Vade Mecum

REMINDER: Somerville Open Studios Kids' Show

entrope — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:26:30 GMT

Originally posted by entrope at Somerville Open Studios Kids' Show

If ever there was a time to value and encourage kids' art, NOW IS THAT TIME. Please forward to all and sundry, wherever you know of a Somerville kid that makes art.

Hi, Somerville Open Studios is having our first ever Kids Art Show.
Open to all Somerville resident Kids, under 14 years old.

Details and Call to Kid Artists behind the cut, and on-line at somervilleopenstudios.org/visit/kids

There will be a receptions where you can meet the artists and talk to them about their art.

Meet other parents and talk with them about their experiences visiting Open Studios with Kids.

Plus, there will be cupcakes.

We are soliciting submissions of 2D art from Somerville residents 14 years of age and under for our first ever Kids Show.

Arts at the Armory Cafe,191 Highland Avenue, Somerville
Exhibit on view: April 27th through May 10th
Opening reception: Saturday, April 27th from 11am to 3pm

Art Drop off dates: Sunday April 21st, 10-4pm
Delivery location: Studio of Ellie Laramee-Byers: 2 Bradley St, Somerville MA
Special arrangements can be made if drop off timing is not possible; please contact us at family-kids@somervilleopenstudios.org to discuss.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Material: Any 2D media, including paintings, drawings, photographs and
collages. Nothing too heavy. Please avoid clay works for this reason. No
sculpture or 3d works.

Submissions must be matted and ready for hanging. No glass or heavy
frames! We will be clipping matter work onto a stretched wire. Works on
stretched canvas are also fine.

Size: Art must be at or less than 12x18 inches in size

Age: Artists may be up to 14 years old
Labeling: All art must be labeled with the artist’s name, as well as a phone number and e-mail address we can use to get
in touch with you.

Pick-up date: Please pick up your art by May 15th.

Contact us: please e-mail family-kids@somervilleopenstudios.org with any questions or to coordinate drop-off timing.

* Artists are limited to one submission. We want to be able to display work by as wide a range of artists as possible, so we won't be able to display more than one per artist.

Somerville Open Studios Kids' Show

entrope — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:43:17 GMT

Meet other parents and talk with them about their experiences visiting Open Studios with Kids.

Plus, there will be cupcakes.

We are soliciting submissions of 2D art from Somerville residents 14 years of age and under for our first ever Kids Show.

Arts at the Armory Cafe,191 Highland Avenue, Somerville
Exhibit on view: April 27th through May 10th
Opening reception: Saturday, April 27th from 11am to 3pm

Art Drop off dates: Friday April 12, 10-3pm | Monday April 15th, 2pm-7pm | Sunday April 21st, 10-4pm
Delivery location: Studio of Ellie Laramee-Byers: 2 Bradley St, Somerville MA
Special arrangements can be made if drop off timing is not possible; please contact us at family-kids@somervilleopenstudios.org to discuss.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Material: Any 2D media, including paintings, drawings, photographs and
collages. Nothing too heavy. Please avoid clay works for this reason. No
sculpture or 3d works.

Submissions must be matted and ready for hanging. No glass or heavy
frames! We will be clipping matter work onto a stretched wire. Works on
stretched canvas are also fine.

Size: Art must be at or less than 12x18 inches in size

Age: Artists may be up to 14 years old
Labeling: All art must be labeled with the artist’s name, as well as a phone number and e-mail address we can use to get
in touch with you.

Pick-up date: Please pick up your art by May 15th.

Contact us: please e-mail family-kids@somervilleopenstudios.org with any questions or to coordinate drop-off timing.

* Artists are limited to one submission. We want to be able to display work by as wide a range of artists as possible, so we won't be able to display more than one per artist.

Support group happening tonight!

entrope — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 18:16:01 GMT

So, this awesome thing is happening! I'm leading an adult ADHD support
group, starting this Thursday! This is the first meeting, so the format
is as of yet undecided. There could be speakers, in the future! It
could be mostly accountability and support! We could branch out and
also have a parents-of-ADHD-children group! It all depends on what YOU
want.

If you're at all interested, please come and see what you think - and tell me what I did wrong or could do better. If you want to keep up with the mailing list but can't attend meetings, that can happen here: http://groupspaces.com/CHADDBoston

The details! PLEASE share freely!

Date: Thursday, February 7, 2013
TIme: 6-7 PM
Place: Somerville Hospital cafeteria conference room, 230 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA
Map: http://www.challiance.org/Locations/SomervilleHospitalcampusHowtoGetHere.aspx
Parking: available in the hospital lot

If you need more information, please email me at michel@scholarlystrategies.com, or call or text me at 617-702-2236.

