✨Ben Hamill✨ @benhamill@witches.town

I'm moving my account over to @benhamill. I don't wanna get into the details, but if you're really interested, I guess DM me over there. I'll import my follows momentarily. A bit sad to go because I love a lot of people on this instance.

#introductions

Uh. I like to kindpost, I guess. It's a new skill I'm learning, anyway. Also real bad joaks.

I try to learn about intersectional social justice and am trying to develop the habit of taking concrete, real world action about it more often.

I've got a linguistics degree that I don't use professionally (I'm in software), but I love to talk about words and things.

I think play and playfulness are super important. I enjoy roleplaying, board and video games.

I'm a mod on #WitchesTown. Ask me if you have questions (though I only speak English, do I'm not much help to our large population of French speakers).

My family afforded me a brief nap today. I dreamed I was playing a game a bit like Journey, but there was voice chat and more people playing together than 2. I fell in with a gang of unbearably cool French anarchist kids who all mostly knew each other IRL. We got to a part where you skate/boarded downhill in twilight and they were doing all sorts of awesome tricks while making up raps about the black block and shit in a mix of English and French. I was amazed they tolerated my presence, but they were so nice.

I'm pretty sure this was a dream about #WitchesTown.

Mornin', witches and wicks.

There sure are a lot of these question. What have I gotten myself into?

8. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Paleontologist. Such a classic kid career goal.

7. Which fictional character do you wish you could meet?

Uh. I have no idea. A lot of the ones that popped into my head immediately would actually be insufferable in many ways. Like... Gandalf, Elrond, Obi-wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter etc. are all assholes of various flavors.

Maybe Korra? She seems like she might be fun to talk to. Or Tenzin because we have a lot in common. Or Mori, the main character from Among Others might be amazing to talk to. I'd want to meet her, like, today and want to know what she thinks about the modern state of scifi books.

Yeah. That's probably the one.

6. What's your dream job?

What. I mean... I like the job I have now a LOT. I feel like "job" is the weird part here. If I had unconditional quality of life, I would probably do a bunch of OSS or for-a-good-cause programming stuff. Or learn a bunch of random things at a shallow level (make a video game, read philosophy, weaving? IDK). I don't know if those constitute a "job", though. If it has to be a "real job", then I am more or less already doing it.

God. It that the worst humblebrag or what?

5. What's the one life rule you follow?

This has evolved over time, and I've sort of realized I was very bad at it in the past, but one of the central tenets of my personal philosophy of my behavior is that I should avoid inflicting myself on people. Just because I think something is cool, doesn't mean anyone else does and so I shouldn't make them avoid it, I should take up as little space as possible. Similarly, if I make a mistake, I should eat the cost/consequences instead of externalizing them on others.

A small example is not cutting across traffic if I am about to miss my exit on the highway. Or learning not to interrupt people in conversation.

4. What are you most looking forward to?

We've got a few family trips lined up this year. I like the way the four of us travel together. The kiddos are absolute troopers on planes and in airports (the 3yo cut their first tooth on a trans-Atlantic flight and even though it took a ton of energy, we avoided being That Family on the plane). And we've hit a groove where we go a place and just sort of... be there? Without cramming the time full of Things To Do. It let's us actually get a small taste of the place, instead of just the tourist stuff. And it's more relaxing.

3. Do you value the opinions other have of you?

Real talk: I sort of feel like anyone who says "no" to this is lying to you or themselves. I try to be picky about the specific people or at least the sort of broad class of people that I pay attention to on this, but if I let someone down or make someone feel shitty I feel bad about that.

I guess, too, it also depends on what the opinion... is? E.g. If someone were to characterize me as "pretty unserious" as a bad thing, I'd probably be happy to hear that. So sometimes people are down on me just because they have different goals for me than I do. 🤷🏻‍♂️

2. Who inspires you and why?

This one's a bit heavier than the first, isn't it? Uh... My parents? That's the least cool thing to say, except if you knew my parents you'd know they're much cooler than I am. They're serious relationship and retirement and parenting goals for me. They're not perfect, but they have done so well at some really hard things.

Also my friend Nicole. She's been really instrumental in my social justice awakening and learning to... care about people? That sounds weird to say, but I mean it in the sense of being kind and such. I should tell her that, probably.

There's more, but let's not get stuck on this one question.

1. Explain your handle/screen name.

It's... my name. That my parents gave me. I tend to use it everywhere because I'm unlikely to forget it and I don't feel very strongly about pseudonyms for myself. If it's taken, I tend to use bencipient because I like Ben puns and I like to think I am (or remind myself to try to be) always becoming who I am.

https://witches.town/media/uvk_pMvabuot8m-Mdvs I'mma do this, but you don't have to anything. I'm just gonna answer these until I get bored, sleepy or distracted. Will thread. May CW for length. Will also repeat the questions.

Off and on for the last month, I've seen people's display names on here with cool emoji and thought, "I should put some cool emoji in my display name. Then I could be cool like them. But I have no idea what I'd put."

I ✨just now✨ noticed that I have, uh, emoji in my display name already. And have since the inception of this account. And that... that's what I should put in there. So. Yeah.

Powers of Observation: Maximum.

Think about high fives. Like, think about that feeling you get behind your breastbone when you do a really good high five with someone you like. Sit with that feeling a second.

OK. Virtual high five, then, from me: You made it another day, another 24 hours. Another week. Wherever and whoever you were a week ago isn't where and who you are now. You're growing and changing and living life. And that's worth a high five.

✋🏻

I'm taking these standing near my desk at work. I wonder if my coworkers are like, "WTF is Ben doing?" or if it seems like normal behavior. I always feel weird taking a selfie because of the act of taking it, not posting it on here. 🤷🏻‍♂️

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https://witches.town/media/jPcizRXV0A08Wwz31w4

smolwig?

Oh! It's one word. Am I a… smallwig?

So, wait. Am… am I a small wig, then?