Seen on Y!IM

Random snippets from CJ's mind this morning.

On emigration:
me: I've lived overseas, and I don't mean someplace that speaks English and watches American movies. It's not easy.

On the aging population, Social Security, and immigration:
my conversation partner: So yeah, I can imagine going from "trying to keep people out" to "trying to bring those ppl in"
me: As soon as we start realizing work is valuable.
my conversation partner: Damn, CJ, I had soda in my mouth.

On dating:
me: I would have trouble dating someone who automatically looked down upon [label], if [label] can be applied to me.

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to thorswitch!

Signaling

This morning I was thinking we need a way to signal straight.

Let's say I'm wanting to flirt with a chick. Let's say I don't know whether she's straight or not, and she doesn't know whether I am either. And it's way too early in this tentative teeny tiny flirtation here for the soul-searing horror of having to BRING IT UP IN CONVERSATION. That might let her know what I'm thinkin', see, and that's scary.

So I can signal not-straight. I can wear rainbow stuff, or triangles (how outdated!), or a number of other things. Some have the added advantage that few non-queer-friendly folk get the message. It's like a secret code. And with every single one of 'em I can deny that I made a point of sending the message at all. Oh, no, I always wear my Michfest T-shirt on odd-numbered Tuesdays.

If I'm in luck, and she's not only not-straight but might be interested, my hypothetical cute gal can signal back. But she doesn't have any code she can send back, subtly, without loss of face on either side, to say she's straight. She can oh-so-casually mention a current or previous boyfriend, but that's awkward -- it commits the sin of bringing the subject closer to ACTUAL CONVERSATION, which as noted before is verboten this early in the game. Plus it does not successfully signal not-bi.

I suggest pinstripes.