Hannah and I just got back from a week-long trip to the Chicago area. We were there for a few reasons: 1. for our niece’s queer wedding (Yay!), 2. to celebrate out 26th anniversary, and 3. to see our good friends who recently moved to Chicago. Sounds jam-packed, but we had a lot of time to relax as well. 

We rented a cabin on Airbnb that was right on the side of a golf course. It looked amazing from the pictures online, but it wasn’t all that. There were multiple things wrong with the place, as far as what you’d expect from looking over the listing. We didn’t think anything would be “bad” about it, but it was disappointing. Oh well. That’s the risk you take when renting an Airbnb. The main thing I didn’t like about it was that the owners lived just behind the house. They were always around. No true privacy. They were very nice, though.

The wedding was awesome. Both Hannah and I were teary-eyed. It was a beautiful ceremony. I’ve known one of the brides (Hannah’s sister’s daughter) since she was ten years old. She married her longtime girlfriend, and it was great to celebrate with them, other family members, and their friends. Unfortunately, not one of Hannah’s siblings attended the wedding. They all had a “reason,” I guess, but not really. Something about not wanting to make the three-hour drive the day after coming back on a prior trip, said the mother of the bride. It really seemed like it came down to political and “moral” differences. Hannah’s sister won’t exactly acknowledge our niece’s child, who identifies as nonbinary. They’ve known since they were six, and they’ve changed their name and pronouns since then. Still a kid, their grandmother feels it is all “child abuse” at the hands of their mother. It’s a sad, tangled web.

Hannah’s brother also did not attend because he’s highly Christian and doesn’t support LGBTQ+ relationships. But his children were there, one of whom is gay and married to her partner. We hadn’t seen that niece and nephew in many years, and it was lovely to get to know them as young adults. It was a very special family reunion. Now we have all vowed to keep in touch more and see each other again soon. There’s a plan for all of them to come out to Joshua Tree. 

It seems you can’t avoid a couple of queer people in most families, but it’s a shame there is so much conservative pushback in those families, too. I don’t get why people even care. We don’t give those people shit for being straight and cis-gender. Why do our private lives matter so much to these religious zealots? Why do they feel the need to control others and who they are? Who fucking cares who we are and what we do? Nunya business! Do all these Christians think they’re all-mighty to judge others, or even god? And what if you don’t believe in god or Jesus? Are we all supposed to “believe” in those things to be able to have the same privileges and freedoms as they do? There is no equality anymore. But was there ever? 

Anyway, on the art front, I’m back at it and have been working on a few paintings at once. They’re all in various stages right now. I may even be able to finish one of them today or tomorrow. That one is called “Golden Child,” a rendering of my dad with my brother when he was a baby. I’m still deciding whether or not to put horns coming out of the baby’s head. Too funny, really. My brother is also severely judgmental of people, and especially of me, but says he’s not Christian anymore. So, he might deserve horns. Ha ha ha!

The other two pieces in progress are a childhood portrait of myself, and one is from a picture of my parents standing in front of the fireplace in one of the many homes I grew up in. It also has some odd elements to it. Just trying to make things a bit interesting with this series. The unusual slant on these paintings has special meanings, but I want them to be ambiguous for the most part. I don’t want them to be super obvious.

I recently put out a newsletter. I meant to post it on Substack, but then I didn’t. Now, maybe too much time has gone by, and there’s enough of the same information overlapping on the blog. So, never mind. Ha ha. 

Well, that’s all I got for today. Bye.