Such was the theme of the 2008 San Francisco Pride parade and festival, in which Caroline and I participated yesterday (much to the chagrin of our now-aching feet). We had a fantastic time hanging out, marching, and otherwise schmoozing with our friends in the Royal Grand Ducal Council of Alameda County, and then had almost as good a time wandering through the festival grounds.
Wanna see some pix?
There was one whole float full of Charos...
The Teatro Zinzanni Float, which was amazing...
My new husband (though he doesn't know it yet, and probably never will)...
Me in my festive best...
The Honorable Ron Dellums, Mayor of Oakland. My Grandmother can't stand him, so I made sure to get a picture with him (but it's on Caroline's camera, so the pic isn't available yet). The Grandmother and I had a little set-to about my participating in Pride, so I've been alternating between defiance and conciliation towards her all week.
General fabulousness was everywhere. So were dogs and babies. I rather prefer dogs, myself, but it was so cool seeing so many families with children about.
This is the contingent that marched (or rather vroomed) behind us in the parade... I was never very clear who exactly they were, aside from a lot of queers on motorcycles.
The Imperial and Grand Ducal Courts of San Francisco, and Mr. & Ms. Golden Gate, were in front of us in the parade.
Me again, in full-on parade waving mode...
I loved this sign...
The Barbie Support Group... very funny.
These guys were just fabulous...
And the blond on the right is my other new husband...
The Charos in action... note the one on the far left carrying a baby... the baby was fast asleep.
The quality of my new camera left something to be desired... you can't see how delectably hunky all the members of the Crunch gym contingent were...
There were a lot of churches represented in the parade. There has been a lot of Christian outreach to our community recently.
More hunks, this time on the Mamma Mia! float.
You might be wondering at the sparseness of the parade pictured above... the thing is, I had my hands full with the parasol and the waving, so I didn't take any pictures of the parade itself. So all of the pictures I took were in the staging area before the parade started and in the demobilizing area at the end of the parade. I wish I'd been able to carry my camera as well, as there were many fabulous sights along the parade route, but alas: of all words of tongue or pen, none are sadder than these - what might have been, etc. and so forth.
The dense crowds at the festival; mind you, this was before the parade was even over, imagine what a zoo it became later on! I had some difficulty with dealing with the crowd, but every time I started getting a little panicky, we lucked into an open space like this one, so I didn't have a breakdown.
When I pointed out to Caroline what her wrist was touching, she freaked out... fortunately she didn't notice it at the time...
One of the many dance areas in the festival...
And that's all for now. I took more pictures, of course, but these are the highlights.
It was a generally wonderful gay day, and we had a lovely time. But it was tiring! My feet still hurt, and my back hurts, and I somehow managed to get a slight sunburn on my face even though I was under that damned parasol the whole day... must have been from reflected light. I rather wished I'd been able to watch the concert (Cyndi Lauper headlined) or spend more time in the festival perusing booths, but one's age does tell on one in these events. Forty may be the new thirty, but my joints didn't get that memo.
In closing, here's a fun little slideshow I made (I'm still exploring MS Movie Maker, so it's rather amateurish) with one of my favorite songs.
Mannersized at
6:32 AM ~
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Tuesday, June 17, 2008
A Blast From the Past
A few weeks ago, I mentioned something about an upcoming drag performance while discussing this & that on JUB; one of my fellow JUBbers asked me if I had any of my past performances on video that I could share. Well, at the time I didn't... but after a certain amount of aggravation, I managed to get some.
I had this videotape that Cookie Dough made for me some years ago, which contained two performances of mine (as well as performances from the rest of the Galaxy Girls); after some initial mishaps, I located said video in my bookshelves, and took it down to the local copy-and-imaging store to have it converted to DVD. After the modest outlay of $18 for the conversion, I brought the DVD home and tried to copy my performances off of it.
Which, of course, I couldn't do, because that's not how DVDs work. So I had to find some kind of software to convert the DVD into Windows Media of some sort. More mishaps followed... I tried screen capture software first, none of the freebies of which worked; then I realized I needed DVD-AVI Conversion software... which also didn't work (for me, anyway) in freebie form. I finally found one, though (Plato), which I was able to operate and which I will certainly buy once I have money again.
Now that I had the videos in AVI format, I had to edit them with Windows Movie Maker, which came installed on my laptop. And of course, I didn't know how to operate Windows Movie Maker, so I had to pretty much teach myself a new software all alone.
However, I finally did it, added titles and credits, then uploaded those precious two performances to YouTube so I could share them with everyone!
