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To all the transgender and non-binary people I interact with. I want to let you know that it is very likely I will mis-gender you, because I suck at names.

To explain. I am atrocious with names. It tends to take a *lot* of tries and direct interactions before someone's name sticks, and has been this way for as long as I can recall. To compensate for this, I have gotten really good at structuring what I say to avoid names almost completely. The problem is that structuring mostly functions around using gendered pronouns, and defaults to filing people by apparent gender.

So unless someone's outside appearance clearly matches their expressed gender, my conversational filing system goes completely to shit. This means unless I can clearly recall the preferred gender of someone who's effing name I can't recall, I'm very likely to screw up. And if I get tired, or too distracted (like say, at a party with a lot of people) my default conversational filing system kicks in and I end up misgendering people who's name and preferred pronouns I do know.

This is an explanation, not an excuse. If I get your pronouns wrong, call me on it and/or correct me. I want to re-wire this, but I'm working against a long standing coping mechanism utterly ill-suited to this shift in how gender is perceived and expressed.

Thank you.

( NSFW follows )

So, turns out I've had the same sinus infection for at least two months. This despite 2-3 prior rounds of serious antibiotics. I'm on another round, this time with a steroid chaser. My dr is also trying to arrange to get me approved to have a CAT scan of my sinuses.
This helps explain why, despite my seasonal depression feeling better, i haven't wanted to do anything this winter.

I regularly stream on Twitch (username improbablegarage if you care), mostly me customizing diecast cars, but sometimes other stuff. Last night i streamed while making dollhouse furniture for a partner's daughter.
At one point while cutting a board i didn't keep control of one piece and the table saw kicked it back. It hit me in the gut. Hard.
At the time I realized people watching might not know what happened, so went into narration mode quickly. It was a bit scary but mostly annoying that I'd done something dumb.
When i uploaded it to youtube i watched that bit. And i got at least as big an adrenalin response from watching it as from the actual experience. There is something about watching myself get injured that has me thinking how much worse it could have been. That both my partners were watching via twitch, but would have been largely helpless if something truely bad had happened is also messing with me. I dunno, this may end up sticking with me after the bruise heals.

This is the video, injury is at 29:10.
youtu.be/SjBlULR-gGs

It seems like folks restarting their journals have been making a catch-up post. ( So here is the shortest possible version of my life since I last usefully journaled in 2011. )

This is where my opt-in filters list will live, this post mostly exists to point people at from my profile.

Mental health. This will be where I talk in depth about my depression, anxiety, etc.

Sex/Kink. These are very linked for me, so they are one filter. All posts to this will be behind a NSFW tag.

Comments are filtered on this post.

Friday I was diagnosed with my third sinus infection of the year. First tier antibiotics do nothing, and the last one took up to third tier to go away. So my Dr started me on a very different class of 2nd tier in hope that that will budge this one.

Yesterday was my Not the Holidays party. Because of the sinus infection, I had much less energy for party prep. That combined with a lot of last minute cancellations caused me to scale back plans a bit (didn't bother setting u the spare room for comfy cuddling & movie watching). But in the end 10 people came over the course of the party. So it was nice, but not big. Which was probably just as well.

Today's plan is a friend's birthday Dim Sum, continuing work on the giant dollhouse for a partner's kiddo, & party cleanup. If the weather co-operates I might even get a little car work in.

Well it's only been seven years and a different website ago, so...

"Crapshots Ep48 - The Check" (Watch on YouTube)

Lets try this again. Hopefully I can find some friend's journals or this will end up feeling like shouting into the void.

I have not been updating this journal for a while, and don't know that I will be again(at least not with any regularity). I have largely moved away from LJ as a place to write, though I do still ready my friends list most days.

I can be found on Facebook under my pixel at blert dot net email address.

I now have a blog at http://www.blert.net/blog/

Look for me there.

Tell my girlfriend to quit her miserable job, give her at least $100K so she'd have her own safety net and pay for her health insurance so she can concentrate on writing & editing full time. Start shopping for an interesting house with at least a 1/2 acre & either a 4-car+ garage or room for one.
Also the budget for the classic car I'm already shopping for would grow a bit...[Error: unknown template qotd]

...or not.

Short version: Newly acquired car lost it's brakes and stalled & refused to start on the way to work today. Guy is giving me a refund once I get it back to his place.

( Long version: )

Well, the fleet just got a little bigger...

