Stumbling Mostly Upwards

going to the bigger store because i needed to pick up some stuff my usual store doesnt carry. the cashier is a guy about my age. when it's my turn, i say hi, and he goes EITHER "oh, dressed in pink" or "seeing life through rose-tinted glasses" (and if you wonder how on earth i could mix these two statements: in french it sounds very close. anyway)

i go, "what?"

he goes, "pink."

i go, "what?"

"your shirt. it's pink."

"indeed it is"

"thats a choice. better not go to russia huh"

"what?"

"yeah, they won't like your shirt"

"they are prejudiced against cactii in russia?"

"what?"

(i point to the cactus print)

"no, i mean, people like you, they're illegal. in russia."

"people with cactus print shirts?"

"no."

(i blink unhelpfully at him)

"no, you know. men who dress in women's... colors. they dont like that"

"oh then, we're both in danger"

"what?"

(he blinks at me unhelpfully. i point to his shirt, a delightfully purple-leaning burgundy, which i recognize because i have the exact same shirt in my own wardrobe)

"your shirt. it's burgundy."

"what?? no. no it's not. it's red!"

"oh no, no, trust me. this is the loveliest burgundy i've seen ☺️ and i would know. bye!"

(he was staring at his shirt in a mix of panic and disbelief as i left)

"In HBO/Crave’s queer hockey romance series adaptation, Shane Hollander (Korean-Dutch Hudson Williams) Japanese-Canadian background, never specified as Japanese, is mentioned three times. First, Shane’s manager congratulates his team on breaking barriers by signing him. Next, his mother (Taiwanese-Filipino/white Christina Chang) reminds Shane of the community he represents. Finally, Shane mentions to his white date he was one of two Asian boys who played hockey. Despite this. Heated Rivalry includes no gestural or cultural signs of Shane’s Asianness throughout the season. Even when Shane and his love interest Ilya Rosanov (Connor Storrie) eat dinner with Shane’s parents, spaghetti is what’s on the menu.

The lack of development in Shane’s identity is more pronounced by the pervasiveness of Ilya’s Russian background, which includes relationships with other Russians, language, an accent, and distinct customs. Ilya’s identity informs how he moves through the world, a navigation threaded throughout the season, that Shane simply isn’t allowed to experience."

From Resonate Voices

I am a raccoon biologist and one of the few people in the state allowed to take in captive bred raccoons that had been possessed illegally. The raccoon in the photos is Moonshine, but she is currently at the animal sanctuary where I work as I had been quarantining multiple new intakes from an abuse case. I still have two males (Rum Tum Tugger and Electra) left in my home enclosure as we are getting them neutered and then hopefully sending them to an AZA accredited zoo.