This first is one of my best performances ever, though the video quality isn't all that great (nor could one expect it to be... I mean, DVR to VHS to DVD to AVI to Movie Maker to YouTube? It's surprising you can see anything at all):
This second one is not what I consider one of my better performances; it was notable only because it was so wildly out of character for me... and the video is even worse:
So there you have it... Miss Me from six/seven years ago. Fifty or sixty pounds ago, too. It makes me want to perform again, though... I will be performing next month at the RGDC Ducal Ball, hopefully somebody will videotape me and give me a copy of it so I can share some more. In the meantime, I am going to upload some more of other people's performances from the videotape I do have; there were some great numbers on there.
In other news, the job is going fantastically... I just love being here. The work isn't terribly difficult, the people I work with are wonderfully nice, and the building, though slightly ramshackle in appearance and appointments, has such a great homey feeling about it. I pinch myself every day to make sure I'm not dreaming.
Well, speaking of dreams, I'd better go have one or two. G'night!
Mannersized at
9:26 PM ~
____________________
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Yay Me!
Whatever you did, whichever deity you invoked, it worked:
I got the job! I got the job! I got the job!
I'm thrilled and relieved. I'm dazzled and delighted! I'm choking on my own spit!
The best part: the reason they delayed in offering me the job is because they were getting permission from the Board of Directors to offer me a higher starting salary than was listed! It's still not a lot, I am relying more on the feeling of accomplishment in the job than on the pay, but it's very satisfying to get a raise before you even start.
And I start on Wednesday, which gives me a couple of days to get my shit together, get my wardrobe squared away, and finish off all the little projects I've been meaning to do since I've been unemployed. It's going to be a busy few days.
And I couldn't be happier!
Mannersized at
11:51 AM ~
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Wednesday, June 04, 2008
The Bearded Lady
As previously promised, I present Little Me in "all my Grissom-y goodness":
I really like having a beard. I like the way it covers up my jowls and the sag in my chin, and I LOVE not having to shave except to trim around the edges once a week. I don't really like the big patches of gray, and even gave in to the temptation to buy a bottle of beard dye (Clairol Just For Men)...though I haven't used it. But in general I am happy being a bearded person. I will miss it when I have to shave it off next time I do drag (which is slated for July 19, RGDC Coronation).
In the meantime, I am still waiting to hear back about that job. I am pretty sure I'm going to get it, based on overheard conversations reported to me by my friend who works there and told me about the job and encouraged me to apply in the first place; but being pretty sure and knowing for certain are not quite the same thing. And that little space between being pretty sure and knowing for certain is driving me nuts!
In other news, I am currently recovering from a nice session of oral surgery. I've been suffering from a toothache for a few weeks, and so I went to my dentist and he took an X-ray and decided that what was hurting me could be best characterized as "gross decay" and the offending tooth would have to come out. And, by the way, the one next to it is loose so it should come out, before it falls out on its own or gets abscessed. He told me that I could have them out right then, with a local anasthetic, but I remember all too well what it feels like to get a tooth pulled and would like to have rather more than a little gas and some novocaine... so he referred me to an oral surgeon who would put me under completely for the procedure.
That was great, except for my lack of dental insurance... the two teeth cost me $1065, completely wiping out my savings. Oh, and the need to take Vicodin for a few days after the surgery, which made me rather goofy and gave me nightmares. Then there was the "take it easy until the stitches come out" part; which, though quite pleasant in and of itself, unfortunately was terribly habit-forming, and so I've had no energy to do anything for days.
But now I can eat ice-cream again! That makes it all so worthwhile.
Anyway, I'll be off now, and wish me luck on the job thing. Toodles!
Mannersized at
1:28 PM ~
____________________
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
In Need of Well-Wishes
Not wishing-wells...
So I had a second interview today for a job I really want at a non-profit agency in Berkeley... and while I won't exactly say I bombed, I did come out of there feeling somewhat less than 100% confident in my interview. The first interview went like a breeze, but this one revealed some of my weaknesses, like my general inability to ask questions or develop long-term goals. But we laughed a lot, and on most of the questions they nodded knowingly as if I had said exactly the right thing.
But I'm feeling anxious, anyway. So please wish me luck; send your positive vibes my way; if you pray, say a little one for me. And if you happen to have an "in" with any supernatural powers, let them know that I am both worthy and deserving.
Thanks!
Mannersized at
4:49 PM ~
____________________
Saturday, May 17, 2008
For Your Viewing Pleasure
As I'm sure you know, I am addicted to YouTube. Almost every day I find something there (usually referred by my friends at JUB), and frequently I find myself laughing until the tears spurt from my eyes.
Here's a perfect example (NOT safe for work, nor for children, nor for anyone of a delicate sensibility):
I mentioned earlier my fondness for the British panel quiz show QI, which is hosted by one of my few real-life idols, Stephen Fry and perma-guested by the adorable Alan Davies. Here are three parts of one of my favorite episodes of the show, from the fourth season; pay special attention to Julian Clary recounting his meeting with HRH Elizabeth II (in the middle section).
