Oh God.

I knew I was in for easy pickings when I saw today's writer's block:

Do you think there will be a cure for AIDS in your lifetime? Why or why not?

This question has all the warning signs. We have a complex issue (pandemics and biology and logistics and economics oh my!) and we have liberal white people wanting to seem tolerant (typical Livejournal user) and we have misinformation about what a disease is and what drug research is (again, typical Livejournal user and not knowing shit about fuck).
Ohhhhhhh boy.
I don't know this person but I've met him a thousand times in my pussy sensitivity classes.

I'm undecided on this one. On the one hand, people are still working on it. On the other, it has moved from being viewed as a disease which affects queer folk and drug users to being viewed as "That thing over in Africa."

Let me answer this question for everyone: AIDS is an unusual virus in that it evolves at an incredibly rapid rate, due to the way its RNA duplicates. You see, most creatures have something that error checks for recombination mistakes and such but AIDS, due to a quirk of evolution, doesn't have this.
This means that most of the new viruses spawned from a single AIDS virus are completely useless and will probably die shortly after they're spawned but AIDS also has an incredible turnover rate. It reproduces so fast that this isn't much of a problem and occasionally an especially strong virus is created.
Hence why AIDS tends to become drug resistant quickly.

If it began affecting heterosexual white people in large numbers, a cure would probably already have been found.

Cancer affects a large number of heterosexual white people (men especially).
Sure glad a cure for that has been found.
Hey--
Incidentally never compare cancer to another disease as a reason for why just because it affects white people a cure won't necessarily be found. I pulled that in a pussy sensitivity class once and you'd have thought I primed a live hand grenade.
All right fine, if it affects white people a cure will be found overnight.
Whatever.

Sideburns are coming along, slowly and weirdly. And the rest of my face is nicely shaven now. :D I figured out a method to keep the sink from being filled with hair - not an ideal method, but one that works nonetheless.

I'm seriously not about to read a post that contains shaving tips, am I?
Oh, no I'm not. That was just an FYI I guess.

Heading out to buy some shoes later with Tod and our new roommate, Milo. :D SHOES. Shoes that are waterproof. WOW. I'll also be on the lookout for some 80s trinkets, to wear with what will hopefully be an awesome 80s outfit on Tuesday for work. The theme is "Your Favorite Decade."

Suddenly I'm not so sold on the 80s as I have been in previous posts.
This is a girl, right?
Oh right he was talking about sideburns so I guess not.
Well have fun buying shoes with your guy friends I guess.
Faggot.

I want to pass this out far and wide, because not a lot of people know about it. There are free cell phone programs for people who are low income. The top two are Assurance Wireless (via Virgin Mobile) and SafeLink Wireless (Via Tracfone.) Apparently the government has been subsidising parts of wireless bills for years, but now they decided just to provide programs specifically for people who would otherwise be subsidised for bills.

subsidized.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzz, friend.
Unless you're English which I'm guessing you aren't.
Also I wish I got a free cellphone.

Please pass this on to anyone you know who is low income, and who either can't afford a phone anymore or couldn't afford one in the first place.

I don't associate with peasants.
Okay, so his next post had some sort of symbol that for a long time I seriously thought was a Chaos symbol from Warhammer but upon further study of it it's the male symbol and the female symbol overlapping and there's a third point jutting out from the end where there wouldn't be one if you were to interpose those two symbols (if you can dig it) that looks like a smaller version of the male symbol with a flat end.
Incidentally it's all green.
I have no fucking clue what this is supposed to represent but I'm guessing it has the taint of Chaos on it.
I reckon if you overlap those two it's supposed to represent fucking because as we all know the girl symbol is the mirror of Aphrodite and the male symbol is the lance and shield of Ares who most definitely got it on and unleashed some of the most malevolent gods you can imagine.
It makes sense. You have bloodlust and destruction breeding with lust and desire.
Of course nothing good comes out of that.
So yeah, symbol of Chaos and prepare to be purged, scum.
The post, inexplicably, is about toilets.
Oh but wait:

I was going to rant about transgender rights legislation being labeled as 'bathroom bills,' but I got tired of the idea pretty quickly. I spend a large amount of energy when in public keeping an eye out for transphobia and homophobia.

I spend a large amount of time and energy in public pretending I have a Russian spy stalking me.

Hearing people tell me that my actual need to urinate needs to be set aside because hypothetical boogeymen will dress in drag in order to rape people is getting quite old.

The few times I have to use a public bathroom I try to have several escape or combat contingency plans in case someone tries to mug me while my pants are down.

