cfabbro's recent activity

  1. Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv

    cfabbro
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Ah, fair enough. Drag shows definitely aren’t for everyone. I just happen to be a cheesy pop music and massive musical theatre/broadway fan though, so they’re right up my alley. :P

    Ah, fair enough. Drag shows definitely aren’t for everyone. I just happen to be a cheesy pop music and massive musical theatre/broadway fan though, so they’re right up my alley. :P

  2. Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv

    cfabbro
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    It was at one point a mainstream psychology/medical term... but that is no longer the case, and it's considered derogatory these days. But there is definitely a "taking it back" aspect to people...

    Transvestite seems to be used as an identity more in the UK still among older folks, maybe? Happy to get a correction on that, it seems entirely out of use in the US, but it may just be a case of "this is the language around when I got my identity so it's mine")

    It was at one point a mainstream psychology/medical term... but that is no longer the case, and it's considered derogatory these days. But there is definitely a "taking it back" aspect to people self-identifying with it these days too. Plus, there is also "I'm just a sweet transvestite, from Transsexual, Transylvania." being a rather famous line from Rocky Horror Picture Show that is oft repeated by LGBT+ people of every stripe. ;)

    p.s. Every person I have heard say something like drag just not being their vibe, who has then attended a drag night, has changed their tune. They're just so much damn fun it's really hard not to fall in love with everything about them. So IMO you should get thee to a drag show! :P

    2 votes

  3. Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv

    cfabbro
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    I mean, it can definitely be risque at times. And every drag performer does their own thing, some being far more risque than other. And I suppose everyone has different thresholds for what they...

    I mean, it can definitely be risque at times. And every drag performer does their own thing, some being far more risque than other. And I suppose everyone has different thresholds for what they consider "sexual" in nature too. But like I said, it's really not much different than cosplayers dressing up for Comicon, mainstream pop diva concerts, or adult beauty pageants like Miss America. So if you consider Taylor Swift walking the runway at a fashion show or dancing on stage at her concerts to be "sexual" then I suppose most drag is "sexual" too. But nobody bats an eye or protests about kids attending those other events, so I think it's pretty telling that it suddenly becomes a massive moral outrage when the only difference is the person doing essentially the same things is in drag.

    4 votes

  4. Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv

    cfabbro
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    As someone who used to regularly go to drag nights at Crews & Tangos here in Toronto, and regularly ate at a drag restaurant (Zelda's), the vast vast vast vast majority of drag is non sexual, and...

    As someone who used to regularly go to drag nights at Crews & Tangos here in Toronto, and regularly ate at a drag restaurant (Zelda's), the vast vast vast vast majority of drag is non sexual, and not much different from cosplayers dressing up for Comicon, mainstream pop diva concerts, or adult beauty pageants like Miss America. And drag story time events themselves are completely non sexual and child appropriate. It's literally just drag performers (usually in slightly more conservative versions of their costumes, so it is entirely child appropriate) reading kid appropriate books to kids. And yet you don't see idiots picketing any of those other similar events saying they're "inappropriate for children!".

    But let's be honest here, the complaints protestors levy against drag shows and drag story time events are really just euphemisms and dog whistles, because what they really want to say (it's a "sin/perversion", "gross/unnatural", "corrupting" the youth, etc... all the things homophobes have always said about us queers) would reveal them for the bigots they actually are. So instead they pull the "protect the children!!!" card and surround it with lies to try to get more people on their side who are ignorant about drag and think drag shows are sex shows (which they're not, they're basically just karaoke night for the whole audience with drag performers in fab-u-lous costumes lip syncing and dancing to the music on stage ;).

    5 votes

  7. Comment on Follow up on the username thread: What Tildes users do you recognize when browsing and, without being rude or inflammatory, what is your impression of them? in ~tildes

    cfabbro
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Well, fuck. Deal kinda fell through... the buyers agent said they're going to miss the deadline due to their bank supposedly dicking them around for some reason. We gave them 48hrs to clarify...

    Well, fuck. Deal kinda fell through... the buyers agent said they're going to miss the deadline due to their bank supposedly dicking them around for some reason. We gave them 48hrs to clarify what's going on, sort it out and finalize everything, otherwise we're using the escape clause, will start showing the house again, and taking new offers. Thank God we kept showing the damn house, and our real estate agent has several people waiting with interest for a showing already. Fucking hell I hate this shit! So stressful! :(

    3 votes

  8. Comment on Follow up on the username thread: What Tildes users do you recognize when browsing and, without being rude or inflammatory, what is your impression of them? in ~tildes

    cfabbro
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Yeah, we have a local moving company coming to take care of all the big stuff for us (like my parents' stupid 3000lbs solid walnut and marble bedroom set). The movers are both massive powerlifter...

