our first pride in the nyc

so pride.

it rained cats and dogs basically all weekend which immediately excluded all our supper club friends from the various pride festivities. jes and i waffled back and forth about whether or not we should but we finally deicded to try it out.

on saturday we spent the morning running errands around park slope. we had our granny cart and our umbrella and i had on my all weather shoes. we made it around to most of our errands without much problem. then we stopped for lunch at the vspot, this new all vegan joint in north slope. i think i have talked about it before. it has such potential, and a few good dishes, but they really need to work the kinks out quick. this time it was hot as fuck (getting the a/c fixed) and we never got any silverware. we shared a (fake) chicken cutlet sandwich (good but a bit greasy) and some guacamole (which was very, very good). after lunch we stopped at the bike shop so that jes could look at (her new obsession) bikes. that is when the skies opened up and the monsoon rains began. we were just about as far north as one could be in the slope, and we, by the way, live about as far south in the slope as one can get. by the time we got home we were SOAKED. i mean stood in the shower with my clothes on soaked.

so we peeled off our clothes, put them on the drying rack to dry and took a shower and then headed off to the city for the dyke march. the rain had subsided so it wasn't so bad. we met up with the march shortly after it began and marched all the way to the end. we played the "how many people will we know in the crowd" game. i guessed six, jes guessed ten. jes won. the only "famous" person i saw in the crowd was lisa duggan this brilliant history/queer studies professor at nyu. she is famous in my world yall. and she looks divine in red. the highlight of the march was when we passed the victoria's secrets store and all the workers were cheering us on and motioning for us to come into the store. everyone cheered.

anywho, the supper club gals met us at the end of the march and we went to benny's for some mexican food. jes and i shared the fish tacos (not so good) and some black bean soft tacos (divine). she had a margarita, i had water (b/c of my cramps). after dinner we headed over to this girl party called the X party. it was a fundraiser for reproductive rights, so at least the money was for a good cause. we got there a bit early so we kind of hung out out front. there were these female firefighters trying to recruit us. i was like HELL NO. and then i found out i was TOO OLD to try out anyways. they were ALL OVER kim so she took a flyer.

once we got inside there was like four people there, but within thirty minutes it filled up. the bar was called remote control and it was filled with all these televsions and these cameras and basically you sit down at a console and try and find other people on the same channel as you and then you chat. i set a goal for the group that we would make two friends- meaning we would talk to two people we did not know. we met our goal and then some. the first person i talked to scurried away b/c her gfriend came up quick and started to cockblock me. i had NO interest in this woman that way, i was just trying to figure out how to use the console. whatevs.

then we made friends with this woman aly (short for alyssa) who was YOUNG and worked at starbucks. she was feeling our ali (aka nancy) but nothing happened. we had fun playing with the technology and watching people. i was exhausted by midnight so we headed home. we got up sunday morning and cleaned up the house for the arrival of our friend amanda then headed into the city for the parade. i go the time wrong on the parade so we missed it (oh bother). but we did make it to the street festival which was kind of cool. not too crowded until the end, lots of free shit we did not need, and really racially diverse (more diverse than any pride i have been to in atlanta, columbus, or chicago). maybe it was just the time we were there or maybe that is how it is. i am not sure. we shared a cup of watermelon, stopped at jamba juice and jes got this divine smoothie and then we headed back to brooklyn.

we also watched two DEEP movies this past weekend: the constant gardener & syriana.
i tell you what, they both made me feel REAL STUPID and reiterated to me i need to brush up on my global politics. i was more confused by syriana. i think i need to see it again and maybe read the cliff notes or something. both were good and kept my attention, i just didn't follow it all b/c i am dumb when it comes to international politics, and oil and drug policy and such. i recommend both- just put on your thinking caps.

oy i am not tired, so i think i am going to have a glass of wine and then head to bed. i think i am finally caught up with the blog. amen.

i can't keep up yall-just part one

for whatever reason, i can't keep up with the blogging.

i think with the travel, the internet going in and out at our house, and me really trying to get this dissertation done, i have less time to blog.

so let me try and take this time right now, while i am watching my new favorite show "medium" to tell you about how much i love california and about my first new york pride.

