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Sunday, June 27, 2021

Welcome to 2021 Pride Month

I realize that this is the last weekend of Pride Month for the LGBTQ+ community. To be honest, I thought June was going to last longer than it did - I'm not sure how I came to fall under this assumption as June has always had 30 days in the total of my existence, so...

It felt like June flew by in a blink.

My way of celebrating Pride Month has typically consisted of me watching Angles in America  and picking up a poetry book by one of my favorite LGBTQ+ poets. I'd also watch a bunch of YouTube videos about the history of LGBTQ+ people.

This year I didn't change my habits all that much with one exception. I went to my first Pride Festival.

I honestly never felt a strong desire to go to a Pride Festival or celebration. Between trying to understand my identity, avoidance of large crowds, and having to travel a long distance to even attend, I didn't feel like I was missing out on much.

I probably wouldn't have gone to the Festival this year, except that I stumbled upon the Pride Festival by accident. I didn't even know it was going on until the morning of. And as luck would have it, I was free that day to celebrate. 

The experience started by me going to my local Farmer's Market. As I was about to turn into the parking lot, I saw someone putting up a little sign advertising the event. My curiosity peaked, I checked out the area that was being set up before buying my weekly groceries. In the span of about 10 seconds, I had made up my mind that I was going to return in an hour or so. 

The festival was small compared to what I'd seen on TV for the ones in New York or DC. There was a stage area for a band and music, several dozen booths selling pins and T-shirts, face painting, and free giveaways. There was a huge "LOVE" pop-up with the "O" painted as a rainbow for photo-ops. Restaurants with outdoor seating were packed and had rainbow streamers everywhere. Snacks were available and the brewery was selling white t-shirts for a tie-dye experience along with their usual selection of beer, kombucha, and hops tea.


Free tiny flags were given to anyone who asked. I got one and it now lives on my balcony in the banana pepper plant's pot. 


I arrived in time to catch part of the drag queen show. It was a lot of fun and everyone was dancing. Groups of teenagers wearing Pride flag capes hung out on the edges of the crowd, talking and laughing. Families with kids wove between booths. Dads wore rainbow tutus to match their kids and there were a few people in kilts.

I was quickly drawn to the booth selling books. It had an array of LGBTQ+ books: romances, fantasies, essays, and poems. Some of the books had been on my wish list and I quickly grabbed them. I also grabbed a book of essays about being LGBTQ+ while growing up in the deep south. I haven't started any of them yet and my "too read" pile is ever growing, but I know I'll get to them sooner rather than later.

Afterwards, I mostly sat and enjoyed the atmosphere. It was supposed to storm in the afternoon (and did start raining on my walk home), so I didn't stay too long.

Overall my first experience was great. Most people still had masks, but since I've been vaccinated, I've felt a lot safer going out in crowds. I loved how natural it all felt - no one needed to put on an act, we could all be ourselves. 

I'll likely try to attend other Pride festivals in the coming years - though I don't know if I can handle some of the bigger ones. 

The ability to openly celebrate being LGBTQ+ is a special privilege. Not even a decade ago, gay marriage wasn't legal. It wasn't until 1962 that gay sex began to be decriminalized in the United States. It took until 2009 to have anti-discrimination laws in place for the LGBTQ+ community.

The history of LGBTQ+ people is also constantly being overlooked or erased. LGBTQ+ people didn't just show up out of now where in the mid-20th century. We've always been a part of the human condition. 

Things still aren't ideal and are very far from perfect. There's a lot of open hostility against the transgender community - especially for Black transgender women. There are still plenty of countries that will jail or even execute someone for being LGBTQ+. Being open in America is still a risk, but at least many of us can be open.

But I'm hopeful.

The two generations of LGBTQ+ people before mine were devastated by the AIDs epidemic, but they built the stage that my generation was allowed to dance on. I believe that the next generation will make it go viral.

Happy Pride Month. 

Now, I'm going to finish watching Angles in America.

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you like hearing from me.

Sunday, June 20, 2021

Welcome to Near Death Experiences

How many of you guys have seen the movie The Mummy Returns (2001)? It’s the sequel to the 1999 Mummy movie (the really good one with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz). I remember when they came out and seeing them in the old movie theater at my local mall before they tore it down and built a huge theater in its place. 

Well, near the end of the movie…

*SPOILERS*

…Eve (Rachel Weisz) is killed in front of her family by the bad guys. 

