Hello, spaceships and flying saucers! Welcome to this week’s Friday Open Thread, in which we divulge the conspiracy theories we secretly believe in after blocking our IP addresses. JK, this is our weekly hangout in which we divulge everything going on in our lives while signed into our badass Autostraddle accounts! (Or not. Life is full of choices.)
I have spent the last few days settling into my new place in Los Angeles (!!!), which is exciting and also gives me a chance to re-evaluate a lot of my long-held beliefs about furniture and also decorating a room. It’s also giving me a chance to finally catch up on the whole world wide web thing, since I just spent about two weeks far away from any signs of my actual life and having a lot of feelings. And it feels really really good to be back! I missed your shiny avatars and your insightful, delightful chatter. The world is a warmer and more amazing place with you in it.
I’m having a lot of emotions about the idea of “home” lately, and plus, I feel like I have used that word to describe at least a million places in the last two weeks. Hotels are home. My mom’s house is home. My grandma’s house is home. My old house is home. My old city is home. And now, when I say, “let’s go home I ate too many nachos and am so sleepy,” I’m talking about this new place in a big new city.
Dear reader, come feel these feelings with me! Tell me all about your home – what makes it your special place you go back to at the end of the night, or what you’re still looking for in order to build one. Is it the city you live in, or is it the specific space you sleep in at night, or is it just sort of a general concept? Is home wherever I’m with you, because if it is, that’s okay. Is home where the heart is, or the cat is, or the gal pal is? That’s even better, since I’m not a cat.
And if you don’t have a lot to tell me about home, or your city is a shithole, or you’re just kind of not into the idea of emoting in my general direction, that’s okay, too! Come on down and fill me in on what I missed in your beautiful queermo lives this week and last week and forever and ever! I want all the gossip. I want your deepest, darkest secrets and your tiny office victories and the triumphs and challenges inherit in your daily commute. I WANT IT ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL BUT ALSO I’LL SETTLE FOR WHATEVER YOU WANNA SHARE WITH ME BECAUSE FRIENDSHIP IS ABOUT RESPECTING SOMEONE’S BOUNDARIES.
Sound good? Good. Now get crackin’ on a comment while I clean this green armchair and dust off my souvenirs. Don’t forget to comment on someone else’s comment today in this very thread to give Eli a bone! And, as always, please send pics of your pets as often as possible.
How To Post A Photo In The Comments:
1. Find a photo! This is the easy part. Find a photo on the web, right click (on a Mac, control+click), hit “Copy Image URL” and then…
2. Code it in to your comment! Use the following code, and use a DIRECT LINK to the image. Your image link should end in .JPG or .GIF or .PNG or .CallMeWhateverYouWant even. I don’t care, but it should be an image suffix! KINDA LIKE THIS:
If you need to upload the photo you love from your computer, try using imgur. To learn more about posting photos, check out Ali’s step-by-step guide.
How To Post A Video In The Comments, Too:
1. Find a video on YouTube or Vimeo or WHATEVER and click “embed.” Copy that code, but first make sure it’s for 640 px wide or less. If your player is too large, it will not display properly.
2. Copy the code and paste it directly into your comment.
3. Go forth and jam.
