Kelsey

Me! 3 days ago

http://www.yourholidaymom.com
is a compilation of messages written around the holidays by moms who are super-LGBT supportive and can/will offer support and internet hugs if you need them. You will probably need tissues after reading these, they’re very touching.

I finally got round to checking on this, and it turns out that my school doesn’t have an Art History minor. I COULD do a double major, but since my Chemical Engineering degree is a BS and the Art History would be a BA, I’d need to take about 20 more credits than usual, which would mean filling my schedule to the brim every semester from now till graduation and obliterating any chance of studying abroad.
So, nope. Not doing that. I’ll keep reading up on the material and visiting museums around campus, though. 1 month ago

Mom was overwhelmingly accepting and even enthusiastic. I had included in the email that I’d already told two of my close friends, just so that each party wouldn’t feel like they’d have to cover for me if/when they crossed paths…I wasn’t expecting her to text them.
She did.
At least I got some funny messages during class out of that.
Dad’s still sort of in shock, I think. He sent me a message that either his email or my phone ate the last half of, so I’ve asked him so resend it. I just…I don’t know, I expected his reaction to be a little more like Mom’s? Happy that I’m seeing someone (finally)? Of course, his side of the family (a bunch of Southern Baptists) is a lot more traditional than Mom’s (which includes two sets of lesbian aunts and scads of adorable gaybies).

Okay, I got the second half. He’s still seems surprised but he’s being compassionate about it. I can live with that. 1 month ago

because I was going to do it over Skype today and chickened out. I know they’ll be absolutely great about it, but it was still a difficult thing to do. I don’t know why it’s so much harder to tell parents things than friends.
They may have gone to bed already, so I probably won’t get an answer till morning. 1 month ago

So I saw her sitting outside at a picnic table reading, and I asked if she’d join me to watch Sherlock, and she said yes, and we did, but more importantly we talked for two and a half hours afterward and cuddled a bit. And we set up to do the same thing tomorrow AND I ASKED IF SHE WANTED TO GET COFFEE LATER AND SHE SAID YES!!!

SORRY FOR THE CAPS LOCK I’M EXCITED
:) :) :) 1 month ago

I’m so amped up about Hollingsworth v. Perry and United States v. Windsor, it’s ridiculous. They’re posting the audio recordings and transcripts the same day as each hearing, so I’ll be all over those. Between that and my schoolwork, it might be enough material to keep me occupied until the decisions in late June. 2 months ago

I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better about not complaining, but today I need to let it out:
I have two exams and a good chunk of a research paper due this week, and it’s going to be a couple of (very) late nights.
I just dropped my makeup bag and my foundation exploded all over my floor.
In my haste to clean up the makeup explosion, I burned my arm on my desk lamp.

AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHRRRRRRAAAAAWWWWWRRRRRGGGGGRRRRRRRRR. 2 months ago

First of all, I want to say that I’m sorry that you’re in a hostile environment and that you are most definitely not alone! I hope you’ve found a community (online or in real life) where you feel safe and happy being yourself, whether it’s here on 43T or elsewhere. I’ve found a great community on Autostraddle (mostly lesbians), but I’m sure there are others that would he welcoming. It makes a world of difference to feel like you belong somewhere.
The advice that I’ve heard and tend to pass along is:
If you feel as though coming out would result in physical harm or being kicked out of your home (as a minor, & having no place to go), then don’t do it. Otherwise, you can treat it as a gradual process, bringing up news articles you’ve read about gay marriage, etc, and seeing if your folks warm up to it.
As for the effects of being “out” in college: I’m at a somewhat liberal university (in Houston) and we have many happy and accepted LGBT students. I wouldn’t worry about that :)
As for the rest, do what you think is right, find an adult (maybe a teacher) you feel comfortable talking to, and never let anyone make you feel anxious or ashamed for being you. Even just writing in a journal can be incredibly cathartic. Best of luck! 2 months ago

I wore my rainbow bracelet to the gym today. In public for the first time. I didn’t see anyone I knew, and no one said anything. I know it’s just a little thing, but it felt like a big step, and I’m glad I did it.
I’m pretty excited about the Supreme Court arguments coming up in the next few weeks. But I don’t particularly understand why they’re not going to publicize the decision until the end of June; surely it can’t take that long.
(Sigh)
In other news, the girl I was head over heels for earlier this year is being really friendly. And when I was volunteering in the park, there was a cute girl with an eyebrow piercing who was flirting a bit. Now we’re friends on Facebook and her page implies she’s gay. :) So there’s some more good news – a bit closer to home than DOMA since I’m not planning on getting married anytime soon! 2 months ago

This year went by faster than I expected. And I guess I could say that my life is, if not totally, a LOT different:
College!!!
Living 1,000 miles from home
Getting rid of boyfriend
Getting enough sleep on a regular basis (this did wonders for my mood and anxiety issues)
Coming out to myself (this helped too!)
Coming out to a few other people

Still no job, no car, and very little idea of what I want to do with my life, though.

