Feeling particularly beautiful today…
Happy Monday!
This doesn’t happen too often, but boy am I depressed today. It’s been a strange week altogether. No patience for frustration of any kind. Not able to pin it on anything. Just a bad frame of mind, and an irritating run of days.
I have been reorganizing my self watering planter tanks so I can put more in. I have 4 dedicated to tomatoes, herbs and beans. I will install another 4 by end of next week. In the fall I am planning another 4.
Last night we went to a Todd Rundgren concert. It’s got me thinking about listening to music live and playing it back through whatever device. At the concert I had an immersive experience. At home it’s mostly background noise.
I have given up on my Apple desktop computer. It’s so slow that it has become useless. It isn’t that old. Sure, it was a basic unit, but it won’t even run an internet browser without massive delays in loading pages.
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/may-5-2…
Really important post from Heather Cox Richardson. Practically copied the entire thing into my journal. Highly recommend reading this one.
Trump’s war on the Department of Justice over his attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election has already progressed into an attempt to delegitimize the results of the 2024 election, suggesting he does not believe he will win in a free and fair election.
That moment when you realize the Green Egg thermometer isn’t working and the brisket you thought had been cooking for hours hasn’t been cooking at allll and you need a plan B for feeding 8 dinner guests…
May 2, 2024 - by Heather Cox Richardson
This is very worth reading as an explanation of the complex political nature of campus unrest over Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
Have I mentioned how much I love wearing lipstick? Of all the things I do to feel feminine, this is hands down the most potent. When I am not wearing lipstick, I miss it in a visceral way.
April 30, 2024 - by Heather Cox Richardson
Cortellessa writes that Trump intends to establish “an imperial presidency that would reshape America and its role in the world.”
That he can talk openly in this way and still be running neck and neck with Biden in the poles astonishes me.
All the thought and attention I am paying to my feminine look is inspiring the women close to me to be more thoughtful about their appearance too. I’ve seen this in my wife, and in a friend, who told me last night that she now thinks more carefully about her look when she knows she will see me.
This dress came today and it’s amazing! From the compostable/recyclable packaging it came in, to the quality construction of the garment, to the way it fit me, to the reasonable price of all that! I will be buying more from Everlane.
Total score!
As I spend more time openly presenting in a feminine way, I realize that it is exactly that. Adopting and adapting feminine signals to my body. It’s perhaps less about wanting to be a woman, as it is about claiming the right to present my masculine body femininely if that aligns better with how i feel.
Fascinating…
… in a test of originality, subjects were asked to generate items in response to a cue. There were three conditions: in one, they had to respond immediately; in the second, after a few minutes’ conscious thought; and in the third, after being distracted for a few minutes on another task. The most creative and original answers came from the group that had been distracted.
McGilchrist, Iain . The Matter With Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions and the Unmaking of the World (p. 1059). Perspectiva Press. Kindle Edition.
… it’s hard to express this as fully as i feel it, but i love my feminine self… i love wearing feminine clothes… i love wearing jewelry… i love wearing lipstick… i love the way all of it makes me feel…
April 28, 2024 - by Heather Cox Richardson
The idea that the United States must become a Christian nation has apparently led Barr to accept the idea that a man who has called for the execution of those he sees as enemies should be president, apparently because he is expected to usher in an authoritarian Christian state, in preference to a man who is using the power of the government to help ordinary Americans.
… i find the idea of a “Christian nation” offensive…
One of the joys of exploring the feminine space is accessorizing! Picked these necklaces up at the local flea market for $40.
New addition to my bracelet collection…
It’s a little delicate for me but my plan is to get a few of them…
It’s been difficult to find bracelets that fit my male sized wrists. Always a joy to find one that does.
April 26, 2024 - by Heather Cox Richardson
Finally today, news broke that in her forthcoming book, South Dakota governor Kristi Noem wrote about shooting her 14-month-old dog because it was “untrainable” and dangerous. “I hated that dog,” she wrote, and she recorded how after the dog ruined a hunting trip, she shot it in a gravel pit. Then she decided to kill a goat that she found to be “nasty and mean” as well as smelly and aggressive. She “dragged him to the gravel pit,” too, and “put him down.”
… wow!… just WOW!0
A long form post from last year pointing towards my entry into trans-feminine space. 6 months later I buy my first lipstick.
I am one of those few people who actually enjoys homemaking. Certainly, I am one of that even rarer species, a cisgender man who actually enjoys housework. Vacuuming and tidying up is rewarding to me because it makes order out of chaos on a weekly basis. Folding laundry is a mindfulness practice as far as I am concerned. Cooking is a spiritual practice of deep devotion, and feeding someone a profound act of love. Doing it daily is a devotional practice of love.