Last weekend was Pride in Seattle and it ended up being a reunion weekend for me. Saturday night I went to the Seattle Men's Chorus concert Glitter and be Gay, featuring the music of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. Also featured was the Seattle Women's Chorus who seemed to have a greater presence on stage - meaning more of them than the men's chorus. It was a fantastic show and while I do wish I'd sung and been part of it, it was exciting to sit and watch a show.
Before the show started, I was rushing across the theater to catch the attention of my ride home and someone called my name. I turned to see Missy Tade, a friend from college. It was so fun to see her again and catch up. We also promised to have dinner on our birthday (we both share the same day).
Sunday was all about the Pride Parade. First of all, the big news was that for the first time the Space Needle was flying a huge rainbow flag. I'm sure there are people who were bothered by it, but it was exciting to hear that it happened.
Another friend from college, Paul, picked me up at my apartment. We came out to each other during our last year and he was helpful in introducing me to the gay community in Seattle - aka Capital Hill. We ended up leaving his car at a park and ride and taking the bus into Seattle - between parking and traffic, I figured this was the best option. We actually arrived an hour before the start of the parade so we were in charge of finding a spot along the parade route.
It turns out that Jen, another friend from college and AMAZING straight support of gay rights hadn't even left from Everett yet - at it takes around 40 minutes to get to Seattle from Everett. Paul and I found a nice spot at a bus stop, which meant benches to sit on rather than the curb. We found it difficult to keep turning people away so we could save a spot for Jen and the four friends she was bringing - especially as the start time drew near.
If you have never faced off with a bitchy queen, consider yourself lucky. One guy told me that my friend should have arrived on time! Another lesbian got in my face and said "It's a PARADE! There's no saving spaces!" I came close to yelling back at her to go build something but I held back. By the time Jen and her friends arrived, the Dykes on Bikes were roaring along the parade route.
The half naked men were in short supply, unfortunately. We did see a LOT of topless women and a huge blow up vagina that had me swearing off tacos for awhile (which was funny because after the parade we saw someone from Qdoba Mexican Grill offering coupons for free tacos). At one point a group of people on bicycles rode by wearing nothing but body paint - literally. Only one of the guys was photo-worthy, though and I did take many pictures hehehe.
Jen had brought with her some current and former students from the college we all attended - a small Christian college. Yes, I know. The former students talked about how far the college has come in its acceptance, but it still has a long way to go. Jen works in admissions and still finds herself surrounded by closed-minded people who require her to think before she says things. We did find out that our college now has a soccer team and Paul and I both agreed we need to catch one of their games - no we're not soccer fans, we just heard that there are some really hot guys on the team.
Sadly my 4th of July was much less satisfying. I decided to rent a car to get some groceries. My plan was to do the shopping later in the day because once I returned the car I could walk and find a decent spot to watch the fireworks show put on by the city where I live. Unfortunately, the bus I planned to take was 6 minutes early and apparently the driver didn't see me waving as I chased after the bus. So I walked to the car.
Thankfully the supermarket was nearly empty, but by the time I got home and got my groceries put away, I was really tired and not really interested in putting up with any crowds. After returning the car, I got on the bus (this time actually making it) and went home. I figured I would be able to see the fireworks show from work, across the street from my apartment. Unfortunately, the fireworks didn't go nearly as high as I thought they would and all I saw were the tall skyscrapers between me and the show.
I went back inside and decided to watch some shows I had Tivo record, but for some reason the focus seemed to be on people's reactions rather than the actual shows. Why the directors thought I was tuning into to see OTHER people watching fireworks is beyond me.
Oh well, next year I know to take a nap in the middle of the day and fight the crowds to actually see some fireworks.
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