It's A Girl! It's A Boy! It's Me, DJ

U.S.S. Shipwreck

1600-2000

While at a Modest Mouse show last year or so, Johnny Marr and I locked eyes for about 10 seconds. As romantic as that might sound, it was, more of a "Holy crap, we look the same" kind of a moment. I had never seen him before this concert and was a little surprised myself about the strong resemblance. I wonder if he thinks I try to look like him.

This week, I was officially welcomed via text message from Sarah to the world of androgyny. I am studying English-teaching at Boise State. Part of the program includes classroom observation. This semester I am observing a couple of classes at a local junior high school a few days a week. My primary mentor teacher was out all this week. I thought it would be great to visit one of the special education classes while he was gone. I asked one of the special education English teachers if I could come to one of her classes this week. She agreed.

When I got to her class that morning, the students were all pairing up into teams of two for a competetive game involving the eight parts of speech. I sat down off to the side of the room, not at a desk but at a long table against a sidewall, and took out my notebook where I record anything notable during my visits. As the game was about to begin, one of the boys began to anxiously wave his raised hand, trying to get the teacher's attention. She failed to notice him and he was grew more and more nervous until finally she called on him. He said to her, while pointing to me, "Doesn't he need a partner too?" She informed him that I am a "she" and that I was only there to observe today.

On Monday, I am to act out a scene from Shakespeare's Henry V with an assigned group and my newly found gender neutral identity has me feeling a little more than awkward about playing the role of princess Catherine.