Thursday 24 March 2016

24th March 2016

Life: they say don't meet your idols. Well, I'm totally glad I met one of mine today! :) For some time now I've followed a web comic called Assigned Male, which is created by Sophie Labelle. Well, she is touring Europe 'meeting her audience' and today she was in Manchester. So considering she'd travelled all the way from Quebec (via Europe), I thought it was the least I could do to travel from Merseyside to meet her! :) She was a total delight - very personable with a wicked sense of humour and I found we agreed almost totally on our politics - in short, she is the sort of person I would love to spend time with socialising and getting to know her better. :) Out of the many memorable quotes she came out with, the one that has really struck a chord with me is that, when asked about Trans politics, she said she'd "love to see Trans people holding the microphone more" - meaning she'd love to see Trans people leading the debate rather than just being pawns of people with their own agenda. :) I agree - if this is truly our 'watershed moment' then we need to be the ones dictating the terms of it... Power to the Trans people! :) Afterwards, she was even gracious enough to have a selfie taken with me, sign my comic and give me some free stickers. As I say, she is a total star and so inspirational! :) After the workshop, I met Sonia for tea - which we did in two parts. First, we had bubble tea - mine was lychee with mango bubbles - and then we went to a Vietnamese restaurant where we had some rice pancakes and then a fried tofu baguette. It was all totally delicious! :) talking about being embarrassed though - the Vietnamese restaurant didn't have any change for my £20, so I had to give them Sonia's tenner instead! She's an impoverished student, so it really wasn't fair at all! :( After that, we went our separate ways and I caught the train back to Liverpool and then the bus home. Even though our public transport system isn't perfect, I am a total convert! It is a total pleasure to be taken places and (usually) arrive relaxed, rather than the hassle of driving and minding the other idiots on the road! It makes me more determined to be rid of my car! I just wish I could be 100% certain I don't need it anymore! It's a big commitment to sell it... and I don't like commitments that large! :(
One Thing: it shall probably come as no surprise that I'm choosing meeting Sophie Labelle today. She was everything I hoped for and more! So glad I met her! :)