tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-927825986552033592024-03-14T04:01:40.812-07:00A Lesbian Christian: My Life of ContradictionsA Northern raised, Southern living, chivalrous female, who as a serious twenty-something wants to live life as a creative sciencey type and a Lesbian Christian.E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-90839378913299061972014-06-14T09:02:00.002-07:002014-06-14T09:02:15.660-07:00PUBLISHED!I finally published my book!<br />
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It is funny and kinda awesome, so you should check it out.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KZ6M1H4">Chucking Granny</a>E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-46676834347842368302013-12-12T05:55:00.000-08:002013-12-12T05:55:51.202-08:00The roadblock in even applying for HPSP I met with the Army recruiter and he's on the mission of attempting to get me that GPA waiver. In order for him to get it I had to give him my transcripts, my acceptance letters, and the GPA page of my AMCAS application. He told me that usually we hear between one and two weeks after the request is submitted, but with the holidays coming up who knows when I'll actually get an answer. <br />
I really want to do the Health Professions Scholarship Program with the Army, but I may have to simply try again next year. Guess we shall see. <br />
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<br />E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-25137747329388467192013-11-28T02:45:00.000-08:002013-11-28T02:45:54.040-08:00Amazing news!I GOT INTO MEDICAL SCHOOL!!!!<br />
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It's been a journey to be sure. This is my third time applying to medical school. But I was/am determined. I boosted my MCAT score with a Kaplan course, I had my graduate school courses to boost my overall GPA, and I've worked as an EMT for the past two years. I had a good feeling about this cycle and I was right! I got (as of today) five medical school interviews. I interviewed at four schools, two M.D., two D.O., and got accepted into TWO! The other two I still have yet to hear from so I may have even more choices!<br />
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With my acceptances in hand I started talking to the Army medical recruiter in my area. Since my undergrad GPA is below their minimum (3.2), they have to file a GPA waiver for me to apply for the Health Professions Scholarship Program. I have an appointment next week to chat and hand over my transcripts, and MCAT scores so my recruiter can get started.<br />
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I'll keep you apprised of the situation as it goes.<br />
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Last note. A lot of medical schools seem to want to keep anything relating to their possbily homosexual students under wraps. I never said I was gay. They didn't ask or assume. Don't Ask, Don't Tell, is alive and well in our professional schools. However one of the medical schools actually brought the issue up in the interview. The interviewer was gay and I acknowledged that I was as well. They went on to tell me how the school is making slow and steady progress in celebrating its diversity (of ALL senses). It was comforting to know that I can exist as a gay person and not just as someone who is asexual until further investigation. <br />
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(Nearly) all schools will say they embrace diversity, but it seems at least in the South and midwest, that few actually stand by those words. <br />
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Anyways...I am amazingly excited to finally move forward in making my dream of becoming a doctor come true!<br />
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Thank you all for reading and supporting this blog!E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-10461708997729456932013-07-11T12:54:00.002-07:002013-12-12T05:50:09.333-08:00Writing a Book! One of the reasons why I haven't been as caring to this blog, other than studying for the MCAT (which I did awesomely on), or applying to medical school for a third time, or my EMT job, or tending to my lack of love life (ok fine, I'm terminally single), is the fact that I am writing a book.<br />
This monstrosity is nearly finished and I am all set to publish it as an ebook on at least Amazon, though I'm looking into other formats.<br />
Now before you guys groan about another boring book being brought into existence, know this. It's not some weird fantasy or sci fi where young adults overcome adversity and evil people/corporation/government. I enjoy some of those stories, but I'm following one of the various "rules" of writing. I am writing what I know, and lately what I know is being an EMT. <br />
I'm pairing my EMT job with my ability to read people and applying a great deal of sarcasm, wit, and snarkiness. It's a semi-non-fiction story in which I describe the hundred different partners I have had as an EMT working for my crappy company.<br />
I'm going to be publishing it under this pseudonym (I can't have my coworkers tying me to my sometimes unkind words) and I already have a blog which is going to be all about the book saved. I expect to be published hopefully by September, so keep an eye on this blog and the other for details.<br />
I'm not saying it's going to be the great American novel or even a good book, but hopefully I will succeed in at least making it an interesting read.<br />
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The link to my book blog, Chucking Granny, is <a href="http://chuckinggranny.blogspot.com/">here</a>. Maybe pretty sparse for a bit, but I'll be working on that soon (in addition to all my above activities).E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-5029827233116312592013-05-14T09:23:00.001-07:002013-05-14T09:23:06.610-07:00So it's been quite a while hasn't it?Hey guys!<div>
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I just wanted to say that I'm still around, though it's been a long time since I've even looked at this blog. The blame falls primarily on my EMT job. Crazy hours, little money, which leads to more crazy hours. I am applying to med school for the third time. I take the MCAT (for the third time) next week and once that's done I hope to come back to this. I won't make any promises, but I have missed writing and the world of blogging. </div>
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So hopefully I'll see you guys sometime next next week!</div>
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-E.S.T.</div>
E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-36496469696522606312012-01-21T08:46:00.000-08:002012-01-21T08:46:17.446-08:00Three months later...<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two things have got in the way of my blogging. First my job as an EMT, and second I bought an XBox...I'm sorry? Um...I'll try to write more and XBox less. But we'll see. I'm also starting an online MCAT class, so I may or may not write more. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hope everyone is doing well! </span><br />
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</span>E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-62504369425620379672011-10-13T10:42:00.000-07:002011-10-13T10:42:09.152-07:00So I Came Out<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have mentioned previously that I might and then on National Coming Out Day...I did! I came over via Facebook and the response was overwhelmingly positive. My conservative friends were dead silent of course, well except for one. All she did was like my coming out note, but as she is a staunch Republican I will take that as a personal victory.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I thought I would show you all what I said. Eventually I even allow for more transparency on this site. Like an actual picture of me! Maybe. We'll see. ;-)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is what I wrote:</span><br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">"What is bravery? I have been told I was brave before, that I was one of the bravest individuals people have ever met. But I’m not, not really. All I’ve done is put one foot in front of the other in a desperate attempt to move forward and not get stuck. I have stumbled through life like everyone else. It is no big secret that I have not followed my five year plan or even my back up five year plan. Perhaps it is a secret though that I am happier than I have ever been in my entire life. All because I stopped listening to what others wanted for me, expected of me.