Squats for the soul

giuseppe, the presidential butler: waifish and breedable as always, muy lord

my parents tried to have kids for seven years and were trying to adopt when mom found out she was pregnant

my great-grandfather, who my mom really looked up to, died a month before i was born, and right before he died he told my mom ‘you’re gonna have twins. the girl should be older but the boy will be’ (mom hadn’t discussed the pregnancy very much with anyone at this point because… seven years, so he didn’t actually know this information)

and guess fucking what

mom had to have a c-section because we were stupidly large for twins (as in we have a record at the hospital large) and due to that my twin brother kicked me out of the way to be born first

so one, great start on the sibling rivalry

She is nearly 70 years old, with wonderfully brown gnarled, wrinkled hands and eyes that are creased from smiling. She hand-makes all of her own clothes and sews dolls for my little sister. Abuela is very lonely… her husband already passed and her kids live far away. She misses her grandkids. Abuela comes around our place for the company almost every other day.

So this morning, my little sister and I went to visit the Abuela to return the kindness of her vegetables with some homemade soup.

It’s a funny joke we have, that if you can make a perfect posole you are wife material. I was joking around with my friend beforehand to see if I was worthy of marriage, and my little sister thinks me failing is the best thing in life, so of course she wants to ask Abuela when we arrive.

We’re wearing masks and gloves and can’t give her the big hug like we want to, but Abuela is always happy to see us. We bring the pot of soup to her table. My little sis, the little shit that she is, immediately asks, “Abuela, is Reina ready to be a wife yet?”

And Abuela immediately shifts her entire mood. Her face literally becomes this:

Abuela’s look pierces through my heart.

“Who are you trying to impress? A man or a woman?” she asks, deadly serious. We have broached the topic of marriage. It is her domain now.

And I, Rei, gay as the fourth of July, cannot believe that either Abuela clocked me instantly or that she could possibly have a fascinating past of her own. 

I thought about lying, but my little sister was there and I don’t like to lie in front of her. So I was honest and said I was trying to impress a woman.

Without a response, Abuela carefully tries the posole. The room is silent.

“For a man, it’s good,” she says after a moment. “But, you’ll need to work harder to impress a woman.”

All I can do is politely nod. I have so many questions.

Now Abuela is tired. She wants to eat and relax in peace, so she waves us away. We make sure she’s settled, and then my sister and I go home.

not only did the grandma say bi rights but like

Despite there being over 18,000 permits issued to Gazan workers at the time, it is unclear how many were present on the day of the attacks, and only around 10,000 workers have been released. Israeli human rights groups are describing a total blackout surrounding the information on detained Palestinians. Israeli officials revealed, on the condition of anonymity, that there were no indications at this point that the workers had any role assisting Hamas in its onslaught.

Here's an article about it from last week. I've found this source to be extremely credible.

And lest there be any remaining doubt.. remember the blue pill? The pill Neo could have taken to forget the truth, bury his troubles and go back to living a normal life, without fearing a system that wanted to destroy him? The pill that was easy, perhaps cowardly according to some, but comfortable? Here’s Prozac.