    Yeah, we have a local moving company coming to take care of all the big stuff for us (like my parents' stupid 3000lbs solid walnut and marble bedroom set). The movers are both massive powerlifter dudes, so shouldn't have too much trouble getting it all up there. We're even giving one of them our home gym, since he said he knows someone who would love it. And we also already talked to the condo management company about booking one of the elevators for 4 hours on the day we move in to give us plenty of time, which they said was fine. However, all of that is currently in limbo though, until we get the news (hopefully by tonight) one way or another on the deal fully going through. :/

    They did wreck one of my desks though, so I guess one gets what one pays for.

    Heh. We have had tons of shit broken over the years in all our moves around Canada and the US, so even if you pay the big bucks for a full packing and moving company there is no guarantee it will all arrive in one piece. :P

    It's too bad to lose easy access to exercise equipment

    Meh... I still have my dumbbells, bands, elliptical, and exercise bike. So I am not gonna be too hard done by. ;)

    p.s. Yeah, choosing a Pax configuration is super fun (which you can do online using their webapp, BTW)... but actually putting it together? Not so much fun. :P

    3 votes

  9. Comment on Follow up on the username thread: What Tildes users do you recognize when browsing and, without being rude or inflammatory, what is your impression of them? in ~tildes

    cfabbro
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Yeah, the market has definitely cooled significantly since COVID, so we were expecting a long slog too, especially selling in winter... that's why the offer coming that quickly, and it being above...

    Yeah, the market has definitely cooled significantly since COVID, so we were expecting a long slog too, especially selling in winter... that's why the offer coming that quickly, and it being above asking and with so few conditions, took us completely by surprise! Either the real estate market is finally picking back up again, we severely under priced it, or (most likely) the buyers were getting a bit desperate to find a place before Christmas since they have kids, in-laws living with them, and sold their own house already.

    We didn't do a Pod, but we did order a giant dumpster to be dropped off on our driveway before we listed so we could get rid of a ton of shit in prep for the staging and photos. :P And despite filling the dumpster up, we still have a lot to get rid of, including a bunch of boxsprings and mattresses, since they're old AF, and we're going to upgrade them. Ditto for our full weight machine, since we're sadly going to have no space for it at the new place. Not to mention several giant armours, book cases, piles of old linens, mismatched cutlery/dishes, electronics, tools, gardening stuff, etc. It's amazing how much shit accumulates in a house after 12 years! We've been donating and giving away what we can, but we're probably going to have to order another dumpster just to get rid of everything left in time to move out. :/

    I'm hoping you enjoy the next part which comes soon! New house, new rooms to make your own...

    It's actually a condo this time, although it's a penthouse and still pretty dang big (4bed, 4bath, 2400sqft), just not as big as this house is (2900sqft), hence the need to downsize so much. And yeah, designing new rooms is my fav part of moving, so I have been having fun with that already! We got exact measurements for all the new rooms, so I've already been hunting for new furniture for it, and designed myself a new Ikea Pax wardrobe (since I have to leave my current one here for the new owners, who requested it stay). :P

    3 votes

  10. Comment on Follow up on the username thread: What Tildes users do you recognize when browsing and, without being rude or inflammatory, what is your impression of them? in ~tildes

    cfabbro
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Technically not yet. But we actually got an offer for above asking from the second people to book a viewing, which we received only a few hours after their viewing. That threw us for a massive...

    Technically not yet. But we actually got an offer for above asking from the second people to book a viewing, which we received only a few hours after their viewing. That threw us for a massive loop, since it didn't give us a whole lot of time to decide, and we hadn't even done our first open house yet. The people who made the offer have already sold their own house, are pre-approved for financing, and their only conditions were passing a house inspection, and a move in date of Dec 11, so we accepted it.

    So the last week+ has been going through that whole process, while also still doing open houses and showings (disclosing that we have already accepted a provisional offer first, of course) just in case the deal falls through for some reason. Which has meant keeping the house spotless, and everything staged while also going through all our own stuff in between showings, throwing out or giving away what we don't intend to bring with us, while also downsizing our possessions significantly since the new place is 500 sqft smaller than this one. So yeah, lots and lots of hard work, very very little sleep, and non-stop stress for the last week+ while also eating like shit since we've been too tired to cook and didn't want to make the house smell or kitchen messy anyways, in case we got a showing. :/

    The inspection went fine though, and we signed the finalized deal at the end of last week so we didn't do more open houses this weekend... but we won't know until tomorrow at midnight whether or not everything is finalized finalized when the money goes through... so fingers crossed. However, even if it is sold, the hard work and stress isn't over since we will have to kick ourselves into really high gear to get out of here by Dec 11! Fun times! /s God, I hate moving. The only thing keeping me going is how excited I am about Waterdown and being closer to my sister, BiL and nephews. ;)

    p.s. Sorry for the wall of text, I just desperately needed to vent. :P

    3 votes

  11. Comment on Ten free ebooks for getting free (Haymarket Books giveaway until Nov 25th, I think) in ~books

  12. Comment on Follow up on the username thread: What Tildes users do you recognize when browsing and, without being rude or inflammatory, what is your impression of them? in ~tildes

    cfabbro
    (edited )
    Link
    I just wanted to pop in and thank everyone for the mentions, love, and positivity of this entire topic. The past few weeks have been super super stressful for me (selling our house), and the...

