The Reading Pile Pt. 3

This is so wholesome

About to see The Talking Heads, 57 feet high and 72 feet high!

A good thread on whether “queer” is a slur and if it should be used or not.

Important Warning Please Read and Share

So Scientology has recently been purchasing ad spots on social media sites including Twitter and Facebook. Scientology has always worked hard to recruit young people it seems like they’re investing in social media as well now. I know most people think Scientology is a joke but it’s a seriously dangerous cult which uses fear, extortion, violence, vandalism and various other unethical actions against those who oppose them both inside and outside the church. Here is key information on the abuses committed by Scientology: 

•Scientology uses a form of pseudo-therapy called auditing which focuses largely on embarrassing and traumatic memories. Scientology collects the information you share and uses that information to threaten you if you oppose the church. They also charge huge amounts of money for auditing sessions (which is why they really are doing all this).

 •They are extremely anti-psychology and psychiatry and pressure you against taking any antidepressants, anti-anxiety medication or any other drugs for mental health.

 •They believe homosexuality can be “cured” and are blatantly homophobic. •Enemies of the church are labeled “suppressive persons” and it is forbidden to communicate with such people. This isn’t just to limit the negative press they receive but also is a manipulative tool. If you are in the cult and decide to leave or criticize the church you stand the risk of being completely cut off from your friends and family. “Suppressive Persons” are often also harassed, stalked, or threatened. 

•If you’re new to Scientology and your family or friends are worried about you being in a cult you’re instructed to cut them out of your life, increasing your reliance on the support system (though there’s nothing supportive about it) the church give to you. 

•Scientology’s doctrine includes the concept of “Fair Game”. This basically says that those who are judged a threat to the Church can be punished and harassed by any and all means possible.

 •Because of this, they have no moral qualms about having their members lie in court which they use to defend themselves from lawsuits or charges that they’ve broken the law and also to help win lawsuits against their enemies. •They essentially spied on and stole information from the IRS and tried to frame the mayor of Clearwater Florida for a hit and run. 

•Scientology filed 50 different lawsuits in one year against the Cult Awareness Network, an anti-cult organization. Using false testimony they won one of the suits and because the organization couldn’t pay the fine Scientology took the organizations name and logo so if you were calling to get out of Scientology you’d be unknowingly telling Scientology of your intentions. (For full transparency my mom was a member of the Cult Awareness Network before it was taken over and was sued individually by the Church of Scientology) 

•Scientology has an official branch known as the Sea Org, a mixture between a paramilitary group and slavery, comprised of their most dedicated members including many children/teens who’ve been raised in Scientology. This is where some of the most rampant and terrifying abuse in Scientology occurs. 

•Sea Org members often work over 100 hours a week for Scientology for around 2$ per hour.

 •Sea Org member’s living conditions are terrible; they live in overcrowded communal rooms with up to 12 other people, are not given healthcare unless there is a free clinic in the area, often are forced to miss meals or sleep in order to successfully completed their work. 

•Several former Sea Org members have accused the church of physical abuse. •Sea Org members may not have children and women who have become pregnant have reportedly been forced/coerced by their higher-ups to have abortions. 

•Leaving Sea Org without permission automatically makes you a suppressive person, so young adults who’ve been raised in Scientology who want to leave are cut off from everyone they’ve ever known with no money or job and getting permission to leave can require 3 years of hard labor, social isolation, and group pressure.

Music & Memories

I’m always amazed at how songs become attached to moments or people in your life.

I hear Born To Be Wild, and I remember a road trip with a friend so she can check out a job possibility in Massachusetts.  When that song came on we cranked the radio and belted out the chorus at the top of our lungs.

Gimme Three Steps makes me think of the boss who was always amazed that the song was based on a real story.  He would mention it every time the song would come on and excitedly go on and on about it.

I hear Charlie Daniels, or Run DMC, or Mary J Blige and I think of the special women who have been in my life.  If it wasn’t for them I never would’ve given these styles of music a fair chance.

Whenever Dream On plays, I remember trips to Hampton Beach with friends.  We would always end the trips standing on the beach singing that song.

I could go on and on and bore you with songs and the memories associated with them, but I won’t.  But if ever a song comes on, and I get a little smile on my face and maybe even give a snicker, you know why.

Shylok’s Arbitrary Curio Shop

“Everything is available here.  And everything has it’s price.”

Somewhere in a populous city, as you walk down an unassuming street wondering where in the world you can find whatever it is you’re looking for, you suddenly notice an unassuming shop you’ve never seen before.  There’s no sign designating a name.  Just an “open” sign on the door.  The windows are dark and you can’t see inside.  Yet you can’t help yourself; your curiosity gets the better of you.  You open the door and walk in.

