Plow Truck

In my part of the world, when shopping around on Craigslist for a used truck, you're going to need to know a few things first.

You should know that the term "Plow Truck" is legitimately used to refer to a truck that is so far beyond repair that it couldn't possibly pass inspection.  It's definitely not safe for State roads, but do anything you want with it on your own property.  You should also know a plow truck does not always come with a plow.  You may need to supply that yourself... if that's what you want to use it for.

Craigslist photo below.

I Don't Know

So much talk lately about transexuals.  I gotta tell ya - I don't know what's going on with them.  It's not so cut and dried.  There are so many facets to that issue that I think it's dismissive to just say, "Oh, how brave!" and move on because there are undoubtedly some cases where mental illness is a factor and someone needs help more than accolades.

To think of changing sexes as the empirical solution is missing the bigger problem.

Is the person in this picture being brave, delusional, or a unique combination of both?

Here's what makes me think most people agree, whether or not they realize it.  People don't seem to have much problem criticizing celebrities who get a lot of plastic surgery.  When a person has altered their look so much that they are hardly recognizable as their old selves, it makes pop news headlines about how freakish they look, or how they ruined their face.  And that's usually capped off with, "How can they think that looks good?" implying that there must be some kind of delusion going on.

A guy that puts on lipstick and a dress and thinks he looks like a woman probably has some of that same sort of delusion, but instead we say he is brave.  Seems a little unfair.  Both of these types of people are struggling with the idea that they are living in the wrong body.  We should apply the same standard, whatever that is.

I usually add my "I have no hate for anyone here" preamble to posts that take on sensitive subjects like this, but I wanted to put it right before these next few thoughts.  

I understand that people can feel a... misalignment (fair descriptor?) between their sexual identity/preference/physiology/etc., but I think there's a way to help with the confusion or struggle many of these people feel.   Don't try to redefine your anatomy.  Redefine what a man or woman is.  Don't physically mutilate yourself to match some staid definition of what a woman or man is supposed to be.  Change your opinion of what a woman or man is.  Wear whatever clothes you like best.  Wear as much or as little makeup as you like.  Have complete freedom to act however you want in the body you were given.   Just because you have a penis doesn't mean you have to like football, chewing tobacco, and trucker hats.  Having a vajayjay doesn't mean you have to like soap operas and valances.  You do you.  I don't think society will have any less acceptance for that approach, and I think avoiding surgery and hormone treatment is being more true to yourself.

Vacation Photos with a Cell Phone Only

Can it be done?  Well, yeah...  I mean, it can be done, but should it?  I tried it.  Did not enjoy.  Even though a very capable cellphone camera is usually sitting right in your pocket, that really isn't as convenient or functional as it seems.

First, since the phone is pretty small and hides in your pocket well, you often have to search to find it.  Then, it being mostly a glass rectangle, it legitimately takes a sec to figure which way is up.  Then you power it on and swipe to open the camera app, which also takes a second to load up. The autofocus can sometimes take a second as well.  All of this adds up to a clumsy and slow process.  If you're taking a lot of pictures you'll get frustrated pretty quickly.  And those cell phones are small and don't have a lot of grip, either.  Job One when taking a photo with them is to remember to hold on tight.

I got plenty of pictures out of my phone (here's a couple to look at) but the whole experiment only showed me that a dedicated camera, strung around your neck, is really the way to go.  If you rely on your cell phone camera, you're going to miss a lot of moments while you fumble around pushing virtual buttons made of slippery glass.