Sexuality

Sexuality is a complicated thing.  Not always obvious and not always easily negotiated.

Made harder when you are in a duel-sex marriage, however encouraging the spouse may be that maybe he can’t meet all your needs and you are welcome to explore, with reasonable limitations.  Women only, of course, and family always first, of course.

In 10 years I’ve never really taken advantage of this.  I suppose my general lack of sexual desire, that is a whole other blog post I’ll probably never write, doesn’t help.  But honestly, I have enough trouble as it is making friends, much less finding a girlfriend.

But let’s say you do know someone who you are kind of into.  How do you even go about saying, “Oh hey, I’m not only wanting but allowed. By-the-by, I don’t even know if you are bi.  I know you aren’t gay but could you even be into me?”

It seems like more drama than it probably is even worth.

Especially since my desire that would be fulfilled is less sexual in nature and more nurturing in nature.

And I’m rambling.

So let’s be blunt shall we?  This is where you look away if the idea of girl on girl turns your stomach.  Or frank sex talk in general.

My interest in the female sex isn’t based on my desire to eat out a girl, or be eaten out by one.  I have issues with body fluid anyway.  So that part just mostly wouldn’t work.  And the half that sometimes does, my husband is more than capable of taking care of.

What I want is someone small, frail, and delicate, even if just figuratively, that I can wrap my arms around and just protect as the figurative male of the relationship.  I want a femme to satisfy my butch side.

I almost get that with Pat, which is why I think our relationship works so well.  Both of our genders and sexualities are a jumble of all the options.  But while I can nurture him, he is neither small nor delicate, and if he is frail it’s in health, not femininity.

So I’m left frustrated at times.  But only when I meet someone who stirs things inside of me that normally lie dormant.

After All This Time

People come in and out.  Not really there.  Only in my head.  With personality, plot, conversation.  You’ll hear me talking to myself.  Low mutters.  You won’t be able to make out what I’m saying, but you’ll hear me.  Talking to myself.  But really, I’m talking to them.  I know they aren’t real.  I know they aren’t there.  I can control them until my story gets away from me.  But then I can reset.  I can decide I don’t like where my inner plot is going and I can turn it on its heels.  And it’s been called different things.  My first mental health hospital stay, based off what little I would say, they called it Schizotypal.  Fanciful thinking.  Magic thinking.  Later my meds doc would call it a coping mechanism.  As long as it was helping, not hurting, we don’t prevent it.  But 20 plus years now my closest friends, my most trusted companions, have only been in my head.  And I can’t help but wonder, when do I lose control?  When do I lose touch with reality?  With the reality that they aren’t real.  Aren’t there.

Please don’t see this as a sign of trouble.  Those who need to know, know.  Those who see me daily will watch for it to change, morph, into something more.  So now I ride it out.  I’m still stable.  This has been a constant for most of 20 years.  It has never been a problem.  In fact, usually, it’s the cure.  It just gets so very old sometimes.

Stigma

We are what we make of ourselves.  And our disease is what we present it to be.

If you behave badly and use your mental illness as an excuse, you are helping to propel the stigma of mental illness forward.  If I only know one person with BPD and that person makes bad decision after bad decision, drinking, drugging, sleeping around, hurting themselves and all those near them, and then turns around and blames all this behavior on their BPD as if it’s an excuse, as if they can do as they please because they have this disease, then I’m going to assume this is what I can expect from all those who have BPD.  I may well be your future boss, lover, friend.  This makes it hard for all the others who have this disease but fight every.damn.day to not let it define them prove that BPD isn’t a life wrecker.  And I don’t just mean the life of those diagnosed but the lives of those surrounding those diagnosed.

Maybe remission and recovery isn’t about being 100% symptom free.  Maybe it’s about having the symptoms so well-managed and maintained that you can fool even yourself into thinking you are symptom free.

And where are those people standing up saying “Look at me!  Yes I destroyed so many lives including my own for such a long time.  But nowNow!  Now I have skills and a sheer determination that I will no longer drown in my diagnosis.  I am not my diagnosis, I have my diagnosis!”

Those fighting to destroy the stigma.  Those working amazing jobs with respectable careers despite their diagnosis, terrified to let their diagnosis be known because those words could ruin it all, based on the rep of those people making poor decisions and instead of owning up to them, choosing to blame those words.  These people need you to stop and look at your actions.  I’m not saying that you can automatically stop the actions.  But you can choose to own up to what you do, instead of blaming a diagnosis thinking that you can get away with whatever you want now.  You can’t.  Do you know right from wrong?  Then except that you have done wrong.  You, the person, said those words, did those things.  Not the diagnosis.

I’m not saying I’ve never been guilty of this.  We all have at some point.  But now?  Now I’m on the other side.  And if there is one thing I can do from this side, if I get to choose that one thing, then I choose to show those where I’ve been how their actions, and not owning their actions, create the stigma that all those on both sides try to fight.

We are fighting what we, ourselves created.

How’s that working out for you?  I have to say, it isn’t working out so well over here.

Be There or Be Triangle

This isn’t a full post, I do apologize, but I wanted to make sure to post a reminder that this very evening, on the twitter, starting at 8PM EST is the second #GeekParty.

It is anything but formal.  It is very random.  There are no set topics, ever.  We talk comic book movies, Doctor Who, Pi Parties, and so much more.  I would love to have anyone and everyone join.  The more beautiful minds whom join, the more flavors there are on the conversational spread.

So please consider dropping by and joining in.  Pick a topic, any topic.  Start your own.  Nothing is off-limits.  If it has a fandom, or even if it doesn’t, it is open for conversation.

See you there?

