I also live in a state like the one you described. I have my state license, but that's it. The problem with this is that if I ever move to another state, I may not be able to interpret there. NIC would allow me to more easily move if I need to

(1) A centralized place to learn about events going on. Cleveland/Northeast Ohio has a lot of different LGBTQ events, but it's hard to keep up with all of it because none of it is posted in the same place. It's a lot of word of mouth and stumbling across Facebook events

(2) Inclusivity. Unfortunately I've experienced a LOT of gatekeeping in Cleveland and I know I'm not the only one. I am very hesitant to think I'm welcome in LGBTQ spaces because a vocal minority says I don't use the right labels or look a certain way. Even just a point in the rules saying that kind of behavior isn't tolerated can make a page more or less inviting

(3) opportunities to meet other members of the community, platonic or otherwise. I said above that there's a lot happening all the time, but it would be cool to plan smaller groups, or create events that may not exist (DnD campaign or a one-shot night? Some kind of jam night for musicians? Wanna get a group together to do a run? You can set it up here)

(4) A space to hang out and chat about stuff that's relevant to the community here. I've emphasized in-person events but not everything has to happen in person. Plus Reddit is one of the only social media sites where you can post in a group like this without outing yourself

I'm an ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter. Something I love about interpreting is that you're constantly going to different jobs and working with different people. In a single week I could work at an amusement park, in a factory seeing how dice get made, a college classroom, a job interview, and an anime convention. Or I could opt to work at a school and have the same set schedule every day, which is closer to a traditional 9-5 but really helps me manage my personal time and reach personal/non-work goals better.

Before I was an interpreter, I was a concert stagehand / runner (I worked backstage going to the store for whatever production/the artist/catering needed me to get depending on who I was working for). I also enjoyed that work because every day was a new show, new roadies to work with, and at the end of the night I could see hundreds or thousands of people had shown up and enjoyed something I helped make happen.

Sarah Lynn. Her story is so tragic, and every now and then I'll read in the news about a situation that feels painfully like hers. She bares some responsibility for how her life turned out, but every adult that had authority over her as a child abused that power.

If my migraine is from low blood sugar, once it's half-gone I eat a ton of ice cream and that usually clears up the rest of it.

Menthol usually comes from peppermint and peppermint can help with migraines too!

Are you me? Cause this is so relatable

Bunheads

Okay but hear me out. Instead of a boat ride they find a way to safely recreate the concept of riding a vespa-style ride vehicle into the big ocean in the sky.

I throw up from migraines but not very often. Has to be a very severe migraine for me, probably only the worst 1-2% of them. Typically these are migraines from being outside in the heat all day, although I can handle that better now than I used to.

I used to have a dress like this I wore at anime cons! But also a goth night. Or just out to get gas

I'd believe that for another scene. But this was arguably THE biggest moment of the entire show. I really don't think such a big error would have made it all the way to air.

Not professional experience, but my friends and I play a game called Murder Trivia Party and there's a transcription mini game. I always win it because of my interpreting background.

I wanted to most of high school. But my sophomore year, a classmate killed himself. I didn't know him very well myself, but we had a few mutual friends. After seeing them go through that loss, I couldn't put my friends and family through it. I still wanted to do it, and thought about it a lot, but stopped short of making plans to go through with it.

Ultimately I snapped out if it when Glee started airing. I really related to one of the characters. We had similar personalities, including all the traits I hated about myself. Yet he was a really popular character with fans and media outlets. Seeing how many people loved him made me realize I deserved to love myself.

I've been in a really good place for about a decade now. I love my career, and I've had some pretty cool life experiences.

This. A couple years ago I rented somewhere and airbnb reached out to me (not the other way around) telling me another guest reported bed bugs so they had to cancel my reservation. Luckily it was before I ever checked in, amd I'm glad I didnt end up staying there, but I was working out of town so it was stressful finding a place to stay that wasn't gonna cost my entire daily income on such short notice.

Oh if you're just an interpreting sub definitely stick with it for the rest of the assignment. It's only a few days. And my student was barely watching me at the end of the school year unless she wanted to sign a smart-ass comment to me 😂

I interpret for a similar type of student (she uses me a lot more, but also voices clearly, uses a FM system, and is fluent in ASL). I typically interpret the lessons whether she's watching me or not, unless she is sitting with her back turned to me. I find if she wants to use me, she'll turn back around to face me so I'm always ready to go hands up or repeat important information. But most of the time she is facing forward and I'm signing. Whether she used me or not is her decision. Early on in me being her interpreter she rarely looked at me, but now she frequently watches me. Sometimes that's just a quick glance to catch something she missed or confirm she heard it correctly, but if I wasn't already signing she wouldn't have looked over at me.

I wouldn't ask for another assignment because even if the kid rarely uses an interpreter, they still have the right to one. What happens if their hearing aid isn't working, or they get a sub who talks really fast that they can't keep up with? And as a new interpreter, a student who is already fluent and isn't using you as a language model is a good match. The fact they don't use you much also means you can practice and learn a lot about educational interpreting without it being at the student's expense. Keep at it. It sounds like you're only a few days in (despite it being June? Idk if this is summer school or a year round school or whatever the situation is, but I'm guessing you haven't been with this kid a whole school year). Give it some time and if at the end of the school year you don't feel like you're getting anything out of it and/or you still haven't clicked with your student, that might be a good time to ask if you want to work with them the following year or request a different student.

I remember building a coaster that shot you up very high, very fast, brought you back down and ended. Nobody wanted to ride it because it was too extreme. I live near Cedar Point and I remember feeling annoyed when Top Thrill Dragster came out not long after that, and people loved it 😂

Madison. She was redeemed as the series went on, but Kate and Toby were 100% in the wrong from day 1 with her. It was obvious she had an ED and was crying for help. It was a support group and they were more interested in bullying her than offering her a single ounce of sympathy. I'm glad she got more screen time and development, and that this was explored. It's good Kate realized she was in the wrong. But tbh she had treated Madison so poorly in the first few seasons, it really goes to show how Madison was both a very forgiving and kind person, but also so desperate to have friends who saw the real her.

I have been going to that con since before it was in Sandusky. It was always a lot more accepting and safe than parts of Ohio.

Oh, 100% agree. I just didn't know how to phrase that without coming off as mean towards Jim Parsons, so I didn't mention it 😂 You worded it better than I could have

Jim Parsons. Both were in hugely successful sitcoms, have done theater (tho Parsons has done a lot more of that than Kevin), and had successful, smaller movie projects. But they're both best known for that one long running comedy role, and for playing in a spin off of it (altho Jim Parsons doesn't appear in most of Young Sheldon, he was the narrator)

Like OP I miss being able to spend time outside. I love the summer, hot weather and the sun. But I get very sick, very quickly from all those things (mainly migraines, but I get dehydrated really quickly too and that's a separate issue). I work outside during the summer sometimes and have to really plan for finding shade, drinking a lot of water, and making sure I eat enough while also doing my job. My dad and I ride motorcycles and he wants to do a long, several day ride with me and doesn't fully understand just how impossible that would be for me.

Randall. I'm adopted. Although I'm white and so are my parents, I'm the only queer person in my immediate family so we have very different life experiences and belong to different cultures. I was even strongly considering becoming a foster parent for awhile.

Yeah I was going to NYC and didn't want to drive in Manhattan so I was supposed to take Amtrak. Ended up missing my train because my mom got lost even with GPS trying to drop me off 😭 (I drove to a friend's house in New Jersey and then took a train from there, in the end)