There’s a brief scene of morning before her husband, Rick (Brendan Fraser), decides he must defeat the bad guys and leaves his newly dead wife with their ten year old son and Eve’s brother, Jonathan (John Hannah). Jonathan tries to comfort his nephew when they realize that they can bring Eve back to life using the Book of the Dead. Jonathan causes a distraction, while his nephew reads the spell that will bring Eve back, humorously paralleling a scene in the first movie.

Eve is saved! 

The bad guys are defeated!

The place where they are has a self destruct button and has started to collapse, but the heroes are saved by the timely arrival of a friend in an airship.

As the sun sets, the two leads lean in to kiss (much to the immature disgust of their son and brother/brother-in-law) when Eve asks Rick…

*END OF SPOILERS*

“Would you like to know what heaven looks like?”

I don’t necessarily want to categorize what happened to Eve as a Near Death Experience (NDE for short), but on the surface it’s pretty close. Eve was clinically dead, she came back to life, and remembers the time in between. 

Near Death Experiences are a phenomena that happen to real people. They have real psychological consequences. And they are not well understood.

I recently read a book called "After: A Doctor Explains What Near-Death Experiences Reveal about Life and Beyond" by Bruce Greyson, M.D. It's pretty good and honestly hopeful. Some might find it a little repetitive, but I found that it reinforced the idea that this was something that needed to be taken seriously. 

Dr. Greyson shares a lot of stories from many different people who experienced NDEs. Some of these stories involve meeting diseased family members, others of meeting a deity, and many have a bright light at the end of a tunnel like structure. People reported feeling at peace or enveloped in love. A few simply floated above their bodies. 

Amongst the many beautiful stories of peace and love were a few terrifying events were people reportedly felt like they were falling into an abyss. Others had their religious beliefs challenged. 

I appreciated that Dr. Greyson took a skeptical and scientific approach to NDEs. His first experience with someone reporting an NDE was very personal for him and it sparked his interest in the phenomena. He isn't affiliated with any religious or spiritual organization. 

I've been curious about Near Death Experiences. Part of me wonders what it would be like to experience one. On the other hand, I have no desire to nearly die.

Dr. Greyson suggests that the brain could possibly be a filter for the mind, that the mind may not be a manifestation of the brain, but something the brain interprets. He sites that many people who have NDEs feel that they are thinking with a clarity that they've never experienced while conscious. They also don't show the same signals of someone recalling a fabricated memory or dream. It is a very real thing that has happened. 

The idea of Near Death Experiences does exist in literature, movies, and pop culture. It has caused some misconceptions about the phenomena and how it impacts the people who experience it. The majority of people who have NDEs become unafraid of death...and living life. They tend to be less materialistic and focus on interpersonal relationships. Some face a backlash when they try to tell others what they experienced, which can lead to depression and anxiety because they don't have the support they need. However, with the right support, NDE experiencers feel like they have a new purpose in life. They are more likely to live in the moment and appreciate the now. 

Dr. Greyson suspects that most people know at least one person who has had a Near Death Experience. He says that if someone wants to share their experience with you, to listen and not be dismissive. People who have had an NDE have already gone through one traumatic experience. 

Near Death Experiences may never be explained (I'm not holding my breath for an explanation in my lifetime). They are real. People experience them. And I find that it gives me hope. Lots of religions claim to have the answer for the next life. I wonder if some of them were inspired by members of their community having NDEs. It's certainly possible.

There are a lot of things in life we still don't understand. That's okay. I don't think all the mysteries are meant to be solved. But if you're interested in NDEs, I recommend picking up a copy of "After". You might find it at your local library.

And if you haven't seen either the Mummy or the Mummy Returns, totally check that out too. Those movies are amazing.

So, Eve, what was heaven like?

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like share and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Until next week. 

Sunday, June 13, 2021

Welcome to Two Weeks After the Vaccine

 Roughly two weeks ago, I got my second COVID-19 vaccine shot. Life already feels a little less stressful. 

For those of you who don't know. I'm terrible when it comes to shots (well needles piercing my skin in general...I have a terrible history giving blood too). It's not that they hurt or anything. I can handle a prick of pain. It's that something is going into or coming out of my body that freaks me out.

Thankfully the people administering the vaccine did a wonderful job, listened to me, and took what I had to say seriously. They made sure that I couldn't watch at all while they injected me - though I did find the spring return for the needle really cool.

The experience was fantastic - better than I expected. There were volunteers available to direct people and answer questions. Everyone was nice and smiling. We did have the National Guard out directing traffic at the location I went to - which worried me about any trouble that might happen - but over all I felt safe and welcomed.

