The SS Warrimoo, a passenger steamship traveling from Vancouver to Australia, was silently knifing its way across the mid-Pacific waters. The navigator had just finished calculating a star fix and handed the results to Captain John DS. Phillips.
The Warrimoo's coordinates were LAT 0º 31' N, LONG 179 30' W. The date was December 31, 1899. "Know what this means?" First Mate Payton announced, "We're only a few miles from the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line."
Captain Phillips was prankish enough to seize the opportunity to do the nautical feat of a lifetime. He summoned his navigators to the bridge to double-check the ship's position. He altered his course slightly to focus directly on his target. He then altered the engine's speed.
The calm weather and clear night worked to his advantage. At midnight, the SS Warrimoo rested on the Equator, exactly where it had crossed the International Date Line. The ramifications of this odd arrangement were numerous.
The ship's bow was in the Southern Hemisphere, in the middle of summer. The stern was in the Northern Hemisphere, in the midst of winter. The date on the aft portion of the ship was December 31, 1899. The date on the forward half of the ship was January 1, 1900. The ship experienced multiple days, months, years, seasons, and centuries simultaneously.
A short comic I made about my experiences as a seasonal worker, and the way places change you.
Prints & PDF
Legislative sessions are ending in the U.S., but litigations involving trans rights continue. Find out more here.
Just a little tidbit of what we know now. More to come!
a long time ago, my roommates had an argument over whether or not hamburgers are sandwiches. this actually got heated to the point of one of the guys having to get upset and walk away because he was convinced that hamburgers are not sandwich, but instead their own classification of food.
people will pick any hill to die on- we as a species cannot 100% all agree on the definition of anything. that's why we can't agree on the definition of gay, queer, lesbian, trans, bi, pan, aromantic, asexual, etc. because we as a species just can't do that. we all have a unique perspective on what concepts are and what they mean.
if we can't agree on whether or not a hamburger is a sandwich or not, i think it's best if we learn to agree to disagree on what the "true" meaning of gay, lesbian, trans, queer, etc. are and just let people live their version of that identity in peace. at the end of the day it literally doesn't matter if you don't know if a hamburger is a sandwich or just a hamburger- you're still going to eat it and gain nutrients from it.
a trans person having a different definition of trans than you, or a lesbian defining lesbianism differently than what they've been told, or any other type of queer person defining their identity in their own way isn't a threat to you- at the end of the day, it doesn't stop them from being trans, a lesbian, queer, or whatever. disagreeing on the definition won't stop it from happening; it's just petty. not every hill is meant for someone to die on. let go
Mistakes have been made. We learn from them or we repeat them. The choice is yours.
How do you fall back in love with life?
clean your room. clean space, uncluttered space, space that doesn’t have miasma clinging to it can work wonders. clean the dishes. sweep. take out the trash. peel the clothes off the floor and wash them, and then actually fold/hang them. take a long shower. scrub behind your knees. brush your teeth. (this can be utterly exhausting, but try to get it done in a day, if you can. the end result is worth it.)
pull out your notebook. it doesn’t need to be a new notebook, but preferably one that you don’t usually write in, or that you haven’t touched in a while. fuck moleskins. the yellow legal pad will work fine. sit in your room, or in the park, or in the library, and write a list. count clouds. describe all the colors that you see, and note patterns that arise. sketch the cracks in the walls. note the shape light makes when it enters a space. talk about what the air tastes like, smells like. what sounds are there? even the white nose, break that down: air planes, fans, cicadas, anything. remind yourself that you are sitting in the middle of a space brimming with detail. remind yourself that you are not in nothingness and emptiness. your world is fathomless. it has potential.
drink cold water and try to eat something that isn’t processed. it does not need to be fancy. buy yourself an apple with the change between your couch cushions. eat it outside. if you’re someone who walks, walk somewhere afterwards, just to stretch your legs. take your fucking meds. remember that its a good thing that you are inside your body. your body is a fantastic and endlessly intricate machine, and even though society has smacked a bunch of poisonous ideas on it, that doesn’t change its inherent worth and splendor. take care of it.
read a novel. underline your favorite lines, and write phrases that twist your heart inside your chest on the back of your hand with an ink pen. read a novel like it’s poetry. read poetry, something decadent but unpretentious. watch a movie you haven’t seen before. if there are free art galleries near you, walk through one. take your time. let yourself bask. if there are patterns in what makes your soul ache, write those patterns down – marbles arches or soot crumbling bricks or dandelions or descriptions of dresses or whatever it is, write them down.
your chosen family is important. remember, they picked you as much as you picked them. the love has no obligation. it is given freely and it is given from a place of compassion. you are not a burden. if you need to breathe, take a minute by yourself and just exist, but remember to go back to your people. when they need you, listen and be gracious. always be gracious. the universe sometimes remembers things like that.
listen to new music. link jump on youtube or related artist jump on spotify or ask the chap beside you in the cafe what their favorite band is, and listen to that. listen to something that you don’t usually listen to. we tend to tie up a lot of memory with music. we are falling in love again. the soundtrack needs to be specific to that.
allow yourself to indulge in romantics. press flowers in old books. play movies with subtitles and mouth the words. dance in your room. wear something that makes you feel good, even if you wouldn’t wear it in public. write your chosen family letters, even if you hand deliver them. write poetry, even awful poetry. revel in its awfulness. eat dark chocolate and when your chosen family want to go out, try to go out with them sometimes, even if its just to the market.
Transfem to Transmasc solitary must exist as much as any trans solidarity must exist.
Protect my boys.
my bucket list
• find a gf
• kiss gf
• lesbian sex
• marry gf
• lesbian sex
• adopt pets with wife
• lesbian sex
• hav children with wife
• lesbian sex
• live happily ever after with wife
Helicopter mechanic. Witchy. Granola. Gamer. Mother. GSXR750. Trans-Lesbian switch. 40+yo.
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