Keeping My Aloe Plants Alive (Relaxation Post)

A small, dry aloe vera plant in a brown pot with sandy mixture, grass in the background
My little buddies after today’s care.

I should randomly talk about this more often: I like working with plants, but I’m terrible at keeping them alive. Sometimes it’s because I picked finicky or climate resistant plants, but those are stories for another time. (Suffice to say that Venus flytraps are an amusing idea but realistically almost impossible to keep alive indoors.)

 

Right now I’m working on keeping two little aloe sprouts alive. Gifted to me earlier this year by my wonderful sister, Lisa, there were originally three but I threw one away after a month or two because I had already made mistakes and it seemed beyond saving.

Differing sources report different treatment conditions for aloe, so everything here is my best approximation at what they actually need based on the many things I’ve read and what I’ve seen my plant respond to.

Continue reading “Keeping My Aloe Plants Alive (Relaxation Post)”

Keeping My Aloe Plants Alive (Relaxation Post)
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Cameras and CONvergence

(Originally started as a Facebook post, but it got too long.)

So I have three camcorders of varying quality (thanks, dad! Seriously he ends up with extras of all kinds of stuff and I get free hand-me-downs, it’s pretty great).

The two newer ones have apparently-interchangeable batteries (having tested it one-way at least–the other battery is totally dead) and all three charge via an extremely short USB cord directly out of the camera; I have no dock for any of the batteries.
Continue reading “Cameras and CONvergence”

Cameras and CONvergence

Luxander’s 2017 CONvergence Panels!

**ADDED TO: 6/16** Hey, all! The CONvergence schedule is now out, though there might be changes and additions between now and when CON time actually comes. But! Here’s a link to the full schedule and then I’m gonna list the ones I’ll be on here.  Continue reading “Luxander’s 2017 CONvergence Panels!”

Luxander’s 2017 CONvergence Panels!

Speak Your Mind–Even If Your Voice Shakes

I find myself not knowing quite where to begin, as I don’t imagine everything here will be taken super well. But that’s kind of the problem and the point of the post.

We’ll start with some backstory: Some five years ago, my dad turned me on to the existence of Skepchick, and Teen Skepchick in particular since TS was looking for new bloggers and he figured that might be my jam. I wrote my first ever semi-professional piece, it was published on Teen Skepchick as a guest post, and a couple weeks later I was on the writing team. So began my involvement in the atheist community.

Being a writer on a sister site to something as major as Skepchick was a fantastic opportunity, and it set me on a course to developing an incredibly supportive network of friends and acquaintances made up of my peers. I’m still friends with a handful of my fellow TS bloggers today–actually I do a podcast with one of them.

I met more people at conventions, started writing for Queereka and then FTB (Freethought Blogs), sat on panels and even gave a talk, accruing new friends all the while. Until I found myself in the middle of an amazing, interconnected group of skeptics, atheists, feminists, and progressive thinkers. I’ve known many of these people for years, and have always appreciated how fortunate I am to be among people who accept me (including many of my fellow bloggers here at The Orbit).

As it happens, I also joined the Skepchick network riiiiight around the time Rebecca Watson uttered the phrase, “Guys, don’t do that,” and what had initially appeared to be a unified movement started to thoroughly implode. Continue reading “Speak Your Mind–Even If Your Voice Shakes”

Speak Your Mind–Even If Your Voice Shakes

On Desirability And Transition

This was originally posted on Facebook, so I apologize to those who may have already seen it. I felt it was worthy of a cross-post because hot damn sometimes I’m good at words.

CN for hormone replacement therapy, depression, internalized transphobia, dysphoria, desirability/sex, body parts

I am a trans person.

I’ve been on testosterone for almost two years.

I used to feel attractive–yes, even when I lived a life indistinguishable from a woman’s. Continue reading “On Desirability And Transition”

On Desirability And Transition

Moving Forward-A List of Pros

Yes, sorry, I’m bad about actually blogging, that’s my B. I’m working on it, I promise. Also I didn’t intend to use this blog for personal things, but I haven’t written in forever so w/e.

