reality. Math.

This is how deep white supremacy colonizes our minds. We buy into these false, self-serving white supremacist beliefs, like "affirmative action means the unqualified will get through".

We as white people in those countries need to do more to unravel these beliefs when we encounter them. You may not convince the bigot in front of you. But you might just sway the ignorant person listening to both of you.

Be safe, but be bold: challenge racism where you see it. And learn to see it better. I will be.

oldladyplays, 21 days ago to random

#TransVoiceFriday is here, and I wanted to join in on the fun. so here's 30 seconds of me saying stuff. Description is available by mouseover.

JoscelynTransient, 23 days ago to music

#Music Mastodon: what are some active woman-fronted or queer psychobilly bands?

I have been looking for new music in one of my favorite genres lately, and it seems like it bottomed out in like 2017 or so 😖

For reference, some favorites include: The Cramps, the Horrorpops, Mad Marge, and the Distillers

#Rockabilly #Psychobilly #Punkabilly

oldladyplays, 23 days ago to random

Hey, anyone know of a job opportunity for a brilliant nuclear physicist with skills to pay the bills? She's located in the Bay Area of California in the US. Check her account for a recent post on her outline of her skills:

https://chaosfem.tw/@rooster/112283186578656777

Boosts welcome.

@rooster

Jaden3, 25 days ago to random

Had a long ass chat with my gramma last nite. She said ' Jaden you will never find happiness because all you do is plan for the next thing, always looking for something new and better. Just sit back and enjoy what you got'.
Think she may have a point??????
What yall think 🤔

oldladyplays, 25 days ago to random

What Linux People Don't Get About The Rest of Us

It's fairly simple. I don't want to spend my time managing my OS. Finding drivers, and compatibility, and all that: you find that fun and interesting. I find it boring and irritating. When I sit down at my computer I want to do the thing I came there to do, not spend my time convincing my computer to run properly. With Windoze, I generally don't have to do that. It's not perfect at eliminating that stuff, but it's a lot less technical and involved than running a Linux distro.

Yes, I'm sure you're able to do just that. Make room in your brain for the idea that not everyone is capable of that, or wants to be capable of that. While I've no doubt that the sign I've hung out here will draw the Reply Guys like no one's business, you're not going to get me to change my mind. I know what I enjoy doing, and maintaining my OS is not among it.

I built - from scraps - my first PC at 14, in 1980. I'm not indigitate (think illiterate, but for digital stuff). I just don't want to. That's not where I get my entertainment from computers.

I'm very glad you get the enjoyment you do out of Linux. Long may it continue. But make room for the idea that we don't all enjoy computing in the way that you do, and that that is okay.

Or (tl;dr version): Damnit Jim, I'm a linguist not a mechanic!

oldladyplays, 28 days ago to random

Mmmm...just spent the morning nerding out with a friend about languages. It was glorious. We must have talked for about an hour and a half. About polyglots, and Armenian history, and classical Japanese, and all kinds of stuff. I love having friends who know more than me about stuff. 😁

DivineKestrel, 1 month ago to random

I need a girl to explore my vagina like they are going on fucking safari. I want her full-on diving into my pussy and living there I want her to disappear into the bush..

oldladyplays, 1 month ago to disability

Alright, subtoot time, but positively so.

A friend of mine with significant visual impairment pointed out that the lack of description on images is a cultural problem on Fedi, not an individual failure.

So, let me do a thing to help build that culture.

How I Do Image Description

I close my eyes. I look at the image first, and close my eyes. Then I try to describe it without looking. I find this focuses me on the important things to get the image across, without getting distracted by unnecessary detail.

It's okay to peek. I have a strong visual memory, so I'm good with one look, but not everyone is. But do try and see the picture in your mind, if you're not aphantasic.

If you are, I'm not sure if I know a way to help. I apologise; I don't know enough about it to know yet. I did want to acknowledge that not everyone can do this approach.

Anyway, that's my contribution today to creating a culture of image description.

What can you do to add to it?

#Blind #Disability #AltText

eniko, 1 month ago (edited 1 month ago) to random

How many 80 gram servings of fruits and vegetables do you consume a day on average?

