All that you can be?

This afternoon was slow at work, so I decided to head upstairs and make a quick round to visit the boys at the tattoo shop. There was a young guy sitting up there getting tattoo of an american flag. He sat there getting it done while his two of his friends watched.

ME: "So are you in the military?"

SB1: "Joining the army, so is my friend..."

SB2: "Signing our papers tomorrow, we're hoping to be paratroopers."

ME: "Jump out of planes, blow shit up, that kinda stuff?"


I should have kept my mouth shut...


SB2: "Yeah, and kill towelheads."


ME: "Really..."


I had to leave the room, I was speechless, and it takes alot to shut me up...


I honestly can't believe people actually think that way, let alone speak that way. I know I live in a fairly sheltered protective bubble of super liberal open minded human beings, but I just can't believe some barely nineteen year old boy who just joined the largest mass funded government killing machine on the planet had the nerve to look me in the eyes proudly and say that. It was like the universe bitch slapped me.

It made me sad for the future of humanity. This kid wasn't born thinking that way, someone told him that. Someone taught him that.

And at barely nineteen years old he believed it.

Everyday is like Sunday.

Yesterday I went to a Zine and Craft fair, well two craft fairs actually. The first was at the flying squirrel community center (great name), and was loaded with all sorts of really cool stuff. It seemed to be staffed and populated by a bunch squatter punk hippie types. A little grimy, but charming none the less. I wish I had a little more time to check everything out, but the crafts had everything from sewn misfit crimson ghost pillows to spray painted patches with the anarchy symbol and resistance fist, and some really fun pasties on a table next to multi colored hippopotamus candles. Gotta love counter culture!

There was also a ton of killer zines covering everything from activism, to gender issues, to loving your body and informed consent. Ruth made a great one about autism awareness, and im thanked in the intro...I picked up several colorful issues including one called "Militant Queer Insurrection" I haven't read any of them yet, but buying them brought back so many memorys of being young and chain smoking and making and reading zines while listening to Bikini Kill, L7, Consolidated and a whole slew of other polictical bands. For a minute on got drunk on early 90's nostalgia. It reminded me of my days of being young and ornery and fiercely individualistic.

Im glad I managed to hang onto most of that as the years have passed....




Afterwards Jeff and I went to meet some friends and have a glass of Yerba Mate at a local coffee shop that was having their own craft sale. This was a little more fancy. Lots of knit items, some jewelry and bowls made out of warped 12" records. Imagine about 20 Etsy vendors and you will get the idea. I picked up some really nice hand made cards for valentines day which unfortunately didn't photograph well. They are really nice none the less. I ran into so many friends, collected so many smiles and hugs. I was reminded how much love I have for the bohemian community I am blessed to be a part of.

It was a perfect day.

I Got It From My Mama.

I've said for years that it's my moms fault I'm queer.

My mother was a stay at home mom, setting aside her education to raise myself and my sister, and taking care of my grandmother who was dying of cancer. We became close at a young age and spent lots of time together shopping, watching soap operas, and cleaning the house.

My mother loved disco. In fact her and my father were avid disco dancers and spent many weekends Thanking god its Friday and burning up their Saturday night fever. My mother had a massive collection of disco records. Not just the usual K-Tel compilations everyone housewife had, but the full on 12" extended dance mixes with the (often instrumental) b sides. I remember my favorites:


Donna Summer - Macarthur Park

The Trammps - Disco Inferno

Chic - Dance Dance Dance (Yowza Yowza Yowza)

Santa Esmeralda - The House of the Rising Sun

Diana Ross - Upside Down

We listened to disco records all the time, joyously singing along with Labelle, Diana Ross, Chic, the Bee Gees, the Village People and Leo Sayer. My mother would practice her dance moves with me. At just the tender age of five I could do the Fox Trot, the bump (one of my favorites) and both the traditional and Latin hustles.

I can't be the only one noticing a campy pattern developing...

My favorite singer was the same as my mothers, The original Lady Di, Ms. Diana Ross.

We listened to her as my mother taught me how to clean the house, serenading each other with such classics as "It's my Turn", "All of my Love", and my personal childhood favorite "Theme from Mahogany (do you know where your going to?)" We took turn sharing solos passing our feather duster microphone back and forth and practicing our synchronized back up dancer moves. We often ended our supreme cleaning sessions with a heartfelt rendition of "Endless Love"

I never stood a chance at the straight life...

Years later my sister and I would dance and sing along to the Diana Ross & the Supremes Farewell album (the 20 minute live version of "The Flesh Failures/Let the Sunshine In" was one of our favorites). She was even better at coming up with synchronized back up dancer moves than my mom was.

To this day I still love Diana Ross and think she's one of the most beautiful woman in the world (besides my mother & sister)


In a fitting twist of serendipity "Endless Love" is just ending my Diana Ross playlist.


Funny how I never got into "I'm Coming Out" until many years later...