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Now that I’ve written that nice intro paragraph (and professors said I didn’t write transitions!) let’s get into it. If you, like me, are a Facebook stalker then you have keep tabs on the people you went to school with. You want to know who’s married, who’s in grad school, who’s working where, and who’s having babies. So perhaps if you have stumbled on my profile in the past couple of years, you have noticed a visual change in your old schoolmate.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">I have never been really girly, but you certainly can tell a difference between the pictures of me on Homecoming Court (I know! I’m still shocked about it!) and pictures of late. I cut my long hair short, really short, and I have started wearing slightly different apparel. I look well…perhaps a bit gay. Of course that is easily explained, in that I am a lot of gay. It’s probably not a huge shock for the people who knew me better than I knew myself, but maybe for some of you it is a shock.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">I’m sure some of you are going, “Ha! I knew it!” Well I guess I would say congratulations. You win? Also I’d ask for how long have you’ve known? Because I didn’t know for the longest time and if someone might have told me I might have figured it out sooner. As it is I didn’t even entertain the thought that I was something other than straight until my senior year of college. Even still I was in such a state of denial that it was easy to rationalize various feelings. As many of you know I am a logic driven person, so it wasn’t too hard to explain away the confusing feelings.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Being gay wasn’t anything I wanted for myself. What I wanted was to go to medical school, marry my best friend, and have his silly little babies. I rather desperately wanted to feel more for my best friend than I did, but time and time again I infuriatingly didn’t. I loved him. I did, but I wasn’t in love with him. There came a point where I couldn’t lie to myself anymore. I didn’t want it, but I wasn’t going to be given a choice in the matter it seemed.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">After breaking things off with my best friend, now ex-best friend due my seemingly callous treatment of his feelings, I was alone with my thoughts. And let me tell you there were a lot of them. I considered what it would mean, to be gay. To be hated by people who don’t even know me. To be a second class citizen. To live in the constant fear of offending or provoking others, just for attempting to live as the person God made me.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">The one thing I never worried about was whether or not God would still love me. It’s one of the reasons why even though I considered going away to ex-gay camp, I never went through with it. God is love, not hate. People can condemn me to hell all they want, but ultimately the decision isn’t theirs. I have always tried to live my life in a Christian manner. I try to be kind and help others. Does it make me less of a Christian if I’m gay?</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Besides I may have been gay before I was a Christian, but I was Christian before I had even an inkling that I could be gay. Since God is important to me and since I can’t figure out a way to stop being gay, I have had to learn a way to reconcile the two. It actually has been a lot easier than I thought it would be, but then again I have a progressive thinking church here in Louisville to thank for that.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">I have accepted being gay, but I’m still not fully comfortable with it. I will say I am much more comfortable in my skin now that I have changed certain visual aspects, namely my hair and wardrobe. However I was content to stay silent and live in those questioning looks, “Is she or isn’t she?” I saw openly gay folks all around me, but I didn’t think I had a right to be open. I have made a life of hiding and living in the background. It was alright. It is all I know.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">But the pretending to be something I’m not got more and more draining. I became an actress who really couldn’t stand the role she played. So I came out little by little to friends. I should have been comforted by their acceptance, but often I became worried. Would they tell others? What would they say? What would happen? I was worried, because I was ashamed of who I am.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">It wasn’t until someone very dear to me came out to me in secret, that I was forced to think about others. I didn’t want him to be ashamed of who he is. It is not his problem; it is the world’s. I didn’t want him to hate himself for something he couldn’t even help. Of course then if I thought this way about him, then I had to apply it to myself.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Now don’t expect any big changes from me. I’m still the same quiet, self-effacing, modest and wonderfully witty girl I’ve always been. I’m not going to strut down the sidewalk in a rainbow pin-stripe suit, because that’s just not who I am. I imagine I’ll simply do the same things I always do: hang out with friends, go to church, and save lives whether it is as an EMT or a doctor I guess we’ll see.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Because while I am gay I am so much more than that. As the poet Walt Whitman once wrote, “I am large, I contain multitudes.” I don’t want friends to look at me and go, “oh that’s the gay one”. Or “Whatever happened to her?” followed by “Oh she’s gay now.” I mean really? I understand gossip will happen. It’s inevitable. So gossip, but don’t forget I’m still the intelligent woman who helped you out when you were struggling, the stubborn girl who doesn’t give up, the woman who is always there to listen, heck I’ll even take the girl who sometimes lets her temper gets the best of her.</span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I don’t want to hide anymore. I want to be who I am and not apologize for it. I know I may lose friends, but I’ve come to a place where I don’t need to spend time on fair-weather friends. I may cause potential opportunities to be stripped from my hands, but it’s better than living a lie. I’ve seen firsthand the pain that living the lie causes. I don’t want that for myself. I want to be honest and open. I want to be brave. I have often wished I was as brave as you think I am. Maybe today I finally am."</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">QBP: "<span class="body">Bravery is believing in yourself, and that thing nobody can teach you."</span></span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="body"> -</span>El Cordobes </span></blockquote><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TZIx7d-JY5Y/Tpchhu-i8QI/AAAAAAAAAEA/8pyK7aXKkS8/s1600/coming-out.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TZIx7d-JY5Y/Tpchhu-i8QI/AAAAAAAAAEA/8pyK7aXKkS8/s320/coming-out.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o3rrXI7ourA/TeznfnYd44I/AAAAAAAAIOU/5twVYXWWbxg/s1600/coming-out.gif">pic source</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-75306386409509857852011-10-08T08:32:00.000-07:002011-10-13T10:57:54.192-07:00This Past Month and To Come Out or Not to Come Out?<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A month after taking my practical test I am almost employed as an EMT. It’s been a frustrating wait. First I waited for NREMT to approve my practicals. That took a week. Then I had to wait until my NREMT card came in the mail which took four days. Then I had to go fill out paperwork. Then I had to wait for one state to approve me. After that I had to make an appointment and drive an hour to get my other state’s license. Of course once I had all my certifications I had to apply to my company again. It took a few days for them to call me back for the interview. Finally I had the FIRST part of the interview this Tuesday. The second part is this upcoming week and includes a multiple choice test, a fitness test, and of course a drug test. Maybe finally then I will be hired on and I can start to use the skills I’ve been taught.