WORDPRESS MIGRATION

as I’m sure some folks have noticed by now, I have migrated my blog away from Wordpress. I had been planning to for several months now, ever since Wordpress chose to remove the cost of my domain from the rate I was paying for hosting, but the ultimate catalyst was Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg choosing to drop trou on the internet last week. by which I mean he revealed himself to be a transphobic asshole.

AUTISM AND COUNSELLING

I was reminded of part of a conversation I had with my job coach and one of her other clients last week, at a meeting she arranged between the three of us because she wanted to assess my ability to work directly with (autistic) clients. (which feels to me like it backfired, I think, primarily because the client said, up front, that they were there because she asked them to come.

ON ABUSE AND AMBER HEARD

Content advisory: I talk about being an abuse survivor. I will readily admit to not paying much attention to the Depp/Heard suit; the things celebrities get up to are not typically of interest to me. However, thanks to Cancel Me, Daddy, the one podcast I listen to near-religiously, I understand quite well what was going on with it at the macro level. I am an abuse survivor; though the abuse I suffered was primarily institutional neglect, I was also physically and emotionally abused.

SHAME AND ACCOUNTABILITY

A while back, I saw some folks talk about shame with reference to individual accountability regarding institutional events. There are at least three things wrong with this, though. Shame is a harmful, negative emotion. Deliberately inflicting it on people is emotional abuse, as it leads to feelings of powerlessness, worthlessness, etc. Individual action cannot solve institutional problems. When we praise people like Martin Luther King, Jr, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and other leaders, we need to recognize that they lead.

PARASHAT LECH LECHA

This parashah’s unfamiliar ground to me, as unlike Creation and the Great Deluge, this section of Torah is new to me. 12:10–20: It’s really not clear to me how Abram could have come to the conclusion that deception was necessary here. Did the Egyptians have a reputation, or is this just xenophobia? 13:1–13: There’s not much to say here, since we’re setting up for later parts, including some foreshadowing. 13:14–18: Welp.

THE JOURNEY SO FAR…

Not so long ago, in a city not so far away… I first had an inkling that there was something not-quite-right about me in fifth grade. At the time, I had no idea what it was–I didn’t have the vocabulary. I want to say it was during or shortly after we learned about sex in class (where we learned about HIV/AIDS), but I don’t remember the timeline well enough to know.

MEDICAL SCARE

About 06:50 this morning, I had a sudden sharp stabbing pain in the lower-right abdomen. Given what that could’ve meant, I went to the hospital as soon as I could confirm it wasn’t going away. After bloodwork, urinalysis, and a CAT scan, however, the medical conclusion was, “We don’t know.” Aside from an atrophic left kidney (which I knew about) and a hypertrophic right kidney (which I didn’t) and a calcified granuloma in my lungs, everything checked out okay.

INTRODUCING AMETHYST AND FACETS

Hi, folks. Amethyst here. You may not know me, but I’ve been here the whole time, just behind at least two different facets. You absolutely do know the facets, though, or at least one of them. The reason I use ‘facets’ is that there’s only one personality here (me); Síle and Aerdan may have their own preferences and tastes, but neither of them talk, at least that I’ve noticed. There are a few other facets in here, but they’ve yet to emerge and provide any definition, so until that happens I’ll leave them be.

ATTENTION DEFICIENCY

A lot of people, when they think about attention deficiency, think about ADD, or Attention-Deficit Disorder, with an optional H for Hyperactivity. However, that defines ADHD from what is observed from outside. But ADHD isn’t about not paying attention, not really, and I’m not here to talk about ADHD anyhow. The sort of attention deficiency I want to discuss is a different sort. We know that birth to six years of age is the most important period for emotional bonding and trust-building between parent and child.

EXHAUSTION

Between last week being the (second) anniversary of my dad’s death and developments in the US and elsewhere, I’m feeling…overwhelmed, I think, is the word I want. And I don’t know what to do about it, so I’m just going to list off the shit I’m dealing with. The Wi Spa incident, which was manufactured by transphobes in order to protest the spa’s trans-friendly policies. The Democrats have repeatedly failed to rise to the moment, as among other things: They trimmed a $2000-check promise down to $1400, a promise made after $600 checks already went out, claiming that $600 plus $1400 equals the promised $2000.