If you'd like to catch up on the entire five seasons of the program, visit Nick Loizu's YouTube homepage.
Another British panel show caught my attention earlier, but it has fewer episodes: Never Mind the Buzzcocks. Actually, the show went on quite a bit longer, but I find I only enjoyed the last two seasons, in which the adorable Simon Amstell hosted. Again cut into three parts, enjoy my favorite episode (which features the delicious John Barrowman, who was in fact the name I was searching when I found this show).
So anyway, that's how I spend a lot of my time. I may be starting work sometime soon, I have a second interview for a particular nonprofit on Tuesday, and I have a really good feeling about the place...the first interview went really well, I think. I'll keep you updated as developments arise. I'll also post a picture of me in my beard, as soon as I get my camera working again...I found it, plugged it in, and nothing happened; I'll try replacing the batteries, that may make a difference.
In the meantime, have a gorgeous day!
Mannersized at
2:02 PM ~
____________________
Friday, May 02, 2008
Breaking the Silence
I just don't feel like writing, is all. But I can't let you all languish in ignorance of my state-of-being, so here are some general updates:
I lost my job at the end of February; the position I was occupying was horribly unnecessary, and I was bored out of my mind, and I looked bored out of my mind, and having people who obviously have nothing important to do sitting around when there are budget cuts afoot is simply not feasible, so they laid me off.
Being laid off is cool, because now I get unemployment insurance! I've been paying into Unemployment for years now, and I've never collected any, they've always found some way of diddling me out of payment. Now I'm on it, I intend to stay on it as long as I can, squeezing out every penny to which I am entitled.
Of course, this means I have to job-hunt again (I search Yahoo Hot Jobs daily, and am signed up at a few other sites), and go through more interviews (eventually), and get used to a new environment when I do get a new job; it also means that I had to leave a company I loved and people I really liked... but whatever. I was so bored and miserable in my job that it's a huge relief to not have to go back, despite all the people I miss.
I'm growing a beard. I've been thinking about doing this for some time now, but I never have because I figured I'd just have to shave it off again next time I did drag. But I haven't done drag since January, and hadn't before that since the previous March, and I don't really feel like doing it again any time soon...and since I don't have to worry about a "professional appearance," and since I hate shaving, I decided to take this opportunity to let it grow.
It's very gray, but I think it gives me a sort of Gil Grissom-y goodness that I quite like. I'd show you a picture, but I can't find my camera. Grandmother hates it, most of my gay friends love it, and sometimes it itches. But God how I love not shaving!
Having so much free time on my hands, I have got into the habit of watching TV series again. Every day at 5 p.m. finds me on the couch catching the next syndicated installment of Gilmore Girls on ABC Family; Mondays at eight are set aside for another ABC Family series, GRΣΣK, in which I unexpectedly got very involved; Fridays are devoted to The Sarah Jane Adventures and Doctor Who on Sci Fi; and of course there's Ugly Betty and CSI on Thursdays. I have also started watching CSI: Miami (after taking a while getting used to David Caruso's unbearableness), Bones, and sometimes NCIS in reruns.
Speaking of TV, I'm obsessed with the following song, which I discovered in an AT&T Wireless commercial and which is now running through my head all the fucking time!
I'm still stuck in the mud over at Worst Luck. I just can't get myself through the rewrite of Chapter 11. Do I keep the Aunt Ems or throw them out? What kind of dialogue would Officer Pete Kelly use in court? Is Mademoiselle Marnie of any use at all? Is this entire courtroom scene nothing but a display of my own ignorance? And after the discovery of the identity of the Purple Haired Kid, where do we go? Does the PHK meekly stand about waiting to be arrested? Or does he flee? And if he flees, should I do something to bring him back?
The whole thing is very confusing, and I just don't have the impetus to sit down and write...as this blog goes, so goes the novel. I'm just feeling very dried-up right now.
I'm also feeling very demophobic still. After my last failed attempt at a mood-stabilizer, I have gone back to my original prescription of Prozac and let everything else slide. I feel OK, a little more depressive than I'd ideally like, but there have been no manic episodes as I feared when I went off the mood stabilizers. I see my shrink again later this month, but until I get medical coverage again (I was offered COBRA of my benefits from work, but the monthly cost was outrageous), I am a little reluctant to try any different medications.
Well, anyway, that's pretty much all I have going on in my life right now. I'm going to go back to cleaning my room and doing my laundry. Later on I'll come back and tell you about my recent obsessions with Simon Amstell, QI, and yaoi graphic novels.
