Pride '08 under the blaring sun

I meant to write this blog sooner, things have just been so busy around here. There have been a lot of people coming and going. Now that the bodies have finally filtered out, I actually have a chance to sit down and write.

Central New York GLBT Pride was on Saturday, June 7. This is my tenth year going to the Pride event. Donny went with me for the first time. Some of his teachers and fellow students went, as well, and he got to see them there. He knew more people there than I did! He marched in the parade with me and Jonathan, and he had a blast all day. I took lots of pictures.

The only problem was that it was so hot. Walking around in 90 degree weather all day can be tiring. We did a lot of walking, because after wandering around the Pride event for a few hours, we also went to the Youth Pride event at the Q Center. I've never seen Donny have so much fun! I'm glad he came along. Later, Jonathan and I came back to the festival to watch Sister Funk perform the last few songs of their set. Most people had gone home by then. So we went home to relax in the air conditioning. It was a fun weekend.

The beginning of this week was a scorcher. It was so damn hot. And then the storm hit us suddenly, and left just as quickly as it came. The downtown farmer's market started Tuesday, and I'm glad I went through there when I did, because if I had stayed there another 15 minutes, I would have been blown away. When I went into work, I was up on the 10th floor and there were plastic bags and things flying around. Potted plants were tossed about. People raced to save their fruits and vegetables. I feel bad for them. I hope they didn't lose too much money. What a bad way to start the farmer's market season. I hope next week is better for them.

Now the weather is nice. The sky is bright, blue, and clear, and the temperature has cooled off significantly. I guess we needed that storm to break the heat. Now all is back to normal. Not only has the weather quieted down, my apartment has quieted down, as well. I've had a lot of company lately. But at least now my apartment's clean. It looks great. I can actually have guests over now. But for now I need some peace and quiet for a few days.

And Then There Was One...

After a long battle with the management, my neighbors have finally moved out. It's been a long, stressful process, and I've been a good, supportive friend to them through it all, as I always am. It is so quiet in the apartments on both sides of me now. It's almost like a ghost town. I don't hear Chris's music in the middle of the night. No more waving goodbye to Skip when I leave for work. No more hanging out with the neighbors and knocking back a 12-pack. It was fun to actually have people to hang out with that were literally right next door. As suddenly as they moved out, there are people getting ready to move in. I hope I have good new neighbors.

Skip and Chris found a 2-bedroom apartment. It's not too far from here. I'm sure I'll help them move in. I can't wait to see their new place. Most of their belongings are downstairs in the storage room here. Skip is using my storage room. They will be moving out their stuff soon enough. As soon as their stuff is gone, I will also begin the moving process. It's time to say farewell to this tiny dump.

What a Weird Week!

It's been quite a week for me. Last Sunday my allergies kicked in big time. They've been kicking my ass all week! I just can't seem to shake them. I hope I'm not coming down with a cold. It doesn't feel like a cold, as I can tell the difference between allergies and a cold, but I'm going to be cautious. The weather has been strange, as well, and the constant change between warm and cold, humid and dry isn't helping me any.

Wednesday was the last day I had to come in early to cover for someone at work. It was also Halloween. The majority of the day was pretty much the same as always... up until 5:30 when I go downstairs to clean childcare at the end of the day.

Let me tell you about childcare. Anyone who has worked in the cleaning/housekeeping industry will attest to the fact that anywhere where there is children, there is a disaster. I've cleaned in a lot of different places in the past few years, and let me tell you, childcares and daycares are the WORST. But during my time with this company, I have NEVER seen anything like this!

As it was Halloween, the teachers had a party for the kids. They had candy, cupcakes, and the usual. They also had a sensory activity where they put various items in containers and had the kids feel inside. It was supposed to be gross stuff, like wet spaghetti for brains, grapes for eyeballs, etc. When I went in there Wednesday afternoon, there was spaghetti in every corner of the room. There was spaghetti in places where spaghetti has never gone before! There was a glow-in-the-dark bouncy ball lodged in the sink. There was candy besprent from one end of the room to the other, even in the bathroom! There was orange and black paint everywhere. That childcare was so filthy, it was scary. It was almost horrific!

I was so tired. The week was already dragging on as it was, and that was just the tip of the iceberg! By the time I got home, I was exhausted. I didn't do anything to celebrate Halloween, which is one of my favorite holidays.

After Wednesday, things calmed down, but the energies were still weird around me. Something was just "off." I can't explain it, but nothing seemed to go my way. I was pretty irritable for the next two days. I must have been accident prone, too, because I kept tearing trash bags, dropping things, and just fumbling with everything. I even knocked my entire cleaning cart over... all my stuff fell on the floor, and the cart even fell apart! At least I didn't spill my mop bucket...