Welcome to Shylok’s Arbitrary Curio Shop.

The shop is loaded from wall to wall and ceiling to floor with all kinds of things.  There are rows and rows of shelves and bins filled with all sorts of items from nick-knacks to tools to books to... whatever!  Pretty much anything that you’re looking for is available here , both magical and non-magical.  There are no weapons though (“The mind is the only weapon a true warrior needs”, is a well known Shylok quote).  Patrons aren’t sure, but they feel the shop must be bigger than it appears to be from the outside to hold as much stuff as it does.

Previous patrons all say that Shylok himself waits before revealing himself; giving patrons time to look around.  When someone has found something that interests them, Shylok is suddenly there, ready to talk about whatever it is that has piqued their mind’s interest, and to make a deal.

Shylok himself is a mystery.  He is a man, but other than that you really can’t tell anything about him.  He is bald with pale skin.  The most aware among his customers notice that he actually has no hair anywhere on his body, including eyebrows.  He’s taller than a dwarf, but not as tall as an elf.  He has an even, baritone voice that has no discernible accent.  He wears a plain grey tunic that goes to the floor, with wide sleeves that he keeps his hands in, crossed in front of his body, until it’s time to make the deal.  There are records of encounters with his shop dating back to longer than any being could naturally live.  Yet Shylok seems to never age. When asked direct questions about himself, he gives very indirect answers.  Asked how old he is he says, “Old enough to have acquired all these items.”  If asked where he is from he simply replies, “Not from here.”  He does not have a significant other and tells people who inquire, “The shop, and the needs of it’s patrons, are my one true love.”

The shop is not actually named Shylok’s Arbitrary Curio Shop.  Truth be told, no one really knows the name of the shop.  Someone at some time just started calling it that and the name stuck.  If asked, Shylok simply replies, “I am Shylok, and this is my shop.”

Most of the time, Shylok is happy to buy or sell his items for money or things.  But there have been reports from some who say that sometimes... when it’s a particularly special, unique or personal item... Shylok will trade in the abstract; Some claim to have traded dreams; some claim to have traded memories; some have traded passions.  People also claim to have received these same things as payment for items sold to the shop.  One man, burdened with night terrors, sold a locket to the shop in exchange for a week’s worth of peaceful sleep.  “I’ve never slept that well again”, he said forlornly.

Most patrons have never been able to set foot into the shop again.  They leave and then return the next day only to find a brick wall; or the shop that actually resides in that spot.  Owners of those shops always claimed to have been open they day Shylok’s shop was in their location, and always have customers who will back that claim. Those lucky enough to find the shop again always find it somewhere else.  On another street, or maybe even in a different city altogether.  But it always looks the same, or so they say.

Does Shylok’s really exist?  Maybe it’s just a tale that has taken on a life of it’s own; A fable told to kids that has grown to something more.

Or maybe... One day... You’ll be out tying to find that one particular item... And you’ll turn a corner...

Weight loss update

Weight loss total: >75 pounds.  I don’t have an exact number because I was too big for my scale when I started.

Shirt size: down 2 sizes

Pants size: down 8 sizes

I’ve had to buy new underpants twice now because my old ones wouldn’t stay up anymore.  As problems go, this is not a bad one to have.

I would be lying if I said I’m not posting this to brag.  I am.  But I also post this in the hopes that someone will look at it and go, “If he can do it then so can I.”  I needed inspiration to get to this point, and I want to pass it on to someone else.

If my dad was the invisible man, but transitioned to the invisible woman, would she be my transparent trans-parent?

Put perfectly.

After a year of watching CR, the cast’s panels and the Between the Sheets interviews… I think I can safely say that the most important lesson I’ve learned from them is how life-changing it can be to surround yourself with good people.

Surround yourself with people who are open and vocal about how much they love and admire you, who call themselves your biggest fan and who are there to support you through your path to greatness.

Surround yourself with people who enjoy their own interests unapologetically, who genuinely seek for the things that will make them happy and who are not restrained by what people will think of them. 

Surround yourself with people who aren’t afraid to show affection through words or physical gestures, who are shamelessly in love with their special other and who see that their love is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Surround yourself with people with healing energy, people who will listen to you attentively, who will offer a helping hand when the world is falling down around you, who will try their best to understand your struggles.

Surround yourself with people that are loud, who aren’t afraid to exist brightly and colorfully, who laugh and cry and have fun and feel with every fiber of their being. 

Most importantly, though, be that kind of person. Put positive energy into the world and you will find it coming back to you. This group of nerds is just a taste of what unapologetic genuine shameless love can accomplish. And I feel grateful every day for the reminder that there’s someone out there who, when you least expect it, will show up and love you and make life a thousand times better.