Overall? I think I’m doing better :) 2 months ago

I’m super excited because I ordered a pair of desert boots online the other day, but I’m getting peeved because that was three days ago and Amazon still hasn’t shipped the order yet. I know that I should be patient, sit back, and marvel that USPS can get that box safely from wherever the hell Amazon headquarters is to my mailbox in a manner of days, but right now I just want my shoes.
/end minirant 2 months ago

So tomorrow is the info session for girls’ rugby and I’m SUPER excited. I know very little about it except for having watched “Invictus” and about half of a France vs. New Zealand match a while ago, but it involves hitting people, so it should be fun. Yay for contact sports.
And I guess technically I’m in a sport already: I’m biking in Rice University’s very own BEER BIKE! It’s basically a relay race of biking and chugging (water, now, of course, but it used to be beer back when the drinking age was 18.)
And next year I’m probably gonna do Powderpuff again and hopefully join the Quidditch team. 2 months ago

I really appreciate the good wishes. Usually I’m better at not letting things like that get me down, and avoiding those sites altogether. 3 months ago

I listened to more “Scottish Traditional” and liked it, but at one point, I noticed the vocals were in French. Perhaps Pandora has its tags mixed up :)
“50s and 60s Blues” was also better than I expected.
Next up: the bizarre (but free!) mix of k-pop and Scandinavian metal I downloaded from Last.fm.

Also learned form Last.fm: Anything available as a free download that has the same title as a popular song, but says something like “Tunadroid Remix” after it, will be NOTHING like the original song.
What is tunadroid? I…I don’t even know, even after listening to it.

Update: Instead of the free mix, I opted for old favorites (the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack) during my workout. I tried a few more Pandora stations: “Classic Bollywood” isn’t really my thing, but “Americana” is pretty good. 3 months ago

I’m in college and a lot of my friends stay out/up late on weekends and sleep half the day away, and then hop right back to their normal weekday schedule and go to 9am class. I don’t know how they do it.
The night before last, I was up too late by about 2 hours. I felt cruddy in class and lab, didn’t take good notes, and ate too much because I was crabby.
Last night, I went to bed at 11. Today I woke up naturally (no alarm) at 7:30, had a healthy breakfast, and finished my physics homework and started my calc problem set, all before I go to class at 11am.

I need to set myself up for more good days. 3 months ago

My Pandora stations this evening were “Indie Dance Party” and “Scottish Traditional.” It turns out that homework and bagpipes actually mix pretty well, even if the pipes are anachronistic with regard to my reading about the Roman Republic. 3 months ago

This was assigned last Tuesday, although my prof only properly gave us the materials we needed on Thursday. But I puttered around this weekend, doing just about everything EXCEPT for this, and now it’s due at 8pm today and I still need about a page and a half. I can’t say that I really enjoy the topic; I’m comparing a picture of a 1950s housing tract to an advertisement and after 3 1/2 pages it’s gotten rather old. I don’t see the point for page requirements. I tend to write very concisely in my school papers (it’s the engineer in me) and make all my points in a short space.

I wish I’d spread it out a bit more so I could have a few minutes of not-fun-writing-times every day instead of sitting down and spewing words. Maybe I’ll try that next time.
Ha. Ha. Ha.
No, I probably won’t.

/rant.
Sorry to people used to non-ranty Kelsey. Just needed to get it out.

EDIT: I just found a site called writtenkitten.net and it gives you a new picture of a cat for every 100 words you write. It’s WAY more motivating than I want to admit, haha :)

Update: One kitten’s worth to go. C’mon, Kels. 3 months ago

I did a couple tango classes last semester (I may start going again, if I can get all my stuff done Wednesday afternoons) and tonight I’m going to Pub Night, and they’ve got a half-hour salsa course and then dancing all night. 3 months ago