Welcome to the Org*! As you may have noticed, this site does nothing to serve the greater good. It is a vanity site. Have fun enjoying what I have to offer!
Why is your domain called TsuKata? Are you Japanese?
TsuKata is my screenname, and as far as net identity goes, it’s also kind of my brand. It’s not actually a Japanese word, although it is similar to the word for “in expert form”; it’s a mashup of a couple of borrowed Japanese words. It happens to be a relatively common family name in Japan, but that has nothing to do with how I chose it. I’m not Japanese, and my knowledge of Japanese language is on par with a Japanese 2 year old.
If you find a TsuKata elsewhere on the internets, chances are that it’s me. The exception is sites that have an international presence, because the Japanese Tsukata’s tend to get the name first. Where I am not TsuKata, I am myTsuKata. (The “my” is a coding reference. I jokingly call it a declaration of self.)
So you’re not an organization? What’s up with your site being .org?
Well, .com was taken. It’s that simple. Some Japanese company that has never used the domain bought tsukata.com before I could, and as of my writing this, a domain squatter company wants a few thousand dollars for it (to which I responded, HA!). tsukata.org was available. It also makes for a nice site name. I like having the Org*…it’s an organization of ideas, an orgy of information…whatever I want to use it as.
You keep mentioning this DH person. Who is that?
If you read a reference to “my DH,” that’s my Dear Husband aka Scott aka Toonces. Before we got engaged, he was known on this site as He-Who-Has-Not-Yet-Been-Named, or HWHNYBN.
We got engaged in January of 2005, and we got married in Las Vegas in April of 2006. We’ve been together in one form or another since October of 2002.
Who’s Pancake?
Pancake is my adorable kitteh! We adopted him from a local shelter. He has his own page in the site (see the menu bar above to get to it), which is mostly a recap of his latest tweets meows. 
What about B*, the Moos, ANs, etc?
To protect my friends’ privacy, I don’t use their real names. I create shorthand aliases so that frequent readers can follow the train of thought. So, each of those aliases represents a person (or people).
You seem to talk about other guys a lot for a married gal.
Why do you call yourself fat?
I believe fat is an adequate descriptor, like thin or tall, not an insult. Furthermore, I embrace the principles of Health At Every Size (HAES)®, and I believe in the science that backs it up. One of my favorite bloggers (Ragen Chastain’s DancesWithFat blog) summed up the difference between the HAES approach and the currently predominant “weight centered” paradigm quite well, so I’ll quote it below by way of explanation:
Weight Centered Paradigm
- Weight is used as a proxy for health
- It is believed that in order to be healthy, bodies must be within a specific weight range
- Body size interventions are given for health problems (ie: if a fat patient presents with a health problem they are prescribed weight loss, if a thin patient presents with the same health problem they are given an intervention that is not weight loss)
- If people are above the specific weight range (or concerned about becoming so) food and exercise are seen as ways to manipulate body size, often using very specific rules and restrictions, and with success being judged by body size
Health at Every Size
- Health is seen as multi-dimensional and not entirely within our control. Health is assessed through a variety of measurements including health markers (blood glucose, blood pressure) and quality of life with a clear understanding that it’s about what you can do, with what you have, where you are
- It is believed that bodies can be healthy at a variety of sizes
- Health interventions are given for health problems (regardless of the size of the patient, the intervention for a given health problem is the same and based on evidence)
- Eating is seen as a part of life and people are encouraged to take into consideration nutrients, pleasure, and their own internal cues of satiety and fullness
I’m an associate member of the Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH), and I encourage you to thoughtfully read their materials. If you find yourself agreeing that fat is not the enemy, join the ASDAH to help them continue their mission of education, health, and acceptance.
On a lighter note (no pun), what kind of games do you play?
I play German-style games aka Euro games, e.g., Puerto Rico, Pillars of the Earth, Empire Builder, Agricola, Dominion. I also play console games (XBox 360, Wii), and yes, I am a little ashamed of that as a former PC gamer. I’m an infrequent Bridge player, and I’m claiming that I’m a Life Master whether the ACBL recognizes it or not (stupid black point requirement, grr).
However, and I cannot be clear enough about this, I DO NOT DO RPGs. I do not like RPGs. Role-playing is not a game; it’s a method of foreplay. Do not talk to me about your RPG character or campaign or whatever. Railguns were made to take care of role-players.
Speaking of that, how do I contact you?
You have some options here. You can comment on this, or any, post. You can e-mail me (make sure to delete the indicated letters before hitting send!). I’m on Google Talk, and I’m on Twitter as myTsuKata.