![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
judecorpI had a fantastic weekend. The bridal shower was way less painful than I feared, in part because I got to see two cool girls I hadn't seen since high school graduation, one cool girl I hadn't seen in a year, one cool girl I hadn't seen since sixth grade, and of course the bride-to-be whom I lusted after all through high school. Providence Pride was one of the most disappointing Pride experiences of my life, but I did get to see my friends /and/ get a little more sun-color. We ditched on Pride which gave us time to go to my mother's and visit, which meant free food and a nice place to spend the night. We spent the majority of today at a Father's Day dinner at my aunt&uncle's house in Charlton with my father and grandparents, where we ate far too much food including childhood nostalgia-inducing items such as steamers and ice box cake. We also conned my father into storing all of our Rubbermaid bins in his basement which was a major clutter-reducing score.
To say that Providence Pride was a disappointment is a gross understatement. It was by and large the lamest thing to market itself as a Pride celebration I've ever seen. Aside from the fact that it had a painfully low turnout (for a statewide celebration), it looked more like a local craft fair than Pride. Perhaps I'm biased somewhat after the flamboyant galas of Columbus Pride or the sheer numbers at Boston Pride, but really, there were more craft booths than political booths and everyone was so politically apathetic. No one was wearing free stickers, even. Aie!
The entertainment was terrible. There was one stage and most of the "performers" were lip synching. People were just standing around and no one was really paying attention to the stage. I think people were just wasting time until they could go to the clubs, seriously. What a disappointment.
Even more disappointing, though, were my friends. This sounds so bitchy and snooty and shallow, but I will preface it all by admitting I am a Bad Person. So anyway. I didn't really realize until yesterday that one of my good friends from high school has absolutely no substance to her. None. I mean, I can't have a conversation with this girl to save my life. She does not talk about anything but clubbing, sex, and appearance. And she is my age. We walked past some of the political booths and she just kept saying, "I hate this stuff. I don't care about politics. I don't know anything about politics." Later, at her house, she stated that she wasn't going to vote, so of course I tried to encourage her to vote (as a woman, and a queer person). Jen and I were telling her our opinion about the evils of our current administration, and she said, "I don't know anything about Bush. Does he hate gay people or something?" Holy crap, I think I broke my jaw the way it hit the floor so fast.
It's sad to think that if I met this girl today, I would never talk to her for more than five minutes and would probably spend the next week trash-talking her. But since I have known her since I was about 12 years old, and we have so much history, I have this tie to her and want to maintain a relationship with her. I just think I've outgrown her in a lot of ways, and while that kind of bums me out, it also makes me proud to know that I've really grown and matured as a person, and I'm also proud of how much more aware I am than the average joey-bag-of-donuts.
My uncle threw a little Father's Day thing at his house this afternoon, so Jen and I trucked over there with my father and my grandparents. It was the first time Jen had ever been to Uncle Joe's house. Personally, I think that Uncle Joe has the brains of a turnip (this is because of his politics and general underlying philosophies, of course), but I have to say that it really warmed my heart when he turned to Jen upon our arrival and asked her if it was the first time she'd been to his house. When she said that it was, he immediately took her on a tour of the house and the backyard (which is quite impressive) and I think it did a lot for making her feel welcome. I have to give serious props to my family, even older family members like my grandparents, for really going out of their way to be inviting to Jen.
Good thing, really, because they'll all be related soon! :)
To say that Providence Pride was a disappointment is a gross understatement. It was by and large the lamest thing to market itself as a Pride celebration I've ever seen. Aside from the fact that it had a painfully low turnout (for a statewide celebration), it looked more like a local craft fair than Pride. Perhaps I'm biased somewhat after the flamboyant galas of Columbus Pride or the sheer numbers at Boston Pride, but really, there were more craft booths than political booths and everyone was so politically apathetic. No one was wearing free stickers, even. Aie!
The entertainment was terrible. There was one stage and most of the "performers" were lip synching. People were just standing around and no one was really paying attention to the stage. I think people were just wasting time until they could go to the clubs, seriously. What a disappointment.
Even more disappointing, though, were my friends. This sounds so bitchy and snooty and shallow, but I will preface it all by admitting I am a Bad Person. So anyway. I didn't really realize until yesterday that one of my good friends from high school has absolutely no substance to her. None. I mean, I can't have a conversation with this girl to save my life. She does not talk about anything but clubbing, sex, and appearance. And she is my age. We walked past some of the political booths and she just kept saying, "I hate this stuff. I don't care about politics. I don't know anything about politics." Later, at her house, she stated that she wasn't going to vote, so of course I tried to encourage her to vote (as a woman, and a queer person). Jen and I were telling her our opinion about the evils of our current administration, and she said, "I don't know anything about Bush. Does he hate gay people or something?" Holy crap, I think I broke my jaw the way it hit the floor so fast.
It's sad to think that if I met this girl today, I would never talk to her for more than five minutes and would probably spend the next week trash-talking her. But since I have known her since I was about 12 years old, and we have so much history, I have this tie to her and want to maintain a relationship with her. I just think I've outgrown her in a lot of ways, and while that kind of bums me out, it also makes me proud to know that I've really grown and matured as a person, and I'm also proud of how much more aware I am than the average joey-bag-of-donuts.
My uncle threw a little Father's Day thing at his house this afternoon, so Jen and I trucked over there with my father and my grandparents. It was the first time Jen had ever been to Uncle Joe's house. Personally, I think that Uncle Joe has the brains of a turnip (this is because of his politics and general underlying philosophies, of course), but I have to say that it really warmed my heart when he turned to Jen upon our arrival and asked her if it was the first time she'd been to his house. When she said that it was, he immediately took her on a tour of the house and the backyard (which is quite impressive) and I think it did a lot for making her feel welcome. I have to give serious props to my family, even older family members like my grandparents, for really going out of their way to be inviting to Jen.
Good thing, really, because they'll all be related soon! :)
