Kids These Days And Their Googling Their Crushes. Back In My Day, We Had To Steal Pictures Of Them From

Inside of my house (and heart) are two cats.

One of them prefers for you to pet him without paying too much attention to him. He will run away if you focus on him with anything resembling intent.

The other will give you a firm skippity-bap with her giant paws if you don't pay attention to her as you pet her.

It's OK to confuse the first for the second. Woe betide anyone who dares to absentmindedly treat her as though she were him.

just some things I got in trouble for as a kid

Accidentally stepping on a classmate's foot because I was afraid of some of the older girls so I moved quickly out of the way.

Helping a girl who got sand in her eyes to escape the center of a sand fight that broke out on the playground. The girl was normally an instigator of that kind of thing, but not that time; she truly was hurt and scared and crying and disoriented. I also got in trouble later for telling the truth about it, that it wasn't her fault that time.

Being interested in the Titanic. My immigrant teachers only knew about the Titanic as a "filthy" movie, so they assumed I was reading trashy smut. I was actually reading boring non-fiction about a ship.

Writing an honest and well-researched report about Ronald Reagan. My teacher said I shouldn't have picked a president I would criticize. I didn't pick him, my dad forced me to pick him because he worships Reagan.

As a kid, you know what I thought "mythology" meant? Religion not directly based on the Bible.

And I was a Muslim?!?!?!

I am currently reviewing and auditing digital records related to Internet governance. Many are legal documents that underwent endless cycles of revisions and approvals. The oldest among them are over 25 years old.

Much of what used to baffle me about Microsoft Word suddenly makes so. much. sense.

You post it only when a bigot dies.

I listen to the 80's version of Crab Rave on the regular.

We are not the same.

[ toxic positivity, allusions to CSA/religious abuse ]

Inspirational speaker at work event, singing a song called It's a Gift: "All the people, in the prisons and cathedrals, we're all the saaaame."

My brain, immediately: "Definitely not the same. One place is full of thieves and abusers, and the other is a prison."

All That She Wants (1993) is just a coward's Maneater (1982).

I have a theory.

The Right thinks that DEI/affirmative action/etc. elevates mediocrity because of the dismal quality of their own tokens.

Look no further than the fashion designers, musicians, filmmakers, actors, drag performers, and other, ahem, "creative" types who went MAGA for proof, especially the queer and/or non-white among them. They're tiny-ass, undistinguished fish in ponds so small and undisturbed by talent that they're not even qualified to be tempests in teacups.

Knowledge is knowing that it's Frankenstein's monster; wisdom is not looking for a lab coat when you Find Frankie.

Diogenes, throwing unshelled peas at Joe Rogan's studio: "Behold, a podcast!"