So dumbass me a year or two ago had us splurge and buy a couple recertified Seagate Exos X16 drives for my NAS. They arrived DOA, we returned them and got replacements. One died in two weeks, and the other took until JUST NOW. We already bought a 16TB WD Red to replace the POS Seagate that died before, but with the current market ... my RAID array is in danger, and we're in a tight spot money-wise ignoring that.

WD Reds are seemingly sold out everywhere. WD Red Pros are almost sold out. It's $700 - $750 for a WD Red Pro and those are scarce. Time is ticking and I'm broke and I'm scared.

I know it doesn't sound like much, but losing all this data ... I'd be beyond devastated. Please help.

tl;dr: Got massively fucked over by Seagate recertified drives and now need an actual reliable drive FAST to fix a RAID array before I possibly lose an absolute ton of data.

https://ko-fi.com/colettediskette/goal?g=0

About a year into transition, my grandmother died. She never knew me but I showed up to her funeral in girl mode. It was the first time any of my family had seen me that way.

After that funeral, I had a long chat with one of my aunts about me and my transition. While the rest of my family was busy trying to forget about it, she was actually interested. We talked for over three hours. Towards the end she asked if I'd ever considered suicide. She didn't know shit about trans people but she'd heard statistics and after 30+ years working as a nurse in Minneapolis, she's trained to watch for that sort of thing.

I told her that no, it had never come to that for me. I've had my battles with the darkness but it never came to that.

On Trans Day of Remembrance, we grieve those that lost their battle with the darkness. Maybe it was to poverty or disease or evil, violent men. Or maybe they just lost the will to keep living in a world that hates them. Whatever the means, the fact that they succumbed to the darkness isn't a personal failure. Most of us have battle the darkness in one form or another. Not all of us survive.

If you're a cis person and you want to do something for them today, don't treat it like it's some sort of holiday or chance for you to prove your allyness by making a big deal out of it. Just show them some extra kindness. Buy them flowers or a coffee "just because". Give them a hug. And remember that they, too, are battling the darkness and they may not even be winning today.

And remember, whether you're cis or trans, that the battle is worth fighting and the darkness doesn't have to win. 💜

PSA for any trans+ person looking to start, or currently doing, any kind of voice training

Seattle Voice Lab has broken their silence over a former employee of theirs (Jimmy Chen), who set up his own voice coaching service called Trans Voice Lab.

We need to address Trans Voice Lab.

We highly recommend watching / listening to the whole video, but here are some key points within their video:

• Jimmy's employment was terminated for "manipulative teaching practices and dishonesty towards" their students.
• He downloaded their bespoke training materials (SVL's intellectual property) and client lists (!!!), then used these to set up his own voice coaching service and write a book.
• SVL didn't want to have to make the video, but has felt obliged to do so.
• SVL is pursuing "legal counsel" over Jimmy's actions.

tl;dr

• Avoid any videos or guides from Jimmy Chen.
• Avoid using Trans Voice Lab at all costs.

Boosts and crossposts very welcome, as we need to make more folks aware of this  

#trans #transgender #enby #NonBinary #voice #VoiceTraining #VoiceTherapy #VoiceCoaching #VoiceFeminization #VoiceFeminisation #VoiceMasculinization #VoiceMasculinisation #SeattleVoiceLab #TransVoiceLab #JimmyChen #PSA #queer #LGBTQ+ #LGBTQIA+ #BoostsWelcome

If you or your children are hungry and need food, reach out to your local area:
- Muslim mosque
- Jewish synagogue
- Buddhist temple
- Morman temple
- Sikh gurdwara

Mainline Christian churches usually have specific bylaws preventing them from helping you unless you are a member or can specifically name somebody who is.

Pass it on.