Long Story - Dear Dil

Long Story

 Although many of you will point out that this is also "work," I'd like to report that I found something to do on the weekends up here.  I'm writing an "advice" column for a video game.  Awwwww, yea!

The game is called  "Long Story" and it's a narrative game about adolescent relationships.  AND... and and and aaaaaaaand, you can play it as a character who identifies outside of the gender binary.  It is totally freakin' awesome!  I believe you can download the first chapter of the game for free to try it out.  If you have a tween or young teen in your life, especially one who is struggling with sexual identity issues or identifies as LGBTQQ2SA, this is likely a great outlet for them.  Players learn to navigate relationships with peers, teachers, parents, and quirky school mascots.

Recognize anyone?

But the most awesome part might just be the tumblr advice column by yours-truly. Click here for the first installment.  

It's nice to be writing even slightly helpfully for younger folks again, especially when the world feels like it is descending into chaos around us.  I'm reminded of the multitudes of empathetic, deeply compassionate and caring people who are involved in making the world better -- in their work and in their day-to-day interactions with all sorts of folks they encounter.  Thank you to the team at Bloom Digital for this opportunity to work with them in nurturing healthy relationship development.

Talk soon,
Counsellor Dil

Arkham North

First things first: http://www.netnewsledger.com/2016/11/19/26th-annual-rotary-christmas-parade/

At 6:00 you can see my supervisor is dressed like Ceasar Romero era Joker -- it is extremely cold and windy.  If you watch much more, try not to make any comparisons to Toronto's Santa Claus parade.  If you do this, you will not be very popular with the locals.  And whatever you do, don't laugh your ass off when the Pita Pit mini-car goes by.  It was a million degrees below 0 with the wind so I left after the rescue dogs went past.  The great news about this parade is that you can get a seat, literally ANYWHERE along the parade route even if you show up after it's started! 

Interestingly, I also stated my minor rotation at the local psychiatric hospital this week.  Psychosis is the hardest thing I can imagine.  The people who work here are angels on earth.  I really like my supervisor there; she understands that I am doing this rotation specifically because it makes me afraid.  It occurs to me that there is SO MUCH I want to tell you that I can't.  Let's just say this is the first time I have ever worked with someone who was 100% intent on cutting my head off.  Thankfully, it kept growing back.  Can you imagine how terrifying that must be?  No, not for me, for the patient.  To be so terrified that you were willing to kill and see your horrifying enemies' heads reattach themselves before your eyes?

In other news, there is now a ton of snow on the ground and I am incredibly happy I chose the winter tires with studs.  Those + 4-wheel drive and I will make it to work at Arkham*, Children's Arkham, and various Satellite Arkhams on time every day!

*Note my use of the word Arkham is intended for humour and the delight of comic book references only - and not to stigmatize. After all, my supervisor dressed up as the Joker and stood in a cardboard cell labelled such in -10C for hours this weekend.