Pronouns. I love them.

entrope — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 03:49:19 GMT

People often ask me about my pronoun preference. I keep answering the same way: I don't much care. People frequently nod slowly and look very confused, but for the most part, they don't ask for clarification and I don't normally have the energy or inclination to elaborate.

But today, I have the time, energy, and inclination. So, here it is. Please feel free to share with all and sundry.

As always, please remember that this is only my story, not anyone else's. Please don't assume that I'm denigrating or belittling anyone's gender journey that differs from mine. I'm absolutely not. We're all different and all of our choices are valid.

So, the long and the short of it: I chose to transition because "woman" was simply not accurate, or maybe that it wasn't accurate enough of the time, but "man" is similarly insufficient. It was irreconcilable, for example, being seen as a dyke in primarily straight spaces, but seen as "the woman with the husband" in queer spaces.

If pressed, I would say that I think of myself as male most of the time, with the exception of being a mother. My kids still exclusively use female pronouns, and I expect they always will. They will be peeved if you correct them; please resist the urge, however well-intentioned. My beloved spouse uses "he" and "she" interchangeably, which also makes sense, since his native language does not have gendered pronouns at all. He uses them interchangeably all the time anyway.

If I were a different sort of person, I would be choosing gender neutral pronouns. I personally find them to be difficult to speak and to require a lot of care and effort to use, which I realize is the whole point. I am more than happy to use them for other people, I just don't choose them for myself. So, I choose to not choose. Certainly, you've all noticed by now that I am not particularly manly in appearance, if a bit, err...furry, but not particularly female either. I'm lucky that, with testosterone, I've ended up with the androgyny that I always strove for, just a little more masculine than it used to be.

So when I say that I don't care, what I mean is this: really, just pick something. I just like to hear you talk to me, without self-consciousness or hesitation over pronouns. I want to make you think, but I don't want to shut you up.

once more, with FEELING!

entrope — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:29:53 GMT

This is another regularly scheduled ask-a-transgender-person-anything-you-like thread.

Anything you would like to know? Any comments you would like to make? What is the difference between transgender and transexual? How are your genitals these days? What's the big deal with pronouns?

I promise to answer, if not truthfully, then at least lightheartedly. Anyone else feel free to jump in and answer too! Anonymous commenting is on - but behave yourself, please. Mean people suck.

What can you do to help?

entrope — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:32:21 GMT

Some time ago, several of you wonderful people asked what it is that you can do to help me with my transition process.

Here's my answer.

Here you go.

entrope — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:39:46 GMT

http://www.transparental.com/?q=node/4

FAQ and opportunity for questions

entrope — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:03:50 GMT

There are two questions that I keep hearing about the transition process, and although I don't mind answering them each time, it's like people telling me that I have a large dog, no that's a horse, he must eat a lot, do you have a saddle for that thing. It makes me want to poke gentle fun. So I will.

Question #1: Pronouns?

Gently fun answer: Yes! I love pronouns. They're really useful if you don't want to keep using my name multiple times in the same sentence. Other than that, though, they can be a total pain in the ass, so let's do away with them. Just call me Bob. Or Bobbasina. Whatever.

Which leads to the serious answer: Choose one that works and reflects your experience of me. I would rather have a carefully considered "she" than a knee-jerk "he."

Question #2: Binding? Are you binding?

Gently fun answer: No, I'm not. I have brown hair and brown eyes, it's true, but am not ethnically Chinese and don't participate in foot binding. I find it barbaric. Also, I don't know if I've mentioned this, but my feet have actually GROWN a half size since starting testosterone.

Serious answer: No, my shoulders are just wider and I have actual pectoral muscles now, so things look different.

And now: ask me any questions you like, and I do mean any, because anonymous commenting is turned on. I promise to at least give you a smartassed and good-natured answer.

YAY!

entrope — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 19:45:37 GMT

*Introducing Transmasculine.com*

We'd like to announce the creation of a new community resource: *www.transmasculine.com*. This will be a site for the FTM and transmasculine community and be a repository for surgery and transition-related photos, a place to exchange resources and thoughts, especially for researching surgery and transition-related options, and a place for mutual support.

We hope this site will continue the tremendously valuable work that transster.com had been doing for our community since 2001. Unfortunately, transster.com hasn't been very available over the past few months, and we don't know if it will be continued at all. We think the need for the information the site has provided has continued to grow.

We know that a longstanding and valuable resource such as transster can't be replaced wholesale overnight. We hope that the transgender community and allies will find this a good start to creating an alternative. We also hope that the site will evolve over the years to address different needs in our community!

*So we'd like to do three things:*

*1. Invite everyone who had content on transster to submit that content to transmasculine.com*
* *
*2. Invite new users to register and submit content*
* *
*3. Invite people to suggest ideas for resources and ways to improve the site*

Please know that we will do everything we can to preserve confidentiality and the security of personal information.

Thank you for your enthusiasm and support!

*M. Fitos*
*Nico*