feature image © Riese Bernard for Autostraddle

Hello, toasted coconut nibs! Welcome to the Friday Open Thread, a funky old shack set way back in the middle of a field with glitter on the highway, porch, mattress, and many other places, too. Or a spot where cool and interesting people like you and I gather to share a space with each other on this glorious Friday.

What this is NOT is a time or place to feel bad for ourselves that we aren’t at A-Camp. I mean, would I like to be at camp with a bunch of queermos and a water slide? Yes, I would like that. But really only a very small number of our readership go a-camping and, despite how it feels because a large number of AS staff do attend, the vast majority of Straddlers are not at camp this year or, like, ever.

Beyond which, there are lots of cool and interesting things all of us do or like or have done in the past or will do in the future. I’m not at camp because I have a very cool and interesting one-year-old toddler who is too exhausting to send off to the grandparents for a whole week at this age. And I’m using a lot of my work vacation time to travel and promote my very first real book coming out in August, which is also pretty cool and interesting. I’m not mad! I’m a very cool and interesting person and I’m right here with ya’ll cool and interesting people and I feel good about it. TBH, I feel great about it!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh4rCp7j7tL

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And I want to know what’s cool and interesting about you! What are your hobbies? What are your big dreams for the future? What’s the coolest, interesting-est thing you’ve ever done or hope to do? What was your most favorite bestest vacation ever? What would be your most favorite bestest dream vacation ever?

Do you make your own hair crayons? Do you know how to change your own spark plugs on your car? Are you single-handedly reclaiming femme nail flagging? Are you, like, really into the Sims, like in a possibly creepy way? (Wait, that’s me and brief update: All my Sims Freeplay sims are now women living in a 100% misandrist matriarchy and it’s very nice.)

Tell me what makes you a cool and interesting person! Because you are! I see you! You are very cool! Very interesting! Also, like, tell me anything about anything. I’m here for all of it!

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