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bethje and I have been living in Brooklyn for over three weeks now, and it still doesn't feel totally real. I guess it's partially because neither of us are working, so it's not like we're getting the full experience. The vocational rehabilitation place was supposed to send me a packet, but I still haven't received it. For that matter, there's other mail that's supposed to be forwarded and still hasn't been. I've mostly just spending my time on the computer, so it's not all that different from living anywhere else. Sometimes I feel like I could use slightly more structure, but I have been getting some writing done for the first time in a while, so I guess that's good. While I don't like being tied down to a particular sleep schedule, it's recently been all over the place, and I rarely feel rested despite being in bed a whole lot. I have learned that grocery shopping is kind of a challenge here, as most of the stores in the area have limited quantities and high prices. I've mostly been living on Hot Pockets and occasional takeout. At least we have a microwave here, which we didn't in Secaucus. I broke one cart crossing a street after shopping at CVS, which resulted in my knees getting all scraped. I'm still not sure what it was I hit, because I didn't notice anything there. Then I tried putting together a replacement cart and screwed it up, after which it fell apart in the Rite Aid and I lost one of the cotter pins holding it together. I found a replacement at the hardware store, however, and Beth assembled it properly. It's embarrassing for me that I still can't do that kind of thing correctly. It's also been weird how hot it is inside when it's really cold outside. They were predicting two feet of snow on Tuesday, but we didn't get anywhere near that much. That doesn't mean I was particularly relieved, though. We don't have to shovel the actual sidewalk, but I did shovel the steps and the walk behind the gate. Today was our first time doing laundry here, and it seems fairly straightforward, although I'm not too keen on the dryers costing twenty-five cents per five minutes. On Saturday, I'm going to Newark to see a show, and I haven't figured out how I'm getting there.
On a different note, there's a part of my mind that still feels people who are dorky enough to spend time and effort commenting on things on the Internet should be smart enough to avoid blatant bigotry. I know prejudice is a problem that pretty much everyone sometimes participates in unconsciously, but I mean stuff like the harassment of Anita Sarkeesian or an antisemitic comment in reply to one of Sarah Silverman's Tweets that Beth told me about earlier today. Seriously, people? But then, while that kind of stuff might have increased with the Internet becoming mainstream, it's always been around. I guess I've always felt that the Internet in general is supposed to be a haven for those of us who feel we don't fit in with society. I mean, when I can find people who are actually interested in my rambling about Oz books or Dragon Quest, that's awesome. But even in some fan communities in which I've participated, people can be really mean-spirited. I'm not always opposed to meanness, as there are times when it's justified, but not when it's used to shut people out. Not to mention that some of the worst offenders when it comes to marginalizing others are the same people who are constantly claiming to be shut out. I can't help thinking of a guy on an old Oz mailing list who was rude to everybody and kept insisting that his way of reading things was the ONLY right way (basically an Oz Fundamentalist, although perhaps ironically he was also an outspoken atheist), and then acting like everyone else was bullying him because they were so intent on THEIR readings. Then there are the people who don't seem to realize that the same right to free speech that allows them to say stupid stuff also allows other people to call them out for it; and those who preface something with something like "I know how unpopular this might be," and either follow it with something that isn't particularly controversial, or something that is but that no one is telling them not to say. Along the same lines, I've noticed how often people who take offense at fairly innocuous comments by others are the first to get annoyed when others take offense at what THEY say. It's a whole World Wide Web of Hypocrisy.
bethje and I have been living in Brooklyn for over three weeks now, and it still doesn't feel totally real. I guess it's partially because neither of us are working, so it's not like we're getting the full experience. The vocational rehabilitation place was supposed to send me a packet, but I still haven't received it. For that matter, there's other mail that's supposed to be forwarded and still hasn't been. I've mostly just spending my time on the computer, so it's not all that different from living anywhere else. Sometimes I feel like I could use slightly more structure, but I have been getting some writing done for the first time in a while, so I guess that's good. While I don't like being tied down to a particular sleep schedule, it's recently been all over the place, and I rarely feel rested despite being in bed a whole lot. I have learned that grocery shopping is kind of a challenge here, as most of the stores in the area have limited quantities and high prices. I've mostly been living on Hot Pockets and occasional takeout. At least we have a microwave here, which we didn't in Secaucus. I broke one cart crossing a street after shopping at CVS, which resulted in my knees getting all scraped. I'm still not sure what it was I hit, because I didn't notice anything there. Then I tried putting together a replacement cart and screwed it up, after which it fell apart in the Rite Aid and I lost one of the cotter pins holding it together. I found a replacement at the hardware store, however, and Beth assembled it properly. It's embarrassing for me that I still can't do that kind of thing correctly. It's also been weird how hot it is inside when it's really cold outside. They were predicting two feet of snow on Tuesday, but we didn't get anywhere near that much. That doesn't mean I was particularly relieved, though. We don't have to shovel the actual sidewalk, but I did shovel the steps and the walk behind the gate. Today was our first time doing laundry here, and it seems fairly straightforward, although I'm not too keen on the dryers costing twenty-five cents per five minutes. On Saturday, I'm going to Newark to see a show, and I haven't figured out how I'm getting there.On a different note, there's a part of my mind that still feels people who are dorky enough to spend time and effort commenting on things on the Internet should be smart enough to avoid blatant bigotry. I know prejudice is a problem that pretty much everyone sometimes participates in unconsciously, but I mean stuff like the harassment of Anita Sarkeesian or an antisemitic comment in reply to one of Sarah Silverman's Tweets that Beth told me about earlier today. Seriously, people? But then, while that kind of stuff might have increased with the Internet becoming mainstream, it's always been around. I guess I've always felt that the Internet in general is supposed to be a haven for those of us who feel we don't fit in with society. I mean, when I can find people who are actually interested in my rambling about Oz books or Dragon Quest, that's awesome. But even in some fan communities in which I've participated, people can be really mean-spirited. I'm not always opposed to meanness, as there are times when it's justified, but not when it's used to shut people out. Not to mention that some of the worst offenders when it comes to marginalizing others are the same people who are constantly claiming to be shut out. I can't help thinking of a guy on an old Oz mailing list who was rude to everybody and kept insisting that his way of reading things was the ONLY right way (basically an Oz Fundamentalist, although perhaps ironically he was also an outspoken atheist), and then acting like everyone else was bullying him because they were so intent on THEIR readings. Then there are the people who don't seem to realize that the same right to free speech that allows them to say stupid stuff also allows other people to call them out for it; and those who preface something with something like "I know how unpopular this might be," and either follow it with something that isn't particularly controversial, or something that is but that no one is telling them not to say. Along the same lines, I've noticed how often people who take offense at fairly innocuous comments by others are the first to get annoyed when others take offense at what THEY say. It's a whole World Wide Web of Hypocrisy.