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The last thing for now is that I am considering coming out in a big way. I’ve considered writing a long Facebook note about it and then letting the chips fall where they may. I don’t want my baby brother, who is gay himself, feel like he has to hide who he is nor should he be ashamed of being gay. (Though I frankly want him to hide until he graduates from his high school which is in a deep south state.) But if I don’t want my brother to feel ashamed, then I have to apply that to myself. I’m sick of pretending I am something I’m not. Plus I don’t think most people would care…well except for maybe my ex-sorority sisters. </span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The only thing keeping me from posting the note is that I’m scared and that I haven’t been able to figure out how to end my story. Granted I could just tell people I’m gay in person one by one, but I have this tendency to either gloss over the fact I’m gay or lie about it when confronted. I think I’d be braver behind a computer than in person. Anyone close to me in this city knows I’m gay and I’m pretty much living open in life. It’s those people outside of the city who may be guessing but don’t truly know anything who this note would be for.</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Sometimes feel like a fraud when it comes to being gay. I haven’t ever kissed a girl. Certainly I’ve never had sex with them. But then again I am only attracted to women. I only want to kiss women. I just lack the game/confidence to follow through with things. I have this irrational fear that I will come out and then suddenly I’ll fall in love with a guy. But it’s laughable. If I’m not gay then I am more likely to be asexual than straight. I absolutely know I am not straight. Why am I so scared of posting this note? </span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Right now I envy my friends who have known they were gay for a long time and besides high school never had to live or lie about being someone different. Sigh. I guess we all have our journeys which we must make. This is mine.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Love her and love this song.</span></div>E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-78740646276551315372011-09-12T09:54:00.000-07:002011-09-12T09:54:12.895-07:00The NREMT Exam<div class="MsoNormal"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The key to the NREMT is to take it soon after your EMT course is finished.<span> </span>That way you won’t forget too much before you take the test.<span> </span>I took it less than a week after I passed my practical exam.<span> </span>While studying for practicals I also studied and went through this review book I bought.<span> </span>I’ve put the picture below so you know which book I was studying from.<span> </span>The book is filled with 300 questions and explanations.<span> </span>It had a few odd and wrong answers especially if you take into account the <a href="http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@ecc/documents/downloadable/ucm_317350.pdf">new updated AHA standards for CPR</a>, but otherwise it was a valuable resource.<span> </span>I also went back to my textbook and review the more difficult sections: OB, head injuries, and environmental injuries (hypothermia, snake bites, deep sea diving injuries, etc.).<span> </span>Also I reviewed my scales: Glasgow Coma, Apgar, and for good measure Revised Trauma Score.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span> </span>Waiting to get authorization to schedule my test was a bit of a pain.<span> </span>I had to wait a few days after I passed my practicals for my state proctor to clear my class.<span> </span>Once I was given authorization I got my letter which explained how to register.<span> </span>I decided to do it online and was pleased with the ease of use.<span> </span>I could see all the open days and see the times available.<span> </span>I was initially was going to test for today, but the early weekdays were already booked, so I decided to test for the Friday of that week in the afternoon.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span> </span>One and my classmates coordinated so that we could test at the same time and carpool.<span> </span>We managed to find the site pretty easily.<span> </span>We each had to provide two forms of ID, a driver’s license and a passport, or social security card (or something equivalent).<span> </span>Then I had to get my palm scanned so it could take a picture of my palm print.<span> </span>I thought that was pretty weird.<span> </span>I asked why they didn’t use fingerprints anymore, and he told me the palm had more points of identification.<span> </span>Next I had my picture taken by webcam so you know it’s gotta be quality.<span> </span>I stashed all my stuff, including my watch and cellphone, into a provided for locker.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span> </span>Then I went to just outside the test center and had my palm scanned again, I guess to make sure I hadn’t changed my hands in the last two minutes.<span> </span>It was actually amusing, because it was having trouble scanning my hand and when it did it turned me into a blonde girl with long hair.<span> </span>Fortunately the testing proctor and I both noticed the obvious difference.<span> </span>Finally I got to go into the testing area, where the walls were lined with computers with dividers in between.<span> </span>I got to sit next to my friend, though I couldn’t see him at all from my seat.<span> </span>The proctor logged into the computer and finally I got to start the test.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span> </span>A few instructions on how to work the computer test and I was off!<span> </span>I think it gives you two hours to finish everything.<span> </span>There are two tricks to the NREMT.<span> </span>The first is that it is an adaptive computer test, so that means if you get a question wrong it will probably ask you a similar question.<span> </span>There is no set number of questions.<span> </span>You could finish in 50; you could finish in 130.<span> </span>Also a notable difference is the fact that you cannot go back to a previous question.<span> </span>When you hit ‘Next’ that’s the last time you’ll ever see that question again, so be sure you certain about your answer, as much as you can be.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span> </span>There are six categories they use and have questions about on <span>the test: <span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">Airway & Breathing, Cardiology, Medical, Trauma, OB/Gyn/Peds, and Operations</span>.</span></span> Other than knowing the categories there is no telling what questions you’re going to have.<span> </span>I conferred with my classmate after the test and he had some really different questions than the ones I had.<span> </span>He took in 125 questions and had a lot of questions about OB, Airway and Breathing, and even some on Orthopedics.<span> </span>I took it in around 60 and had a lot of questions about Airway and Breathing, and an inordinate amount on Triage and Mass Casualty Incidents and not a single Orthopedic question. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span> </span>I was actually angry when I finished the exam.<span> </span>I was on a roll and then all of a sudden I was cut off and the computer told me I was finished.<span> </span>I had finished the test in less than a half hour.<span> </span>It didn’t feel right.<span> </span>I had been trying to keep track of the question number, but I stopped looking around 30, so I finished anywhere at 50-70 questions.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span> </span>After waiting an hour for my friend to finish I finally got to go home and wait…and wait…and wait.<span> </span>Since I took my test on a Friday afternoon I had to wait until Monday morning to finally see if I passed or not.<span> </span>You can find whether or not you passed under Application Status on the NREMT.org site.<span> </span>I ended up passing, and so did my friend.<span> </span>So it really doesn’t matter how matter questions you take the test in.<span> </span>You can fail at 60 questions as easily as pass it and the same goes for 130 questions.<span> </span>Plus sometimes they put in experimental questions which don’t get graded, but help the testers decided to put it on a future exam, like one that my friend had was weird.<span> </span>“What is the tightest knot?”