part 1: i heart san francisco
i spent a week in california visiting with my friends and going to the national women's studies association (nwsa). first of all, the weather in sf, oakland and davis was outstanding. clear, sunny and warm. by the end of the week it was HOT. mary and dusty live right near the castro and the views from their apartment are amazing. they got this new dog, davis and so we got to walk her a lot. we went up to the park on the hill by their house and everything was blooming and breezy and divine. there were twelve million cute dogs everywhere and i didn't step in dog poop once. we also went to the beach with the dog which was fun going down to the beach but a bit of a hike on the way back up. we brought the neighbors dog, tarboo and so the dogs were having a GREAT time chasing balls and running into the ocean. dusty was trying to teach davis how to catch a frisbee by holding it in her mouth and showing her how to catch it. she didn't get it, but she is great at sitting, laying down and eating poop.

we also went to a street fair in temescal (in oakland) and hung out with mary and dusty's friends who have a new baby boy who is a real muffin. i got to carry the baby through the street fair and i was sore from it the next day (yes i need to get to the gym). on sunday (father's day) mary, dusty and i went to davis (dusty's hometown) to meet up with her stepdad jan. we all went to a minor league baseball game in sacramento. it was ridiculously hot at the park until the fifth inning, but it was so much fun. at first the rivercats (our team) were losing, then they were winning, then they were losing. a very on the edge of your seat game. after the game we went to a delish italian restaurant, walked the dog one more time, and then headed home. i was so tired, but it was such a full day.

i also got to go out to this cute bar and play centipede with my friend nifa. she was fasting the whole time i was there so she was a little bit tired and woozy. she didn't eat anything for TEN DAYS but this juice made of lemon, cayenne pepper, molasses and something else. she and i also went to lunch (only i ate) at this joint called cafe gratitude. its this tree hugging hippy joint. i ordered the "i am passionate" pizza and some dessert that was called something similar. everything was delish. we got to talk and hang out a little bit that day too. it was nice to have some time with her. i also got to see her new fancy loft.

the conference also went well. i attended a few neat panels: two on aging lesbians and feminists, one on the sex wars at barnard, one on transgender theories and one on activists local to the sf area. the panel i was on with higgins also went well. it was great to present my work to so many people i love (the audience was mostly my friends) and to see them sort of excited to hear more or read the finished product.

the trip overall was great because i got to see so many friends and b/c i just love walking around san fran and just taking in the gorgeous geography, the murals, the smells and the slower pace. i kept telling jes how much i love it there. she is like "donna, i KNOW you love san fran." i really can't wait to move there, look at the lush vegetation and go with mary and dusty to the dog park with their dog, their kids and our kids. in a few years...

ok i can't write about pride now. i am tired and our friend amanda who is staying with us is back and telling us about her day of looking at apartments.

time warner sucks ass

yeah so i have not posted for some time both because i was in california for a week for a conference and to visit friends. i had every intention of posting about that when i got back to brooklyn, but lo and behold, our fucking internet (and phone) have been down for the entire week. i made an appt for them to come and look at it and then yesterday morning it came back up: FOR THREE HOURS (but i had already cancelled the appt.) we are going to see what happens this weekend and if it stays down, i will call for an appt. again.

so what that means is that i am at a coffee shop now using their wi fi. but since i can only get internet here i have to just do my required internet work (check email, etc) and i don't have too much time to write long posts here. i guess i could type them up at home and then come here and upload them. ok, that is what i will do this weekend.

and about this weekend...its GAY PRIDE. yippiee. buttless chaps, mullets and sports bras. just kidding (or not). we'll see. this is my first new york pride so i am excited to see what it is like. we were going to go to the trans march this afternoon but they changed the time to later and i will be at the co op volunterring. so tomorrow we will bike down to coney island for the mermaid parade and then head to the city for the dyke march. as long as it doesn't rain on sunday we will check out the street fair and the parade. i am excited to see all the queers and allies out.

i will post more later about my lovely time in california.

on a plane to San Francisco

(this was from monday)

For real, as I type this, I am on a plane heading west. Obviously I won’t upload it until I get to Mary’s house, but nevertheless, I am composing it here on my airtran plane, seat 27 C. I was in 29D but I needed more room so I moved across the aisle. I head to SF for National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA). I am giving a paper with Higgins on Friday. I will also visit with Mary, Dusty, their cat CoCo Ray and their NEW dog Davis. Very excited about meeting her. I will also see Nifa and my friends Mel and Tanner. I am looking forward to it all.

