The Adventures of the Boi Wonder: A Slice of Cake and Happy
Photo courtesy of Creative Common ShareAlike 3.0
“This September I’ll be 26 years old
And El’s still the only one besides my dad
Who’s ever said
‘I love you, Creedence’”
–”I Love Creedence” by Casiotone for the Painfully Alone
Of course it happened that the “Snowpocalypse” of the Mid-Atlantic started on my birthday; I’m just kind of lucky like that (I also had a pop quiz that day). I would say this totally tops the time a few years ago when my birthday fell on Superbowl Sunday a few years back. (For the record, I am neither a fan of snow nor NFL football. Feel free to think of me as lame for that.)
Yet this was a birthday of firsts in a totally different way (other than for “Largest Amount of Time Spent Unwillingly in My House Due to Vile Weather”). In my last column, I addressed the displeasure and conflict over the use of my [female] birth name in the school setting. Well, I can honestly say that it is a real perk-up to hear and read “Happy Birthday, Levi” in texts, online, and phone calls from friends (well, the friends that I am out to thus far). The major thing was actually hearing two of my friends sing me the “Birthday Song”…Using my chosen name. I swear I must have been grinning like a fool (and I’m the type of person who rarely more than cracks the occasional quick smile).
This is a radical difference from last year, where I still struggling internally with my own identity and was universally addressed by a female name and pronouns. I was uncomfortable and immensely confused; I still am today to some degree (but then again, isn’t everyone?) but it is manageable and no longer completely envelops me. Everyone knows a lot can change in a year, but it is another thing to finally stand back and see the difference within your own life.
On the bright side of this giant mess of snow, it looks like I might have this entire week off from my classes (and the further postponement of a test). Too bad that I’m now snowed in again…Still haven’t been able to go get a birthday cigar. And I ran out of Corn Pops cereal.
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