nicole @nicole@myna.social

“Vacation”

Arrived at Universal Studios in Ōsaka. This is our three-day wind down from our Hokkaido road trip, which involved long strings of 18-hour days. We checked in around 0030, and were in bed by 0400.

I was last here in 2017. Mozilla had just acquired Pocket, and I was rewarding myself with my first vacation ever. I remember stewing quietly in my trans longing.

Today is a J-horror movie fest in our hotel room. Nothing to do but chill.

Of course, we’ll probably mess it up somehow. 🙃

Photographic proof that @pauline dragged me into a trans bar and I didn’t run away (this time).

Boarded flight to Ōsaka. 👋 北海道! The young salary man in the seat next to me probably weighs half as much as I do, but splays himself like a crab twice his size. I’m pretty good at folding myself up, but buttoning the top of my blouse without invading his space was complicated origami.

My “favorite” part of every trip: mailing presents and laundry back to the States. 😂

Asahikawa was full of surprises. We had a wonderful yakiniku mutton meal at Chinngis Khan, after which we stumbled into drinks with a friendly hostess and high school teacher at Café Nan. From there a gay bar, Ciel, where had a round or two before a representative of the nearby trans bar came to collect us. We made it back to our hotel before 0500, and negotiated a 1400 check-out, which we barely managed.

Having reached the northern-most tip of Japan, we now turn around and begin our return. In a week, I’ll be back stateside.

Showed up to movie night a little early. Killing time until I walk the last 350 feet.

Yeah, so a fictional robot dog died in an anime today, and I spent 10 minutes sobbing about it, 20 minutes fixing my makeup, and an hour holding Chibi tightly to my chest. 🤷‍♀️

Chibi’s like, “the bleep’s wrong with you, woman?”

In Orlando, my best friend and I snuck into a Shul celebration. It’s the first time I’ve been to a Jewish anything since I got kicked out of temple as a kid. Returning as a 6’ trans woman was kind of fun. Especially the part where the rabbi sorted the crowd by gender, and all of a sudden my friend and I were on opposite sides of the room. Something about the experience made me recognize that had I not been fighting gender issues my whole life, I might have actually folded in with this stuff.

Found this outfit in the clearance section of Tristan’s in Montreal. The clerks looked at me like I was crazy when I picked it out. ☺️

I brought summer colors to Montreal with me. ☺️

Somehow my screen got featured in an org meeting this morning. And, somehow, I don’t disapprove of being seen. 🙂

Not all the stuff I listened to back in the 90’s still lands, but some of it does. 😭

My goals today are simple: (1) support my engineers; (2) be kind to myself; (3) cry when I need to. .

Any day where I can capture four decent photographs of my friends and their families is a good one in my book. 🥰

I’ve known these two fools since high school, and yet—in my eyes—this is the first photo we’ve ever taken together.

It’s so good to be seen.

Back from San Diego Comic-Con.@pauline and I dressed up; there was dancing; Tori Amos played. Best one yet. #SDCC

Well. Was supposed to leave Tucson yesterday, but that was before the rain went sideways and knocked over 30 utility poles.

Hoping to sneak out tonight. Two hours left to deliver on this dream.

Excite.