Saturday, February 28, 2009

Saturday Six - Episode 255

Patrick’s Place Saturday Six - Episode 255

1. When you write on your blog, are you more often trying to entertain, inform or persuade?
Yes. Actually I try to do all three. I like doing memes because they are fun and entertaining and I write about social justice issues to inform and persuade.

2. Do you feel you’re successful most of the time?
Yes, I think that I have enlighten a number of people to the issues and injustices that trans-people face every day.

3. Do you consider yourself to be more bold online than in person, or the other way around?
About the same on the topics that I write about.

4. Who would be most embarrassed if they read your blog?
I try not to embarrass anyone.

5. Take the quiz:
What Kind of Communicator Are You?




You Communicate Passionately



You speak from the heart. You can't separate your feelings from what you're saying, even in a professional context.
You tend to speak dramatically, with lots of passion and emotion. It's easy for you to get swept up in what you're saying.
You like to connect with people early on so that you can personalize what you are saying to them.
When you converse, you try to find common ground and harmony. Even if you disagree with someone, you try to emphasize where you agree.



6. What do you think the biggest change has been in your online writing in the past year?
I think that my grammar has improved a little bit.

Saturday 9: Liar, Liar

Crazy Sam’s Saturday 9: Liar, Liar



1. What is the last "white" lie that you told?
I told someone that the blouse that she was wearing looked good when they asked how it looked on them.

2. Can you forgive a liar?

It depends on what they lied about and if it hurt others. If they took credit for something that they didn’t do or did not admit doing something wrong, those are harder to forgive. But, in general I do forgive.

3. Do you tend to exaggerate or underestimate?
Exaggerate.

4. Do you hold a grudge
?
No, holding a grudge is a waste of your life. Why fixate on someone who did you wrong. Learn from it and move on with yourlife.

5. What's the biggest lie you've ever told?

That a barn was haunted and that I saw a ghost.

6. Are there times that you feel that it is okay to lie?
See answer #1

7. Did you ever end a relationship because of lies?
Yes.

8. Do you think you can tell when someone is lying to you?
No, I am very gullible.

9. Have you been caught lying?
Yes, and that is why I don’t lying. I was very young and I learned my lesson.

Last Night – Sometimes You Do Make A Difference

I wrote in Friday’s Fill-ins that I was going to “talk on the Anti-Discrimination bill to some church elders.” Well that turned out not to be quite true, I got the message a little garbled. When I got the phone call telling me about the meeting, he didn’t make it clear what the meeting was about. I heard parish house and talking on the Anti-Discrimination bill and in my mind I connected the dots in between. What it turned out to be was even more personally fulfilling.

It was at a parish house, but it was with a parent who son just came out to the family and the parent wanted to help pass the Anti-Discrimination bill. But, more importantly he was looking for information on how he could find support for himself and his daughter. I was joined at the meeting by the person who invited me and two other families who had children who had transitioned. Sometimes what a parent needs to learn is that they are not alone, that other families have found their way through this difficult time. In addition, the families also agreed to standup together to testify at the hearing for the bill and to attend lobby day.

It felt good to see that in some small way I made a difference.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Friday Fill In #71

Janet’s Friday Fill-ins

ffi

And...here we go!

1. I'm _tired_, I'm _cranky_, I _’m ready for bed__.

2. Why do I have _to do all the work_ and not _get any of the glory_.

3. How does this _freging thing _ work, anyway?

4. Every morning, I put _my robe_ on my _way to the kitchen_.

5. I consider myself lucky because _I have a loving family_.

6. One day we’ll see _the truth_.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _going to church, no not “To Church” but to church, we are giving a talk on the Anti-Discrimination bill to some church elders_, tomorrow my plans include _facilitating a support group _ and Sunday, I want to _kick my shoes off and relax_!

Why We Have The Standards of Care.