Anyway, CN for depression, s**c*dal thoughts, exercise

I’m about to quit a job that has been exacerbating my depression and making me want to kill myself. I’ve been struggling the entire time, but the suicidality crept up in September and hasn’t fully gone away. I only started working there a year ago.

But today I filled out a formal resignation form, giving my two weeks’ notice. Also, my supervisor had the amazing idea of using up a big chunk of my annual (paid) leave for the second week, so I only actually have five more work days. Then a week-and-a-half vacation before I start my new job. (I’m going to do delivery driving for Jimmy John’s.)

Obviously this is exciting and awesome, and so I’m going to refrain from annoying my Facebook friends by putting a list here of all the things I’m looking forward to when I’m no longer employed by the USPS: Continue reading “Moving Forward-A List of Pros”

Moving Forward-A List of Pros

I’m Starting A Patreon!

Hello, all!

Today I’m announcing the launch of »my Patreon page.« Most of you probably know what that is, but if you don’t: it’s a way for creators to be paid for work they normally do for free, such as making YouTube videos and blogging, via monthly pledge donations.

My Patreon is mostly to support my YouTube endeavors; it’ll help me rebuild my aging computer and set up a proper recording space. (I’m using a fur-covered, torn green screen as a background. Save me. T_T) But! I’m also offering rewards on there that pertain to my writing, as a way to encourage me to use this platform more.

Even if I can’t come up with some super srs bsns for this blog, I want to give it more attention. I’ve had this idea to over-explain the lyrics to World of Warcraft parody songs for several years and I think I’d get a kick out of it, even if no one else does.

So, if you want to support my creative works and give me things to write about, check out my Patreon! If you don’t want to or can’t support it, I’d still be grateful for a share.

Hope you have an awesome day!

I’m Starting A Patreon!

CONvergence Panels!

LET THE EXCITEMENT COMMENCE.

CONvergence is coming up soon, here in just over a month, and the events schedule has been posted! Which means that I now know and can share with you which panels I’m going to be on!

DID I MENTION SOMETHING ABOUT EXCITEMENT??

*ahem* Anyway, the full schedule is available here, so you can check out all the amazing things that are going to be happening. There’s an art show, movie screenings, a pie contest, and signings. And, of course, panels!

I’m going to be on six(!) panels this year, so here’s my schedule for those who are interested: Continue reading “CONvergence Panels!”

CONvergence Panels!

CATHY BRENNAN IS A FAKE GOTH??

Alright, y’all. Just be aware that I’m super pissed off about this, but I’m gonna try not to rage too hard. CN for transphobia.

So, Cathy Brennan. She’s a Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminist (TERF) who is notorious within the trans community for her website “Gender Identity Watch” and its affiliated Facebook pages. On the Facebook pages, there has been a history of outing and harassing trans women. Brennan also appears in meatspace, with one notable picture of her holding a paper cutout of a person with the crotch circled, and the text reading, “Sorry about your dick.”

She’s an awful person. Continue reading “CATHY BRENNAN IS A FAKE GOTH??”

CATHY BRENNAN IS A FAKE GOTH??

Frivolous Fridays: NEW SEASON OF GoT!

»Frivolous Fridays are the Orbit bloggers’ excuse to post about fun things we care a lot about that may not necessarily have serious implications for politics or social justice. Although any day is a good day to write about our passions outside of social issues, we sometimes have a hard time giving ourselves permission to do that. This is our way of encouraging each other to take a break from serious topics and have some fun.«

Welcome to a new thing we’re doing! As the blurb says, we want to encourage each other to blog about whatever we want to our heart’s content. I definitely feel obligated to write about Serious Important Business every time I blog here, so we thought it would be nice to have an open day to talk about silly things that don’t necessarily have to make a punchy point. It mixes the solemnity of what many of us write about with some levity, so it doesn’t become overwhelming to you or our bloggers.

[Note: It has occurred to me that it’s April Fool’s Day, but this is not related to that.] :p

On to the silly thing! Continue reading “Frivolous Fridays: NEW SEASON OF GoT!”

Frivolous Fridays: NEW SEASON OF GoT!