State of the Ferret

So... It's been a while. I'm still reading every day. I've been teaching myself to draw fractals (especially the Levy C curve, yum), and vellum graph paper REALLY HELPS, wow. I need some hex paper to really dig into the Sierpinski Triangle/Koch Curve family.

I signed up for two prison pen pals. More on that in next post.

I have a job interview on Friday with a major player in personalized online advertising, which kind of makes me cringe, but I did some digging and they look non-terrible. They have very transparent "this is what we've collected on you and here's an opt out button" material for the public, which is awesome. No particular complaints from privacy watchdogs. And holy snakes, the pay and commute would be a DREAM and it's dead center of my expertise.

I'm getting my hairs cut today in prep for interview.

I'm managing to meditate every day for four months now. (That is a pretty huge deal.)

I'm still writing the last chapter of Act II of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Magic, and I've posted two chapters in public for people to actually see now! I'm posting every two weeks to keep a solid buffer and allow interest and audience to grow over time, if that is a thing. We will see if that is a thing. It also lets me realize things like "there should be more playing card motif throughout Act II, I'd better add that before I release chapters."

I read most of King Lear on Friday morning as research for said fic, and then learned things about poetic forms to decide which one to use, and then independent of that decision defined the keys for an R&G sestina, which are in order:
-- Two / Heads / Play / Questions / Dead / Name
leading eventually to the final triplet:
-- Two / Play / Dead

The common theme to most of the things I've been doing is that they feel useful but don't forward goals like control over my house or job or money. They're hobby-useful, not survival-useful. It's an ongoing problem for me. (Haircut and meditation are exceptions. Applying for jobs feels like walking through fire.)

I feel like my *happiness* setpoint is actually all right. But my functionality setpoint remains near 1.5, these days flickering up to 3 now and then (on a scale of 10). It's frustrating.

But, happiness setpoint is higher, and that's the one that research says is almost impossible to shift, so that part's good.

Prison pen pals

A post going around Tumblr alerted me to the Black and Pink pen pal program in support of QUILTBAG prisoners. I signed up for one pen pal, then another when I hadn’t heard back in two weeks. I have now heard back from both.

If you want to get really resolute about prison abolition, pen pals are very effective.

It’s one thing to know the system is racist, profiteering, inhumane, not actually improving public safety, etc.

It’s another to get a single page from a new pen pal, apologizing for her sixth grade education and asking for you to please write to the warden asking why she hasn’t been transferred out of the hole to a women’s prison yet.

Oof.

I heartily recommend Black and Pink, either to make a donation or connect with a person in prison.
-- They welcome free-world pen pals of all genders and orientations (you don’t have to be QUILTBAG to sign up).
-- They let you do detailed searches if you want to support someone with a particular identity (*cough*transwomenofcolor*cough*).
-- They have great resources for thinking through your boundaries as a pen pal and navigating the system if you want to do more.

Even sending one person a postcard once a month can make a huge difference.

The only requirement is that you think honestly about why you’re doing this, and let your pen pal know what to expect from you, even if that’s “I’m just testing this out, I don’t know if I can keep doing it.”

(Thanks to B&P, I had already said I was willing to commit to keep writing once a month for at least a year, to sending a few photos and books, and to do some letter writing or research if she needed help navigating the system. I’m so glad I decided that in advance.)

It's not all grim! My other penpal is really sweet, sent a long letter and is sharing her high fantasy Wiccan elves short stories with me! It's a very mixed bag, and a huge exercise in self-awareness, and it is honestly so fun to write letters and know that something as simple as sending a hello and a sheet of stamps can make a difference to another person.

If you’re interested, but worried about getting overwhelmed or need help with figuring out how to help, I’m happy to answer questions, publicly or privately. I’m no expert, but I’m a librarian and I’ve now spent a good 20 hours reading prison regs and activism resources from both California and Colorado. If talking to another pen pal first is what it takes to get you started, I am open.