Most of you have never heard of the Harry Benjamin Standards of Care (SOC), but the trans-community knows the Standards of Care all too well. They are the medical procedures that govern our transition. The SOC tells us when we can start taking hormones and when we can have surgery, one of the rules is that we have to live in our correct gender continuously for at least one year (called the real-life experience or RLE). Many trans-people hate the SOC, they see it as gatekeeper rules (It is also why when the opponents of the gender inclusive Anti-Discrimination law talk about teachers switching genders back and forth they do not know what they are talking about, because the SOC prohibits a transsexual from doing that.). The SOC says,
“The act of fully adopting a new or evolving gender role or gender presentation in everyday life is known as the real-life experience. The real-life experience is essential to the transition to the gender role that is congruent with the patient’s gender identity. Since changing one's gender presentation has immediate profound personal and social consequences, the decision to do so should be preceded by an awareness of what the familial, vocational, interpersonal, educational, economic, and legal consequences are likely to be.”
The reason I am writing this is because a LA Times sportswriter who transitioned in 2007, just detransitioned and the press and the right wing conservatives are making a big “brew ha” about it. However, the SOC worked the way it was supposed to work. We will not know the reason why he detransitioned, nor should we know, but it is important to realize that just because he transitioned back does not mean that he is not transsexual. There are numerous reason why people transition back, unable to make a living in their preferred gender, family pressures, religious pressures and societal pressure. Of all the reasons why people detransition, I feel the biggest is reason is societal pressure.
In the USA Today’s article “For some, shadow of regret cast over gender switch“ Steve Friess wrote…
"It's unfortunate and it's relatively uncommon but certainly not unheard of," says Denise Leclair, executive director of the International Foundation for Gender Education, a Waltham, Mass.-based transgender advocacy group. "The simplest way to think about it is being trans is something that never goes away. ... There's just a fairly constant social pressure to just go back. You don't have to be a genius to understand that society doesn't really accept this."
I face this pressure daily, the constant giggles and stares, and the occasional being “damn and going to hell” wears on you. For one of my classes I had to read Aronson's book "The Social Animal" (2004) and what hit home for me was,
"People have a powerful need to belong. Acceptance and rejection are among the most potent rewards and punishments for social animals, because in our evolutionary history, social exclusion could have disastrous consequences..."

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Why I Have Not Been Bloging Much Lately

I have been working on a short paper for one of my classes and the assignment has been driving me nuts. The assignment was too broad and vague with no clear instructions, this is what was written in the syllabus,
Assignment 1: Using the CT General Assembly website, research the legislative history (between 2003 and 2006) of the sentencing disparity between powder cocaine and crack (or freebase) cocaine. Paper should be between 3-4 pages and consist of three sections:

a. A narrative of the legislative history
b. An analysis of the connection between the fate of the legislation and electoral politics, including the electoral cycle, implementation costs and the effect of class and race on the bill’s package.
c. An appendix page the includes:
  • Title and bill number of all bills including LCO numbers
  • Sponsors of all bills and amendments
  • Committees of cognizance that all bills and amendments were considered by or referred to including the names and political parties of committee(s) co-chairs
  • Comparisons of draft language and final language of all relevant bills and amendments
  • Dates of public hearings, committee(s) votes and votes in the House and Senate, as well as any other applicable dates, including bill signing and “effective” date
  • Voting totals of all committees and chambers
The paper itself wasn’t long, it was the appendix that was driving me crazy. Did she want the party affiliation of all the legislators on the committees? Many of them are not still legislators and trying to find their party affiliation is almost impossible. How much detail does the professor want? I asked some other classmates and they all had a different answers, one student researched newspapers to find out the history of the bill.
In addition, the professor is not following the class syllabus, this is our fifth week and we have not covered one item in the syllabus. For last weeks class the syllabus said,
Understanding the state legislative process – How bills really become laws; how to prepare and deliver effective testimony; the role of lobbying and the advantages and disadvantages of using lobbyists
What did we talk about? We talked about decision making, the professor talked about how to argu. For the class today we are suppose the reconcile two different policy statements, but the syllabus said we are to,
The municipal arena for political advocacy: local city councils/ boards of alderman/selectman and their powers; effective political advocacy at the local level.
What does our assignment has to do with that?
She is the worst professor I have had so far.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Manic Monday

Lisa’s Manic Monday #156



What's one of the simple pleasures in your life?
Eating. I love food and that is my downfall.

What do you like to snack on when you watch a movie?
I try not to eat while watching a movie or TV, but if I would snack during a movie it would be on popcorn.

If you were a Survivor contestant, what would be your luxury item?

