Bird sex (chromosomes not activity)
TIL, in birds, what we call "female" is actually the heterogametic individual and "male" is the homogametic.
Some folks make a big fuss about "females always being XX and males being XY" (incorrect even for mammals).
But the egg laying bird is ZW (or just Z) and the sperm maker is ZZ.
Which means, had we gendered birds based on familiar mammalian chromosome patterning, it is the male that lays the egg and the female fertilizes it.
I love this.
Personal update, moving out
Ready to move! The last stuff is packed, the dehydrated snail friend I found on the hot balcony yesterday was freed in the (now wet again) grass, and I'm just waiting.
Personal update, flat flooding situation
Spent the whole day packing, I didn't think I had so many things
(Plants don't count, plants are good)
Personal update, flat flooding situation
The owners called again (calling me "Frau" but suspiciously only when talking to me ) and said that a drying company will come tomorrow morning and start working either friday or monday. They have an empty flat in the same building so they arranged that a moving company will transport my stuff because it will take 2-3 months before my flat is usable again.
So I might need to cancel my name change appointment on friday again
Personal update, gender stuff
Only the company representative was talking to me, the inspector and the janitor never even looked at me.
He started by calling me "Frau Lastname" and then as soon as I opened my mouth he switched to english with me. And then they spoke together in german, totally ignoring me, but calling me "er" so I guess yay I pass, but not great if I had been a trans woman with updated name instead
Personal update, flat flooding situation
The inspector they made come from the other side of the country was there, and they confirmed that the flood was coming from the open valve in the photo, which I actually did put in
It was about 2 years ago when the part in the toilet reservoir broke and I couldn't close the water supply, so a neighbour helped me and put this in the wall to stop the water. I thought about buying a part to close the open pipe… and forgot
Personal update, flat flooding situation
The friend hosting me called the company owning the flat for me
The damage surveyor is coming tomorrow, so this afternoon will be cleaning time.
They couldn't say if it was safe to operate the water though, only the caretaker can, and when I did try to call him a few days ago he hung up without giving me any info
Personal update, flat flooding situation
Got the new key, thankfully I had no issues with not looking like my passport photo here either.
And I got confirmation my friends are expecting me with a dry bed
Personal update, flat flooding situation
I found the police card on my door, it's half an hour away so I hope it's not something they close at night.
Otherwise the ground floor and the corridor seem fine, so I hope my boyfriend is right in saying that the owners are trying to sound more scary that there is ground to be.
And then maybe in two more hours I can have access to a bathroom
Personal update, and now my life is a mess
Actually I will first have to go home to find the card at the door telling me which police station, go there to get the keys, go back home, and then crash on the dry couch of my plant-sitting friend until my flat is deemed safe to live in again
Personal update, and now my life is a mess
So I tried to move my flight to come back earlier (instead of at this end of this week), couldn't, but could move it to november and book a new one, tried to check in, realized yesterday I booked the reverse trip because I can't read, moved this one to november too, and booked again a new one
Now I'm at the airport and I have to get the new keys for my door (the firefighters had to break in) at the police station first.
Personal update, and now my life is a mess
Got a couple of calls from a german number I don't know and can't find online, no voicemail. And the next day, an email from the agency owning my building that there was a huge flood in 8 flats, originating from my bathroom, and telling me to contact my insurance… which I forgot to renew in uh, 2019.
Personal update, and now my life is a mess
And now the fun part, where though a combination of bad luck and bad decisions I might be in trouble
I went to see my boyfriend for two weeks, breathe from the thesis writing a bit, and the friends I am often cat-sitting for were plant-sitting for me this time.
Personal update, ASD & ADHD
Also I saw a psychologist who tested me for ADHD and ended up saying she's certain I have ASD and can't be sure about ADHD, so that's a thing.
I brought it up afterwards to my normal therapist and it makes sense to her, so I'll be switching from trauma therapy to ASD support for a while and seeing if that helps me not being a mess in daily life.
Personal update
I was just lurking silently for a while, because somehow the idea of interacting with people sounded too exhausting. Still writing my thesis, still trying to stay under the radar of the unemployment office (the one job they proposed didn't want me part-time and wanted me to commit to forever be a software tester). My professor gave me a submission deadline to "put a little pressure" on me so I shut down everything that wasn't writing or body maintenance
Covid certifificates vs being trans
The covid self-test certification center: now that you payed, prove your identity using webID, and if you fail an employee will help you.
WebID: your face doesn't match your ID. Contact the covid test center.
The covid self-test certification center, looping me back to the beginning of the procedure: can't help you, contact WebID.
Well I hope they don't want to compare the names on my vaccine certificate and my plane ticket
Ukraine
I'm wondering how the exchange students from Kyiv who came in my university for a year are doing now.
And also the russian summer student I became friends with who should have just finished his master and be at risk of being conscripted currently.
Trans catboy
Sleepy physicist
Watching potatoes grow
Trying to draw