Handsome in Pink

Luke had his Ortho appointment, last Friday, for his wrist.  Apparently while it is just fractured in one spot, it is also broken in another.

He remains steadfast in his bravery in these whole shenanigans.

Probably because he got to pick out the details for his cast.  It’s hot pink, glows in the dark, and is 100% waterproof with NASA technology guaranteeing that he can swim in the damn thing.

 

Why pink?  Well, “pink is the prettiest color that there is”.  And I’m rather fond to be raising a man who isn’t afraid to say so.  Also, no public school means no bullies telling him he shouldn’t like pink.  Because he should if he does.

Why glow in the dark? He is his own night-light.

Why waterproof?  Because the thing stays on until March 31st and he’s already starting to stink from no baths.

Once the 24 hours we have to wait has passed, I get first dibs on signing that thing!  I’m so excited!

 

On another, totally unrelated, note: Join us tomorrow, Tuesday May 7 at 8PM  EST for the very next #GeekParty on the twitter!

There Is No Train To Chicago

My best friend Lisa is moving to Chicago.  This week.  I’ve known about this as a confirmed thing for 2 weeks now.  I’ve known about it as an eventual for longer.  Her boyfriend works out there and flies back-and-forward every single week.  The thing is, he makes good money and can only do that job from either there or New Jersey.  But if he sticks with if for a while, 5 years or so, he will be marketable for anywhere, world-wide even, and it will pay even better.  It’s something computer related.  And Lisa?  Is amazing, but she can be amazing equally in and city of any state or country.  So when they were sick of the commute and never seeing each other, and had to make a decision, it was just logical for them to settle out there, at least for a while.

But sometimes the rational decisions adults make really suck.

I’m also bemused by the fact that my other really good (can you call someone you’ve never technically met in person a best? ) friend already lives in Chicago.  So clearly:

1. I have to introduce them

2. I need to start making yearly trips to Chicago

I’m hoping that the first will happen later this year.  Actually, it has to.  Dawnie and I swore 2013 would not end without us meeting finally in person.  I would hate to see this hellacious year held in limbo because I couldn’t fly out there for 3 days.  My husband, known for his anxiety and paranoia, doesn’t even have a hint of a problem with me flying out there and meeting her on my own. “I think I’m actually OK with Dawnie,” he says.  Granted, we’ve live video chatted, exchanged cell phone numbers and texts, countless emails, snail mails, etc etc etc.  Just all from different states.  (Yet the twitter friend 2 miles away, he is nervous about.  Which I understand and am patient with.  This man does have anxiety bad enough it’s disabling.)  Dawnie is just different.

So, back to the point, I’m hoping that over a 3 day week later this year, like veteran’s day, I can fly out that Friday night and back the Monday night.  Time with Lisa Saturday, both Sunday, Dawnie Monday.  Or whatever.

All I know is, I need to haul ass to Chicago!

A Pink Anniversary

I could have handled the sinuses.

It moving to my chest was to be expected.  For me.  Everything moves to my chest.  I have a great chest, after all.

But what I woke up to last Tuesday, the day before my 10-year-anniversary, was a bit much.

I woke up for my shower at about 6.  When I got out and went to lie back down to snooze and meditate, and just procrastinate on being awake (A vital part of my wake-up routine, I schedule it in.  This is why I have 4 different alarms spread between nearly 2 hours every work morning.) I realized I couldn’t shut my eyes, either one, without an intense burning sensation.  It was like the sand paper was covered in acid, as it sanded my eyeballs smooth.  I got a wet washcloth and pressed it hard over my shut eyes and that allowed me to keep them closed.  45 minutes later, I was fantastic and good-to-go.  Aside from the sinus crud.

As the morning progressed, I noticed my eyes were burning, and I kept losing vision.  In both eyes.  I could blink it back, but my vision kept blurring and getting foggy.

Granted, the foggy made sense when I looked in the mirror over my lunch break and observed the layer of snot covering both eyeballs.  Also, the pink and swollen.

Now, I don’t exactly have a ton of experience with pink eye.  I never got it as a child that I know of.  Only my middle little has had it of my 3, and his was so bad his eye was swollen shut.

But while I’m no genius and only play a doctor on the internet, if the eye oozes, you get thee to an eye doctor!  Thank nacho cheese god (a minor god… or major depending on your love of the cheese) for them being able to get me in same day, no notice.

Sure enough.  Thank sweet baby Buddha that it was bacterial pink eye and not viral.  I was only contagious if my eyeball made out with other eyeballs.  Totally killed its plans for the night but I kept it in isolation.  In my head. (That joke was officially taken too far.  I’m sorry.  Not sorry enough to take it down, mind you.  But sorry enough to apologize.)

I’m a baby when it comes to my eyes and putting stuff in them.  Contacts?  No thanks.  The puff of air during the eye exam?  First time in my life I consented, and only because I had a double eye infection.  Eye drops?  Only if I’m dying at it will be my only savior.

Well, guess what.  Pink eye?  I was counting the minutes until my next eye drop dose.  Oh, the sweet and instant relief.  Oh glory to the good stuff!

Granted, I did confirm I could close my eyes, drop it in the corner, and then blink it into place.  The good doctor suggested an extra drop each dose, then ordered me a slightly larger bottle.

Still.  Progress.

So yes, for my anniversary date, I was one hell of a hot mess.  We went to dinner and then played pool, with maximum strength sinus meds and eye meds in tow.

I was bringing sexy back!

Apparently the theme for this anniversary.

Because later that night, I brought sexy back.

And I ain’t referring to eyeball snot. *wink*

*wink*




lazenson.carma@mailxu.com quinton.zenobia@mailxu.com chura@mailxu.com wiltseylaurena@mailxu.com