I never watched Survivor, and I have no idea what you could bring. I think I would choose one of those hand cranked laptops.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

I Hit A Wall - Part 2

My trip north with my brother, sister-in-law and cousins was canceled due to weather (they are suppose to get a foot of snow on Sunday) and reschedule for next week.
At least I will be able to work some on homework and maybe catch up.

Friday, February 20, 2009

I Hit A Wall

I am operating on overload; I am have been working so hard on school, my internship and the legislation that when I get home I am having a hard time getting motivated.

I should be reading or writing a paper or emailing about Thursday’s Trans Health and Law Conference planning meeting or…

But I am not, I am eating, watching TV and surfing the internet aimlessly. I pick up a book to read and I only read a paragraph or two. I look at the blank screen in Word and I can think of what to write.

I am going out tonight to a focus group on trans-health that a grad student is working on, and I just don’t feel like going.

Tomorrow I am driving up to New Hampshire for the weekend to go to dinner with my brother, sister-in-law and cousins. Maybe a change in location might break me out of this blue funk.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

North Dakota House Passes Bill Giving Rights to Fertilized Eggs

I found this on Feministe blog

This is down right crazy…
ND House Passes Bill Giving Rights to Fertilized Eggs
By DALE WETZEL
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A measure approved by the North Dakota House gives a fertilized human egg the legal rights of a human being, a step that would essentially ban abortion in the state.

The bill declares that "any organism with the genome of homo sapiens" is a person protected by rights granted by the North Dakota Constitution and state laws.

The measure's sponsor, Rep. Dan Ruby, R-Minot, said the legislation did not automatically ban abortion. Ruby has introduced bills in previous sessions of the Legislature to prohibit abortion in North Dakota.
This is totally off the wall! Besides flying in the face of the U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision, it will also ban abortions if the mother’s life was in danger.

Would it mean that if a mother had a miscarriage that she could be charged with involuntary manslaughter? Or if the mother was in a car accident and the accident caused a miscarriage could the drive at fault be charged with murder?

What would happen if a couple decided to have their fertilized eggs frozen, how would the law deal with that. With In Vitro Fertilization they usually fertilize more eggs then needed, would it then be murder is they destroyed the extra fertilized eggs?

Monday, February 16, 2009

Manic Monday

Lisa’s Manic Monday #155



Of all your favorite foods, which one would you find the most difficult to give up for the rest of your life?
My favorite food is lobster and it wouldn’t be hard to give it up because I only eat it four or five times a year.

Which month of the year do you thing best describes your personality?
I would have to say May, because it is a symbol in my mind of a new beginning. Winter is over and the world is turning green again with the fragrant smell of all the new blossoms in the air.


If you could be a contestant on any game show, past or present, which show would you pick?
Hmm… That is a hard question to answers because I am not that big of a fan of game shows, but I would pick “What in the World” (a locally produced quiz show in the 1960’s where the panelist had to guess the location from a list of clues) followed by Jeopardy.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

HRC Comes Out Again With Their Joke That They Call “The Corporate Equality Index”

I call it a joke because that is what it is. The Human Rights Campaign assign a company a100% CEI if the company has only one of the five categories. The HRC Corporate Equality Index Guidelines state...
“At least one: Counseling by a mental health professional; pharmacy benefits covering hormone therapy; medical visits to monitor the effects of hormone therapy and other associated lab procedures; medically necessary surgical procedures such as hysterectomy; or short-term disability leave for surgical procedures”
So that means that an employer can offer mental health care to all of its employees and get a 100% CEI and still not pay for hormones, doctor office visits, lab work or surgery.

Kelley Winters writes on “The Bilerico Project,
“Despite years of objection by health advocates for the trans-community, the HRC continues to omit medically necessary transition care as a requirement for a perfect 100% CEI score. Employees who suffer distress with their physical sex characteristics or ascribed gender role (often termed gender dysphoria) are singled out by many employers for exclusion from coverage for corrective procedures that are not excluded for other employees. By rewarding these employers with 100% scores, the HRC perpetuates this discrimination.”

