This week has been filled with rain. So I wanted to get out of the office and explore. I visited downtown Oakland and learned a little bit about Jack London, though there were other things that interested me.

Two things did occur. The first: I found a review on Yelp connected to a closed restaurant. One that has been closed since 2017 or earlier. I went to the location: where a former Rainforest Cafe used to be. There is a Madame Tussauds with an entrance that’s practically boarded up with a McDonald’s next to it. I determined this space is where the Rainforest Cafe used to be. If you want to be really specific, it’s where “Fisherman’s Wharf” is stamped on Apple Maps.

Gifts from the past from my chosen family, Alexis, Ally, and Terri.

So clearly this reviewer got the wrong location. And I found this hilarious. I spent the afternoon figuring out where this mysterious restaurant might be. So I went to Applebee’s at the other end of the block, where I paid $16 for mozzarella sticks. I did not find this hilarious, although the views were nice. I decided to come back and try the sourdough bread at Boudin’s at a later time.

The waitress and I determined this had to be the Hard Rock Cafe. The sun was starting to go down, and I don’t like being outside after dark (whoa is me).

The second: I want to help more queer art be made. I don’t exactly know how I’m going to make this happen, but I have the equipment and drive to help make that happen. But I’m working with my business partner to make that happen. Because that’s how I want to express myself. By helping queer art (especially if it’s film) come to life.

The writing done this week has been two fold. One is the outlining of my next next novel. But there’s also a short pice that I’m working on called Life After Trans. It deals with the issues faced after transitioning and the people and hobbies picked up along the way. This is a story about the journey, about becoming comfortable with the space around you. And I’m having fun expanding upon this three year old short story.

There were a couple of birthdays of my chosen family this week. I created a couple of videos specific to them and I couldn’t have had more fun.

On a slightly different note, I’ve been dealing with religious trauma lately. It’s not something I can put into words yet exactly (beyond this sentence). But I’m looking at paganism in a new light. I’m not looking into crystals or spells, though that would be amazing to learn about. What I am doing is looking up Norse gods and seeing embodiments of nature that fit my personality. The research is fun and speaks to the Scandinavian and Irish part of me.

I started watching Wednesday this week. I am enjoying the show. It’s a great progression of character and lore around the family. The show itself seems to embrace the absurdity and weirdness and runs with it, and adds to the family’s history. That much I really enjoy.

Who knew that a writer would watch for the story!

Things I enjoyed this week:

Sovereign, sequel to Dreadnaught
Chloie P. and The Scouts
Queer Classics presenting the next movie (December 11).