The wandering gender discussion

misia posted some thoughts about what "femme" means. The responses included one from papersky that I like and mostly agree with, which prompted me to this response:

I can accept "femme" as one of the things people do--but like you, I don't really grok the whole butch/femme thing, and I don't fit into either. My problem is with binary choices generally, and a refusal to recognize that not everyone is one or the other. Butch/femme can become that, or it can be an axis or a set of possibilities. There are spaces that aren't on that axis, and for which "androgyny" seems to be the wrong term.

I'm growing my hair out. I lift weights. I was startled when a friend asked me, in the context of job hunting, "what are you going to do about the beard?" because I simply hadn't thought about my chin hair or how people might react to it. All of those may be read as gendering signals by someone, but that's not the main thing they're about: the hair is because I like it, and a few other people who matter to me like it, and because when I visit you and rysmiel I'm reminded that my self-image and proper being is as a long-haired person.

To a first approximation, I think you and I are the same gender, though I'm queer and you're straight.

To see the whole discussion, go to http://www.livejournal.com/users/misia/174339.html?view=809219#t809219

I was tempted to add something about the Tiptree Award and reading for it, but it didn't come. That'll probably be a long article, six months from now.

The wandering gender discussion

misia posted some thoughts about what "femme" means. The responses included one from papersky that I like and mostly agree with, which prompted me to this response:

I can accept "femme" as one of the things people do--but like you, I don't really grok the whole butch/femme thing, and I don't fit into either. My problem is with binary choices generally, and a refusal to recognize that not everyone is one or the other. Butch/femme can become that, or it can be an axis or a set of possibilities. There are spaces that aren't on that axis, and for which "androgyny" seems to be the wrong term.

I'm growing my hair out. I lift weights. I was startled when a friend asked me, in the context of job hunting, "what are you going to do about the beard?" because I simply hadn't thought about my chin hair or how people might react to it. All of those may be read as gendering signals by someone, but that's not the main thing they're about: the hair is because I like it, and a few other people who matter to me like it, and because when I visit you and rysmiel I'm reminded that my self-image and proper being is as a long-haired person.

To a first approximation, I think you and I are the same gender, though I'm queer and you're straight.

To see the whole discussion, go to http://www.livejournal.com/users/misia/174339.html?view=809219#t809219

I was tempted to add something about the Tiptree Award and reading for it, but it didn't come. That'll probably be a long article, six months from now.

Chocolate ginger cakelings: experimental

This is an experiment based loosely on papersky's apple cakeling recipe, but all errors are my very own.

2 ounces butter (1/2 stick), melted
2 ounces sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 ounce Baker's chocolate, melted
1 large egg
2 ounces flour, sifted

Preheat oven to 400°F (sorry, I don't know the Centigrade or gas mark equivalents). Put paper muffin/cakeling cups into muffin tins.

Whisk sugar into butter. (This produces a thick, pale yellow substance). Next, whisk in vanilla, ginger, and chocolate.

Whisk in egg.

Fold flour into the liquid mixture.

Pour the resulting mixture into paper muffin cups, filling about 1/3 full. (I got eight cakelings). Dust top with cinnamon sugar.

Bake 15 minutes.

Evaluation:

It's a decent start. A little too sugary. A bit more flour, or less sugar, might help. More ginger is definitely needed: try a full teaspoon next time. Also, the cinnamon sugar might as well be omitted, since I can't taste the cinnamon.

Chocolate ginger cakelings: experimental

This is an experiment based loosely on papersky's apple cakeling recipe, but all errors are my very own.

2 ounces butter (1/2 stick), melted
2 ounces sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 ounce Baker's chocolate, melted
1 large egg
2 ounces flour, sifted

Preheat oven to 400°F (sorry, I don't know the Centigrade or gas mark equivalents). Put paper muffin/cakeling cups into muffin tins.

Whisk sugar into butter. (This produces a thick, pale yellow substance). Next, whisk in vanilla, ginger, and chocolate.

Whisk in egg.

Fold flour into the liquid mixture.

Pour the resulting mixture into paper muffin cups, filling about 1/3 full. (I got eight cakelings). Dust top with cinnamon sugar.

Bake 15 minutes.

Evaluation:

It's a decent start. A little too sugary. A bit more flour, or less sugar, might help. More ginger is definitely needed: try a full teaspoon next time. Also, the cinnamon sugar might as well be omitted, since I can't taste the cinnamon.

warm, cozy astronomy

The nice thing about the eclipse being so early in the evening, local time, is that I've been able to watch it from my warm living room, without having to put shoes on (my ankle is bothering me). Yes, I'd get a better effect from out in the park: but I wouldn't be there, I'd be sitting inside regretting missing it, and tonight I can sit inside and not miss it.

warm, cozy astronomy

The nice thing about the eclipse being so early in the evening, local time, is that I've been able to watch it from my warm living room, without having to put shoes on (my ankle is bothering me). Yes, I'd get a better effect from out in the park: but I wouldn't be there, I'd be sitting inside regretting missing it, and tonight I can sit inside and not miss it.