<span> </span>Um…I don’t know.<span> </span>Go ask a boy scout or a firefighter.<span> </span>Just don’t be flustered by weird questions like that.<span> </span>More likely than not it’s an experimental question. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span> </span>So next for me is to wait until NREMT approves my practicals then I have to go to the EMS State Office in this state to get reciprocity so I can have my dual certification.<span> </span>After that I can finally apply to work at the place that taught me and go through their hurdles.<span> </span>But it doesn’t matter, but I am an EMT and it’s worth it for the chance to change and save lives.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">QBP: "Next to creating a life, the finest thing a man can do is save one." </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-Abraham Lincoln</span></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</div>E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-62035631736230195622011-09-07T09:24:00.000-07:002011-09-07T09:24:00.008-07:00Taking the NREMT Exam Friday<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friday I'll be taking the National test for EMTs, so that's exciting. That's right. I am one of those weird people who actually get excited about taking tests. I think I'll do well. I consistently got the top score in my EMT class. Though when you're one of the very few who has a college education it is not too surprising. Even though I don't think I will do too badly, taking important tests while exciting is always somewhat nerve-wracking. If I fail then I'll just have to take it again and that means more time before I can start working and more money out of my pocket. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Guess that means I should study...more. I will be sure to give an nauseatingly detailed account of my experience taking the NREMT Exam this weekend. I just know you can't wait!</span>E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-35357767425685343932011-09-06T09:10:00.000-07:002011-09-06T09:11:37.860-07:00I'm back!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So how was everyone's summer? Mine was semi-productive, after I finally dragged my butt out of bed. I just finished an accelerated EMT class. All I have to do to have certification in two states is to take and pass the NREMT exam. Once that is finished I can go ahead and get myself a real job!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was planning on reapplying to medical school this year, but I am just so burned out. So I am postponing until next year. But for now I am putting the focus on getting a job as an EMT. Get a job, make money, then worry about the future.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am very sorry for being away for so long. I had some personal journeys I had to get through. I will have more to say on that in the future. I am going to be taking advantage of the relative anonymity of this blog and air out some dirty laundry. So for the next bit the blog is going to be focuses on my issues, including family and my inability to say yes to girls who want to date me. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Until the next post!</span><br />
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</span>E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-48469061812193703602011-04-13T09:19:00.000-07:002011-04-13T09:23:37.059-07:00Why I Struggle with the Idea of Heaven<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> In Christianity there is a certain tenet across most sects that is prevalent: the idea of heaven and hell. I suppose it makes me a bad or at least unusual Christian, but I don't think I can believe in Heaven or even an afterlife. Being blessed and cursed with a highly logically mind had led me to this conclusion. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> My faith only goes as far as believing in God and the basic principles of Christianity. Hell is not one of those. Not believing in Hell is easy for me, because I believe that a God of Love of would not subject his people to torment that way. I also think that every person has some amount of good in them; it may be just a speck, but it's there. And for a God of Love to send these folk to Hell is cruel. I mean think of the mentally ill who commit violent crimes not because of their free will, but because of their illness. Where do they end up? They can't end up in Hell, not for just being who God made them to be! So I logiciked that it makes more sense that there isn't a Hell. Hell is easy to discount. But Heaven?</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I want to believe there is a Heaven or some sort of afterlife, but right now I can't/don't/won't. My view of the soul is more of a person's conscience and personality than something that is going to float up into the sky to rest at God's side after I die. However though I struggle with the idea of Heaven, I don't struggle with my belief in God. Call it what you will: a universal force, coincidence, God, Allah, Yaweh, Vishnu, Jehovah, or Eloheim. I believe in some form God exists in the world and in all of us. I will always doubt God's existence, but my belief in Him will never be uprooted from my mind. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Anyways that being said, Religion is a man construct. Humankind loves stories. I am more led to believe that that is what Heaven is, a fairy tale told to adults so that they move away from their animalistic impulses and become good men of character. Because positive reinforcement works. I also believe Heaven exists because death and the unknown that follow are terrifying prospects. Better to believe life goes on, albeit in a different manner, one where you get rewarded for making through the tough shit that is life.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Heaven is a crutch. There are a whole lot of Christians who have stopped living to live, and instead live to die. That is insanity in my head. Then there are those Christians who have moved away from Jesus teachings and towards hate, denouncing others. They have created a system of have and have nots, but in this system it's Heaven they have and Hell for the rest of us. Well if there is a Heaven, I'm afraid they are in for a rude awakening when Jesus walks up to them with the Bible, and says, "Did you not read this thing!?!" </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Okay, I discussed my thoughts on Heaven, and my thoughts are a bit cynical. I can't leave you guys here. So I'll tell what I do believe in, History. History is easy to believe in, just pick up any textbook to read the stories of long since dead men and women. They may has passed, but they live on in our books, and through the actions they have had on people in their lifetime, for good or bad. I mean your grandparents raised your parents a certain way and that was reflected on how they raised you. History is there; it's palpable in a way Heaven is not. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Since I believe in History, I feel like I have to be the best person I can be. Because how I act and what I do in my life has an effect on others, who in turn influence others and on and on, in varying degrees of importance. This is also easy to believe because others have affected me positively and negatively and that affects how I interact with others. I am a Christian, but really I feel more like a Jesus Follower. I use Jesus's teachings as a template for the person I would aspire to be. And I use Church as a support group for these views. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> My name may never get into the History books, and I may never end up with my name on the cover of a book, but it doesn't matter. If a single action has changed someone's life in one small way I will live on forever in the collective conscious of this world. I may change my mind on Heaven some day, but for now, this is my life and afterlife.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<blockquote><span style="font-size: small;">QBP: "If nothing we do in this world matters, then the only thing that matters is what we do." -Joss Whedon</span></blockquote><br />