“Where is the commitment to trans-employees who are denied access to medically necessary care as a consequence of these broken criteria? Corporations who never deserved perfect CEI scores in prior years certainly do not deserve a free pass for another fraudulent perfect score in 2010. It seems unconscionable for the HRC to prolong the suffering of gender dysphoric employees and dependents for the purpose of rewarding health care discrimination.”
Why does HRC continue to rate the Corporate Equality Index like this? I can think of two reasons, first the HRC would only qualify for a 95% CEI because they do not offer full coverage to their trans-employees and second, money, I think that they probably receive large corporate donations from companies who have a 100% rating and the HRC wants to keep them happy.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Saturday Six - Episode 253

Patrick’s Place Saturday Six - Episode 253

1. Do you usually feel as though you get more sleep than you need, less sleep than you need or just enough?
No, I feel that I don’t get enough sleep

2. What was the last movie you fell asleep while watching out of sheer boredom?
I usually don’t fall asleep during a movie, however, I will turn the TV on to fall asleep.

3. Did you try watching a second time to make it all the way through? If so, was it worth the extra screening?
No, I usually stay awake during a movie.

4. Does exercise tend to make you feel like you have more energy or less?
I have less energy after I exercise

5. Take the quiz: What’s Your Energy Level?




Your Energy Level is Low



Although you may have enough energy to survive, you probably wish you had more energy.
You feel tired throughout the day, and you wish you had the physical resources to do more.

You may just be a person with naturally low energy. Pushing yourself just makes things worse.
Make sure to eat well, avoid stress, and get plenty of rest. Taking care of yourself will make the most of the energy you've got.



6. What’s the latest in the day that you can drink a caffeinated drink without it affecting your sleep?
I don’t drink any caffeinated beverages at all, it affects my heart arrhythmia.

Saturday 9: Be My Valentine

Crazy Sam’s Saturday 9: Be My Valentine

1. Do you have Valentine’s Day plans?
Nope, none

2. Do you buy a Valentine’s Day gift for someone special?

I bought my aunt chocolates.

3. What, so far, was the happiest event of your life?
There were so many that it is so hard to pick just one, but high on the list is that day I transitioned.

4. What is the best job that you ever have had?
What I am doing right now, I feel that it gives meaning to my life. The thirty-five years that I worked in manufacturing, pale when I compare it to the work I am doing now.

5. What would be your fantasy job?
I think I am living it now. I am lucky enough to have a mid-life career change, from engineering/management to social justice

6. What would you think would be the worst job?
A summer job that I had, moving a electrical wholesale store to a new location

7. What foreign countries have you visited?
The only foreign country that I have visited is Canada.

8. What foreign country would be your fantasy trip?
Europe. Mexico and the Caribbean are out of bounds, I want to live. There are many counties that it is not safe to visit if you are transsexual.

9. Since leaving your home growing up, how many places have you lived?
Three. Until I was seven, I lived in Milford CT when we moved to the town where I live and when I moved out of their house, I moved to a house in the same town.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Friday Fill-ins #111

Janet’s Friday Fill-ins #111


ffi

1. It seems like _spring is just around the corner _.

2. _Clean-up_ when you're done, please?

3. If I thought you _will leave _ I'd _packed your bags_!

4. _The money that you owe me_ is what I think of most when I think of you.

5. To me, Valentine's Day means _just another day_.

6. _Walking_ gives me strength.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _doing homework (I don’t know if I am looking forward to it, but that is what I will be doing)_, tomorrow my plans include _moderating a support group_ and Sunday, I want to _visit some friends if I have my homework done_!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Gender Inclusive Anti-Discrimination Bill Raised

Yesterday the gender inclusive Anti-Discrimination bill was raised in the House that will add gender identity and expression to Connecticut’s Non-Discrimination statues.

HB 6452 AN ACT CONCERNING DISCRIMINATION.
To prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression.
Introduced by: Judiciary Committee

(21) "Gender identity or expression" means a person's gender-related identity, appearance or behavior, whether or not that gender-related identity, appearance or behavior is different from that traditionally associated with the person's assigned sex at birth.


This will be the forth year that this bill has been brought up. In 2007, the bill made it through four committees and the Senate before it was filibustered in the House. In the Senate it passed by a vote of 30 to 4. This year with marriage equality now a reality, we can now focus all of our energy on this bill. however, this also means that the opposition can now focus all of their attention on this bill with their dire predictions of doom and gloom.

