Yup. Much like Mr. Rogers who put his feet in a kiddie pool with a black man (I believe it was the mail man). Children’s programming has always been empathetic and inclusive.

Absolutely

I’m not on HRT and I’m still learning about it. I’m a newbie. But as someone who has struggled with depression, I advocate constantly for therapy. I feel like hormones have got to impact your brain chemistry in a myriad of ways. If you can afford therapy (if you’re not still going) and checking in with your doctor, I think that would be a good idea.

I’m sorry you’re going through such a hard time. Don’t forget to reach out to your support system. Sometimes a coffee date with an old friend or a call to a family (chosen or not) can be just as healing as an hour of therapy. I hope you know people care about you and you matter.

Just some casual news headlines and captions:

Ms. Rachel doubles down on support for children in Gaza “It’s sad that people try to make it controversial when you speak out for children that are facing immeasurable suffering,” the YouTube educator said in a recent interview with Zeteo.

NBC News

Kids’ YouTube star ‘Ms. Rachel’ defends her Gaza comments in talk with anti-Israel reporter “Her increasingly politicized online presence should concern parents. Ms. Rachel has a moral compass — but it only points leftward,” New York Post columnist Bethany Mandel wrote.

NY Post

Why Tot Celebrity Ms. Rachel Waded Into the Gaza Debate Facing criticism, Rachel Accurso defends making the plight of children in Gaza a primary focus on her social media feeds.

NY Times

There should only be 12 jurors (maybe you’ve already done this). People should have to wait in a queue to join a jury of 12. Once you have 12 you all vote within 30 seconds. Everyone should see the results. If a jury is a hung jury, it ends up back in the queue. Majority wins. Users can only appeal once.

Basically it should mimic jury duty a little more closely. Right now, it just feels like you’re doing a survey.

Totally agree. Plastic is useful. It’s great for medical, sterilized, environments. It’s great for emergencies. It’s terrible for almost everything else.

If you’d like to read a relevant anecdote about plastics, please continue:

I’m currently struggling with the plastic industry on my keyboards right now. I have a 2016 Macbook Pro, but the scissor mechanism on my key broke on the board (not the key). In order to replace the keyboard, I’d have to spend $200-$400 on it. So, it’s basically only good for recycling for parts now since the value of the Macbook Pro 2016 is basically the cost of the keyboard replacement. Someday, I might use it for just the hardware (e.g., on a docking station), but I want a laptop for - you know - walking around.

Instead, I “rescued” a Lenovo Thinkpad from eBay for $60. Unfortunately, the scissor mechanism on the same key broke last night. I got the laptop yesterday afternoon! But at least I can replace the whole keyboard myself for $30 so I guess I’ll have a working laptop by Saturday night. Assuming no other plastic things break.

Anyways, my point is that plastic - especially plastic with a short lifetime - sucks. They should just use teeny metal bits for the scissor mechanism. Give my laptop keyboards some umph and durability. Stop building things that inevitable (apparently) will break!

10-4 🤢

Corn? No. Corn nuts? Absolutely, sign me up.

I know what you mean. The implication in Jadzia’s statement is that she’s typically adhering to straight relationships depending on her gender identity at the time. That being said, if you watch the show and are willing to be a little generous, you can make the claim that she’s pansexual. The actress explicitly has said she wanted to portray her character as pansexual. Also, the trill retain the memories and wisdom of previous partners. It’s hard to imagine that Jadzia wouldn’t feel attraction to her previous partners. In fact, if you watch DS9 S04E05 - Rejoined you’ll see Jadzia kiss her former wife and claim she still feels love for her. In addition, that kiss was one of the first televised lesbian kisses!

Alt Text:

Two members of the TV Show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are having a conversation, Jadzia Dax and Chief O’Brien.

Jadzia Dax asks “Wife problems, Chief?”

“How did you know?” Chief O’Brien replies.

Jadzia goes on to say, “Well, I’ve been a husband and I’ve been a wife, and I know that look from both sides.”

I appreciate the concern and it’s super kind of you to bring that all up. I’ve dealt with depression my whole life and I’ve gone to extensive therapy to treat it. On the positive side, I have tons of tools, medications, and support to deal with depression. My wife is aware of my history and I’m going to therapy. I’m taking Lexapro to alleviate my general depression. I’m not super worried about it because my wife and I understand that – if it ever gets to that point – I’ll take HRT to alleviate my symptoms and begin fully transitioning.

Kids are really important to me. I’ve always wanted a decently sized family and my first child has been nothing but joy (and work, but mostly joy). As for the IVF, it’s definitely on the table. My wife and I are going to assess a natural pregnancy solution in a few months and decide then if we’re interested in trying. I’m pretty sure I can hang on that long. In the meantime, I’m doing everything I can via diet, exercise, and hair to achieve the goals that HRT isn’t going to naturally provide. I’m hoping that we can get pregnant, I can then freeze my sperm, and then I can go on HRT. Basically, I’d be waiting 6-9 months before the HRT arrives at my doorstep. That’s a long time and my plans might change, but that’s the currently plan.

Yeah I’m definitely struggling internally but I’ve been ok. I really want more kids and IVF is expensive. We are considering freezing my sperm, but it’s expensive and I’m not exactly wealthy. I’m not poor, but I am a little strapped these days. I don’t know what to do about it but I feel a bit stuck. My life plan is to have 2-3 kids. My wife wants more kids as well. She’s nervous about the costs of IVF and she’s afraid IVF might not work which would start to get even more costly. It’s all very new to both of us so it’s hard to just suddenly turn around and change our life plans drastically. I only came out to her a month ago or so.

Congratulations! 🎉 Sounds like a great week

Lol yes, she would. I am considering freezing materials for IVF for sure!

https://c.tenor.com/F1dwCtxfiW8AAAAC/tenor.gif

I’m not really worried about my body too much. I’m not super dysphoric about the shape (though I want my belly fat to go away). But I do really want the effeminate look in the face and hair. Are those apps still unrealistic? It’s hard to imagine I’ll never get to that goal point.

That’s a good point. I have therapy on Friday and I’ve been bottling up a lot of those feelings for that. But I’m going to bring it up to my wife. We’ve sort of bridged the emotional gap to the point that I think she’s comfortable affirming me without feeling concerned about the whole thing.

if (ugly) {
    kill_child(child_name);
} else {
    ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
}

Parks? Gross. I like parking lots.