I know I should post more about Paris, but I just can’t handle figuring out what pictures I have posted and what stories I have told, so I am going to save that for a time when I am connected to the internet. This past weekend was very exciting because it was Brooklyn Pride. It was also the Newfest GLBT film festival in the city, so needless to say we went out a lot and I did less work on my conference paper/fourth dissertation chapter than I would have liked. Oh well. Anywho we saw two films and attended one panel at the Newfest. The first film was “Pic Up the Mic” a documentary about queer hip hop artists. It was interesting for the most part. Some of it infuriated me, but it got me thinking and I guess that is the point.

We also saw “Boy I Am” a documentary about three transguys in New York City. It was also very provocative and I might try and catch it again on Saturday night in San Francisco. Then on Sunday we went to a panel on lesbian masculinity that was mostly irritating but the panelists had some interesting stuff to say. We rode our bikes to and from the panel which was probably about 17 miles. It was pretty intense to be riding in the city. I was certain I would crash, get hit by a cabbie, get hit by a door to a car and lose all my teeth or get my bike stolen. None of the above happened and instead I got a lot of great exercise and took in the lovely sights of the city. I am definitely more tired today because of it, but its kind of a good soreness.

On Friday night we went to see “Cat Power” in the city and she was really good. She is a bit bonkers the way she was dancing on the stage and all but when it really comes down to it, the girl can sing. I also liked the band she had. There were these two amazing back up singers that really enriched her voice. I was really tired that night but it was a nice chill way for me and Jes to have a little time alone. Afterwards we went home and crashed. On Saturday we had brunch with Jes’s friend Drake in Park Slope and then we met up with Ali to attend the Brooklyn Pride street fest. It was pretty small but still very nice. I got some condoms and lube and six times I got asked if I was a registered Democrat in the state of New York. I had to keep telling them no and it was making me a bit angry. Finally Ali just started telling folks we were Republicans. They would look at us blankly and then I would say “she is just kidding.” Good times. After the fair we headed up to see a movie and then to a nice little reception where jes and ali ate some of the free food while I ate moist crackers (my belly was acting up) and drank one of the strongest vodka tonics I have ever had. After that, we headed back to Park Slope for dinner at the Vspot. This is a new vegan restaurant like twelve feet from Ali’s apartment and we have taken a liking to it. The food is pretty good and fairly affordable but the dishes are not so consistent, nor is the service. We really like the owner guy so we figure once he gets the flow of things, it will be really great.

We kind of rushed through dinner because we wanted to get in free to Cattyshack which meant getting there before 8pm. We literally ran down Union to 4th Avenue and made it just under the gun. It was a fun night there. Lots and lots of cute girls and transguys and a really racially diverse group. My vodka tonic there tasted like plastic so I switched to the most disgusting diet pepsi I have ever had. Ali had wine and Jes had beer. I probably should have gone with one of those. This woman in the shortest daisy duke shorts I have ever seen, a bikini top and a green hoody approached Ali and gave her a flyer to this party. We kept on telling her that “daisy” had a thing for her. Before we left we went down to the dance floor and I got my freak on to Missy and Beyonce and a few other fun songs. Then we left and headed over to Gingers to see how it was going. It was RIDICULOUSLY packed so Ali and I walked in and out while Jes went to the restroom. By then we were all pretty worn out so we went our separate ways.

After our long ass bike ride on Sunday, Ali and Kim came over for a little impromptu bbq. We all had fake burgers (even Kim the carnivore- come to our side Kim) and I made smashed red potatoes and even used rosemary from the garden (how nice!) Jes grilled some corn on the cob and we had smores and strawberries (separately- not together) for dinner. It was divine and relaxing. We busted chats for a minute and then I had to retire to the bedroom for an IM chat with the IDKE Steering Committee. Here is it Monday and I am on a plane all day long. Good times.

So that is about all I have to report. My friend Ara had a bday last week, as did Jasmin, the little girl I used to babysit for in Ohio. She turned 10. I can’t believe it. I am also having a hard time with the fact that my goddaughter Alix will be 12 in July. Oy! She is going to be a teenager soon.

i'm a better blogger when i can't sleep

i have no idea why, but i woke up at 4:30 this morning and here it is almost 6am and I can't sleep

so, like any normal person, i got up and started researching mattresses. ours is shot and we need a new one and i have not the first clue on how to purchase the right mattress. all i know is that my back is wrecked (both from our old mattress AND from the fact that i have not been working out so the belly gets bigger and bigger and bigger...). anywho if yall have any insight on how to get a comfortable and affordable queen sized mattress, please do share.

so more on paris...