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</div>E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-26128010191479461942011-04-13T08:59:00.000-07:002011-04-13T09:01:18.267-07:00Butch Symposium Round Up #2: Butch Stereotypes and Misconceptions<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Butch Lab Symposium #2 is here! For the first symposium the topic was "What is Butch?". Here you can find <a href="http://rambling-thru-rambles.blogspot.com/2010/11/butch-symposium-what-is-butch.html">my entry</a> and the <a href="http://rambling-thru-rambles.blogspot.com/2010/12/about-month-ago-i-posted-something-for.html">round up</a> for that topic. This next topic was about the stereotypes and misconceptions that exist with the Butch identity and image. As a young butch I do try my best to write at least something that could be thought provoking, if not beautifully scribed. My entry for this topic can be found <a href="http://rambling-thru-rambles.blogspot.com/2011/03/butch-symposium-butch-stereotypes.html">here</a>, and I encourage each of you to check out what the other symposium participants felt about the issue. Just check the links below or at <a href="http://www.butchlab.com/symposium-2-stereotypes-and-misconceptions/">Butch Lab</a>.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">***</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.butchlab.com/symposium/"><img alt="" class="aligncenter wp-image-744" height="171" src="http://www.butchlab.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/symposium2.jpg" title="symposium2" width="300" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.butchlab.com/symposium-2-stereotypes-and-misconceptions/">Butch Lab Symposium #2: Stereotypes, Cliches, and Misconceptions</a> on <a href="http://www.butchlab.com/">Butch Lab</a>:</span></div><ul style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://madeofwords.com/2011/02/17/bottoms-up-thumbs-up">Ali Oh at Made of Words: Bottoms Up, Thumbs Up</a></span> </li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://madelineelayne.blogspot.com/2011/02/butches-dont-wear-pink-and-other.html">Madeline Elayne: Butches Don’t Wear Pink (and other fallacies)</a></span> </li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://victoriaoldham.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/butch-lab-symposium-2-misconceptions/">Victoria Oldham at Musings of a Lesbian Writer: Misconceptions</a></span> </li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://astrangerinthisplace.blogspot.com/2011/02/butch-stereotypes-cliches-and.html">Wendi Kali at A Stranger in This Place: Butch Stereotypes, Cliches, and Misconceptions</a></span> </li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://lettersfromtitan.com/2011/02/25/butch-isnt-ugly/">RM at Letters from Titan: Butch Isn’t Ugly</a></span> </li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.butchtastic.net/?p=4876">Kyle on Butchtastic: Butch Stereotypes, Cliches and Misconceptions</a>: </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://rambling-thru-rambles.blogspot.com/2011/03/butch-symposium-butch-stereotypes.html">EST at A Lesbian Christian on Butch Stereotypes</a></span> </li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://thissideofchanged.wordpress.com/2011/03/03/butch-stereotypes-cliches-and-misconceptions-butch-lab/">Joliesse Soul at This Side of Changed on Butch Stereotypes</a></span> </li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://bookishbutch.tumblr.com/post/3629194794/butchlab-symposium-butch-stereotypes-cliches-and">Laina at The Bookish Butch</a></span> </li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://howtobebutch.wordpress.com/2011/03/04/butch-lab-symposium-2-butch-stereotypes-cliches-and-misconceptions/">Harrison at How to Be Butch on Stereotypes, Cliches, and Misconceptions</a></span> </li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://twentypebbles.blogspot.com/2011/03/smoke.html">Lenore Louhi at Twenty Pebbles, a piece titled “Smoke”</a></span> </li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://codycoquet.wordpress.com/2011/03/14/symposium-2-butch-stereotypes-cliches-and-misconceptions/">Cody on Cowboy Coquet on Stereotypes, Cliches, and Misconceptions</a> </span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div>E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-37048183953455074722011-04-13T08:45:00.000-07:002011-04-13T09:25:19.798-07:00My month long absence<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sorry readers about not posting for so long! I have some catching up to do! Have to post the new Butch Symposium Round Up! Also I've got a religious contemplation entry to post after that.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The short of the long, is that I got rejected from medical school for a second time, the military thing fell apart and family issues equals not really want to do anything except brood and sulk for weeks. I've finally got my head back on relatively straight now though. </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So I'm back. I'll try and keep the post twice a week schedule, but it may devolve in a single post a week as I try just what in tarnation I am going to do with my life.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Also I just want to thank everyone for reading and commenting on my second Butch Symposium Post. Now that I'm back I'm going to do my best to comment on the other extremely well written posts that put mine to shame. </span></span>E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-6234097057570201052011-03-10T20:24:00.000-08:002011-03-10T20:43:57.187-08:00Back when I was homophobic<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I grew up in the great blue north, and felt that gay was normal, more than normal, cool. So when I say I was homophobic, I don’t mean gay bashing homophobic. I mean literally I was afraid of the same sex. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> My personal space bubble in high school was well documented. Hugs were a rarity, and if I were to give one it probably went to the guy I was dating. I just didn’t do affection. In college I learned about the power of hugs and I started to let people into my bubble…occasionally. But still when it came to girls I was very picky as to would I allow there. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> College is also where I met my first lesbians and made lesbian friends. And as much as I loved them or supported I didn’t want to see them doing anything together or hear about it. I was quoted as saying something to effect to lesbians friends W and SL, “Your love is a wondrous thing and makes me feel weird.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> As for being in a sorority? My personal uncomfortableness and extreme modesty became well known among my sisters. It even became a game. At important events I would get “boobed” by certain sisters. I went along with the game, because it was meant to be funny, but it tore me up inside. This game came to a halt when after an event the girls were changing. I was surrounded by a room of half naked women and I was overwhelmed. Then I got boobed by a sister and then I hid away and cried. It was so freaking confusing as to why I was crying. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> At a meeting with a small group of sisters I had gotten close to, I was asked why I was so uncomfortable around women. I postulated that it was because my alcoholic mother was never affectionate with me. One of my friends stated this didn’t quite explain my uncomfortableness. While I agreed with this, I couldn’t think of another reason. I said it could be because my mother only ever hugged me while drunk. But even as I said the words, I didn’t believe them.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Since college I finally figured out I was gay, and interestingly enough my fear of women has pretty much vanished. I’m still not the most lovey dovey individual, but my personal bubble is much much smaller now. I’m still quite modest, but that’s because I don’t wear skin showing girly clothes, cause I’d rather guy clothes. And I’ve never had anyone to be naked with, so nakedness is unusual to me. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> And that’s how the great big gayness resting in my soul destroyed the evil homophobia.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> The end.</span><br />
