I’m addicted to OKCupid. It’s a dating site. One of the few remaining quality sites that are actually free.

Really, though, I only use the site for its entertaining, insightful quizzes.

I know, I know, that sounds almost the same as a guy saying, “I only buy Playboy for the articles.”

But, I have proof! Just look at my quiz history!

Stereotype #1: Because I dress in mens clothing, I must be a dyke.
Stereotype #2: Because I make no effort to look feminine, I must be a dyke.

Ok, so these stereotypes are true. I have no issues with these “labels” at all.

I know many people who are completely against labels and stereotypes in general, but the reality for me is, stereotypes are everywhere and sometimes necessary for proper classification and/or description of someone or something. In the lesbian world you have (to name just several): butch, femme, soft-butch, androgynous, futch (a mix between butch and femme but contrary to current popular belief, Tila Tequila did not coin this term, she just brought it into the spotlight with the Dani Campbell craze).

Alas, this post isn’t about gay or lesbian stereotypes in particular, I just felt mentioning them was a good way to lead into talking about stereotypes and how even me, a “stereotypical dyke,” relies on them, wrong or right.

About a month ago I was waiting for a friend outside of a bar/pool place in downtown DC. I was in the middle of texting another friend but noticed a man several hundred feet away and walking in my general direction. In my quick assessment, I also noticed he was slightly swaying in his walk and was carrying a brown paper bag covering a bottle of some sort. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt that weren’t exactly filthy, but weren’t freshly laundered, either.

Assumed stereotype #1 and #2: This guy is probably homeless and that bottle is most likely full of alcohol. (I assumed this because the area in which I was has a few “parks” that attract the homeless who beg the business people for money. It’s a good plan, in all honesty, but this detail will also help explain my next assumed stereotype.)

I stayed focused on my texting and before I knew it this guy was passing by me but had slowed considerably in his pace. He then stopped and opened his mouth to speak to me.

Assumed stereotype #3 led me to say, before he said anything to me at all: “Sorry, but I don’t have any spare change.”

His back went rigid and he said, rather indignantly, “I wasn’t going to ask you for money.”

So, I immediately apologized and explained I had been asked by two people in three mere blocks for some change and I assumed his intentions were the same. He then went on to point at his labret and ask me about my piercing, if it hurt, why I got it, etc. I answered his questions and, for lack of a better word, we chatted for about a minute. His speech wasn’t overly slurred, but I did get a glimpse at the bottle protruding from the bag and have no doubt it was some brand of whiskey.

He walked off, I finished my text and continued waiting for my friend, who had texted she was running late. This gave enough time for the guy to actually walk back and pass me again. I met his gaze as he looked at me. He pointed at me, smiled and said, “no more assumptions, okay?”

All in all, there’s no way of knowing if I was wrong, or if I caught him off guard enough by speaking first and he simply lied about his intentions… and because of that, I’m torn between admitting I stereotyped him incorrectly or if I was indeed right.

Current Mood: Doubtful/Skeptical

I had intended to leave my “Six Words” post as my latest for a while because I wanted to get a large number of responses. I had not, however, intended on leaving it as my most recent post for over a month. This happened because all of my cable services went out at the beginning of April. I had no tv or internet. Well, I shouldn’t say absolutely *no* internet. I was able to piggyback off a neighbor’s unsecured wireless, but it wasn’t a fast or steady connection. Of course, this loss of service was as annoying as hell, but I did finish a couple books because of it.

As of this past Thursday, all of my services have been restored, save for a handful of channels and cranky On Demand service which I complained about again yesterday. Most of the channels that aren’t working I don’t really care about, but there are two I enjoy watching and I especially like the On Demand service. My roommate told me I should be demanding a month of free service for my inconvenience and suffering, but my sense of entitlement has never been so strong that I would do such a thing. The most I did was tell Comcast that until all of my channels are working as they should be, my monthly bill needed to be modified… even if it was only by a few bucks each time. I don’t honestly care about the few bucks, but it is the principle of the matter, right?

No steady internet also led to my not being able to keep up with despair.nu comments. I got reported and my account was thus deactivated. I don’t blame the person who reported me for they did not know my reasons, but I apologize to everyone I missed commenting.

I suppose you could say the past six weeks have held some important updates for me and my life. I’ve gotten back into the swing of things with the gym and am steadily losing more weight. I haven’t weighed myself in a week because I found I was getting on the scale everyday, sometimes 2-3 times a day, which is just too obsessive and leads to disappointment. I try for the gym at least 3-4 times a week, even if my workout buddy happens to bail on me and so far I’ve been sticking with it. I jog one full mile at 5 miles per hour on the treadmill, which takes about 12 minutes. After the mile, I’ll walk for about two minutes and then alternate with running for 60-90 seconds at 6-6.2mph and walking at 3mph for another two minutes. I’ve read a bit about interval cardio training and how well it works, so I’m giving it a try. When I first started, I was jogging at 4.2mph, so I’m steadily improving and definitely melting the goo!

I went shopping at Old Navy and American Eagle online and bought a lot of new summer clothes, all in a size smaller than I normally buy. I was slightly worried trying them on once I got them, but everything fit! I was thrilled. I look good, too.

I decided to take a break from MySpace, which, if you know me at all, was a monumental decision. I haven’t logged in since April 30th and don’t intend to for another couple weeks. The decision seemed easier when I didn’t have a steady internet connection, so as I sit here with my connection restored, it is a very odd feeling to not have the MySpace tab open in Firefox. Surprisingly, I haven’t foamed at the mouth or seizured or otherwise gone crazy.

I reached my six month mark at my job on May 1st. My review will be coming up in the next few days, before my boss goes home to the Caribbean for a couple weeks. I’m nervous but not at the same time. My boss has told me as well as others that she’s very happy they chose to hire me, but still I try not to take things for granted, no matter how comfortable and certain I may feel.

That’s pretty much it for my update. I’m going to see if On Demand will work so I can catch up on all things Dexter. Great show. Check it out if you haven’t.

Current Mood: Balanced