EDIT: lets not judge people in the replies, okay?

oldladyplays, 1 month ago to random

I will say as a preface to this post that I dearly love my young friends. I honestly do.

But sometimes, it don't half hurt to be friends with them. Like when a group of us are talking, most in their 20s, plus me, and one of them talks about how gross it is when some old person hits on them, "all grey hair and wrinkles in their 50s".

Like...ouch? I mean, yes, it's a little creepy when someone that age hits on someone so young. But have a bit of empathy, folks, for who's listening when you're talking. I didn't really need to hear today that I'm gross for being all grey hair and wrinkles in my 50s.

I know I'm not. I don't desperately need reassurance. But yeesh. Just...have some empathy for your listeners? A bit?

oldladyplays, 1 month ago to random

A friend of mine with a functioning uterus told me recently she was having an IED put in, to keep her from getting pregnant.

I said I thought that was a little extreme, and that maybe an IUD would be better.

JoscelynTransient, 1 month ago to trans

TRANS FRIENDS:
Would you be willing to let me share pictures of your transition timeline on my blog?

There are so many of us that feel like it will be impossible to ever be ourselves. I want to show what social transition, HRT, and/or gender-affirming surgeries are capable of doing for us because I know that would have made a difference for me once upon a time.

If you can reply or send me a direct message with your timeline or before/after images, and let me know whether you want your name/masto handle on it or if you would prefer to have no name/handle on it, I would really appreciate it! The piece in question will discuss a little bit of complicated history of the before/after transition images but then focus on the power of seeing how dynamic our bodies are and how much is possible through different kinds of transition. If you change your mind after sharing, I can always remove your images.

#Trans #Transgender #Transition #GenderEuphoria #Queer

oldladyplays, 1 month ago to random

A cis man's take on Trans Day of Visibility and Easter Sunday being on the same day this year. It won't go where you think it will, based on how he looks and talks. Give him a shot, and see if you still feel that way when he's finished talking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTwb0yTuy1E

And special bonus video: He also offered some dating advice a few years ago that has some relevance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0XX6OxfTNs

oldladyplays, 1 month ago to random

Spending my morning learning how to pronounce the names of my Polish friends. It's a challenge, but at least their orthography is pretty regular - no weird shit like silent letters (I'm looking at you, FR and EN), letters that change value based on placement (RU, we need to talk about Г), weird diphthongs (NE, what's with "ij"?), or other tricks of other orthographies.

It's challenging because the sounds are not immediately obvious to a non-native speaker, but once you learn the orthography (aka spelling), it's pretty easy.

A short guide to a couple of bits for those who want to play our home game.

sz: sh
cz: ts
ł: w
ę: nasalized e

Anyway, that's enough to get you going. Start figuring out how to pronounce the names of your Polish friends! It's fun and rewarding.

oldladyplays, 1 month ago to random

April Fool's Day is the worst and stupidest tradition we have about the calendar. "Ha ha, we'll have a day where everybody lies and tries to trick everyone else, and it'll all be a big laugh and no one will get hurt."

It's bullshit. Most AfD jokes (see what I did there?) are cruel and mean-spirited, making fun of people for trusting you. Is that really how you want to be known?

Needless to say, you can trust there will be none of that shit coming from this account on Monday. I'm always up for actual fun, you know, the kind where people are invited to take part and enjoy, rather than some of them singled out for mockery.

Yep, I'm the mayor of Nofunnington. As everyone knows, I never do anything remotely fun or funny. That's why I hate this day. Sure.

oldladyplays, 1 month ago to random

Like...Muslims aren't around demanding I fast for Ramadan. Jews don't make me stand and say kaddish because someone died. Only Christians, in the Western world, have that kind of arrogance. Persecuted minority my sweet trans ass.

Yes, this is a subtoot, but not at any of you, just to the mavens of Christianity in the west.

rooster, 1 month ago to random

deleted_by_author

oldladyplays, 1 month ago to random

I was scheduled to give a talk on Nazi history, but thanks to a typo from someone who was getting the program info over the phone, I'm now going to be talking about a dog.

Yes, that's right, the Beer-Hall Pooch.