I went through a phase. We call it "conformity;" a lot of the kids are doing it nowadays.

[the_fantastic_ms_fox]

D0 (Zeroday of week 0: week of the New Year) --- Happy New Year!

I wish to extend a hearty thank-you to our most esteemed hosts: Mr. Sam Bradd on Thursday; and Paula and Leum on Friday (actually, there are probably still people at their house now)

Mr. Breklor posted a meme just recently: things that you probably didn't know about him. I am combining it with my resolution for this year:

I don't have a problem with super-geeky things, or at least I'm dedicated to not having a problem
I take it that we're all aware of the geek hierarchy? When discussing our past-times past, present, or future, a lot of geeks, or non-geek people, feel the strong need to prove that we aren't that geeky, or we make fun of our geekishness as if to say "I know there's something wrong with this." Away with this! Would we rather have nothing interesting to say at all? Would we actually want to be boring as all fuck?

So, let it be known that I do not have a problem with people just because they belong to one of the following groups: mimes; furries; otherkin; trekkies; otaku; adults who watch children's cartoons; people engaged in any one of innumerable kink activities or fetishes; Christians; Pagans; New Agers; Psychics; EST followers; Unitarians; Atheists; Esperantophones; Scientologists; Klingonophones; Anarchists; Marxists; Fascists; elf fans; wargamers; recreationists; SCA folk; larpers, gamers; board gamers; chess players; politics buffs; science buffs; trivia buffs; Britney Spears fans; transgendered people;

Consequentially, let it also be known that, if you belong to any of these groups, you don't have to make light of your hobby or identity around me (though you are, of course, welcome to do so because hobbies can be delightfully silly things as humans are delightfully silly creatures). Know that you do not have to excuse yourself by saying that “it was only once” or “I had nothing else to do.” I may not be particularly interested in the hobby in question, but this is a separate matter. Furthermore, I think there are some dodgy things tied to a lot of geek activities, mostly due to a lack of self-examination (e.g. unthinking consumerism) but this is no different from most of the things that humans do.

My gender issues very much play into this. I am planning on doing some w-e-i-r-d shit with my body and social identity, and I don't want to have to apologize for being queer. Given this, I don't see why anyone should have to apologize for who they are. Plus I like to know that there are people out there who are weirder than I am, if only as a reality check.

Today, zeroday of week zero, is a good time for new year's resolutions - some of you who use the hopelessly antiquated Julian calendar may wait until nineday of week zero.

My resolution is to do away with the drive to meaningless conformity; to stop putting walls between myself and others, or between myself and myself. I am going to stop apologizing for being who I am, and when someone else apologizes for being themselves, I'm going to tell them that they don't have to either. I may even intervene in a conversation or two.

Did you know that some transgender circles are getting over a trans hierarchy? It goes (or, I like to think, “it went”) post-op, pre-op, non-op, shemale/he-she, gay drag monarch, straight drag monarch, closet transvestite (who in turn looks down on the post-op).

There is also a kink hierarchy: extreme kinksters; moderates; light; vanilla (who look down on the kinky).