Grilling up a bunch of chicken thighs for dinner tonight, along with pork sausages. I have a big pan of summer squash baking, a pot of green beans on the stove that will end up in a cream sauce, and fresh blackberries for dessert!   And I also have the windows open for a little bit before dinner, to air out the scent of GF's "smack." She makes two things that I find truly disgusting. The first is a fish sauce, which is made with salt and rotting fish guts. It smells about as good as it sounds.  It has to decompose Outdoors for a couple of days, then the liquid part is bottled for later. The second disgusting thing she makes is called "salo." She cures solid pork fat in salt and sometimes other spices, and ages it in a corner of the basement. Then it gets sliced thin and eaten raw.    I am always amazed at cultural differences in cooking what foods are considered tasty.

A hill I stand on as well.

Ball and Chain, Janis.

I don't want to take over someone else's thread with these thoughts and this ties into my zen and trans thing....   I had a email with a young Gen Z friend today who came over to my house one afternoon a few weeks ago.  We had a nice time playing music together and then had a good talk and have been doing occasional texting since then.  It asked this morning:   how long have you been trans or out or however you define it?   My answer was this:   Well, my trans thing has been linear.  I've been thinking the last few days that I have no concept of being any other way than I am now in the moment.  I suppose I was hanging on to a masculine look this last decade until I couldn't do it anymore and then when Cynthia died in 2019, I started experimenting with how to bring this more feminine style out of me.  My partner Patty had a coming out event (just the two of us) for me back in 2014 or perhaps the year before.  I kept the idea of coming out as trans buried most of my life because I thought it would be a bad medical outcome.  I probably still believe that, but being older with certainly less time to live, it isn't as big an issue as when I was young.   There is this issue that perhaps people project me as being gay or they just don't understand me.  I'm identifying with being an authentic zen guru now.  I've been doing formal, sit in half lotus meditation for most of my life.  I only briefly had two other people do that with me back in 1999.  I don't get this culture over in America and I keep on hoping the younger generation will latch onto something better, but it always seems to slide back into some bar culture scene.

I think all the anti-trans legislation, particularly on the state level, tends to drive a few trans folks away from the Republican Party.  Even on the federal level they are trying to eliminate my care from the VA.  So, I'm supposed to help them? I might be crazy, but I'm not stupid.

So far things are going well with them.

None of that is a justification for any restriction.    As long as trans candidates continue to support leftist big government ideas, they will never gain support from people like me. Being transgender alone is not enough of a political platform, nor do I consider transgender Democrats to be good news.   I would love to have some trans folks running as Independent or Libertarian candidates, or even as Republicans. It can happen.  It is way past time for it to happen, so that we can defeat the "Trans = Democrat" illusion, which I believe is the source of most opposition to our existence.

Living authentically as both masculine and feminine sounds amazing! It's inspiring to see your confidence. I'm still figuring out my own presentation, it definitive is going to be an androgynous look, hopefully hrt is the charm for me. I am so happy that you achieved your target of the androgynous look.      Hahaha, keeping my fingers crossed, but first I need to shed a few pounds and get into the routine of consistently working out everyday and just my I  can share your experience. I have a long way to go.    Totally agree about the sense of identity. About bi gender I first learned about it when I found this forums. I saw some members identify with this identity. I took a high level dive, just skimming through it to be honest, but definitely will delve deeper into it when I have the time.      Awesome, it seems you know your true self very well.      Thank you so much, Mirrabooka.

The case was settled to allow this very thing. Something always triggers laws, there was a perceived harm (of the individual that had their shirt called into question), and the court settled that the school has the right to disallow that kind of speech.   As for the antisemitic abuse you're getting. It's abuse, plain and simple. It's targeted and intended to harass. Is the message outright threatening? No, but the intent is to harm. I am really sorry you have to deal with it. I wish people were smarter and better.

Thank you so much, Delcina.

Thank you so much, and it's nice to meet you too, Heather. 

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey joined lawmakers and members of the LGBTQ community Wednesday to mark Pride Month. Healey, America’s first lesbian governor, oversaw the raising of the Pride flag on the Statehouse lawn. The ceremony also marked the 20th anniversary of the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, the first state to allow the unions.  https://apnews.com/article/boston-pride-maura-healey-samesex-marriage-5c92c5e215849f83b12cf98ad5716e21

It's about representation, plain and simple. And it is important. There is power in representation. People with voices not often heard also bring new things to the table, which is also super important. America is not old, white, and male, but that's historically what our government has been.

I've had 2 siblings die of ALS.  I still consider this an option.

The stock market seems a little weird to me too.  I actually have some stock that I kinda inherited, and a small 401K. I've done my best to stay out of debt, and that has paid off.  I may live "poor" but I own this shack, and my only "debts" are my monthly bills.  It is very freeing.

I don't know what to say. I'm not jewish, but I have jewish family members. I guess people can always find somebody to hate on.

Yes, exactly Heather. It took help from therapists, my Buddhist community, and also the LGBT+ community to have the right attitude and get better. Hugs back. —Davie

More than 40% of transgender adults in the US have attempted suicide. Most gun deaths are suicides.