    I just wanted to pop in and thank everyone for the mentions, love, and positivity of this entire topic. The past few weeks have been super super stressful for me (selling our house), and the coming few weeks will be as well (moving to the new place), which is made all the worse since I'm agoraphobic and have debilitating panic disorder. So this topic was a very very nice surprise, and much needed mood boost for me. It's nice to know all my efforts here are appreciated. :)

    I would love to list a whole bunch of people I also appreciate the presence of here too (even the ones I sometimes disagree with ;), but I would feel truly awful if I left anyone out!!! And it would likely end up being an incredibly incredibly long list since, in truth, I love you all. It's why I love this community so much. There also aren't many people here I can honestly say I dislike since even the people who I regularly butt heads with still comment in a respectful, thoughtful way, which makes me consider my own positions in new ways.

    However, the thing I hate most about online communities is how ephemeral they can often be though, and inevitably losing touch with so many people I have come to love and respect... so instead of listing anyone who is still around (and risk leaving people out), I'm going to "pour one out" for some of the people who are no longer on the site for one reason or another, and I genuinely miss the presence of: @DanBC (RIP), @Kat, @Catt, @mrbig, @Loire, @Emerald_Knight, @Algernon_Asimov, @CALICO, @EightRoundsRapid, @deing, @daychilde, @emdash, @Kelsier, @mundane_and_naive, @dubteedub, @Whom, @Cleb, @meristele, @Bishop, @Grendel, @MetArtScroll, @asoftbird, @joplin, @etiolation. And undoubtedly many more who I am currently forgetting. :(

    Wherever you all are now, I hope you're doing well!

    p.s. I have also seen a few users that I would have included on the list but they are actually back to posting again after long hiatuses, so that makes me smile, and hope we will see a return of some of the others eventually too. :)

    7 votes

  13. Comment on The overlooked lesson of Octavia Butler's "The Parable of the Sower" in ~books

    cfabbro
    Link Parent
    I personally don't see a problem with it being in ~books given the book is the subject of the essay. The only thing I changed was the title to sentence case.

    I personally don't see a problem with it being in ~books given the book is the subject of the essay. The only thing I changed was the title to sentence case.

    4 votes

  14. Comment on Junior Taskmaster Series 1, Episode 1 - 'Happy birthday bandana.' | Full Episode in ~tv

  15. Comment on Taskmaster Series 18, Episode 1 - 'The faceless facilitators.' | Full episode in ~tv

  16. Comment on Battling infectious diseases in the 20th century: The impact of vaccines in ~health

  17. Comment on Nationalism, explained in ~humanities

    cfabbro
    Link Parent
    I updated the topic title here to reflect the new video title on YouTube. Thanks for pointing out it was changed, otherwise I wouldn't have noticed that.

    I updated the topic title here to reflect the new video title on YouTube. Thanks for pointing out it was changed, otherwise I wouldn't have noticed that.

    4 votes

  18. Comment on EU judges grill Ursula von der Leyen’s lawyers over missing text messages [with Pfizer chief during COVID] in ~society

  19. Comment on Digging into the first work of modern ecology in ~science

  20. Comment on Korean Air passenger tries to open emergency exit, gets restrained in ~transport

    cfabbro
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    I wish mine were like that. I used to drive, but can't (and shouldn't) anymore because if I'm not able to almost immediately pull over somewhere to get sick, I stop being able to concentrate on...

    I wish mine were like that. I used to drive, but can't (and shouldn't) anymore because if I'm not able to almost immediately pull over somewhere to get sick, I stop being able to concentrate on driving safely anymore. And anti-anxiety meds are also pretty strong sedatives in most cases, so that just makes the driving situation worse. I thankfully never had any major accidents because of attacks or medication, but I still figured it was better to stop pushing my luck before I did. And I would feel absolutely horrible if I hurt anyone while I was driving because I had a panic attack. :(

    (edit: Not that I am trying to minimize your own suffering, BTW. I know how miserable the experience is, regardless of how it expresses itself!)

    3 votes