There was even a baby Yoda happily thanking everyone for getting the vaccine.

My side affects were minimal. Other than my arm aching for a couple of days and being a little sleepier than normal, I was fine. Other members of my family experienced chills, trouble sleeping, and flu like symptoms, but they weren't as bad as actually getting COVID.

Now that it's been two weeks and I'm "fully covered", I feel like a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders. I'm still wearing a mask around other people and when I go into buildings, but I no longer worry that every interaction might cause me to get sick.

This week was the first time I started using the gym and pool at my apartment complex. Prior to getting the vaccine, I didn't even feel safe going to these locations. Very few people are at these places and I'm still weary of going somewhere with a large crowd, but I'm getting out of my apartment. I even feel comfortable enough to get into an elevator with other people.

No the vaccine hasn't turned me into an X-man (not that I would complain if it did). I've seen those hilarious videos of people claiming keys and other metal objects are sticking to them and I can't help but roll my eyes. If anything these claims might encourage the younger and more adventurous of us to get the vaccine.

Tis a shame. I was looking forward to having spare change fly at me in all directions.

I encourage everyone who is eligible to get the COVID vaccine as soon as possible. Yes, there are side affects. Yes, getting a shot sucks. 

But getting COVID is so much worse.

Seeing someone you love suffer from COVID is the last thing anyone should experience. 

So, make an appointment. The shot is free. 

Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.


Sunday, June 6, 2021

Welcome to Summer Camp

My little cousin is going on his first big camping excision this summer. For three weeks, they'll be backpacking, hiking, and doing all the awesome things that kids get to do at summer camp. Not only will my cousin be at summer camp for the first time, this is the first time that they'll be far from home for an extended period of time. 

I was around the same age when I went away from home for the first time. When I was eight, I went to overnight camp for a week. One of my good friends also went to this camp and we were able to hang out together (in fact we were in the same cabin). Having my friend with me eased my homesickness. 

I don't know if my little cousin will also have a friend or two going with them, but I can bet they'll have a fantastic time. I shared with them a few stories of my camping experience...and there were a few stories their mom asked I not share because she didn't want her kid to repeat my silliness.

So here are some of the things I remember learning while at summer camp: 

1) You need to send a letter home: this seems obvious, but eight year old me didn't fully understand stamps. I had stationary to write letters home, but I didn't have stamps. In fact, I thought the stickers keeping the stationary together were stamps (thinking that stamps were like old fashioned wax seals). Not that my letters had anything interesting in them. I sent one of these letters to one of my aunts who kept it on her fridge for years. For years I cringed seeing my sloppy handwriting with the words "Love you! Miss you! Having fun at camp!" when I would go and visit her. 

2) Wear bug spray! Lots and lots of bug spray! I came home from camp with dozens of mosquito bites - mostly on my face (yikes!). I was sure to tell my little cousin to have lots of bug spray.

3) Sleeping under the stars is amazing: We had one night were we slept under the stars instead of in a cabin. We still had mosquito netting hanging over our heads, but it didn't hamper our view of millions of stars. I remember thinking that it was one of the most amazing ways to fall asleep. 

4) Always have a buddy: The buddy system is a must for safety. There are a lot of ways things can go wrong when you don't have someone with you - even when you use the biffy (what we called the outhouse  bathrooms).

5) Thunderstorms in the woods are terrifying: I didn't tell my little cousin this story, but one night we had a huge thunderstorm. The cabin next to ours at one point all called out in distress for one of the counselors. Our cabin freaked out and we screamed our heads off. Thankfully another counselor came quickly to calm us down. It was so much louder than any thunderstorm I'd been in up to that point in my life. My cabin mostly sat huddled around a flashlight in the middle of the cabin until the counselor managed to coax us into our beds.

And finally....

6) Change your socks every day: This should be another obvious one, but not to eight year old me. For some reason, I decided to wear the same pair of socks for my entire week in the woods. I tried to tell my mom that of course I changed my socks, I just happened to be wearing the same ones I left in. She didn't buy it - especially when she opened my backpack and saw all the clean socks I hadn't worn. My little cousin's mom asked me not to tell that story as they would take it as a challenge and try to do the same thing...but for three weeks.

Summer camp is a wonderful experience. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to go. It can be expensive or bad timing for some families. I wish that everyone could have the opportunity to go to summer camp.

If you're thinking of writing stories about summer camp, you can use my stories to help you with your prompts.  

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.