News blurb and a few links:

[flamingsword]

It is raining (ow), Ghost and I will be attending counseling starting Tuesday (tentative excitement), neither of us wants a divorce, and I am home from Mom’s house. I only angry-cried like twice last week, so that’s better progress than expected.

Entomologists and chemists have been looking into plastic eating worms!

Elon Musk is possibly the biggest single litterer in the US, and the Texas coastline where all the SpaceX rocket crashes wind up is home to a bunch of endangered species. Boo.

Maps of which states have on-the-books laws about LGBTQ folks, for those who are willing and able to GTFO of their regressive, Draconian states.

MSNBC on YouTube: Neil Gorsuch is now known to be in violation of the Supreme Court’s ethics rules, and Roberts is refusing to testify to Congress about it.

The Hollywood history of the Merkin because some of us could use a good laugh.

Comments

[princessofgeeks]

Hoping that counseling gives you both some clarity.

[ex_flameandsong751]

-puts on Very Serious Face-

I'm glad y'all are attending counseling and I hope it helps.

willing and able

"have the resources and are able", because it's not a question of will for some of us. I've had like ten different people tell me to leave Indiana within the last twelve months who seem to not understand "can't move, poor/disabled/etc" and think I'm just digging in my heels about staying in a conservative, ass-backwards state to be stubborn or because I really must like corn or whatever. I'm sorry, I know you don't need this, so I'll get off my soapbox and I know this was on your part a case of wording rather than you thinking I have my head up my ass, but my Aspie Mode was activated.

LOL merkins. -puts one on Aspie brain to muffle it-

[flamingsword]

I consider resources to be part of ability, yeah. I know if you won the lottery tomorrow and you could get yourself and the roomies both furry and not out to a safer place, you probably would. But you’re not going to safety without your support system, and you kind of can’t survive without them. Very important thing, that.

We technically have the resources, but Ghost would need a new job, and most of my people are here. They are my emotional support humans; I can’t leave them behind unless they start telling me to gtfo for their own peace of mind. I am caught between the Stay And Fight impulse and the But Friends Will Worry inhibition of that impulse. Aargh.

[ex_flameandsong751]

AAAAAAAAAARGH.

I hear you. I wasn't trying to start a fight [I know we weren't fighting], my brain was just doing the annoying "aCtUalLy" thing because brains, why.

The fucked up thing is that if shit goes federal [which is what I'm betting on and I will note I tend to be right with political predictions, which I dislike, this is not something I want to be right about], it doesn't matter what state you're in, not even New York and California will be safe. And I'm hearing that now even liberal countries like the Netherlands are starting to reconsider stuff about trans healthcare. These are scary, scary, scary times. I probably shouldn't doomspiral on your post.

So, how about those merkins?

[flamingsword]

I didn’t know merkins were so interesting!

(And thank you for letting yourself doomspiral on my post, it gives me the opportunity to tell you soothing true things, like that congressional Republicans are pissing people off for fiscal reasons so much right now that they are unlikely to be able to push anything through for at least the next two to four years. If it were up to trans folks all by our lonesome getting enough people to care, then we’d be fucked, yeah, but our enemies are also our allies, in that they are corrupt, venal idiots who are pissing off enough of the electorate to make a difference. We may not win, but they will find a way to lose what congressional control they have I’m pretty sure. )

[ex_flameandsong751]

congressional Republicans are pissing people off for fiscal reasons so much right now that they are unlikely to be able to push anything through for at least the next two to four years

Good. Goooooooooooooooooooooood. Like, it sucks that people don't care enough about trans issues, however, I will accept that their corruption may bite them in the ass. [Kind of hoping Disney leaves Florida, while we're here.]

EDIT: and now I'm looking at my Oscar icon like "...Oscar is just a giant merkin." I'm not even high yet and my brain is doing this.

[flamingsword]

He’s like Frosty the Snowman! Someone threw a merkin into a magical trash can, and it came to life one day!

[ex_flameandsong751]

This is my new headcanon about how the Grouches happened, as a species.

If I had more spoons I would write, like, the merkin-Grouch equivalent of Tolkien's Legendarium. Epic worldbuilding. Conlangs. Pubic hair.

[flamingsword]

😆😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Your brain is a special place. Thank you for existing!

[ex_flameandsong751]

Me: gets pedantic over the phrase "willing and able" and doomspirals about Republicans
Also me: wishes I had the spoons to write a creation myth involving merkins and the Grouch Muppets

Again, I have not even had a gummy yet this evening. This is me WITHOUT drugs.

[semperviridis]

Ghost and I will be attending counseling starting Tuesday (tentative excitement), neither of us wants a divorce

I’m glad there are some potential positives, and I hope the counseling is beneficial for both of you.

[flamingsword]

We found a secular, neurodivergent counselor who specializes in ADHD and autism in a marriage setting. I’m trying to manage my expectations and not squee with excitement that someone is in an excellent position to help us.

[flamingsword]

https://www.sciencealert.com/endometriosis-appears-to-be-linked-to-the-immune-system-heres-what-we-know

https://www.theyesworks.com/business/an-effective-apology-in-7-parts/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/202303/the-state-of-todays-male-psyche

https://slate.com/culture/2018/01/please-stand-by-dakota-fannings-trekkie-movie-reviewed.html