Everything got better when I became a green-haired 2D girl. I do fun and unusual things with video games and pinball.

cohost inspired me to do more. Thank you


posts from @arborelia tagged #north carolina

also:

(This is my own experience, as a white millennial deciding where to live. I'm a trans woman, though for much of the time I was seen as a cis man, which gave me more opportunities.)

I'm an urbanist. I think population density is generally a good thing, that it allows people to live better and less ecologically damaging lives than they would if they were isolated. It creates communities and spaces and neighborhoods and culture. And almost nobody can afford it anymore.

I would love to live an urban lifestyle for my whole life, but there are many other things I love that I could do with the million and a half dollars that would require.

I was in a good position where I could have stuck with it! I had the option, if I wanted, of working my ass off until a late retirement, so I could pay for a place that my wife and I would be happy with and still have some money left for healthcare. Assuming I kept a job that whole time. I didn't choose that option, though I know some would kill to have it as an option at all.

I'm an urbanist who lives in suburbia now. It's comfy enough, and not owing anybody a million dollars to keep living is pretty great. I'm not saying suburbia is better. But if you judge people for living in suburbia, stop to ask yourself if the alternative is actually available to most people.



arborelia
@arborelia

The North Carolina pinball championships are this weekend!

Actually every state's pinball championships are this weekend, but y'know I'm going to be mostly paying attention to North Carolina.

The women's bracket is on this post and our hometown competitors are

  • Kat Lake -- that's @FlannelKat, who is my wife! This is very exciting and why I'm going to see the tournament in person
  • Ellen Raby, a good friend who introduced me to competitive pinball
  • Joan McCool, an older woman who is the absolute nicest, and runs one of the local leagues
  • Frances Staelin, who I somehow have not really met?

The rounds are best of 7. Ellen and Joan go up against each other unfortunately quickly.

I believe in Kat making it to the 2nd round, at which point she's honestly doomed, because she's up against Kaylee Campbell, who at this moment is in the final round of the open division (as the only woman, competing against 15 men)! I think Kaylee is an obvious favorite to win tomorrow, especially with all the practice she'll have playing these particular machines.

The open tournament is today, the women's tournament is tomorrow, and all the coverage is at: https://www.twitch.tv/abarigamebar


arborelia
@arborelia
  • Kaylee Campbell is clearly the best pinball player in the state. She won both the open division and women's division this weekend. It was really great to meet her and I look forward to watching her in future championships!

    I've edited this post a few times trying to understand where the competitions proceed from here. I believe Kaylee will be eligible to compete in two separate championships in March: the North American championship in De Pere, WI (because she won the open division) and the Women's World Pinball Championship in Schaumburg, IL (because she is one of the top playing women in the world). I look forward to watching the streams of these!

  • Ellen Raby put up an amazing performance, taking 2nd in the women's division. This wouldn't have been possible with the bracket above, but she was re-seeded because of a player who dropped due to illness. She brought the best-of-7 finals against Kaylee to a game 7. Heck yeah!

  • Joan McCool took third! I am excited for all of the top 3 players.

  • @FlannelKat won the first round and then lost to Kaylee in the second round, which is exactly what I expected. Big congrats to Kat for how quickly she got to be a pinball pro! Five months ago she was just getting interested in pinball, and a couple months ago I remember her saying "hey wouldn't it be awesome if I qualified for the state championship this year" and working hard to get there.

  • Frances, sadly, was the player who had to drop due to illness. So I still haven't met her.



The North Carolina pinball championships are this weekend!

Actually every state's pinball championships are this weekend, but y'know I'm going to be mostly paying attention to North Carolina.

The women's bracket is on this post and our hometown competitors are

  • Kat Lake -- that's @FlannelKat, who is my wife! This is very exciting and why I'm going to see the tournament in person
  • Ellen Raby, a good friend who introduced me to competitive pinball
  • Joan McCool, an older woman who is the absolute nicest, and runs one of the local leagues
  • Frances Staelin, who I somehow have not really met?

The rounds are best of 7. Ellen and Joan go up against each other unfortunately quickly.

I believe in Kat making it to the 2nd round, at which point she's honestly doomed, because she's up against Kaylee Campbell, who at this moment is in the final round of the open division (as the only woman, competing against 15 men)! I think Kaylee is an obvious favorite to win tomorrow, especially with all the practice she'll have playing these particular machines.

The open tournament is today, the women's tournament is tomorrow, and all the coverage is at: https://www.twitch.tv/abarigamebar



First election I’ve participated in since moving! Voting in NC was easier than voting in MA for two reasons:

  • No complexity to the voting system and no hard choices. I voted solid Dem, of course

  • the better reason: you can register and vote the same day! As long as you early vote.

In MA you have to register way earlier, and any understandable registration process requires a poll tax — sorry, an “official change of address” that costs a definitely constitutional hundred bucks. And they make you vote provisionally if you don’t do the town census every year.

MA had better politics on the whole, but they also sure have an obscene focus on making sure students, renters, and poor people can’t vote.