The opposition dire forecast to the Anti-Discrimination bills around the country has not happened. 39% of the U.S. population is covered by gender inclusive Non-Discrimination statues and there has been no excessive law suites, no assaults in bathroom by trans-people and has not had harmful affect on schoolchildren as opposition has claimed it would happen.

Monday, February 09, 2009

Manic Monday

Lisa’s Manic Monday #154



What is your favorite candy?
I am not a big candy person, I like chocolates.

Name one thing that you'd want to receive as a gift for Valentine's day.
A kiss.

Can we truly love someone who loves another?
I think that you can always have a crush on some one. Is that love?

Sunday, February 08, 2009

Saturday Six - Episode 252

Patrick’s Place Saturday Six - Episode 252

1. Were you in the same location five years ago that you are today? Would you have expected to be?
I still live on the same town that I grew up in. I have been here since 1955 and I have never really thought about moving out of town.

2. Are you driving the same car you drove five years ago? Were you driving the same car five years before that?
I drive a ’07 Toyota Prius and before that, I had a ’04 Prius

3. What percentage of the clothes in your closet are clothes you were wearing five years ago?
Probability 75% of my clothes are new, but I claim special circumstances. I transitioned in June ‘07 and I gave away all my old clothes, therefore I had to buy a completely new wardrobe.

4. In what way is your life most improved over the last five years? In what way is it least improved over the last five years?
I am now finally living my life and not hiding. My financial situation has taking a nosedive since I retired, my “nest egg” to a substantial hit.

5. Take the quiz:
Do You Live in the Past, Present or Future?




You Live in the Present



You take things one day at a time.
And it turns out, that's a pretty great way to live.

You aren't consumed by the past, and you're aren't obsessed with the future.
You live in the now, and you enjoy each moment.

While most people don't live in the present enough, make sure you don't live in it too much.
It would be a mistake to forget your past or neglect to plan for the future.



6. Consider the thing you most hoped for five years ago: has that come true, yet?
Yes. Need I same more?

Saturday, February 07, 2009

New Hampshire Held A Hearing For The Gender Inclusive Anti-Discrimination Bill

Transgender people plead for law change
By KAREN LOVETT Staff Writer

Blanchette [a computer programmer who was fired when she transitioned] was one of a number of people who testified in favor of the bill at Thursday's hearing in Concord. Nobody testified against the proposal.

"There is a real and persistent threat against the transgender community," said Allyson Robinson, associate director of diversity at the Human Rights Campaign in Washington, D.C.

Added Jason Wu, an attorney with Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, "The transgender community is the most vulnerable in the state."
There were comments from the usual people who call this “special rights,” but there were two comments that I found interesting…

To be very honest, while I always find transgenderism a bit repulsive on a personal level, they should be protected against such blatant discrimination.

We are not asking to be liked or for your approval, just protected from discrimination as he said in the above comment.

I live in a state where this "rights" law is already enacted. New Jersey made it law two years ago. It has become a huge "ho Hum" The dire warnings of some religious "leaders" did not come to pass…

The opposition paints doom and gloom if the Anti-Discrimination bill is passed here in Connecitcut, but that just doesn’t happen. 39% of the U.S. population is covered by gender inclusive Non-Discrimination statues and there has been no excessive law suites, no assaults in bathroom by trans-people and not harmful affect on schoolchildren. As the right wing conservatives clams would happen.

In addition, notice there was not one person who spoke against the bill. Why? Is it because the opposition does not want their hate, bigotry and lies in the public record for everyone to see? Is it because they would rather have a whispering campaign where they can hide their lies from the public?

Friday, February 06, 2009

Saturday 9: Time Has Come Today

Crazy Sam’s Saturday 9: Time Has Come Today



1. What time of day do you usually play Saturday 9?
10:00PM Friday night.

2. At 9AM on a weekday, what are you doing?
Starting work at my internship, except for Wednesdays when I am driving to school for my ten o’clock class.

3. At 9PM on any given night, what would you most like to be doing?
Homework

4. What is your most frequent activity online?
Reading blogs to keep up to date with the news

5. Is there one day of the week that seems to fly by? If yes, why?

No, they all move by at a slow pace until I have to be somewhere and then I am rushing wondering where the time went.

