the keanu reeves feeling

my mind has been blown.

i always assumed that i'd have transgender friends because i'm transgender and part of the community. but it never crossed my mind that a pre-existing friend of mine would come out as trans.

well, it happened. mind—completely blown.

i get it now. at least a little bit.

you think, "woah! like, what? but cool. i mean, good for you! yeah! but huh. wow. didn't expect that. not that it's bad. which it's not. it's good! i just can't wrap my head around it completely. but i'm definitely happy for you. yeah, awesome! thanks for trusting me enough to tell me."

i had the added feelings of "yay! you've come over to the dark side!" and "just think of all the things we can talk about now!"

it's weird for you guys, right? someone you know transitions, and now you have to completely redefine that person in your mind—call them a different name, change pronouns. maybe you ask yourself, "well now that she's a he, i shouldn't get the door for he— err, him. yeah?" or "should i offer to walk her home? i mean, it might not be safe for her to walk alone now."

transition is really not just a one person affair. when one of us transitions, everyone else has to transition in some way too. but i think it's a good journey to share.

and i'm especially happy to have another person to share it with now. :)

samicus politicus

politics. i've decided to go there.

i love to talk politics, and yet it's a topic that drives me completely insane. because of these guys:

it's a circus. it's an elaborate game of "he said, she said". and being overseas has brought my voting apathy to new heights.

i really don't like either party or either presidential candidate. i could vote for obama, whom i prefer but still dislike. but absentee voting is a hassle, and the votes generally get counted after the fact, making it a worthless endeavor.

so, i'm not voting.

i've concluded that i can make a bigger difference through other means. specifically, educating myself and educating others.

this means researching issues and participating in the discussion.

let's take a second and consider what our next president won't do:
-guarantee gay marriage rights to all americans
-end the war on drugs
-end the war on terror
-change america from a global bully into a global partner
-institute true national healthcare

these are some of the biggest issues i care about. and my vote won't make any of them happen.

so, i'm not voting.

i'm joining the debate. let's bring about some real change that we really can believe in!

(scurries off to troll facebook...)