Actually it was a very confusing conversation and I chose not to get deeper into it at the time because it would be... so much work. But he starts out the conversation with 'I dont care about anyone's politics until you try to overthrow the government' and I THOUGHT he was talking about the Jan 6 riot but then he got into talking about Antifa and its like.... ooooh... oh no. Who... who's your source on antifa? Boy, no.
daily reminders
- no human being is 100% happy 100% of the time
- being a person is extraordinarily difficult even in the best of times
- this is not the best of times
- someone is grateful you exist (don't argue, it's true)
- a bad day does not predict a bad existence
- it's gonna be okay
"Nature is cheaper than therapy!"
But just to be clear... it's not like... a replacement for therapy. Like you should be going to therapy in addition to being put in nature.
All that talk about our similarities aside, he DID also say that California was run by Antifa, and I'm just like... one cultural bombshell at a time there, Tex.
Thoughts about rednecks and queers when I get home today.
It's very important that we talk to people different from ourselves, and that goes for both of us.
I was having a conversation with a coworker today that started with 'I don't care of you're gay or whatever, just dont rub it in my face.'
Had he said that a few years ago I probably would have gone on the defense or tempted to have some snappy one-liner. But where he grew up, it was no ones business. If you were gay that was it, everyone knew and nobody cared.
But now it was political.
As a political queer, I explained to him that we'd always been political, but it's only fairly recently in our history that we've been able to have platforms. Like... his knowledge of anti gay laws was legalizing gay marriage ten-ish years ago, but when I told him that when I lived in montana in 2011 sodomy was a misdemeanor he had no clue.
So now that he knows I'll answer questions without shutting him down hes got a lot to say on the topic and I'm listening. And he's getting some of the details wrong for sure but hes trying. But I can tell that these are questions hes been afraid to ask before because he didnt want to say the wrong words.
And the thing is that theres queer rednecks and redneck queers, but it always seems like we're fighting each other and we needn't be. We can, and should, be friends. Because they hate being exploited and excluded and written off the same way we do. Weve got a lot of overlap, we have a lot in common, and we're all tired of houses being too damn expensive.
I always say something like 'I can make it to lunch without breakfast, I've done it a thousand times before.' And then forget that my job is all heavy lifting.
Oh no a stranger on the internet has an opinion about my weight, that's never happened before what ever shall I do...
Every new job is like 'theres a learning curve, it'll get easier' and then gives me some assignment on the lowest difficulty setting.
Day 2 of parks job was tearing out the pansies in the giant urns at city hall and replacing them with mixed early summer plants like petunias and verbena. It's kinda cool because I'm going to be doing an art show at city hall in a month.
One of the landscapers came up to us with a purple flower and asked my boss: "catnip?"
"Catnip."
"Invasive?"
"Technically, no but watch out."
Later, my other boss shows us a picture of a bug the size of my thumb.
Me: "that's not a lantern fly but it looks like one."
Boss: "today I learned it's a Giant willow aphid."
Me: "never seen that one."
Boss: "me neither. Just what this city needs- another bug."
"It'll be less hectic once we get everything planted because after that it's just maintenance like pulling weeds."
This is the hard part????
Day 2 of parks job was tearing out the pansies in the giant urns at city hall and replacing them with mixed early summer plants like petunias and verbena. It's kinda cool because I'm going to be doing an art show at city hall in a month.
One of the landscapers came up to us with a purple flower and asked my boss: "catnip?"
"Catnip."
"Invasive?"
"Technically, no but watch out."
Later, my other boss shows us a picture of a bug the size of my thumb.
Me: "that's not a lantern fly but it looks like one."
Boss: "today I learned it's a Giant willow aphid."
Me: "never seen that one."
Boss: "me neither. Just what this city needs- another bug."
The parks job is real easy, at least it is right now. The job is going around to the 20ish parks in the city limits to empty the 50ish trash cans and pick up garbage. I do this for 8 hours with a dude who looks like he could have voted for trump but ultimately didnt.
Tomorrow, I work with the landscapers to plant the late spring flowers in the pots downtown. My bosses are a lady in her 60s who pretty much lives at the parks building, a former design firm manager, and a florist-turned-biologist.
I might like it here.
Also I found a dollar.
Either similar types of people gravitate towards seasonal parks labor or you had a new horticulturalist join this morning.
"If we got rid of the electoral college, we'd be a full democracy instead of a Democratic Republic and it wont be long until places like New York are making decisions for South Carolina. So I'll pass on that dictatorship, thanks."
Do you... know... anything about the government?
Or Demographics.
Large cities are a relatively small portion of the total US population, and they don't vote as monoliths without an all-or-nothing system like how most states handle their electoral vote.
'We dont want to be ruled by the decisions made by people in new york!"
Then why. Did you elect. A president. FROM QUEENS?
'You cant trust blue states to know the wants and needs of red states.'
Oh my god, i live and and have only EVER lived in red states and I'd be willing to bet that if we were all fucking honest with each other about what we want we'd agree upon a lot of shit.
The parks job is real easy, at least it is right now. The job is going around to the 20ish parks in the city limits to empty the 50ish trash cans and pick up garbage. I do this for 8 hours with a dude who looks like he could have voted for trump but ultimately didnt.
Tomorrow, I work with the landscapers to plant the late spring flowers in the pots downtown. My bosses are a lady in her 60s who pretty much lives at the parks building, a former design firm manager, and a florist-turned-biologist.
I might like it here.
Also I found a dollar.
Looks like the dude who was threatening me changed his facebook identity so people couldnt find him. Which could be because he was tired of arguing with people or it could be from the alleged death threat. But it looks like it's over, and that's what matters.
"If we got rid of the electoral college, we'd be a full democracy instead of a Democratic Republic and it wont be long until places like New York are making decisions for South Carolina. So I'll pass on that dictatorship, thanks."
Do you... know... anything about the government?
Or Demographics.
Large cities are a relatively small portion of the total US population, and they don't vote as monoliths without an all-or-nothing system like how most states handle their electoral vote.
'We dont want to be ruled by the decisions made by people in new york!"
Then why. Did you elect. A president. FROM QUEENS?
Some New Pride illustrations up in my shop!!🌈✨🏳️⚧️🪩
If you want some cool pride t shirts, phone cases, water bottles, beach towels, stickers & more - all illustrated by a trans, queer artist here check out my society6 shop Lane & Lucia or visit the link below!’
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