<blockquote><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">QBP: "</span><span class="body" style="font-size: small;">The roots of homophobia are fear. Fear and more fear."</span><span style="font-size: small;"> -</span><span class="bodybold" style="font-size: small;">George Weinberg</span></div></blockquote><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5YChbriVFQk/TXmn9zvXZUI/AAAAAAAAAD0/miy9PQt6Hyc/s1600/insecure-bar-owner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-5YChbriVFQk/TXmn9zvXZUI/AAAAAAAAAD0/miy9PQt6Hyc/s400/insecure-bar-owner.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="bodybold" style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.slapupsidethehead.com/2008/04/gay-bar-violation-settled/">pic source </a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="bodybold" style="font-size: small;"> </span> <span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div></div>E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-42666152874028243602011-03-09T06:56:00.000-08:002011-03-09T06:56:11.343-08:00My Lenten Promise<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I vow to give up self-hatred and slothfulness.<span> </span>And in an effort to better my relationship with God, I will pray/converse with God everyday for the forty days of Lent.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div>E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-76688777711678153422011-03-01T17:38:00.000-08:002011-03-01T17:43:10.748-08:00Butch Symposium: Butch Stereotypes<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><b> </b>This is the second edition of the Butch Symposium going on at <a href="http://www.butchlab.com/symposium/">Butch Lab</a>, created by <a href="http://www.sugarbutch.net/">Sugarbutch</a>.</i><b><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;">"What do people <i>think</i> “butch” means? What are the stereotypes around being butch? What do people assume is true about you [or about your masculine of center friends], but actually isn’t? What image or concept do you constantly have to correct or fight against? How do you feel about these misconceptions? How do you deal with them? Do you respond to these stereotypes or cliches? How?"</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;">Butches hate men. Butches drive motorcycles. Butches wear leather jackets. Butches are the “man” in the relationship and perform all the “male” duties. Butches work with their hands. Butches aren’t intellectuals. Butches can only have short hair in a men’s style. Butches like beer and sports. Butches are mean. Butches cannot access their feelings. Butches want to be men. Butches will only date Femmes and do not date other Butches. Butches are (always) the sexually dominant ones. Butches only wear masculine attire. Butches under the age of thirty do not exist.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I think the very first assumption is that if you’re a woman who presents masculine of center, is that you must be a lesbian. This is perhaps true a lot of the time, due to homosexual being “alternative” there is more room for gender expression in that community. But as Franky Fitzgerald of the new Skins generation has shown us, one does not have to love girls to feel most comfortable wearing masculine attire. Assumptions specifically about me are tough due to my soft butch look. More people would rather assume I am like them, straight and gender normative, than see me as I truly am and present. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> The assumption that strikes me the most is that Butches cannot be intellectuals. When I look at the representations of Butches in the media, I cringe. A Butch can’t be a doctor, or a lawyer, and if she’s a professor she’s a women’s studies professor. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Any misconceptions I hear about butch women I personally respond back to, but I’m afraid I’m not brought into those discussions. I present “normal” enough, which means I’m “safe”, which also means I don’t provoke those types of questions. And it bugs me. I want to get into the fight. I want to support my Butch brothers and sisters.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: small;">I finish answering these questions with a question of my own. What is that line between “normal” presenting and “Butch” presenting? Or what has it been for you guys? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
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</div>E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-71906084563908491022011-03-01T17:12:00.000-08:002011-03-01T17:12:15.993-08:00Bought my first pair of men’s pants today<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span>It has been my plan ever since I started wearing men’s (boy’s) shirts, that I would one day buy men’s pants.<span> </span>Each time I pulled on a pair of suffocatingly tight women’s jeans, or looked in the mirror at how the jeans hugged my curves, I thought about getting men’s pants.<span> </span>But I didn’t.<span> </span>Mostly because I was scared.<span> </span>If I wore men’s pants would it change how people looked at me?<span> </span>After I came out to my church friends, and got my hair trimmed short again, I realized that at this point wearing differently gendered pants was not going to matter.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span>One issue down, next?<span> </span>How did men size their pants?<span> </span>A quick internet search provided me with the information.<span> </span>Waist length by Inseam Length.<span> </span>Okay…then I needed a measuring tape (and the only one I could find was pink…just tell me why “girly” things have to be pink?).<span> </span>Measurements roughly taken.<span> </span>Next to the store!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span>Nope.<span> </span>I waited and waited. It wasn't until my roommate had to go to Old Navy before I finally made the decision to purchase the pants.<span> </span>I think a store like Old Navy is great for the baby butch who doesn’t want to break the bank.<span> </span>The jeans are moderately priced and usually the workers don’t care enough to bother you.<span> </span>Plus I could easily slip in and out of the fitting room without being harassed by an attendant.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span>Though it was nerve wracking, I selected a few pairs of jeans of different measurements around the ones I took with my measuring tape.<span> </span>I tried the different sizes on until found the measurements that worked best for me.<span> </span>Then all I had to do was find the pants that I liked.<span> </span>In the end I selected a pair of dark jeans, lighter jeans, and gray cargo pants I found on clearance.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span>So even though my heart pounded and I was wary of looks, I found that as long as I just went about my tasks no one bothered me. And the day ended with success.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><blockquote style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>QBP: "</span>Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society."<b> -</b>Mark Twain</span></div></blockquote><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4YP64iSA3j0/TW2X7cQuyiI/AAAAAAAAADw/nXUmeweWWx4/s1600/panst-measurements.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-4YP64iSA3j0/TW2X7cQuyiI/AAAAAAAAADw/nXUmeweWWx4/s320/panst-measurements.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span> </span></span></div>E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-53785392927949838332011-02-25T10:27:00.000-08:002011-03-01T17:13:04.564-08:00So...I lied. Franky post is pushed back to come out eventually in the future. As for today's post how about this:<br />
<br />
Non-lesbian broke things off with the guy she was dating (for about a month). Tonight she will be seeing me at a social gathering for the first time in several weeks. Interesting times may (but will probably not) ensue!E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-13259159202290495282011-02-23T12:41:00.000-08:002011-02-25T10:24:37.254-08:00PlaceholderSo my dream of becoming a military doc may be just that. Nothing is set in stone yet, but it's not looking good.<br />