the second day jes and i went to the catacombs. i knew very little about this place and it was not so easy to find (as the entrance is really not that well marked) but once we got there and paid our entrance fee we proceeded down the longest, most claustrophobia-inducing spiral staircase down that i have ever descended. now i know i am not crazy about crowds and i like to have an escape route at all times, but i tell you what i was definitely employing my pregnancy breathing techniques (that i use when i get bad belly aches) while walking down this staircase. i just kept thinking "there is no way out." when i got to the bottom i reminded jes how much i loved her as proven in the fact that i just walked down that staircase. anywho, if that was not traumatic enough, look what i found after a long moist walk down a mostly dark hallway:



uh, yeah you are seeing that right- its piles and piles of skulls and bones. you know, dead people's remnants. here's another gem:



as much as i joke, it was actually kind of lovely and somber and it really appealed to my love of order. the way the bones were laid was so systematic and symmetrical that i could really appreciate it. apparently a bunch of the cemetaries in paris (maybe of all of france?) were dug up and so they put all of the bones in the catacombs as a memorial (i think). here is one last picture. my friend miriam (who i had dinner with the other night) speaks/reads french and said the plaque is more about being poetic than about providing information. sorry i can't translate it:



by the end of our time in the catacombs all i could think about were all the stories i have been hearing about mines collapsing and people getting trapped and so i started to catalog everything we had in our bag and wonder how long we could live on one bottle of water, some protein bars and a few fruit leathers. needless to say, i was glad to see daylight when we were done.

later that afternoon we met up with pony to go see sacre coeur?couer (not sure, sorry), this lovely church. but before we went there, we stopped to get us a little caffeinated beverage: pony got espresso and jes and i got a coca light (diet coke). we chose to purchase these lovely beverages from a joint across from the moulin rouge:



luckilly, we only paid about ten euros for our three drinks AND we all had to pee, but it was a PAY TOILET. so we just held it until we got to the church. i am getting tired, so i will post the pics of sacre coeur later, but not before i share this hilarious photo. see, moulin rouge is located in the sex shoppe/strip club area of paris and while walking to get our overpriced diet coke, i saw this outside of a strip joint:



i am left wondering, how does one train to become a "specialist" in this area? that is, what are the credentials?
inquiring minds want to know...

so about paris

yikes i have not been the best blogger lately

i have been working on my job stuff and on my diss. i have to give a paper at nwsa next week so i am trying to pull something together for that which is also functioning as framework for my last chapter. jes and i are also trying to get back into the swing of things here in brooklyn. she seems to really enjoy her summer internships. learning stuff and making friends and what not. apparently the folks she works with really like to karoake. they went last night after work and i am proud to say that jes was THE ONLY PERSON in her office that DID NOT karoake.

we also spent a good part of last sunday taking part in the tour de brooklyn- an 18 mile bike ride around various parts of brooklyn. it was good times but i was sore in all kinds of places afterwards. i was most proud that i did not crash into anyone or just fall on my own. folks were falling all over the place so i was hyperaware of where i was going and who was around me.

so let me get to the good stuff: pictures and stories of paris. i am going to try and break this up into a few posts b/c its a lot to write and look at.

so the first day we got there we walked around down by notre dame, this gorgeous church. here is a picture of it inside and out:





our friend jay's mom has had cancer for a while and when we were in italy a few summers ago, we lit a candle for her and her cancer went into remission. recently her cancer came back, so, cuz it can't hurt, we lit a candle for her at notre dame. keep your fingers crossed that it will work.

after visiting the church i stopped by a little shop to get some postcards and such. then we went and go falafel at this joint pony told us about. apparently it is lenny kravitz's favorite place to get falafel in paris (who knew?) my hummus sandwich was good AND it did not make me sick which is also good. after that, i had a hankering for some chocolate, so we stopped at this fancy place and jes and i got a little something something. i did my best to say hello, please and thank you in french but that was as far as it went. so when i was leaving the worker guy started talking to me in french and i was all "huh?" so pony stepped in (bless his heart) and it ends up the five euro bill i gave him was FAKE. WHAT???? yep, counterfeit motherfuckers. we deduced that the postcard dudes gave it to me, so we went back and KICKED SOME FRENCH ASS. ok, not really. pony just went in, explained and got me another fiver that was real. here is a pic of me outside the joint ready to open up a can of whup ass:



chicago bears REPRESENT

ok i gotta start dinner. what a good wifey i am.