Can we learn from the whole fiasco of assumign terrorists will somehow use altering gender markers as part of a nefarious plot? In my own informal study, I've found that no straight person will consider using the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy to get out of the military because then they would be labelled as gay and someone else might find out.

I wouldn't use that because I am no coward and wouldn't try to weasel out of military service if I were drafted.
That said I'm definitely not signing up because there is no honor to be gained in modern conflicts.

Egyptian women are now labelling spots where they have been harassed along with the incidents that occurred.

Brown girls of Egypt, I have an out for exactly one of you.

And some republicans offering to give the President the power to raise the debt ceiling - WOW. Thank goodness.

THANK CHRIST LET'S SPIRAL OUR DEBT FURTHER OUT OF CONTROL.

Oh well. I am hoping someone on the magical Ubuntu forums will be able to help me. I'm thinking also of switching to another Linux system, because I can't update to the newest thing, and for some reason most of the programs...

Anyone else surprised this yahoo uses Linux?
I'm not.

Ubuntu, you have made me sad. :/ For some reason, I was no longer able to open any jpegs on my computer after my last update. This...is totally not working for making the art.

Bet it's furry art.
How much you wanna bet?
I will bet all the money I have. I am going all in.

So I finally now get why some people go on a tirade about surgery and therapy and bad decisions when someone they know comes out as trans. These people think that, "I am trans" actually means "I am getting surgery." It didn't occur to me until now that people would actually think surgery is the only thing involved in being trans.

(And no, not the surgery. There is no such thing as the surgery.)

Yeah there is. Getting your dick cut off is the surgery.
There might be other surgeries but that's the thing everyone is thinking about when it comes up.
So here's a question: are you transsexual? If not, shut up about it.
If you are, shut up about it.
No one gives three fucks.

If one is lucky enough not to live in a very homophobic and/or transphobic environment, then coming out will at most be irritating. Even with well meaning, nice people. Inevitably, someone will make a weird comment out of nowhere, because this is the first time they've thought about what someone who doesn't fit the gender binary goes through. This is essentially the same as loudly announcing every thought one has in their head.

Here would be my response: "yeah good luck with all that shit."
Someone told me recently I'm not the most understanding person ever.
No, I understand my own problems very acutely. Did you know they're fucking leves up with tomorrow's patch?
I can think of no greater injustice currently. Because it affects me.
A lot of people would say that's pretty callous of me but I'd say at least I'm being honest.

And the number one comment I have ever received from anyone at a workplace:

What can lesbians do for each other?

Haven't you seen porn? Quite a lot, really.
(probably incriminating myself here)

I kid you not. I was asked this while I worked at a Pizza Hut down south. Most of the employees were waiting for one person to finish their job so that we could all go home at about 1:00 AM.

You're working 3rd (4th? I don't know) shift at Pizza Hut in the South. You should be lucky the people involved could form words that resembled a language.

I feel so tired when it comes to telling anyone what's what anymore.

So stop doing it.
I don't explain leves to people anymore. It's a year in and you have a rank 45. You should know how this shit works. Just follow my instructions and don't fuck them up (which is still nearly impossible) and we'll get through this.
I can't believe the number of people that need reminded when it's time to drop leves.
There are three things you have to do to do leves: you have to successfully link them when it's your turn (made simple because I keep a chart handy and I tell them who links what when it's their turn and remind who doesn't have to link and who has already gone) you have to fight the monsters (made convenient because I often mark which target to attack) then you have to drop the leve before we kill the last enemy so you can get it again next reset.
The only thing I haven't done for you in this process is control your character for you and process the oxygen you breathe.
I have made it so if you are playing this game you can succeed and somehow people still fuck it up.
They are beyond redemption.
Oh right, transsexual business.
Whatever.

The other day someone called to see if there was a man in the house who wanted to take a survey about health care. Yeah, I very much wanted to take a survey about healthcare. It matters to me that views like mine get put out there.

Ew you like taking surveys?
"Get the fuck out of my house you social parasite" would have been my response.

However, several months ago, maybe a year ago, someone else called to give a survey to the 'man of the house.' I said that was me, and he proceeded to argue with me. I then explained that I was trans, that I had had my gender marker changed, so yeah, I am totally legally male. I opted not to go into further detail about birth certificates and selective service because this ought to have been a short phone conversation.

Ahem, men do have to register for selective service.
As a man have you done that?

So when a new survey person called up for a male respondent, I stood there without saying anything for a bit. This person thought I wasn't there, so I finally just said 'no.' I'd really prefer to have said yes, but I feel very tired.