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I'm working on a recap to the first episode of the fifth season of Skins (UK). But recent events have me not wanting to write, but I'll try to get it out by Friday.E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-81000220170663988762011-02-18T08:53:00.000-08:002011-02-18T08:54:39.515-08:00Enlisting Update #2<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The military is so aggravating. So finally the chart records I've been waiting for come, years 12 and older. No record of asthma. Should be a good thing right, because I'm not supposed to have asthma then, but no. That's a bad thing.</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My recruiter told me that my records are off to the doctor to be approved/disapproved. Which to a logical individual means oh hey no asthma after age 12, you're good! But since there is no mention of it, BECAUSE I WAS 10!, my recruiter thinks they'll send me to get a pulmonary function test...which they won't pay for! </span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I am beyond livid. Please if anyone has other options for me to do in life, please tell me cause this is stupid. Logic...apparently not a factor in the military.</span></div>E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-34670487386127605252011-02-16T10:46:00.000-08:002011-02-16T11:00:18.809-08:00Coming Out to My Church Friends<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Last month I had made a promise that I would at the new gay ministry group that started up, to come out and to tell my brother’s story (which can be read <a href="http://rambling-thru-rambles.blogspot.com/2011/01/when-gets-real.html">here</a>). Since then I have come out to one of my church friends, by way of Facebook message since I couldn’t get the words out any other way. This church friend, D, promised me she would support me at the ministry group meeting.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> When I arrived, immediately I started to feel my heart beat faster. Last month there were only six people who showed up. This month there were about twenty. I’m not so good at doing the emotional thing in general, particularly when there is more than one other person listening. I sat next to D, and tried to calm my heart down. I was fine telling strangers, even the church friends of mine who came, but when a few ministers of my church came in, I thought my heart was going to break from my chest.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I was volunteered to go first, but I could barely think, so I pledged to share later. I had hoped that after listening to a few shares, my heart would ease up, but it didn’t. I could see my shirt moving from my heart beating so hard. I was worried I was going to pass out. Nothing was helping. Finally my friend, D, gave her own share and made sure everyone in the room knew she was there “to support them”. A secret message saying D was there for me. It was only then after taking a few deep breaths that I volunteered to share.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I won’t lie. It was rough. I couldn’t do anything but stare at my shoes and talk, and even then my words fell on top each other. I quickly came out in the beginning, and then transitioned equally quickly to the story about my brother. I started to get choked up when talking about him and the attempted suicide. I didn’t cry, but it was a near thing. I stopped before I completely lost it, and then stared at the floor some more. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> If there was a sense of relief, I don’t think I felt it. Instead I felt really shaky and uncomfortable, so much so that I still couldn’t look anyone in the eye. So after the next share was done, I went to the bathroom and just stood and breathed until I was in control and not my emotions. Though I still felt shaky I was better enough that I could look everyone in the eye and listen to the rest of the shares.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> After the meeting was over, my church friend, B, came over and hugged me tightly. He was very supportive, as well as my friend D and my minister. I even received support from strangers. The leader of the ministry group was especially moved by my share, later telling me I “inspired him”. But what struck me most was people calling me brave and telling me they were proud of me. It felt weird. I’m not brave and what have I’ve done to be proud of: saying words? Finally coming out? Probably.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Though I was blessed by supportive, wonderful friends, I don’t think I’ll be coming out again anytime soon. I was shaky for a whole hour after and I hate feeling that way. I just wish my church friends would tell the rest of my church friends, so I don’t have to. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> But yay for me getting through this and for saying words. Woo words! </span><br />
<blockquote><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">QBP: "Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth." -Benjamin Disraeli</span></div></blockquote><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i_PpWq7nrWA/TVwc_z8qfVI/AAAAAAAAADs/mIYCfUbofnU/s1600/l_0fa5372520a4d0e0970e205c856dc872.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i_PpWq7nrWA/TVwc_z8qfVI/AAAAAAAAADs/mIYCfUbofnU/s400/l_0fa5372520a4d0e0970e205c856dc872.jpg" width="373" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://discussion.l-word.com/viewtopic.php?p=412602">comic source</a></span></span></div></div>E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-63935931401896254082011-02-10T09:21:00.000-08:002011-02-10T09:23:52.593-08:00God and the Gay<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-size: auto auto; background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;"> Christianity as a realm of popularity in the gay community would be about as popular as Tea Bagger Sarah Palin. I am unabashedly Christian, as I am completely comfortable being gay. In the past year I have experience more prejudice for being a Christian than for being gay. From people I consider friends no less. But I can’t say anything against my friends, because I’m the one who has changed, not them. </span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-size: auto auto; background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;"> In college I would laugh along with the jokes that make fun of Christians and God. Nowadays while I find a lot of jokes about those so-called “Christians” hilarious, I don’t think God or Christian should be used as a punchline. My friends in the same breath will support my choices and in the next make a tactless joke about Jesus.</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-size: auto auto; background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;"> I have always been at odds with people. Whether it’s because I’m Christian as a lesbian, or I’m a female who likes being seen as masculine. Or even because I’m a science person, who loves writing creatively. I abhor persecution in all avenues. Humor is great, but we cannot stereotype Christians and then complain about being stereotyped ourselves. Intolerance goes both ways. </span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="-moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-size: auto auto; background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;"> What I write may not be popular, but I will continue to write about God. Because everyone needs a voice even if they might be gay…even if they might be a Christian.</span></span></div>E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-70376519872031547582011-02-08T17:32:00.000-08:002011-02-08T17:41:51.928-08:00How my roommate has made me a better woman, a better butch<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I am by in large untested in romantic long relationships. I haven’t had a relationship last longer than three months. Granted they were all with men, and a reason for not staying with them longer was that physical intimacy with them grossed me out. The closest thing I have had to a lengthy relationship is with my straight best friend and roommate, The GDB (as she would like to be known on here). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> We’ve been friends since freshmen orientation at college, and joined the same sorority. Yeah, I was in an honest to god sorority. To say it was painful at times is an understatement. Through it all though, I had The GDB: my best friend, sorority sister, and polar opposite. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> I am driven, serious (though extremely snarky), type A, punctual, mature, masculine, and involved. My roommate, The GDB, is more of a girly girl, and a free spirit. She does life in her own time, and laughs things off easily. An example, on a walk I am focused to getting to my destination. The GDB stops for every stray cat, petting and chatting with the<span style="background-color: white;">m. </span><span style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255);">Do you guys remember that show The Odd Couple? Well I don’t really but I do know it’s about two men who occupy the same apartment and are complete opposites. My roommate and I make the Odd Couple look like loving identical twins. That isn’t to say I don’t care for my roommate cause I do, but we are so very different.