My last entry about the cottage weekend was missing a vital piece of info. It is for the weekend of July 22-24th. Figured I'd make that correction abundantly clear that in case it alters people's ability to attend.

EDIT: This is for the weekend of July 22-24th. Lost that when I cut'n pasted from facebook

Vikki & I are going to be at my family's cottage for the weekend and want you to come too! Its located in southeastern CT near a small lake. We'll be there from Friday evening through Sunday afternoon/evening and everyone is welcome for whatever part you can make it to.

There is a swimming area nearby with a floating dock, we have a canoe and some kayaks. The far side of the lake is a state forest with an abandoned summer camp in it. We have a hammock, badminton/volleyball net & big deck to hang out on. At night I can light up the fire bowl. We'll have the grill going & crepes and/or omelettes for breakfast.

There is crash space inside for 6-8 guests + floor space, and a yard big enough to pitch tents in (I can probably scare up 1-2 tents). Let me know if you'll have need of crash space.

For obvious reasons there is no public transit options there. Though if people want to come down for the whole weekend we might be able to pick you up from the commuter rail and give you a lift. Otherwise the Lebanon CT Amtrak stop is closest but would require advanced notice/planning.

Things to be aware of:
-You're going to need to bring at least some food and/or stop off at the supermarket nearby. We can't afford to feed everyone all weekend. :)
-My friends are not normal, there may be people there with non-standard gender orientations/gender presentations/relationship structures. You have to be able to be polite about that if you are attending.
-The water pressure *sucks* there, plan on the most basic of showers if you stay over. Related the water has a bit of a sulfur smell/taste, doesn't bother me but bothers some. We'll be bringing non-sulfurous drinking water as well.

So Last June I went into the local DMV office and registered two cars(Box my xB and Emily my '62 Comet), and my tiny utility trailer. All the same day, all for a 1-year registration.

This April a renewal letter came in for the trailer, which I thought odd because I thought I had 2 more months. But it was $10 so I didn't care that much and sent it back in.

In May the Comet renewal came in. I figured the xB one was right behind it, and hung onto it. A MONTH later, in June, the xB renewal showed up. So I sent them both in.

So now, despite registering them on the same day, I have three registrations that expire in three different months. Thanks DMV, Thanks.

Cheeble, Cheeble Hamster Dance!
Cheeble, Cheeble Hamster Sing!
Cheeble, Cheeble Hamster Play!
Cheeble! Cheeble! HAPPY YAY!!

Cheeble Cheeble Happy Yay! Every day at 2pm, and 9am on Saturday & Sunday! And remember kids, the new Cheeble Cheeble Happy Yay! Happy Playset is available in stores now!

*click*

"Oh. My. God. We're up against children's television?!?"

Trying to decide if I want to buy another '62 Comet. The engine/brakes/etc are shot, but the body needs*much* less work than mine(less rust, doesn't need 4 layers of paint stripped). And mine has had the engine/trans/brakes/etc. all redone already. Seems like a chance to combine them into one better car.

It would require duplicating a some work I've already done (rust welding in floor & 1/4 panels, cleaning/painting the engine compartment & underside, installing sound deadener). I'd have to switch the engine/transmission/rearend/front suspension/brakes/exhaust from mine over. I'd have to repaint the entire car inside & out to the right colors & move the entire interior over.

In the end it would probably save me a lot of the sort of work I like least in exchange for duplication of the sort of work I like most. It would also save me a bunch of money on things I would be unlikely or unable to do myself. But it requires a big chunk of money & time right now to avoid a larger chunk of money & time that I can stretch out and put off.

But at the same time, it requires me to strip and eventually sell/junk Emily, *my* Comet that I've had for over 6 years. And I'm not sure this new Comet would ever be *my* Comet like Emily is.

...and my enthusiasm for projects has sprung right along with it.

Saturday I took a 8 hour trip to buy a replacement for the rear window on Emily that broke over the winter. I also picked up four new less-rusty doors that I can combine with the ones on her into actually rust-free doors.

Earlier this week I spent a chunk of my tax return on the gasket to install the new window as well as a bunch of parts for things I've been putting off on Box.

I've got ideas for things I want to build for the Steampunk World's Fair next month. So parts for those have to be bought or found soon so I can start in on those projects to have any chance of finishing them in time.

And I'm pondering getting up early Saturday so I have time to do a junkyard run, as I haven't yet this year. And I even have a new junkyard to try.

It is nice to have ideas & energy again, not to mention weather that is conducive to actually doing stuff.