6. Do you agree that the older you get, the faster time seems to go by?
Time is relative. The days creep by and the years fly by. I look at it this way, when you are 12 the year is one twelfth of you life. But when you are 60, the year is one sixtieth of your life.

7. What is your favorite thing to do with free time?
Photography, time goes by so slow when I am shooting.

8. How much time do you spend alone? Would you like it to be more? Less?
Since I am single, when I am home, I am alone. I would like to be home alone less often.

9. If you could spend one hour doing something what would it be?

Anything but homework.

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Friday Fill-Ins #110

Janet’s Friday’s Fill-in #110




1. Please don't tell _I took a second helping of cookies_.

2. Can you _wake up without any caffeine_ in the morning?

3. The color _green_ makes me want to _go hiking_! (Hey, what do you want? That was the first thing that pooped into my hesd.)

4. I have a craving for _pickles_. (No, I’m not! For some reason I have been having a craving for half sour pickles.)

5. If my life had a pause button, I'd pause it _so I would have more time to write my papers_.

6. Eyes are the _gateway to the mind_.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _going out to dinner with some friends for a friends birthday and then to the coffee house for some folk music_, tomorrow my plans include _doing homework_ and Sunday, I want to _go to Norwich to give a training class on the Anti-Discrimination bill_!

I Am On The Radio Tonight

Tonight I am going to be on a local college radio station to talk about the Gender Inclusive Anti-Discrimination bill. I am looking forward to being interviewed but at the same time a little nervous about being live on the radio. The program is “Gay Sprite” from 8:30 – 9:00 PM and program is on the University of Hartford FM radio station WWUH, 91.3 and their podcast link is http://wwuh.org/real.htm

Update:10:10

It was a blast doing the show. My techno mind was taking in all the electronics in the studio. A lot has changed since I worked in a college radio station.

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Wow! And They Wanted The Ballot Initiative Here?

This is unbelievable! In California, $83 million was spent on Proposition 8!

Donors spent over $83M in Prop. 8 Race
The Monterey County Herald

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Donors gave more than $83 million to support or oppose the ballot initiative that abolished same-sex marriage in California, according to campaign disclosure reports made public Monday.

The new filings cover the weeks immediately before and after the Nov. 4 election. They show that elected officials, businesses, churches and individuals poured more than $28 million into the race during the contest's closing days.

The final tallies show that opponents of Proposition 8 raised $43.3 million in 2008 and had a little more than $730,000 left on hand at year's end. The measure's sponsors raised $39.9 million and had $983,000 left over.


I wish there was a break down of how much of that $83 million came from out of state donations. It would have been interesting see just what the percentage of out-of-state donations was.

On last November ballot here in Connecticut was a ballot question about holding a Constitutional Convention and one of the arguments in favor of amending the state Constitution was to add a ballot initiative to the Constitution. I am glad that it was defeated; I do not think that we want a ballot by pocketbook here in Connecticut.

Monday, February 02, 2009

Manic Monday

Lisa’s Manic Monday #153



What's the most embarrassing song on your iPod (or music collection)?
I do not think that I have an embarrassing song on my mp3 player. Most of the songs that I on it are from the sixties and seventies.

How much time do you spend each day in your commute? (Or if you don't work outside the house, how much time do you spend in your car or other preferred mode of transportation?)
Well before I got laid off, it was a ten minute commute if I hit all the traffic lights. Now for my internship in Hartford, it is about 40 minutes.

What's your favorite wardrobe item and why?
It is my pocketbook, it was my mother’s, it is all leather and it expands to hold vast quantity stuff. I wish I could find another pocketbook like it because it is wearing out, but the only pocketbooks that I find have a fabric interior.

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Homework and My Internship

Hi All

Because of the masses amount of reading, writing papers, and because of my internship work with the legislature; I am cutting back on my bloging and Facebook entries. I will still do memes and write political entries on my blog. On Facebook I will continue playing Lil' Green Patches (or other games that just require a click or minimal time) and "What I am doing now" updates.

For class each week I have to read about 100 pages a week, write a 3 - 4 page summery of the class discussion, in addition to my work at my internship and I am at or near saturation level. I will try to still leave a comments on blog of everyone who leaves a comment on my memes, but I might be a little delayed.