looking forward to 2011

As we move through the hustle & bustle of December, it’s important to keep sight of the things that are important to us.  December is busy for me because I work at a university, and the quarter ends, so there are finals, students moving out, etc and then lots of work over the so-called break to get finished.  Then we have the holidays to get through, but my favorite part of the “holiday season” is the fresh start of a new year. 

For 2011, I am making only one resolution.   I don’t know how to distill it down into one sentence.

This year, I decided to continue to do things that felt good, right, comfortable for my gender.  I write and think about my gender more, I choose my clothes and shoes more intentionally, and I’ve asserted myself with my family more.  For 2011, I am going to continue to do the things that feel right, and I am going to continue to create more intentional community with other butches as best I can.  I’m going to be grateful for working where I work–in a generally supportive enclave of a conservative city where I often feel targeted for my gender expression.  (I get wrong bathroomed here 10x more often than I did in Minneapolis, but this is my hometown and I moved back here for a myriad of reasons…it’s openness to queers and gender variance is not one of them.)

I really hope that you all make it through the end of December safely and that 2011 is awesome for all of us.

the illustrated gentleman calendar

I think I would truly love to receive this…even if I purchase it for myself.

I am a big fan of Elisha Lim’s work.  I first saw Lim on the Sister Spit tour when I was living in Minneapolis– my giant crush on Lim could probably be seen from space.  Check out the blog, new art everyday.

ABSOLUTELY AWESOME

http://genderfork.com/2010/a-genderplayful-marketplace-do-you-want-it/

if you’re shopping for an argyle-loving butch, maybe…

I found a bunch of great stuff on Etsy that would be great gifts for the argyle loving butch in your life.  Of course, i’m thinking of myself and my pal Debonair Geek.

I love this cardigan from Gap.

Check this argyle bag from Timbuk2.

Feel free to post more great stuff in the comments.

the ultimate butch mix tape

what songs would you put on the ultimate butch mix?

butch by the geraldine fibbers

tomboy by bettie serveert

 

best butch shopping

I’d love to have a Google Map of the best butch shopping experiences in the world.  They could range from the big to the small.  I have two I’d put on the map.

This weekend, I went to Ann Arbor, MI to visit an assortment of lovely friends and today, my pal P.C. took me to Maison Edwards Tobacconist.   The thing that made it great was the selection of pipes, cigars, old fashioned shaving accouterments, and other fantastic ephemera.  I felt inspired to consider how much my life could improve by smoking one excellent cigarette at the end of each day–but I don’t think I will do this.  But I’m considering it.
I was wishing that P.C. and I could teleport to Minneapolis, the city where we met and became friends, to Martin Patrick 3.  I was introduced to Martin Patrick 3 by my pal, G3 who lived around the corner from it.  I really adore their collection of gorgeous reading glasses.

 

What are your favorite places for a little indulgent butch shopping?

It never stops

I think about being a butch all of the time. It’s true. The self-narrative in my head has softened around the subject, but there is still a running commentary. Every day, all day long, my brain notices things.

Take for example the very first time I put on a pair of boxer briefs. It felt like whoa. It felt perfect. It felt criminal. I could’ve sworn that people could see them through my pants, just by the way I walked or moved or breathed. These days, it’s not as dramatic as the first time I put them on – more like a one-alarm fire than a five-alarm – but it’s still there, that voice that tells me, this is different. Most women don’t do this.

It goes on like this throughout the day, too. I know I look and act differently than other women, and I like that. Everything in my bones, from the moment I get up in the morning until I go to bed at night feels butch. It’s felt this way my whole life, only now I have the language to describe it. The way I get dressed, drive, write, carry things in my arms, move … they may all seem like minor details, but they’re all pieces of me, anchored by my butch identity and masculine energy. They never go unnoticed in my mind’s eye. It used to make me feel self-conscious because I felt so naked to people; I felt vulnerable being so visible. People see me and know I color outside the lines.

Now all of that self-talk feels more like reading subtitles to my daily life. And you know what? I hope I never get rid of those observations I make about myself and the world around me. I feel like it keeps me honest. I wouldn’t be able to escape them long enough to pretend to be anything or anyone else, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Soon…

So a bunch of us blogging butches have talked about having a group blog with multiple contributers.  Here it is.  We’ll be bringing you some quality content ASAP.

If you are interested in contributing to this blog, please leave a comment w/ a way to contact you, or email Bee at butchesagogo at gmail dot com.