Recent events have me thinking again about self-censorship and bowdlerization. I've never read any of the Brontës, but I'll quote Charlotte Brontë in expressing my discomfort with defanging venomous words by replacing them with obvious stand-ins ( Read more... )

The Chicago Naked Bike Ride pictures today are reminding me that the event happened Saturday night. I rode in it for three years a while back. (You can find pictures and videos of me out there if you try hard enough.) On the third year, when the group got to the far north point and turned back, I decided to get dressed and head home from there. I ( Read more... )

As much time and thought and anxiety as I've been putting into thoughts of actively seeking potential datemates, my relationship with Erik started when he asked if I'd be interested in dating and I, after processing for a while, said yes. I'm still quite frightened of the idea of being the seeker rather than the sought. Perhaps I will do that some ( Read more... )

Heh. I just realized that, in a way, I'm embarrassed to be reading all this stuff about architecture and engineering because it feels, in comparison to stuff on social theory and urban policy, like 'fluff.' Shouldn't I be reading things that help me make a difference instead of just satisfying my own curiosity ( Read more... )

In therapy, Dr. M. noted that, in many ways, I tend to prioritize the needs and wants, and perceived needs and wants, of others above those of myself. They said I do so to the point of "annihlation of self ( Read more... )

A friend shared a link to an article about how to maintain a queer identity while in a relationship that most people read as straight. (Link to the article) It's certainly something I've thought a lot about, so I was curious about what are, I assume, some widely-shared thoughts on the issue. A few pieces of it left me feeling disempowered (though ( Read more... )

While walking around the park with shelter dogs and other volunteers a couple weeks ago, I had a couple of relatively lengthy conversations about my interest in urban space/place, what I'd intended to achieve by going for a master's degree, and about cities in general. It feels important to me, explaining how the 20th century Great Migration led to ( Read more... )

Seeing the Precisionist art that I have lately is nudging me toward more photography. I guess it's kind of validating, seeing that there were people who looked, most of a century ago, at machinery and infrastructure with the same kind of artistic minds and sensibilities that I have. It gives me a certain sense of externally-originating legitimacy. ( Read more... )

I've been doing a lot of thinking about my experiences and feelings to date regarding relationships, dating, and play. As I've written about before, they are areas that I'd really like to expand my experiences within. I've been putting off serious exploration of such things for years, with various distractions and responsibilities. I'm finally in a ( Read more... )

The namesake character in Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid series is a several-thousand-year-old druid. He has tremendous magical power that would allow him to commit major acts of environmentally-motivated guerilla warfare. He is bound to protect the spirit of the planet he lives on. He could destroy mining equipment at open-pit excavations in the ( Read more... )