Queer Intro

Welcome to the Gay in the Bay Blog! I am Josie, a queer writer and videographer that loves to document what I see around me. This started out as a writing blog but has grown to include events that more people should know about.

This post is for the week of April 9 - 15.

Do you have a live event that needs filming? I’m a videographer! Please check out the Sweeney Media on your way to the About > Contact page. I look forward to working with you.

San Francisco Sunsets

At the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, April 14, Friday night. I was with friends, eating food, when I saw the sunset happening. I ran to the best spot as the sun finally set over the horizon.

Writing

This past week I took a break from my superhero book (Project Ladybug Tavern) and picked up another book (Project Madison Flame). This one is set before the events of all the meta human shenanigans. It’s a fairly poetic, multi-perspective story that introduces the reader to a portion of the residents of the city of New London. No, not the ones in Connecticut or Minnesota, but a fictional one in California.

New London has been a pet project of mine; a conglomeration of other cities that’s formed its own weird little melting pot of culture. Each perspective is dealing with something. From a traumatic break up, to a comic store manager trying her best to expand the store, to two brothers writing a play together. More on these stories in the following weeks.

Film

Beta Test: Death and Taxes

Over the weekend I got the opportunity to film a live show. It was the second one that Beta Test Burlesque has put on, and the folx who put this on are a joy to work with. Seven performers, six acts, two kittens to sweep up money, one videographer, a hard-working stage manager, and one badass host. And there was a theme this time: Death and Taxes.

Beta Test puts on display new acts that are being performed for the first time. They are acted out with the caveat that there may be things that need working out. That’s what is perfect about this show; the imperfections. The space to show what you’ve worked on and see what works, and what still needs work. And I’m here to provide that feedback later on.

Saturday night was a whirlwind. A quick setup before the audience arrived; that’s about all I remember before the show began. I got a glimpse of about three acts, while making sure my camera was set up properly. Lighting was really fun; one of my LED lights stopped working halfway through the show. Thank the gods for intermissions and extension cords.

I’ve never seen so much confetti at a live show before! There were two acts with confetti. One such act had a triple canon. I wish I was able to show that part of the show (that remains to be seen because of privacy reasons). Everyone brought such a different energy that it’s difficult to keep up with it all.

If you are interested in attending or even joining, please contact me and I will pass along the proper information for the next show in August.

Aspect Ratio Sizes 2023

Are you a photographer or videographer trying to share your work? Does your platform of choice force you to crop your beautiful photo/video? Well, wonder no more! Below is a cheat sheet for each platform, so you don’t have to worry about unneeded cropping.

For the sake of transparency, I’ve used a blog post from Hoot Suite for reference.

* The Cover number for LinkedIn does not comply with the numbers I have researched. Ultimately, LinkedIn wants your Banner to be a 1.91:1 ratio. This blog post by LinkedIn should clear up any further confusion.

News

Some SF History

California is known for many things. Serial killers are but one subject of this state’s complicated history. Broke Ass Stuart recently wrote about a darker side of Daly City. I’m not sharing this to glorify this killer’s actions, like some podcasts and television shows will do. This is being shared because it’s a piece of history that is close to my doorstep. And that is always worth digging up the old newspapers to get a glimpse of the past.

Influencing is Pretty Difficult, It Turns Out

As time moves on, starting your career as an influencer becomes more difficult. Influencing seems like you can keep your own hours and do what you want. But that will bleed into your private and social lives. It’s difficult enough just being on social media, but to be chained by advertisers makes things like 1000% worse.

This NYT article follows Lee From America and others as they change their business lives to a 9 - 5 work life. I don’t know that I completely understand their enthusiasm to work at a desk job, but it certainly brings some anxieties to light. Link in headline.

Danger List: New Zealand Street Lamps

Let’s take a break from all the batshit crazy news this week and appreciate the weirder news. This and the next articles are pretty high up in the “Get this” news at the watering hole. As always, links are in the headlines.

Radioactive Theme Park

This one needs a bit of a caveat, though the humor is still there. This nuclear power plant was never opened and used as an actual power plant. Please read the rest of the article for all the chuckles.

New Jersey News

This was missed from last week, and still worth bringing up. New Jersey has become a Trans Healthcare sanctuary.

Pop Culture

Each week I include media that I’ve enjoyed. If you’re a creator of any kind, please email me to be included in this list. I love discovering new artists; from singer-songwriters to upcoming directors, and beyond.

Sunsets are great (see above picture).
This week has been busy, and I’ve missed naps.
Therapy? During that sunset, my friends and I discussed favorite punctuation marks. That evolved into favorite bands with punctuation marks. This appeared alongside other more mainstream bands.
Tina Bell — see how a female POC walked so Grunge could run.