Author: Beetle Boy

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Prison Labor and Your Couch

An image of a UMBC dorm room from InternHousingHub, showing a desk, chair, and the bed along with some light decoration.

Earlier this semester, I learned that a significant portion of the furniture from our university is made using prison labor. How’d I find this out? I asked for a new desk chair at my job, because ours was falling apart. I was told that it would take months to get one, yadayadayada, something something, and then I heard the words “prison industrial complex” and immediately tuned back in to the conversation.

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Existing Alone (alternate title: dating myself)

A collage made by me on Canva, consisting of different images I've taken while "taking myself on dates" over the past few weeks. Text reads: (top left corner) "Dates with myself", (top right corner) "poetry night", (bottom right corner) "plant shopping (fell's point)", and "a trinket haul".

A collage made by me on Canva, consisting of different images I’ve taken while “taking myself on dates” over the past few weeks. Text reads: (top left corner) “Dates with myself”, (top right corner) “poetry night”, (bottom right corner) “plant shopping (fell’s point)”, and “a trinket haul”.

I came to the realization this past summer that I have never lived alone. I grew up with a large family, lots of siblings and cousins always around, and went straight to living with my partner and their family at eighteen. After that, I came to college, where I’ve always shared a dorm or apartment with three other people. So learning to exist by myself, in a way that is not dictated or defined by the people around me, has been trickier than I’d care to admit.

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Hydration and Health Normativity

A sticker of a computer pop-up with a water bottle reading “IT’S HOT!!! Go drink some Liquid IV” by the artist disablelovely on redbubble.

When I was younger, I knew something wasn’t exactly right with my body. It wasn’t necessarily hard to see, but one of the biggest issues always had to do with water.

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Binder Blues

My ribs hurt as I am typing this blog post. Don’t worry, I’m fine, my current binder is just a bit too small for me. I try to only wear it two times a week, generally, and for less than six hours or so at a time. It’s not ideal, but I’m making it work until I am able to get a new one.

Now, why haven’t I gotten a new one yet? Well, let me introduce you to what it is like buying a binder as a mid-to-plus-sized disabled person.

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