Something resembling a woman is looking at me (apparently) so whatever, lady (or man, I guess, I don't know).
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THIS ENTRY?

The local famous drag queen is a member, so it seems everyone's ideas about genderqueerness come from her. There are also gay members, and I'm sure there are bi members. But other trans members who aren't cis people that dress in drag? I don't think so. Never heard of them.

Trans members who aren't cis that dress in drag what?
Are these words?

And I'd prefer to have no problems at work. I'd prefer just announcing it to everyone right off, "Yeah, I'm male, yes I use masculine pronouns and I expect you to do so as well."

I will if I remember but surprisingly my job and my day aren't consumed by trying to remember which pronouns to call everyone so if I slip up excuse me.
It should be kind of obvious but I've long since given up on that argument.

I'm planning on asking my boss whether it would be alright if I just e-mail everyone, because the method I worked out with him talking to people privately doesn't seem to be working. I don't know who has been talked to and needs correcting, or who hasn't and needs an explanation.

Look, whatever you are, I'm trying to teach in this shitty high school. Can you please leave me alone so I can explain to 9th graders what a comma is?
I'm having a time preventing the 7 foot tall known felon from assaulting this other girl.
See, look, I've had to call the office. I need you to stop running your yap and impose yourself between the two parties in this situation. I can't because my phone has a cord.
Or you can use the phone and I'll do it. Either way it needs doing.
(this really happened but fortunately the backup I had in the classroom at the time was also a large black gentleman).

Also, after his taking me aside to suggest, "Hey, have you considered whether or not wearing conservative clothing would help you pass more?"

"Yes I'm trying to prevent girls from getting raped and one of the ways I know to do this is to not wear a skirt with no panties. I know that's sexist and whatever but I need you to go to the office and change, thanks."
Oh my God my life.
What has happened?
She had to know there was a rule that girls can't wear skirts that short and she had to know I was going to notice. Why does she even challenge me on this? Like what, I'm going to let her slide?
If I let her slide then I lose all control and then everything goes to hell so no, march your ass down to the office.
Fuck.
Then she tries to play hardball like I'm not on a first name basis with the enforcer of the school who was an ex Navy SEAL.
You can do what I say now or we can play it the hard way but either way guess who's winning in this situation?
She saw it my way.
Oh, yes, blogs. Sorry I just had what I assume is a flashback.

while I was dealing with the potential of being fired if I couldn't concentrate harder on my work and work faster. I have no fear of being fired now, but dealing with this nonsense is tiring.

Hey there's a thought. Doing your job.
By the end of the year 95% of my kids knew what a comma was and knew how to use it.
Proud moment.

I am apalled. And I wrote a better earlier post, but it was eaten by the Asus EEE PC 1001X and its really awful control functions.

I have one of those and I just don't use control functions.
I know it may seem like common sense but, you know, it's not.

I'm going to write down what the choices are here a bit later, but I don't have time to do it tonight. Anyway, this is all because North Korea released a 'happiness index' in which it was ranked the second happiest nation in the world.

Ha, ha, oh wow.
Now there's an entity I'd feel comfortable fighting.

The first two times that this happened, I simply smiled and went on. She insisted that they never did this - that they were well behaved. The third time I mentioned how many times this had happened, and tried to enter into dialogue with her about how she needs to follow the leash laws. She proceeded to tell me that I was stupid, and that standing still rather than continuing to walk was a dumb idea - that I needed to learn how to deal with her snarling angry dogs.

See this is exactly what I'm talking about. You give people an inch and they take a meter.
I'll tell you exactly how I'm going to deal with your dogs next time you stupid twat: some cayenne pepper will fix your dogs right up, I GUARANTEE.
That's right. Threaten to mace her dogs. Your goal in life is to look five times crazier on average than they are on their worst day.

There is no recourse for me. Leash laws are extremely ineffective around here. In order to have them enforced, I would need the person's name or other information.

Or you could stop being a victim and act like the man you think you are and man the fuck up.
I'm not saying mace her dogs (that is kind of extreme even by my standards) but you could do something.
Get a pitbull and let it run around without a leash. See what happens when they meet each other.
That sort of thing.
So earlier when I said "oh right, sideburns so this is a guy."
Heh, memories.
I'd like to get one more dumbass blogger moment for the road, though.

E-zine articles is continuing with more weirdness. I messaged them about an article on transgender pagan people, because whoever or whatever did their spellchecking didn't recognize transgender or magick as properly spelled.

MAGIC IS SPELLED WITH A C YOU DUMB CUNT.
Fucking witchcraft and sorcery.
THANK YOU.