</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> Where I am the brains, she is the heart. When new people first meet us, they instantly fall in love with her. They’re more hesitant with me. I’m friendly, but I’m also withdrawn and stoic with new people. I gain them over with snarky brand of humor and then with enough time my unwavering loyalty and kindness. She laughs with ease. She’s vastly inappropriate. The list of our differences goes on and on.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> And yet, we work together real well. Typically with people I feel like I have to be polite, so much that it's a real fault. I’d rather internalize my pain than to inflict it on others. I feel guilty about confronting people and when I don’t I get passive aggressive and angry. With The GDB, I feel no worries about confronting her. I can say straight to her face how I feel about the trash piling up, or keeping me awake with her drunken gaming. And I don’t have to worry about her getting defensive. I don’t keep nearly as much inside, and I have learned how to stand up for myself and my feelings.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> As for being a better butch, The GDB has not only encouraged my forays into butch, but has gone clothes shopping with me, taken me to get my haircut short, and learned real quickly to call me “handsome” and not “pretty”. She lets me take over the masculine roles like the heavy lifting or opening jars. And despite the fact that I don’t own a car, and she does and has to drive me places, she still doesn’t take away my “man” card.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> If my life were a lesbian romantic comedy, then I’m sure me and my roommate would be shacking up. My lesbian friends SL and W joke that we’re like an old married couple, bickering and all. Truth be told we’re very much like an old married couple, including the part where we don’t have sex. For many reasons such as my roommate is straight and that I’m not interested in her like that. You know, little things like that. :-) </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <br />
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</div><blockquote style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">QBP: </span><span class="sqq" style="font-size: small;">“I don't need to pay a therapist to give me crap. I have a roommate that does it for free.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="sqc" style="float: right;"></span>" -Ally McBeal </span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x8SOIhjTU-I/TVHuFKK9w8I/AAAAAAAAADk/U2vT6lfNVHM/s1600/roommate-powerups.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="340" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x8SOIhjTU-I/TVHuFKK9w8I/AAAAAAAAADk/U2vT6lfNVHM/s400/roommate-powerups.gif" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/archives/2010/Mar/">comic source</a></span></span></div>E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-92782598655203359.post-61461791920478961792011-02-03T11:01:00.000-08:002011-02-03T11:05:21.196-08:00Gay does not mean Stupid, Stupid<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Hey small minded idgit, I don’t think you know actually know what “gay” means.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Gay means </span><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="font-size: small;">gleeful,</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="font-size: small;">jovial,</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="font-size: small;">glad,</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="font-size: small;">joyous,</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default; font-size: small;">happy,</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default; font-size: small;">cheerful,</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="font-size: small;">sprightly,</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="font-size: small;">blithe,</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="font-size: small;">airy,</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default; font-size: small;">light-hearted, <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default;">vivacious,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="cursor: default;">frolicsome,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">sportive,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword">hilarious, <span class="sc">merry</span>, </span>good-humored,</span><span style="font-size: small;"> brilliant and lastly pertaining to a homosexual.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Weird how none of those words come even close to stupid!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> But I mean I understand. Why use stupid when you could use another word? </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Like </span><span class="equals" style="font-size: small;">anserine, dopey, foolish, goosey, gooselike, jerky, blockheaded, boneheaded, duncical, duncish, fatheaded, loggerheaded, thick, thickheaded, thick-skulled, wooden-headed, cloddish, doltish, dense, dim, dim witted, dull, dumb, obtuse, slow, gaumless, gormless, lumpish, unthinking, nitwitted, senseless, soft-witted, witless, weak, weak-minded, yokel-like, brainless, headless, dazed, deficient, dummy, </span><span style="font-size: small;">futile, gullible, half-baked, half-witted, idiotic, ill-advised, imbecilic, inane, indiscreet, insensate, irrelevant, laughable, ludicrous, meaningless, mindless, moronic, naive, nonsensical, out to lunch, pointless, puerile, shortsighted, simple, simpleminded, sluggish, stolid, stupefied, trivial, unintelligent, batty, campy, crazy, daffy, dippy, freaky, gagged up, goofy, illogical, incongruous, irrational, jokey, loony, nutty, off the wall, preposterous, screwy, silly, tomfool, unreasonable, wacky, absurd, cretinous, daft, sophomoric, asinine, balmy, bugged out, cracked, crazed, deranged, dotty, harebrained, mentally incompetent, nuts, odd, Philistine, blundering, boorish, bovine, churlish, gross, indelicate, inelegant, loutish, lowbrow, oafish, raw, rough, rude, uncouth, unrefined, vulgar, slow on the uptake, crass, addled, backward, besotted, boring, feeble-minded, ignorant, indolent, not bright, numskulled, scatterbrained, shallow, tedious, unintellectual, vacuous, wearisome, huff, ditzy, cockamamie, fatuous, ill-considered, imprudent, incautious, injudicious, insane, kooky, lunatic, mad, nerdy, ridiculous, short-sighted, unwise, or zany.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Consider your vocabulary expanded.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> You’re welcome.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">P.S. Anyone who chooses to use “gay” as “stupid” is in my opinion a dingbat, moron, airhead, barmey, cabbage, dickish, dipstick, dope, drongo, fat head, plank, plonker, turkey, wanker, yob, git, knob-end, bell-end, numpty, nutter, pillock, toser, tube, twat, blockhead, boob, chump, clodpate, dimwit, dodo, dork, dumdum, dunce, fool, goon, idiot, ignoramus, lamebrain, lunkhead, meathead, nitwit, sap, yo-yo, loser, feeble-minded, imbecile, late, subnormal, underdeveloped, underprivileged and quite possibly inbreed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><blockquote style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">QBP: "</span><span class="body" style="font-size: small;">I think the most overused words in our vocabulary in the South are black and white.</span><span style="font-size: small;">" -</span><span class="bodybold" style="font-size: small;">Artur Davis</span></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x8SOIhjTU-I/TUr6tbSrlLI/AAAAAAAAADg/UO--YCRLtHc/s1600/gay-meaning.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x8SOIhjTU-I/TUr6tbSrlLI/AAAAAAAAADg/UO--YCRLtHc/s320/gay-meaning.png" width="320" /></a></span><span class="bodybold" style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span class="bodybold" style="font-size: small;"> </span> </div>E.S.T.http://www.blogger.com/profile/04948495592991403459noreply@blogger.com0